Review of Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day

Anohana is well-known as one of the great anime tearjerkers, and it certainly puts in the effort to earn such a reputation. The result is a beautiful, touching, all-around solid show which deserves its spot in the anime canon. Beginning with the story, it is very well-crafted, building on itself from the very start, layering on elements of tension and background with each episode, and making the right reveals at the right times. It accurately captures the feeling of forlorn nostalgia, as well as portrays the lasting impact of trauma on people's development, especially with something as powerful as thetragedy they suffered. It also does an excellent job of driving home the message that even if you think you're the only one guilty or suffering from your perspective, that is rarely, if ever, true. There are a couple of minor drawbacks here, mostly relating to minor pacing issues and plot contextualization, but these are ultimately dealt with by the end of the show.

The story is buoyed by some truly excellent art, which strikes the perfect balance between a gorgeous, contemplative Japanese summer, and the bitter depths of mental despair, all without losing sight of its own identity at either extreme. It preserves regular reminders of the light in the darkness, and vice versa. So, as well as being truly beautiful throughout, from soaring backgrounds to emotive facial animation, it is also philosophically laden with meaning as a pairing to the show's message. An excellent visual translation of the story's virtues.

The sound, also, is a wonderful pairing in every scene, the music wreathing these moments with emotion and vitality, and the sounds of life increasing the sheer weight of these events as tangible things. The music specifically brings this anime across to the viewer, bridging the gap between them and the medium, so you can feel the emotion weigh heavy on your chest. My favorite part of the sound, however, is the voice acting. This is something that rarely stands out as the best part of a given production's sound design, but it stands out here. I watched the sub, and the realistic, characteristic delivery behind the voice of each character is downright magnetic, truly a perfect fit for each individual character. However, this really hit home for me around the same time the rest of the anime did, and it is when I heard each of them cry. A true, grief-filled weeping which reflects who each of them are and what kind of people they've become since they were kids.

This leads into my next point, and my favorite aspect of the show, the characters. The characters are what drive Anohana to be what it is for so many people, because the story is nothing more than the story of them, their interactions, their struggles, their worries, and their fears. It feels as though, the more you get to know them, the more you see of this web of tension and tragedy they've weaved between them since childhood, until Menma comes along and slices through it like butter. My favorite characters are difficult to pick, but I'd have to say Jintan and Poppo. Jintan, for his compelling representation of the early stages of hikikomori seclusion and how guilt can warp a person, and Poppo for how genuinely good of a person he is, not only to Jintan as soon as they reunite, but to everyone around him, even as he himself quietly carries his own burden. Overall, Anohana is an intelligent, emotional journey which, even if it doesn't make you cry, will at the very least give you chills. I have to caution that it can all hit at once near the end, as it did for me, but ultimately I think everybody experiences this show in their own way, mapping its lessons and story onto their own lives. It is easy to recommend Anohana, not only as a lesson in Otaku literacy, but also as a lesson about grief, growth, and gratitude.