The much anticipated Suzumiya Haruhi no Shoushitsu (The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya) theatrical film debuted yesterday, hot on the heels of last week’s big anime movie release, Nanoha the 1st.
Reviews for Shoushitsu so far seem to be excellent, and ever reliable throngs of otaku (see above image) turned out on the movie’s opening day, even forming a reportedly 500-man line outside Ikebukuro’s premiere theatre before 8AM.
The line outside the Cinema Sunshine Ikebukuro was definitely helped by the presence of the SOS-Dan’s seiyuu for a “meet and greet” event, much like the similar seiyuu event at last week’s Nanoha premiere:
Another shot of the Cinema Sunshine’s audience posing with the SOS-Dan. Note the plushie usamimi Nagato in the back!
This hideously tiny low-res image comes from newspaper Mainichi, which had the following to say:
“Popular anime “Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu”‘s theatrical release “Suzumiya Haruhi no Shoushitsu” opened to the public on the 6th, with about 500 enthusiastic fans forming a line outside Ikebukuro’s Cinema Sunshine theatre even before the first screening at 8AM…”
A photo diary of the day’s events ala last week’s Nanoha article is not yet possible, as it is still less than a day since the movie premiered and not as much material has found its way online, save for a few:
This picture above, from Earl Box, is the Nagato pamphlet spotted in the earlier Haruhi Movie Goods piece.
If the thought of 2 anime movies playing concurrently at the same cinema is a thrill, then the above image from the Dai Enjou blog should be electrifying – Haruhi is in the middle with all of the day’s tickets sold-out, Nanoha is at the bottom with the day’s first three airings still sold-out even after being out for a week.
The always fun Dai Enjoy blogger also gives us this shot with a small Nagato memo pad in the middle, and quite a substantial stack made entirely of copies of the Shoushitsu manga, which he arranged like so to celebrate the movie’s release:
It might take a few moments to decipher at first, but it reads 消失 / Shoushitsu!
As for the movie itself, a good majority of those who have seen it and reported their opinions online seem enthused by the movie, with many a proclamation along the lines of “It’s awesome!” and “Go see it!!”. Apparently the film adaptation covers practically the entire story of the book, as should be expected given its hefty length.
One amusing line comes from a 2channel denizen, obviously still reveling in the movie’s afterglow:
“I cried. I really cried!! All of this year’s tears are exhausted. Shoushitsu was wonderful !!! Uwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa~ It was so much fun!!!”
The most common nitpick about the film seems to be thoughts about the overall tempo and pacing of the storyline, perhaps a problem related to the movie’s epic 2 and a half hour length.
Much easier to understand the 2ch commentary above, at least to Japanese speakers, the review pages at Karu Nikki (in both spoiler and non-spoiler versions) make up the most cogent review of the movie so far.
See more at Dengeki Online, Mainichi, Dai Enjou and Cinema Today.
On a personal note, I (Quen) would’ve liked to have covered this premiere in person, but the airline ticket I purchased purely so I could go see an anime movie (!!) is for a flight still a few days away. The lure of a moe Nagato on the big screen was too much for this otaku to bear, and even if I am a few days late, at least my otaku power level will become unquestionable…
Luckily, next week still be a wonderful time to raid the cinemas, with movies such as Fate, Macross, Nanoha and Haruhi airing on Tokyo screens.
(Sniff, sob, and cry) Damn I SHOULD HAVE BEEN THERE!!!
What kind of Haruhist isn’t there for his baby’s big debut. But I’ll make it up, By getting the complete collection on Blu-Ray. hehehe… T_T
So they manage to bury endless eight?
cool
Ironic it’s called Haruhi and Nagato is the cover being sold.
Aleast it has a Positive reaction.