Anime-Source.Com - The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya

A Spotlight Preview by AJtheFourth

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"I made my choice to continue running around this world like an idiot."
-Kyon

Kyon prepares for another day of SOS Brigade craziness...

...are you ready?

Kyon is constantly complaining about his lot in life. After all, he's simply a normal high school student who was planning on leading an average high school life until he decided to talk to Haruhi Suzumiya, the crazy girl seated behind him in homeroom. Suddenly, he's found himself dealing with time-travelers, aliens, and espers, who are all nothing compared to this inordinately powerful girl who literally shapes the world according to her whims. He never expected to end up in her crazy after-school club, the SOS Brigade, and he certainly doesn't want to be constantly bossed around or berated, always having to bend over backward to keep her happy. Often he finds himself thinking, "Wouldn't life be so much easier if all of her zany antics were to suddenly stop?"

It's an SOS Brigade Christmas party!

Kyon knows this means extra work for him.

The catchy song lyric, "You don't know what you've got 'til it's gone." comes to mind when attempting to summarize Kyon's mental transformation in The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya. This movie is the latest installment in the gigantic Haruhi franchise which spans a manga and two television series, both of which are based on the light novel series by Nagaru Tanigawa. With such an infamous and extensive franchise, it's very hard for a brand new viewer to jump into this movie and understand exactly what is happening, never mind be able to enjoy the story to its fullest. This makes it nearly inaccessible to anyone unfamiliar with Haruhi. Fortunately, there are very few anime fans who haven't heard of it, and those who love Haruhi, even the viewers who were turned off by Kadokawa and Kyoto Animation's "Endless Eight" experiment last year, will find much to love about Disappearance.

Is it more surprising to see "this person..."

...or this look on Yuki's face?

Unfortunately, it's impossible to go into depth about the story of this movie without spoiling several major plot points. What can be said is that it's definitely worth watching the second season of Haruhi first, especially the episode "Bamboo Leaf Rhapsody," since the events of that night become important to the finale of Disappearance. Watching "Endless Eight" is also recommended, since Kyoto Animation subtly foreshadowed the movie's events, specifically when one watches the character of Yuki Nagato. It's no secret that Yuki takes center stage throughout the majority of the movie, and her characterization leading up to this point coupled with her actions in the movie are portrayed exceptionally well. In addition to this, there is the major transformation that our male lead, Kyon, undergoes as the plot progresses. When the movie wraps up, viewers will delight in his decision to step out of the shadows, going from snarky observer to active participant and setting up incredible promise for where the Haruhi series can go from this point.

Kyon forces himself to make a decision.

Still shocked at your choice, Kyon?

As a faithful movie adaptation of its source material in both plot and entertainment value, Disappearance succeeds on a level rarely achieved in animation (or live-action movies for that matter). Readers of the original light novel by the same name should have no problems with how this particular chapter in the Haruhi saga has been presented. However, this isn't to imply that the movie is fast-paced in any way. Clocking in at nearly three hours long, it takes a while to get through, remaining slow-paced, quiet, and contemplative throughout the entire movie. This causes the few action scenes that are present to speed by at the blink of an eye.

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