Review of The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya

As Christmas approaches life for Kyon is going on as usual… in other words Haruhi has decided what they are all doing and telling the others what their roles will be. Then one day as he walks to school he starts to notice something strange is going on; half the school seems to have a cold and he is told it has been like that for a week. Then he learns something even stranger; Haruhi isn't there, what's more nobody seems to know her; there is no SOS club and its other members have no memory of it or of any of their antics in the club. Kyon starts to think he is going crazy but then he finds a clue that will lead him to this world's Haruhi and to a point where he will have to decide whether he wants to remain in a normal world or go back to how it was with aliens, time travellers, ESPes and most importantly Haruhi.

Having enjoyed 'The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumya', even the infamous 'endless eight' I looked forward to seeing this but was unsure about whether a two and a half hour movie would work… it did. It felt much shorter as the story is constantly interesting and I really wanted to know why the world changed and just as importantly how. There may be less laughs than the series but there is a greater sense of drama. This drama also includes a greater sense of danger which culminates in a surprisingly bloody scene; it isn't strong compared to many series but was much stronger than I expected in 'Haruhi Suzumiya'. I'm sure fans of the series will love this.

These comments are based on watching the film in Japanese with English subtitles.