The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya

Did You Know?

• A spin-off manga titled The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-chan was serialized in Kadokawa Shoten's Young Ace from July 2009 to August 2016, with an anime adaptation by Satelight airing from April to July 2015.
• The film's soundtrack includes compositions by French composer Erik Satie, such as Gymnopédies, Gnossiennes, and 'Je te veux'.

Plot

Following the television series The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, the story takes place in December. The SOS Brigade plans a Christmas nabe party, but on December 18, Kyon arrives at school to find reality changed: Haruhi Suzumiya and Itsuki Koizumi are missing, Ryoko Asakura has returned, Mikuru Asahina does not recognize him, and Yuki Nagato is an ordinary human. Only Kyon remembers the original world. Searching the clubroom, he finds a bookmark left by Yuki instructing him to gather 'keys' to run a program. He accepts a dinner invitation from the new Yuki, who reveals a fondness for him because he once helped her get a library card. Asakura warns Kyon to be mindful of Yuki's feelings. On December 20, Kyon learns from Taniguchi that Haruhi exists at a different high school. By revealing his alias 'John Smith'—used when he traveled back in time to assist a young Haruhi—Kyon convinces her of his story. Excited, Haruhi assembles the club members, who prove to be the required keys. Kyon activates the program, sending him back to the Tanabata of three years ago. Adult Mikuru takes him to past Yuki, who explains that Yuki stole Haruhi's powers on December 18 to create a world without paranormal beings, attributing this to accumulated errors. Kyon interprets this as weariness from monitoring Haruhi. Given an uninstall program, Kyon travels to December 18 and reflects on his choice, realizing he enjoys the world with Haruhi and the SOS Brigade. He tries to install the program but is stabbed by Ryoko, altered by Yuki to be her bodyguard.

Production

The fourth light novel volume was first planned as part of the second anime season. Kyoto Animation began production in June 2007, deciding not to worry about runtime until the script and storyboards were advanced; they ended with seven manuscripts for seven episodes. At an unknown point, plans changed to adapt it as a film, resulting in a 162-minute runtime. Director Tatsuya Ishihara wished the film had been longer but was satisfied with the scenes included. Noriko Takao joined the directors in drawing storyboards at her own request; both directors found a woman's point of view helpful, especially for Yuki Nagato. Storyboards were divided into six parts (A–F), with Ishihara and Takemoto handling the beginning and end, and Takao doing parts C and D. Dialogue was discussed extensively to sound true to the characters. The directors spent the most time discussing Ryoko Asakura and Itsuki Koizumi, considering them as people who 'hadn't been chosen. Takemoto asked Koizumi's voice actor, Daisuke Ono, to express the sadness of a sad clown. Takao was mainly responsible for illustrating the 'people not chosen' aspect. Haruhi's few scenes were intended to create a 'sparkling' feeling. Techniques like 3DCG and photography were used to increase detail in layouts when the camera panned out far.

Release

On December 18, 2007, the official website haruhi.tv was replaced by a fake 404 error with five form input fields, referencing the pivotal date in the novel. The story did not appear in the 2009 re-airing of the anime series, but on October 8, 2009, a 30-second teaser trailer revealed the film for a February 6, 2010 release. A one-minute promotional video was released in December 2009. The film was released on BD/DVD in regular and limited editions on December 18, 2010 in Japan. Bandai Entertainment licensed it for North America. English-subtitled screenings began at San Francisco's Viz Theater on May 21, 2010, followed by Laemmle's Sunset theater in Hollywood on June 24, 2010, and a theatrical run in Hawaii in June 2010 through Consolidated Theatres and Artisan Gateway. An English-language version co-produced by Bang Zoom! Entertainment was released on DVD and Blu-ray in North America on September 20, 2011. Manga Entertainment released it on DVD in the UK on November 7, 2011, though a planned 2012 Blu-ray release was cancelled. Madman Entertainment released it on DVD and Blu-ray in Australia and New Zealand on November 16, 2011. Animax Asia has aired the film. The theme song is 'Yasashii Bōkyaku' by Minori Chihara, released as a single on February 24, 2010. The opening theme is 'Bōken Desho Desho?' by Aya Hirano. The original soundtrack, released on January 27, 2010, includes music by Erik Satie and is performed by the Eminence Symphony Orchestra, produced by Satoru Kōsaki.

Reception

The film opened in Japan on February 6, 2010, playing on just 24 screens, yet it cracked the top ten at the box office during its debut weekend. Within its first week, it pulled in roughly 200 million yen. That same year, it took home the Best Theatrical Film prize at the Animation Kobe Awards. On home video, the Blu-ray edition moved over 77,000 copies in its first week, claiming the top spot on Oricon’s charts, while the DVD version sold 19,667 copies to land at number four. Minori Chihara, who performed the ending theme “Yasashii Bōkyaku,” won the Best Singing Award at the fifth Seiyu Awards in 2011. In Thailand, severe nationwide flooding forced the film to screen only at Bangkok’s Lido Theatre for a single day on November 6, 2011. Tickets were gone the moment booking opened. After the showing, local franchisee Rose Media & Entertainment auctioned off Haruhi merchandise, including limited Blu-rays and DVDs, and gave all proceeds to flood relief.