Review of Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day
AnoHana was the anime which made me smile, laugh, think, cry, and appreciate life. The story itself is about the Super Peace Busters who were a group of friends in the past, but they went their seperate ways after Menma died. Now Jintan is a slacker who refuses to go to school, Anaru goes to Jinta's school and is rather popular, Tsuruko and Yukiatsu are in a private school and don't really talk to the others, and Poppo is travelling around to different places, while Menma's ghost suddenly appears around Jinta. The only other anime which has made me feel the same way as AnoHana is probablyAngel Beats because of the way that also looks at life. At first, it makes you smile and you enjoy it, and at the end it makes you cry so much and you still enjoy it fully.
The way Menma came back and brought all her friends together was, for lack of a better word, kinda beautiful... it gave me hope to see how friends who had drifted back could come together again and be as close as they had before. It shows the problems within friendships, the way they argue, the way they can betray, as well as the way they can reconcile, the way they can support each other...
It's also quite nostalgic in the sense that it brings you back to the days when you were maybe about 8-10 years old and you found the world just fascinating, when you wanted to climb trees and ride bikes and run around all day (okay so we still like doing that stuff but it was different back then). It reminds you of the times when you were a child who wanted to be an adventurer, an explorer, a traveler, an astronaut... it brings you back to your childhood dreams and hopes and outlooks on life.
If I had to describe this anime in one word it would be beautiful. In all honesty, I think everyone should watch this anime because it really is beautiful, not just because of it's amazing animation but because it lets you appreciate life for what it's worth. Personally, I think Menma's messages at the end especially, it made me appreciate my friends more than I already did, it let me see the beauty surrounding them all. I guess it sort of helped change my outlook on some things... it made me realise what some things are worth...
So if you're looking for an anime that will change your life, AnoHana is what you need.