To celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the television anime The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, the commemorative project Haruhi Suzumiya no Orei has officially begun. As part of this anniversary initiative, the franchise’s feature film The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya will receive a limited two week revival screening across Japan, marking the film’s first theatrical return in sixteen years. The screenings will begin on February 6, 2026, accompanied by a newly produced trailer created specifically for this revival.

The original film opened nationwide on February 6, 2010. Despite launching in only twenty four theaters, it became an unexpected major hit among films adapted from late night anime. Now, in 2026, the film will return to theaters nationwide including Shinjuku Wald 9, allowing audiences to once again experience the acclaimed one hundred sixty two minute feature on the big screen. The new revival trailer has also been released in conjunction with this announcement.

Full Comment from Original Author Nagaru Tanigawa

I no longer remember exactly when the initial discussion about the anime adaptation took place, but I do recall visiting Kyoto Animation for the first time in early spring of 2005. The studio was airing AIR at the time, so that much is certain.

At first I believed that bowing my head and saying “thank you in advance” to the executives and staff would essentially conclude my involvement. Yet immediately afterward, without any pause, the meeting shifted into “So, what kind of anime shall we create?” It became clear they were seeking my input. I remember wondering whether I was really the one who should be making these decisions.

Still, I did have some ideas. The first thing I said was, “Can we make an entire cour using only the first volume, The Melancholy?” I had grown rather fond of that final scene and felt it would work perfectly as the last episode. The staff members pondered for a moment before responding that while it would not be impossible, the pacing would suffer significantly and the tempo of the original would be lost. They were absolutely right.

What I said next was, “Then why not insert short stories between the episodes of The Melancholy, in no particular order and without worrying about timeline consistency?” Looking back, it seems I was fixated on ending the season with the final scene of The Melancholy, and simply blurted out whatever came to mind in the moment.

A few months later, we held a series composition meeting at what felt like a training facility by a lakeside. Somehow, my earlier suggestion had already been accepted as the core structure. The focus then shifted to determining which short stories should be inserted and at what point. Some people may think the broadcast order was chosen arbitrarily, but in truth, everyone racked their brains over it until their heads felt ready to split open. Truly.

It has now been twenty years. The fact that we can still watch Haruhi and the others move and hear them speak is entirely thanks to everyone who worked on the anime back then, and to all the fans who enjoyed the series. I express my deepest gratitude. Thank you very much.

Source : ORICON NEWS