The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya: Embracing Life's Adventures

The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya

“Embracing Life's Adventures”

Have you ever woken up one morning and gone to your place of education or employment only to find that everything has suddenly changed? I’m not talking about having a new teacher or removing the coffee machine; I’m talking about the whole place being upside down. What if your loud friend is suddenly quiet? What if your irritating boss is suddenly the nicest person in the world?

You would surely know something is off and try to figure out what on earth happened. But the bigger question is: Are you happy with the change or not? Do you want to keep living in this reality if it suits your fancy, or would you rather throw it all away to have your familiar old reality back?

“The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya," also known as “Suzumiya Haruhi no Shoushitsu," is a movie that aired on February 6, 2010. It also goes by the names “The Vanishment of Haruhi Suzumiya” and “Haruhi Movie.” Studio Kyoto Animation brought it to life, and Kadokawa Shoten and Animation Do produced it with a license from Funimation and Bandai Entertainment. The main staff behind it included Hatta Hideaki, Saitou Shigeru, Itou Atsushi, and Sgroi Victor as producers.

The movie has a runtime of 2 hours and 41 minutes, featuring the genres of mystery, sci-fi, and supernatural, along with the school theme. It received a rating of PG-13 for teenagers 13 years of age or older. It won the Theatrical Film Award at the Animation Kobe Awards in 2010, earning approximately 200 million yen within just its first week of release inside Japan.

Furthermore, it got placed within the Top 10 for Japanese box office sales in just its first weekend. Following the massive success, it was released on Blu-ray and DVD in Japan on December 18, 2010, and in the same formats in North America by Bandai Entertainment on September 20, 2011. Funimation Entertainment later republished it on May 30th, 2017.

The movie is adapted from the “Suzumiya Haruhi Series” light novels, also known as “The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya” or “Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu." It began publication on June 6, 2003, and is still ongoing, featuring the genres of comedy, drama, sci-fi, and the supernatural.

Serialized in “The Sneaker," it is the work of author Tanigawa Nagaru and artist Itou Noizi. This series landed 1st place in the 2005 “Kono Light Novel ga Sugoi!” ranking under the Best Light Novel category, and as of 2011, it has sold over 16.5 million copies.

Yen Press later released it in English on April 1, 2009, and Editorial Ivrea released it in Spanish in April 2010. The prequel to the movie is the “Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu (2009)” TV series, also known as “The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya Season 2.” It aired for a total of 14 episodes from May to September in Spring 2009, serving as the sequel to the “The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya” TV series from Spring 2006.

An alternative version of the movie exists in the form of another TV series titled “The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-chan," also known as “Nagato Yuki-chan no Shoushitsu," which ran for 16 episodes in spring 2015.

The tale begins on a peculiar and cold December day. The male protagonist, Kyon, comes to their school prepared for yet another chaotic adventure with his fellow SOS Brigade members. But to his utter surprise, everything has changed completely, and the people he knew so well are no longer the same. For starters, Haruhi Suzumiya and Itsuki Koizumi were both nowhere to be seen; Mikuru Asahina didn’t seem to recognize him at all; Yuki Nagato, of all people, had become a very regular human being; and Ryouko Asakura had somehow mysteriously returned. Despite the fact that he is undoubtedly not new to supernatural occurrences, Kyon decides to look into everything on his own because he is visibly disturbed.

As he continues to dig, he learns that he is the only person actually aware of their previous reality and has to make quite a life-changing decision. Will he finally live the normal school life he has always wanted, or will he find the means to turn back time in order to restore the chaotic world he has grown so accustomed to? Most of all, would he be genuinely happy with his decision?

The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya hones in on a story set a few months after the anime series, where we experienced their cultural festival. The setting is, unsurprisingly, the melancholic but familiar North High School, where the main cast gets up to their mayhem with the energetic Haruhi at the forefront. But once Kyon finds himself in a highly different alternate world, the plot of the movie really starts to move.

While the story itself is great, the movie’s primary focus is the characters, and the plot sets things up just right for some incredible character development. This growth is enhanced by the chaotically interesting and emotional tale set around the mystery of Kyon’s sudden, odd circumstances. I found myself pondering the concept of reality and the world we live in while watching, and the way the movie uses its vehicle for character study is just amazing. Why? Because his situation feels both familiar and foreign at the same time, the overall atmosphere is tense and oppressive.

The pacing is done like a ticking time bomb, where the MC must solve the mystery in order to avoid being stuck in this alien world forever. This factor makes everything Kyon says, does, or thinks that much more impactful, and the scenes where he stops to take in the new world are where the quality of the plot shines.

It’s as if the narrative is asking Kyon a question: “Is this new reality really that bad?” This question is presented to us as well, and it made me wonder about it myself. Unlike us, Kyon is forced to answer this difficult question while being completely honest about what he truly wants. Rest assured, the final answer he arrives at is nothing short of emotional, impactful, and climatic!

The character department is the strongest in this movie, and that is thanks to the amazing development. Despite the title, this tale is about Kyon, a character who was previously quite cynical and down-to-earth. But now we get to see the many facets of his personality in the most natural ways thanks to his new circumstances, and they execute it all perfectly within a short and sweet character arc.

We see him awkward, confused, fumbling, making mistakes, and under pressure, making him all the more human and relatable. He has a lot of inner monologues here, and it really helps you understand what he’s thinking, making you like him even more and wish for him to succeed.

The second most pivotal character is Nagato Yuki, who also got a bucketload of development. Earlier, she was just the Kuudere of the show, but here we are presented with a Dandere version, making her quite interesting and likable. This movie just adds so many layers to her character and naturally makes you view her in a different light, all of which delivers high emotional impact in a very refreshing way.

Haruhi doesn’t really get much screentime here, but she showcases so much humanity towards the end that it becomes well worth it. Meanwhile, Koizumi’s feelings towards Haruhi get further explanations, thereby adding letters to his character as well. Finally, Mikuru didn’t get much screentime either, but the moments she did have were very impactful and memorable. Honestly, these characters were just perfected in this movie, and I have no complaints at all!

When it comes to art and animation, this is Kyoto Animation we are talking about, and it is simply excellent. The sheer animation quality is breathtaking, and it is consistently on full display, as fluid as it could possibly be. The character designs are familiar yet different, each featuring subtle changes to accommodate the alternate versions, and they truly served purposes far beyond visuals.

The character expressions are on point, and we can always see their moods emanating from the screen, paving the way for a truly sentimental delivery. The artwork follows the same beloved aesthetics of the franchise, only more polished and impactful.

The Sounds and Music department is also excellent; if you loved Haruhi’s original theme, then your ears are in for a treat. The opening theme is "Bouken Desho Desho?" by Aya Hirano, and the ending theme is "Yasashii Boukyaku" by Minori Chihara, both of which do a splendid job of getting you into the mood.

When it comes to the OSTs, the one that really stood out was Erik Satie’s cover of "Gymnopedies," which drives home this pensive and thoughtful vibe. "Ready," which plays at the climax, is another amazing piece that really makes you feel the finale.

Every single OST in this movie portrays the essence of their respective scenes perfectly, making them all quite memorable. The overall music has a classical repertoire vibe, and they’ve incorporated it seamlessly into the movie. Finally, voicing and acting were on point as usual, with each character delivering a heartfelt and impactful performance. Nobody else could have done this better, but they really drive home the emotional aspects of the movie.

While the Haruhi Suzumiya series itself may not be doing great in the world of modern anime, “The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya” stands strong on it’s own merits even today. Even if you haven’t watched anything in the series before, this movie is still an incredible watch, and it is nothing short of historic. Honestly, this is one of my all-time favorite anime movies, and I would gladly recommend it to anyone!