A stage greeting for the revival screening of "The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya," the animated film adaptation of Nagaru Tanigawa's popular light novel series "The Haruhi Suzumiya," published by Kadokawa Sneaker Bunko (KADOKAWA), took place at Shinjuku Wald 9 (Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo) on February 7th. The "SOS Brigade," consisting of Hirano Aya (Haruhi Suzumiya), Sugita Tomokazu (Kyon), Chihara Minori (Nagato Yuki), Goto Yumiko (Mikuru Asahina), and Ono Daisuke (Ikki Koizumi), gathered together. The revival screening was realized as part of a project to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the TV anime series. Sugita gave a speech at the beginning, to which Hirano expressed his joy, saying, "Just hearing Sugita speak is so moving. 20 years ago, I never imagined we'd be able to gather again like this 20 years later. I'm so happy. I can't believe it."
The five members of the SOS Brigade looked back on the 20th anniversary and talked about their memories from that time and their favorite scenes from "The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya."
Ono said, "I rewatched 'The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya' once more before coming here, and it still hasn't lost its luster. I can't believe this was made 16 years ago. It's like the latest anime, or even more so, and it's drawn in such detail. It's truly beautiful, truly entertaining, and I thought it was a masterpiece that would make for a luxurious time. I was once again proud to be involved in this work as an actor." He continued, "It's been 16 years since it was released, but I think this is a work that will remain in the future, for as long as we are alive, and even beyond that."
Goto said, "Even now, we are still completely engrossed in 'Haruhi'," and continued, "I think that everyone who has come here and everyone who will watch it on the big screen will still be engrossed in 'Haruhi' for some time to come, so until someday in the future we look back on it with nostalgia and regret that it's all over, let's all enjoy this time together to the fullest."
Regarding the event that day, Kayahara smiled and said, "It was really fun." She continued, "It was all because I met Nagato Yuki that I was able to connect with the SOS Brigade, whom I love and respect, and meet the many customers in front of me, and people all over the world who love Haruhi, so she is an important character and work that I want to spend my whole life with. I'm sure the day will come when we can all get together like this again, right? I'm looking forward to the day when Haruhi will summon me again, and I'm determined to work hard every day."
Hirano said, "I get incredibly nervous before a Haruhi event starts. I always realize that this hasn't changed since I first played Haruhi at the age of 18." She added, "When I rewatched Disappearance this time, I was surprised at what I was able to understand and discover only now. Now that we've reached its 20th anniversary, I believe this is a work that we will be involved with for the rest of our lives, like our life's work, so I would appreciate your continued support."
Sugita said that he had never seen the entire "Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya" series from start to finish, revealing, "When the recording was over, I was exhausted and didn't watch the series. I didn't go to see it."
"However, I watched until the opening. When the staff members' names were mentioned in the opening, I stopped watching for a while. I felt that so many amazing people were creating something incredible, and I wanted to pass that on to the future. So I felt that I had to continue being Kyon," he said.
Sugita continued, recalling how director Ishihara Tatsuya said during the recording of the first episode of the TV series, "Let's all continue to have the feeling that we are playing with Haruhi forever." He continued, "That became a concept that is still reaching and resonating in many places today." He added, "I feel that we must continue to pass this on, and my body starts moving without even wishing for it. I don't think that will change in the future." He called out, "Please continue to support the SOS Brigade!"
"The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya" is a science fiction comedy about a high school girl named Haruhi Suzumiya who loves aliens, people from the future, psychics, and paranormal phenomena, and her friends, an ordinary high school boy named Kyon, who find themselves caught up in a series of strange events... The TV anime was broadcast in 2006 and 2009. The theatrical anime "The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya" was released in 2010.
