Review of Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day

Anohana Review Non Spoiler Section: Note: There is a spoiler section after the pros and cons talking about the last episode. If you do not wish to be spoiled and want a short review about Anohana, look to the summary section below. Sometimes, there comes an anime which may touch the very heart and souls of those who watch it, leaving behind a strong feeling of sadness, yet will one day reflect on it. If you had strong feelings about an anime, you might even feel that the characters were as real to you as human beings. And somewhere, you hoped those who have passed on (atleast in the context of the show) were at peace and happy, despite your own feelings of sadness or loss. This anime, in my mind, is Anohana.

Summary:
Anohana is a rollercoaster of emotions. It could make you cry (a lot if you are like me), laugh and even be a little uncomfortable here and there. Its themes of mourning a loss and coping with said loss is beautifully woven in to its overall narrative, characterization and setting. It also shows how trying to do what’s best in the current situation is sometimes not what’s best for everyone. Hearts will be broken (including the audiences), painful memories will be unearthed and many characters will have to reflect on their feelings towards a deceased friend and how it affects their current friendships/relationships. After all, humans are ephemeral beings that die and leave this earth, but they remain alive in the hearts of those whom loved them. Overall: 9/10.

Story/Plot:

Thematically, this anime is fantastic. What I mean by that is the themes are intricately tied to character progression and plot developments that are forthcoming. Anohana shows many ways in which a friend can reflect on the loss of a loved one. You can lock yourself in and seal away all the pain deep down inside, you can express it as an extension of yourself or abilities, you can feel a sense of guilt on how you used to think about that deceased person and you can also feel a sense of overwhelming obsession that you must bury deep in your soul. Some of these are pretty selfish but also depict a more accurate portrayal of what memories of a friend past away can bring.

Many times, these traits are not shown in the most positive lights. As the story moves on, these themes and feelings are expressed through the characters and how they cope with such strong emotions. Since the plot is so closely tied to the characters, your emotional investment in the anime will greatly depend on your investment in the characters. When this is done well, it works beautifully as I feel Anohana does. Story wise, the length was very good seeing that there was only so much story you can tell without overstaying your welcome.

Additionally, it raises up a very important point: we never truly stop mourning a loss. Sure, many will eventually come to grips with the fact that their loved one has departed the earth. But instead of seeing mourning as a feeling of despair, Anohana reminds us that remembering a loved one in a positive life can also be seen as a sort of mourning. Many will argue that’s just reflecting, but there will always be a small tinge of sadness when reflecting on memories; a bittersweet feeling that never truly leaves.

I felt that the overall narrative and themes were encapsulated and presented incredibly well. I rarely felt as if things needed to be moving faster because I was becoming absorbed with the storytelling and the themes. In terms of episode length, I would have liked to seen a couple more episodes to flesh out certain characters, but I think that becomes a nitpick when the presentation and writing is this good. Overall: 9/10.

Characters:

This is where I feel like the anime is nearly at its strongest aspect: characterization.

While there might be a small cast of characters, Anohana explores most of them in depth and conveys every emotion or theme it’s trying to get across from character development.

The main character Jintan is a shut in. After losing a close friend, he’s become a loner, no doubt a coping mechanism in order to deal with the pain. When I was first watching this years ago, I really related to Jintan, feeling similar things (even still to this day at times) that he did. I never necessarily lost someone close to me, but his feelings of isolation, loneliness and hurt were very relatable as I shared those feelings many times in my own life. Like everyone else, he experiences unexplainable phenomena that baffles him, yet also helps him grow as a person.

Another character called Popo is fairly happy go lucky. He is good friends with Jintan and generally wants the group to stay together. His character might be a little shallow, but I also argue that this is his way of coping: being carefree and happy. And that’s never a bad thing anyway. When all the other characters are falling apart, he remains a steadfast and strong pillar amongst the group.

Many of the other characters (which I won’t discuss individually about or else this would get really long) also show the different ways of coping. Then there is Menma herself. She is my favourite character of the series and for good reason. Her childish, yet bubbly and caring personality made me care a great deal more for her and the other characters than I would have normally. She is the glue that keeps all of these themes and intense emotions in check. The only thing that holds the character score from being higher is the insufficient time some characters get to develop. Overall: 9/10.

Animation/Art:

The character designs are very… human. What I mean is that these characters aren’t your stereotypical designs that anime has seen many times. Additionally, backgrounds are often beautiful. There’s a real peaceful atmosphere that heavily solidifies it’s heavy themes of death and mourning. A-1 did an incredible job in what they could have easily cheaped out on considering this isn’t an action heavy series. However, it’s clear they put their hearts and souls into it, much like the other aspects of this anime. Overall: 9/10.

Sound:

Just like the animation, the music heavily backs up the themes it tries to get across. Looking back, this might just be my favourite aspect of this anime along with the characters. The opening is catchy and memorable, the ending theme is incredibly potent and evolves to be emotionally impactful later on and the actual soundtrack is just as breathtaking. My personal favourite track and one I feel sums up all my feelings of the show is Last Train Home. This track almost never fails to make me tear up or cry. It contains all the sadness, sense of longing for someone’s return and yet, it sounds incredibly peaceful. Like everything will be alright, yet you can’t shake off the crushing sorrow and heartbreak you feel. It and along with others like Secret Base and My Star are spellbinding and perfectly sum up the best of what this anime offers. Overall: 10/10.

Enjoyment: There isn't much else to say here other than what I have already stated. Anohana is honestly one of my favourite animes of all time despite some of it's short length issues. I enjoyed myself immensely (even through all the constant crying I did...) watching this and felt it was something incredibly special. Overall: 10/10.

Pros:
+ Refreshing story with incredibly strong themes of loss, mourning and death
+ Great characters that despite their flaws, are lovable and very human
+ Fantastic animation and an even more amazing soundtrack
+ Incredibly emotionally charged and engaging right to the last episode

Cons:
-A little short at 11 episodes, a couple more could have fleshed out characters

***************** SPOILERS************************************

I wanted to talk about the last episode in detail… mostly because it’s one of the most emotional scenes I have ever seen in anime. At the very end, Menma writes everyone a personal note while everyone is looking for her. It’s clear that she will not be around and her time is fleeting. At the very end, everyone finds her by a tree along with a note for each of them. I have rarely cried so hard for any work of fiction (up until other emotional anime like Clannad + Clannad AS, Your Lie in April, Little Busters, etc).

However, this scene was beautiful beyond words. Especially Jintan’s note, every word written really did feel like the last thing Menma will ever say to them. After everyone sees her on a tree, smiling and crying, she disappears, leaving everyone in stunned silence. It may seem silly for some to imagine this, but Menma felt real to me. Much in the way that a really good, yet tragic story makes you incredibly sympathetic for the plight of the characters, this anime made me feel like these were all people I knew. Seeing Menma finally leave and find peace really made me wish there was some sort of afterlife out there, despite my rather agnostic-ish views on religion. I will truly never forget that scene nor this anime in particular, but I feel like this final scene solidifies everything this anime excelled in. It leaves a gaping hole in your heart, yet when you look back years later, you reflect on it in a happier and more positive context. And as for myself, I hope that in the fictional universe that Anohana is in, Menma is smiling and happy to see her best friends moving on and chasing any dream they may have.