After the roller coaster ride of the poor second season, where we went though one important episode, then went through a really boring "Endless Eight" arc, and yet another poor "Sigh" arc, and the Haruhi-chan parody series, we had to wonder, what happened to the brilliance that took the anime world by storm? Well, fans of the series, time to rejoice. The Disappearance has practically erased all hatred I had for the series after 13 really bad episodes.
Story
On the 17th of December, Haruhi decided to have a Christmas party on the 24th, and gave the SOS Brigade the typical run of events. Mikuru in her short skirt Santa outfit, Koizumi in his usual smug, overkill reactions to everything Haruhi says, and Yuki in her usual silence. All seems usual, until the dawn of the 19th, when Kyon, upon arriving at school, realises something amiss, like the seat in the desk behind him being empty, up until a face he hasn't seen in ages appears...
Art
Art looks really good. The effects of snow, the distraught face of Kyon, and the unbelievably cute Yuki. Typical KyoAni stuff. Thumbs up.
Sound
As much as Bouken Desho Desho was reminiscing, I'd much prefer a new soundtrack for the movie.
Character
Despite the namesake, the movie actually developed Yuki's character more than Haruhi, which I find to be very impressive, since Yuki had always been the seen as a boring alien, it was nice to see that she had a human side to her as well.
Kyon also has had a significant development, though I will refrain from saying how, as that is integral to the story.
Enjoyment
Believe me, as the movie started, I was really skeptical about what I was about to experience, especially the disaster that was the 2nd season. But I can't believe I enjoyed it as much as I did.
Overall
Much of the storyline was directly linked to the 2nd season, sadly, so fans that were smart enough to avoid the 2nd season won't be able to understand much of the plotline.
For me, I lost all my fanboyism after the 2nd season. Even after giving it a chance after the Endless Eight arc, the Sigh was really worth sighing about. However, the Disappearance made me regain my faith in the series, though personally, I'd hate to be put through that emotional ride again, so I hope that this movie officially ends the leeching of money KyoAni is getting from this series.
End the series, please, with it at its highest point.
