Review of Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day
Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae o Bokutachi wa Mada Shiranai (We Still Don't Know the Name of the Flower that We Saw that Day) is an anime for everyone, all ages, all genders. If you don't want to have an invisible person cutting onions in your house, resulting in tears, then I wouldn't really recommend this anime for you because I gotta say, this was pretty sad... Story: 8/10 - A group of six childhood friends drift apart after one of them, Meiko "Menma" Honma, dies in an accident. 10 years after the accident, Jinta, our main character, lives as a recluse and refuses togo back out into society (he blames himself for Menma's death). Then one day, he sees Menma's ghost (or does he... we'll get back to this later in the review) and he finds out that Menma can't rest in peace until her wish in life is granted. Jinta gathers his estranged friends together once again, believing that they are the key to fufilling Menma's wish. The other 4 childhood friends reunite with Jinta, though, reluctantly. However, things grow increasingly complicated when his friends accuse him of not being able to get over the death of Menma (but is Jinta the only one that can't let go of the past?). Later in the plot we find out that the other 4 members blame themselves for Menma's death and hidden feelings for other members of the group are rekindled. Along with feelings of bitterness from Menma's broken mother, the group struggles as they grow from trying to help Menma move on, to helping themselves move on. The pacing was rather good, once you get past the first episode which was rather a slow-start but it's necessary to understand the situation surrounding the anime.
The plot was tragic, enjoyable, original and rather deep. This anime was rather realistic and the Menma's ghost is very debatable. Was Menma really there as a ghost? Or was it Jinta & company's imagination of Menma because they were unwilling to accept what had happened 10 years ago in their childhood? Menma being a ghost and trying to move onto the after-life is just a reflection of the other 5 childhood friends moving on from their past and moving into the future.
When we were all children, we had that group of best friends that we'd always want to have a play-day with and ride swings, play pokemon, watch cartoons with and start a tree-house club with. We, individually always wanted to be the center of attention in that group and be the "coolest", "leader-like" person in the group. The childhood flashbacks in this anime shows all these things and what being a child really is (very realistically in a non-realistic story).
If I knock the story for one thing though, it's that the sadness (until the very ending) was pretty forced. The ending made me cry a lot but throughout I was left scratching my head as to why the characters were crying so annoyingly so often. But... It all pays off in the end.
Art: 10/10 - Have you ever seen anime like Nagi no Asukara, Fate/Zero and Angel Beats? What do they all have in common? Spectacular art. AnoHana is part of that exclusive club of godly art. The art is just beautiful, in the way that it portrays how realistic the characters (& their feelings too, you'll see what I mean) are. The characters are just... WOAAW. The art is a well-deserved 10/10, nothing more to talk about.
Sound: 10/10 - This has some of the saddest music you'll ever listen to in an anime. You think the piano music in Clannad, and Angel Beats are sad? Well they are, but I think that AnoHana is even sadder, yeah that's right. The soundtrack is absolutely beautiful with the elegant sad whispering sounds, tranquil piano pieces, and melodious violin music. After watching Ano Hana, and going back to listen to the opening theme, will bring back the memories and feels you are sure to experience/have experienced. The opening is just so sad! The ending theme is arguably the saddest ending I've ever heard. It'll play not only at the end of each episodes, but towards to end of the anime when we reach the climax, and if you have a soul, you cannot not ball your tears out (even if you don't have a soul, this'll make you cry).
Character: 8/10 - This is where AnoHana flourished. Each of the 6 childhood friends have a past, a present, and a future (that they want). The anime despite being only 11 episodes, went into rather thorough detail about each one of them, explaining what they felt 10 years ago, how they feel now, and what they are longing for. Young people dealing with a devastating loss... Masterfully written. But the 6 childhood friends aren't even the only characters the anime delves into. Menma's parents were obviously affected by Menma's death and are bitter about it, and are obviously going to be upset once seeing Menma's old 5 friends hang out laughing while their daughter's dead. Families Dealing With Loss...
Enjoyment: 9/10 - I was not always 100% captivated, and my eyes were not always attached to the screen... because I had to wash my face multiple times, and then curse the onions that were somewhere in my room, because I couldn't stop my tears from flowing down my face. The plot was simply amazing, and I got to re-think about my past childhood experiences, my childhood friends whom I'm no longer with, and think about all the things I had to go through in order to get to where I am today... And how I'm going to move onto the future. One of my favorite quotes of all time is "The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams." This quote doesn't have much to do with AnoHana itself, but it has a lot to do with the future, which is something the characters in AnoHana have to look to, instead of holding onto the unchangeable past. The only knock I'll give this anime is that the sadness was kind of forced by the characters who were crying almost every episode, but I have a weak-heart (not really) and I had no choice but to cry with them. But once again, yes. Some sadness was forced which was a tad bit annoying at times.
Anohana is no doubt one of if not the saddest anime I have ever watched. But at the same time... It's also one of the most uplifting. The story it tells is so painfully real—so emotionally raw—that it will cause even monsters to cry. As loss is a universal part of the human condition, I would recommend AnoHana to absolutely anyone who is prepared for a good cry, and a one way ticket to feels-ville.
"Telling stories and laughing with friends: precious moments you'll never forget."
Friends are the most important people in your present, and they will be the most important people in your future. Live happily~