Review of Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day

"I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was [little]. Jesus, does anyone?" Childhood friends often mean a lot to us, maybe because we feel they understand us better for having a longer relationship than anyone else, or maybe it's the memory of having fun without having to worry about anything. But what happens when you lose one in your early life? What happens if you're stuck in the past? This series is about a group of six kids who had a very poor naming sense, once called themselves the "Super Peace Busters" as well as giving one of the girlsthe nickname "Anaru". Yes, that's how the Japanese pronounce "anal". Other members of the group are "Jintan", "Menma", "Poppo", "Yukiatsu", and "Tsuruko".
Fast forward 10 years and Menma is dead, with the group almost completely split up.
'AnoHana' is the tale of Menma's mysterious return from afterlife to reunite the "Super Peace Busters".

Much of the first half of the story focuses on "seishun (coming of age)", with childhood friendship and the bond that connects the six as a major theme. The second half focuses on 'Junai (pure Love)', the unwavering love and the pain of losing someone dear, and the inability to move on with their lives.

The main characters are all suffering from Menma's death in their own unique ways, and conflicted with their own inner struggles.
Jintan and Yukiatsu are still obsessed over Menma, Anaru and Tsuruko can't get over her because she's still the focus of the guys they love, and Poppo for always watching in the sidelines. The story really focuses on the development of the five living characters, and there are many memorable, touching moments of youth.

Animation in this series is extremely fluid as expected from an A-1 Pictures production. The director Nagai Tatsuyuki who worked on 'Toradora' and 'To Aru Kagaku no Railgun' is a master at presenting seishun series in anime. 'AnoHana' is set in a countryside town with a slow, gentle atmosphere, but the director manages to inspire in key scenes as usual, using dynamic animation and sudden change in pace after building up for climax in each episode. The slower scenes have interesting camera positions and composition to draw in the attention of the audience.

Sound in this series is absolutely spectacular. BGM is the single most effective element in this series in setting the atmosphere, especially enhancing the inspirational and touching scenes.
Seiyuu cast, other for Menma, were also extremely well done. One can tell they are all very much absorbed into their characters, and really sound like they mean it rather than just reading the script. This is especially crucial in emotional/sentimental scenes, because acting make or break a series like this.
The OP 'Aoi Shiori (Blue Bookmark)' has a very catchy tune with matching vocal by Galileo Galilei and poignant lyrics. It should also be noted that "blue" is a part of kanji for "seishun ("blue" + "spring")", symbolizing coming of age.
The ED 'secret base ~what you have given me~ (10 years after Version)' is a masterpiece. I was a ZONE fan back in the day, and 'secret base' is undeniably their iconic song, and one of the most memorable Jpop songs of the decade. I hate to admit it, but the vocals and the music composition in this remake has surpassed the original. Not only that, the choice of this song as ED is absolutely godly. The lyric is about the memory of childhood and dreams for the future, and also a verse about "10 years later in August". The original song was released in 2001, AND the story of 'Ano Hana' is about a girl returning 10 years after death, in August. The ED animation scene with gray flowers falling to colored flowers rising was nothing short of incredible. I don't think it's an exaggeration to say, this may be one of the best ED ever made.

'AnoHana' is rather generic as a seishun/junai series. In fact, the premise of this show: "Dead girl coming back into life, and tracing back" is identical to that of 'Ima, Ai ni Yukimasu (Be With You)', except the girl is still much younger, and that only the protagonist can see her. And eventually, turns into 'Sekai no Chuushin de, Ai wo Sakebu (Crying Out Love, In the Center of the World)' type developments.
Still, it has an interesting use of plot devices, effective flashbacks, and very strong presentation. It feels like a true Japanese story and direction, and if you can connect with the characters, it's a very touching and memorable series.