Then this movie came along and restored my faith in the series.
The thing that stood out the most to me after watching Disappearance was how well the characters were made. Here we have a movie that essentially removes the main (and title) character from the plot, and it's just as good, if not better, than the previous works. Kyon and Yuki get some serious development, and the other characters play their parts as well. More on this later.
The next major aspect of this movie that left me in awe was the art. I'm don't often give out 10s when I rate things, as I generally consider that to be an ideal rather than an achievable state. Furthermore, one might say I'm in no position to comment on the art, as all I've seen is a low quality camrip. One would be wrong. In general, the art was very good, though Haruhi still looks like Season 2 Haruhi instead of Season 1 Haruhi (the face is too long, or the expressions are different, or something; I can't put my finger on it). But the landscapes and background continue to be beautiful, the animation is pretty good (for anime) and some noteworthy work was done on lighting effects, too. I remember being very impressed by the way car headlights illuminated the characters as they drove by. I can't wait for a good quality version of the movie so I can see the art in all of its glory.
The plot is very well-written and very evocative at times, though it does require a prior understanding of the setting. Kyon becomes the center of the plot, rather than a narrator pulled along by Haruhi's shenanigans, and I find this to be very refreshing. After a standard intro with Haruhi directing traffic as usual, he wakes up to find himself in a world where she doesn't exist. Since it was her actions that brought the other characters to him, none of them know him either (except the other students in his class). Although to me it seems like he's been granted a wonderful gift anyone in his position would have dreamed of (that is, a world without Haruhi), he makes it his quest to find out what's happening, why it's happening, and what he can do about it. We get a nice "what could have been" experience with some great allusions to past events and insights into the different characters. When the main plot twist came, I was still unaware of it right until the moment that it was explicitly made clear. In retrospect, there were indicators, sure, but they're simply part of the well-written and well-executed story. You feel a good deal of sympathy for some of the characters as new aspects of them become known, and any movie or show that can evoke the feelings in me that this did is a great work.
There's not much to say about the music, other than that it's generally new and original, that it sounds good, and that's it's placed very well in order to emphasize different scenes and events. The song played over the credits is a nice touch in both its lyrics and a capella style.
So there you have it. If it's not clear already, I thoroughly enjoyed this film and the additions it makes to the existing anime. It's well-written, well-executed, well-drawn, well-animated, well-scored, and it takes characters that are already full and complex and adds to them. At the time of this writing, Disappearance has taken the #1 spot on the "Top Anime" list here, and it's well deserved. If you get the opportunity to see this soon, do it, and if you have to wait for it to be available in your area, you have my sincerest sympathies.
