It is not deep, but it is fun to watch. It does have a bit more of an edge to it than other similar films.

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film

First of all, this review comes from a person who hasn't seen the televised Haruhi series. I've read the light novels but I never got around to watching any of the anime for whatever reason. I recently purchased The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya from a used DVD store for a couple bucks which is probably the only reason I'll have ever watched this film.One word to summarize my experience with Disappearance is "daunting". At 164 minutes, nearly three hours, this is the longest anime film I've ever sat through. Typically a movie that long, for me, requires two sittings unless I'm really into it. I watched Disappearance in one night, in one sitting, and I don't want to completely attest it to me being engaged because there were a lot of parts that I found boring.The story is that one day series protagonist Kyon wakes up and everyone he knows is different. The stoic alien Nagato is now a shy, emotive girl. Time traveling Asahina Mikuru is the same but doesn't recognize him. And most of all, Haruhi Suzumiya isn't at Kyon's school any longer and attends a private academy. Why is the world this way and can Kyon return to his own reality? The story section is where the runtime becomes a problem. If I were to speed-read the light novel this is based on, I'd probably come out of the novel a half hour sooner than I would the film. The biggest problem with Disappearance is how much fluff I felt was attached. I had the distinct impression I was watching an uncut version of the film, one where an editor or the director didn't take the time to remove the extraneous scenes. It takes nearly a half an hour just to get to the actual story, the majority of the beginning of the movie is spent with slice-of-life and comedy bits that are good for introducing the characters to a new audience and giving a sense of comradeship, but nothing more really. Given the fact that the Christmas celebration isn't the focus of the finale and hardly plays into the story other than some minor motivation for Kyon, it's strange that the movie focuses so much on the minutiae of it all. Half the introductory scenes could have been cut.The middle of the film drags as well though. There are quite a few scenes of nothing happening that are well directed and animated, sure, and also sometimes gives a glimpse into the character and his/her thoughts but I can't help but feel that much of it was pointless. While I was engaged in the mystery of what was happening and I do love the characters I was pulling my hair out at points wondering why in God's name certain scenes were drug out or even included in the final product.The ending is abrupt. Like, really abrupt. It comes out of nowhere and doesn't feel satisfactory for the two plus hours you've had to trudge through to get to that point. And it leads to twenty-ish minutes of a conclusion that, again, is extended way beyond what it should have been.This movie could have been two hours easily.The animation and sound design are fantastic though. I love Kyo-Ani's animation and they're at the top of their game here. Everyone looks like human/bug hybrids but how can you not love those smug faces and want to protect those glowing smiles? The lack of music in certain scenes is a nice touch, it feels like the director understood using music for drama and not to fill dead air.I feel that descriptions and analysis of Haruhi characters have been done to death so I'll slide by this. I love Haruhi as a character and I love the cast. I've spent years reading the light novels and some of the manga, they've been part of my anime conscience for nearly a decade. I don't feel that this movie had a lot of good development though alternate reality Nagato is amazing and I'm sad they bastardized her with that abomination of a spin-off. Nonetheless, memorable characters. Maybe not so much if you're just taking the film on its own, but definitely in the grand scheme of the franchise.Disappearance isn't a bad movie in the least and has a lot of great merits. Everything about it screams quality but the amount of fluff and padding really weighs down what would otherwise have been an extremely worthwhile adventure. As it stands, I'd still recommend it but with the caveat that it may be best enjoyed in portions.

Grab a Snicker's folks, because this is gonna be a while.I'll never forget my first time discovering the majesty of Haruhi Suzumiya. A good friend of mine sent me a link to the dance number that ends every first season episode. I laughed and discarded it as something out of a bizarre shojo anime, which isn't usually my thing. In the Related Videos section was Haruhi's performance of God Knows. I sent it to my friend who called it his favorite scene. I was surprised to learn that not only was he a huge fan, the show actually seemed pretty interesting.Later that week we watched the first few episodes of the series together and I fell in love with its quirky, avant-garde sense of humor and oddball premise. I watched and enjoyed the rest of the series during the rest of the week and enjoyed it all (minus Endless Eight, that was a big f*** you to the fans). But the finale, The Sigh of Haruhi, left a bad taste in my mouth. It felt so anti-climactic. Not the way a series this fantastic should've ended.Lo and behold last week when I discovered that there was a film to go along with the series. The trailer sure made it look interesting. Kyon wakes up one cold morning to discover that Haruhi is gone and no one remembers her existing. Not only that but Mikuru doesn't remember him and Nagato is a human with emotions. Koizumi is nowhere to be found. Kyon decides to go on a mission to uncover the source of this disturbance and correct it. Like I said, it sounded interesting. One thing my time in the anime fandom has taught me, anime films usually aren't nearly as great as the series that spawned them. So I went into this a tad bit skeptical. I was pleasantly surprised by the film's run time; nearly 3 hours. I love long movies, but only when done right, and this movie is most definitely done right. The plot is gripping and the pacing is perfect. I was just as confused as Kyon when the film started and really felt for him every step of the way. The animation looks just like the regular episodes of the show, but in much higher quality. It was breathtaking to see the characters I love in 1080p. Admittedly, I didn't really pay that much attention to the music. I was too engrossed in what was going on to notice.The movies ends just the way the series should have. I'm not really sure if this film can be considered a finale, but it is to me. I feel like we finally have closure while still leaving things very open ended. So all in all, I loved this film. It's not very welcoming to people who are new to show, but if you already love the show, this will take it to the next level. It did for me. 10/10

I love this movie to death. I started watching the anime at the beginning of 2012 once I saw the first episode online then proceeded to purchase Season One, Two and the movie. While I do love the show, it all just feels like a prologue to this movie. It all flows perfectly and really is a thank you to the fans.I am saying this because for those who have not seen the show, I can imagine that this movie would be extremely confusing. It constantly references events from the show and interweaves certain aspects of the plot around it. This movie can still be enjoyed by people who have not seen the show but many things will be missed or misunderstood. This movie is not a stand alone piece of content. It is something that needs context to be enjoyed and that context is acquired from the show.In short, watch both seasons of the show before watching this movie and you will discover one of the greatest movies ever made.

This was perhaps one of the best animated feature films I've ever seen. But you don't need me to tell you that. To start off, the animation style was pretty much identical to the anime series'. It was dazzling to see in 1080 P. I can't describe it in words, so you'll have to see it to believe it. The music was pretty well done as well. Using a combination of songs from the anime series and some newly composed songs, The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya has a impressive repertoire. The background music is fantastic, and it fits very well with each scene. Lastly, the voice acting is amazing as well. The five original voice actors from the anime reprise their role in the movie as well. Again, you'll have to listen to it for yourself to believe it.If you're not a fan of the Haruhi series, this movie won't change your mind. But if you're a fan of the series or are interested in the series, this movie is well worth your time.It gets a 10/10 from me.