The Movie of the Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya (Impressions/Reviews)

[GMT]

Originally Posted by tyranuus

Without wanting to read to much and spoil it, but is it the sort of movie that only a real Haruhi fan will love, or is it the sort of movie that is a bit of fun as long as you've some idea what came before?

Ive seen fan-orientated movies go either way, some seem to rely on the fans knowledge of the series and evertything that goes with it, whilst others are fine as long as you've got a basic grasp of whats going on.

Im guessing a lot of the time it sticks roughly to the same mix of elements as the anime (bit of sci fi, humour, touch of a romance/relationship undercurrent, lots of Kyon's sarcastic wit and aggravated commentary etc)

As long as you really like Kyon's internal monologues, you like Yuki Nagato, and are okay with the anime's humor being turned way down, you will probably like this movie. Which means that, for best results, you should have some familiarity with what came before. Having read (and liked) Melancholy, or seen the first six episodes of the anime in chronological order would satisfy that requirement.

[tyranuus]

I've seen the 2009 rerun in chronological order so should meet the criteria, Im not an avid fan of the series but I enjoyed the show for what it was. Its a shame humour has been toned down but I can probably understand why. That said a lot of it came from Kyon's monologues anyway so as long as he's kept his unimpressed, sarcastic mindset I should be ok.

[quigonkenny]

Originally Posted by tyranuus

I've seen the 2009 rerun in chronological order so should meet the criteria, Im not an avid fan of the series but I enjoyed the show for what it was. Its a shame humour has been toned down but I can probably understand why. That said a lot of it came from Kyon's monologues anyway so as long as he's kept his unimpressed, sarcastic mindset I should be ok.

There are still a few bits of the signature humor in there, particularly involving Taniguchi, but all in all it does have a darker tone than in the series, and Kyon's monologues are more somber and introspective (not quite emo, I thought, but mileage varies) as a result. If you were able to make it through Endless Eight without chalking your decision to watch the rest up to "for completion's sake", you should enjoy the movie immensely. Even if you hated E8, if you've got any investment in the series, you'll most likely enjoy it.

Just come to it with an open mind, and stop listening to us bicker uselessly until after you've seen it... We can only make it worse. ^_^

[Grahf616]

I think the honest problem here is that people are trying to defend this movie as something more than a love letter to the fans. My question is simple: is there anything essentially wrong with something that is a love letter to the fans? My assertion is no, of course not.

I don't want to put words into other peoples mouths, but there is obvious hyperbole of perfection here. Some base assumptions have to be made: that most of the audience for this film are people that have watched the series and enjoyed to various extents what they've seen so far and appreciate the way the fourth novel has been handled and transfered into the animated format.

Is this something like, say, Avatar, or The Lord of the Rings? No, not really. For the "worldwide phenomenon" that Haruhi is, it's still a relatively small niche we're talking about here, let's not delude ourselves into thinking it's not. Perhaps it's unfair to compare it to stuff like The Lord of the Rings, which have had way more time to become firmly entrenched, but still, the comparisons must be made. And unlike Avatar, this is by no means a stand alone work, it's just another part of the continuity.

That being said, I think it's somewhat pointless to view it as anything other than a fan send up. To many, the movie is perfect in the role that it fulfils for them: living up to or exceeding their expectations of how this part of the narrative would be handled, especially after all the doubt that was placed after E8.

As for the argument that's been going on. I guess people can't help but become defencive when something they regard highly is brought under fire. Is their fervour justified? I can't really answer that question. This isn't exactly an objective community though, but I think we've already sort of admitted that. And as unfortunate as it is, it's tough being a dissenter in terms of well, anything.

Bah, I'm probably rambling at this point, so I'll leave it at that. Hopefully I've been lucid enough to raise some valid interpretations though.

[Skane]

The only criticism I find illogical, is the one that says the movie has to be judged as a stand-alone film. Problem is, the film wasn't designed to be that way. It's just another "episode" in the entire series.

Would watching The Two Towers alone make much sense if you had never watched The Fellowship of the Ring beforehand? Would you know what the Hell was going on if you watched the Return of the Jedi first without seeing the prior two films?

Pacing and such is subjective, so I'll acknowledge that it may seem excruciating to some. I myself fell asleep literally watching the beginning of Space Odyssey:2001, but it's still ranked as one of the top films globally.

A more accurate assessment would be to ask oneself what did the film set out to do. What was its objective, and did it succeed at them? Anything else is superficial.

Cheers.

[Archon_Wing]

I suppose it would be fair to say that a minimal familiarity with the anime and the plot basics is needed.

[quigonkenny]

Originally Posted by Archon_Wing

I suppose it would be fair to say that a minimal familiarity with the anime and the plot basics is needed.

Needed, yes, or else you're going to be completely lost. But like with most individual stories/arcs/whatever of a property, the more you know the better you'll usually enjoy it, so I would recommnd watching the series beforehand, expecially since they were nice enough to "fill up" all the chronological space prior to the movie's timeline... ^_^

[tyranuus]

This is kind of what I was getting at with my question earlier.
Some films/fan-based material really do rely upon the fan truly loving the series and spotting all the small things to really be someway decent, theres very little explanation of why/how and you're expected just to know things, whereas others just rely on your ability to grasp/knowlege of the basics.
This film seems to be somewhere between the two, whereby the film will carry itself if you've got a rough gist of what its about, but theres more to enjoy if say you're very familiar with the books or the series (or both).
I'm hoping I'll enjoy it when I get round to watching it, and as long as the humour and some of the other elements (for example I like the little tsundere thing between Haruhi and Kyon, and Im half tempted to say that I get the feeling he feels a little something of it back, he just won't admit it, and he DOES have an out and out crush on Mikuru which frustrates Haruhi no end ) are still intact, or have some representation, I see no reason why I wouldn't.

At least it's not a 're-imagining'

Besides, I emphathise with Kyon quite a lot, I'm english (no, I don't like tea and crumpets, GTFO haha) and have a fairly sarcastic, self deprecating sense of humour much like his character does, to the point he's sometimes monologuing stuff I was thinking when I was watching the anime series, as long as this doesn't drop out completely or his character irrevokably change Im thinking I'll probably get on well with the film, I like a bit of plot development now and then, and it's not like Yuki got a massive amount of screen time during the series. (I'm also tempted to go watch the dub and find out how the american VAs portrayed the characters)
Hell I even liked the idea and some of the execution of some of E8, even if I did find myself feeling like it was beginning to drag out and having to just focus on watching for the changes as it hit the 5/6th episode. (they could have dropped at least 2/3 episodes out I think and still conveyed much the same thing, giving them time to animate more actual plot which the fanbase probably would have appreciated).

PS. Skane, no disagreements there, much as it is loved critically, I had to FORCE myself to finish 2001 through, it really does go a bit...good if you like psychedelic colours otherwise switch off!

[bhl88]

Haruhi Suzumiya.
Kyon.
Haruhi Suzumiya.
Kyon.
Haruhi Suzumiya.
Kyon.
....
Kyon.
Where are you, Haruhi?

Spoiler:

The Disapperance

[yakumo-chan]

I have watched it and it was great!

I still didnt understand something.... well here you go...

Spoiler for questions:

1.who the hell saved kyon???

2.How did kyon get back to the real world???

3.In the ending, when Kyon was in the hospital..,Did Nagato vanished in the real word????

reminders : Please dont tell spoilers from the novels.... just tell me what you know......

[bhl88]

1) Since I'm not allowed to spoil it... it was... a man.
2) Check the trailer which has one command.

YUKI.N> READY? _

3) No she didn't.

[yakumo-chan]

Originally Posted by bhl88

1) Since I'm not allowed to spoil it... it was... a man.

thanks

Originally Posted by bhl88

2) Check the trailer which has one command.

YUKI.N> READY? _

No... not that.... the time when Kyon was stab by a knife.... he was dying right???? and by that time... the world is not the real world... so supposedly he must go back to the real world again.... how did he get back??? Am I to wait for a sequel to know it??


and as far as I remember....

YUKI.N> READY? _ - This code has only brings him back 3 years ago....

Originally Posted by bhl88

3) No she didn't.

how come she is the only one not in the hospital??? yet haruhi said we are complete members here....

[bhl88]

2) Yuki made love with him. No, I'm just kidding~

A man injected Yuki Nagato with the pistol, returning her back to normal.

3) Oh she's not inside the room.

[yakumo-chan]

Originally Posted by bhl88

2) Yuki made love with him. No, I'm just kidding~

A man injected Yuki Nagato with the pistol, returning her back to normal.

3) Oh she's not inside the room.

Oh no that spoils me man!! hehehe just joking....!

anyways thanks!!!

I think its obvious that the man is the one who injected Yuki Nagato with the pistol...... I wonder who it was.... hmmmmm......

It looks like I have to rewatch this in high definition since I only have watched it in camrip.... hey thanks again!!

[GMT]

Originally Posted by yakumo-chan

I have watched it and it was great!

I still didnt understand something.... well here you go...

Spoiler for Behind door 1:

It should be obvious who saved Kyon. If the man's voice wasn't enough; the movie makes it pretty clear after Kyon goes up on the hospital roof, and again at the end, just before he steps into the clubroom to partake of the Christmas hot-pot.

Spoiler for Behind door 2:

Seg-fault/core-dump Nagato was injected with 0 AH Nagato's cure-all program, and the world got fixed. This was done by the same bunch of people who saved Kyon from his pointy death at the hands of Ahnuld Asakura.

Spoiler for Behind door 3:

Since Nagato and Kyon share a scene on the hospital roof . . . no.

[User89254]

Originally Posted by yakumo-chan

Oh no that spoils me man!! hehehe just joking....!

anyways thanks!!!

I think its obvious that the man is the one who injected Yuki Nagato with the pistol...... I wonder who it was.... hmmmmm......

It looks like I have to rewatch this in high definition since I only have watched it in camrip.... hey thanks again!!

My goodness. Alone, what he was wearing, his voice, and whom he was traveling with makes it obvious - especially Kyon's dialogue afterwards - make it obvious. If you really can't get it - you've met this male before, and it's not Koizumi.

Anyway...

Watched the movie; it was blissfully beautiful and a work of art. Can't wait for DVD version, but Mazui's should be fine for now.

When Sugita Tomokazu said "Are you tired of my voice yet?"...well, now I know what he meant.

But still, the scenes were beautiful and the few liberalities KyoAni took were so well done I can't argue with them.

So, how many people want to bet the number of YukiKyon shippers dramatically increased with this movie?

[quigonkenny]

Originally Posted by yakumo-chan

I have watched it and it was great!

I still didnt understand something.... well here you go...

Spoiler for questions:

1.who the hell saved kyon???

2.How did kyon get back to the real world???

3.In the ending, when Kyon was in the hospital..,Did Nagato vanished in the real word????

reminders : Please dont tell spoilers from the novels.... just tell me what you know......

Spoiler for movie:

1. Rewatch the scene. You'll be able to figure out all three "saviors" from their voices, if nothing else. Well, two of them, since the third, who you can pretty much see completely anyway, didn't talk (which in itself could be a hint). Outright telling you would be a spoiler, as it, as well as the "how", is clearly laid out in a later volume (7).

2. They actually leave that one pretty vague throughout the series. Kyon makes some speculation of this after he wakes up in the hospital, and you learn a little more in Volume 7, but you should be able to speculate based on how it got "messed up" in the first place...

3. Nope. In fact, their conversation on the roof conveys quite the opposite. Watch it again and read the subs carefully.

[yakumo-chan]

Originally Posted by quigonkenny

3. Nope. In fact, their conversation on the roof conveys quite the opposite. Watch it again and read the subs carefully.

Well thanks.... I think I really should rewatch this(In HD).... I do know they had a conversation in the rooftop... but I just really thought that Nagato has left the world and she only revisited kyon in the rooftop..... because I really remember something in the hospital haruhi saying that the members are complete here, while Nagato is nowhere to be seen in that room..... Koizumi and haruhi didnt even said her name

[quigonkenny]

Originally Posted by yakumo-chan

Well thanks.... I think I really should rewatch this(In HD).... I do know they had a conversation in the rooftop... but I just really thought that Nagato has left the world and she only revisited kyon in the rooftop..... because I really remember something in the hospital haruhi saying that the members are complete here, while Nagato is nowhere to be seen in that room..... Koizumi and haruhi didnt even said her name

Ah, maybe that was a bad translation. Kyon makes a point of mentioning Nagato as the final member of the SOS Dan to show up, at least in the novel. But their convo happens in his hospital room in the novel, not on the roof, so they may have changed that line.

[roankun]

Originally Posted by quigonkenny

But their convo happens in his hospital room in the novel, not on the roof,

probably because the yuki(snow) scene wouldn't be as effective if they weren't outside. that wasn't in the novel, right?