The movie covers the 4th novel of the same name - The 4th novel is generally regarded as the best one and fans have been craving for this particular part to be animated for YEARS. When it was revealed that it would be adapted as a movie, fan expectations went somewhere between "this is going to be so awesome" and, after the Endless Eight desaster, "I hope they don't fuck it up". Suffice to say, the movie delivered. While people were hoping it would be as good as the original novel, now you will have a hard time finding people who don't consider the movie to be superior to it. The movie is also impressive because of its sheer length. Over 160 minutes, that's longer than most live action movies. According to my knowledge, it's the second longest anime movie ever.
I will not be telling you a plot summary of the movie, if you really don't know it, look it up on Wikipedia, read other reviews, or watch it.
Plot:
The plot is not original or particularly unique, it is a mixture of alternate universe and time travel. Some might be confused by this, others may even like this kind of screwy stuff. It certainly isn't foreign to the Haruhi franchise. The plot, however, is not the core of this movie at all, which is why I'm not writing a lot in this section. It is simply the vehicle, because Disappearance really is a character work.
Characters:
Ah, what this movie is really all about - the characters. Disappearance focuses on two characters in particular - Kyon and Nagato. Regarding Nagato, it is understanding of her that we gain in this movie. Parts of her inner world are revealed that a lot might not have guessed. It truly shows that she is not emotionless, much less boring. Regarding Kyon, it is development. One could say that beyond all the stuff happening in this movie, the real core of the movie is a choice Kyon makes. It is character development of the finest order and something that does change him for the future. The presentation of these characters is superb. All the emotions that are going through Kyon are highlighted beautifully. Whether it's his legs being unable to move due to fear and shock, or the "brick shitting" reaction he has when he sees Asakura, or the moments where he discovers hints on how to restore the world where the relief he feels is wonderfully shown in his reactions.
Audio:
Two things: Voice acting and the soundtrack. Both are amazing. Props to Chihara Minori for being able to voice the same character twice, with two completely different personalities. Props to Aya Hirano, for showing a clear difference between the current, lively, excited Haruhi and the cold, melancholic Haruhi from before she met Kyon. It really shows in the voice. But the greatest props, thanks and respect has to go to Tomokazu Sugita. Not only did he provide narration for a 2 hours and 40 minutes movie, it was done brilliantly. Kyon's narration has always been one of the main draws for me and a lot of other fans regarding this series. He does not disappoint in this movie, no, he surpasses himself. Especially in the aforementioned scene where Kyon makes a choice for himself, his voice acting is superb. The way he said "Answer me" sent shivers down my spine days after watching it, just thinking about it.
The soundtrack is wonderful too. Some really great tracks that fit into their respective scenes perfectly. Adding to that are the melancholic pieces by Erik Satie, which fit the movie just right. If you'll excuse me, I'll be listening to READY? forever.
Visuals:
Again, the movie excels here. It really does. And it is not just the high-quality animation and the beautiful backgrounds - which it has in spades. The most amazing thing is the presentation of it. KyoAni already proved in the previous seasons that they knew how to work with visuals, but they did even better in this movie. I believe that without the brilliant visual presentation, the movie would lose a lot of its quality. Yes, it succeeds because of the way it presents things. Whether its the loads of reflections spread throughout the movie, to more intense scenes such as Kyon's choice or Asakura's assault. And neither were they afraid to use symbolism. Kyon's choice might be on the greatest examples of adaptation expansion. His monologue/inner dialogue was a few lines in the novels, but becomes a beautiful introspection scene, handled with Evangelionesque skill. Asakura, too, was genuinely threatening, in a scene loaded with suspense. Again, thanks to the superb visual presentation.
Overall:
10/10 for this movie. I am not afraid to call it a masterpiece. I do not for a second believe I am overrating it. You might write me off as a fanboy, but the considerable critical and commercial success and high ratings of this movie seem to suggest that there's some truth in this. Kyoto Animation took the novel, did a TRULY faithful adaptation while also adding original things that fit in just right and even improve. And that is something that is not easily done. Thank you, KyoAni, for this movie.
