I watched this about a month ago when Mazui released subs. Disappearance was my favorite novel, so I was hoping for the best. It delivered. In fact, I say it blew the novel out of the water through it's use of animation and sound, and has since brought Haruhi as a series to be my second favorite anime of all time, behind Evangelion.
Allow me to elaborate. I've always liked Haruhi due to it's unique ability to convey themes of normality and mundanity through the contrast of very complex and exciting events and characters with everyday happenings. I was one of the few people who weren't outraged at the end of the first season or the endless eight, as they simply elaborate on the themes mentioned above in such a beautiful and controversial way. I started reading the novel translations in between seasons one and two and enjoyed them, but I found that I greatly preferred the anime. Anyways, back to the topic of Disappearance, the movie captured the emotion brought about by the story progression of the novel, amplified it through the use of masterful animating techniques and the gorgeous soundtrack, and added a few extra touches to make it their own. Without spoiling anything, I'll just say that the climax of the movie exceeds the standards of the novel in every way.
One more thing I'd like to mention: the music. Dear lord, the music. Hoashi Keigo and Kousaki Satoru composed the majority of soundtrack, and apparently they decided to put some money into a professional orchestra, because the production quality is astounding. In addition to that, they include the music of Erik Satie, a composer and pianist who I had already been familiar with due to my preferences in classical music, and his tracks portray the atmosphere used in the series perfectly. There's even an orchestrated arrangement of his Gymnopedie No.1 on it, which is really well made.
So, wall of text aside, have any of you seen the movie, and how did you feel about it?
Last edited 10/05/20(Thu)14:39.