Review of Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day

This is definitely one of those anime that everyone should see. The way Anohana shows the journey of pain, emotion, and healing that comes from losing a loved one at such a young age, makes it one the most unforgettable anime I have ever watched. I’ll start with an overall review and then go into detail (always spoiler free). Overall (9/10): Anohana is about a group of childhood friends who have long since grown apart after one of them, named Menma, dies as a child in an accident. For these characters, they couldn’t attain a sense of closure from her death and each feels partially guiltyfor her loss. The main character, Jintan, starts seeing Menma, who has appeared from the dead to grant her final wish. The journey that results follows the characters as they cope with Menma’s death, their regrets and emotions, and her return. What I really liked about this anime is that the characters were so real. It showed them as any other humans, who aren’t perfect, but who just couldn’t cope with the loss of their close friend. They can be selfish, hurt others, and hate the world because they feel they were wronged by it, but in the end, this anime is about these same characters finding peace and acceptance in their grief. All in all, this anime is one for the ages and definitely one to add to your watch list immediately. But keep a box of tissues handy you’ll cry from the first episode.

Now for specifics:

Story (9/10):

I can’t say the idea of someone coming back from the dead for unfinished business is an original idea, but the way Anohana incorporates Menma’s return into the lives of her friends, and how it explores the individual traumas each character has had to live with since her loss is a fresh take on a familiar concept. In addition, the way the concept is presented is kept very simplistic and focuses entirely on the characters and their emotional journeys without too much emphasis on the supernatural aspect. This allowed us to really delve into the character development without having to worry about understanding the supernatural phenomena. Overall, the way the plot progresses and how the story unravels from start to finish, are amazing and I would recommend this anime to anyone who asked.

Characters (8/10):

Even though a lot of time has passed, and all the characters have grown up since the death of their friend, and even though they’ve all drifted apart as a result of her loss, they’re still stuck in the same day of her death, unable to move on, unable to reach any kind of closure, and unable to forgive themselves. In addition, they’ve all changed to become very different people but the journey they take is about them coping with her death and facing their regrets and guilt when she returns. The character development is also handled very well in that the characters can’t just face their traumas head on, just as any normal person couldn’t, and the return of Menma causes them to relive their past regrets. They take baby steps to get the emotional closure they need and of course tensions rise and arguments ensue. In the end, the characters showed that healing from any kind of emotional trauma isn’t a straight and easy path. The road curves and twists and you feel lost a lot without a sense of who you are or where you’re going, but if you keep walking, and open up to the people who can share your trauma, then you’ll get to the end of that road.

Animation (7/10):

The animation was pretty simplistic and portrayed the atmosphere that the plot was trying to express. The character designs were indeed unique and added to the characters themselves and the scenery was beautiful and well-constructed to fit the themes of the story, but in general, the art wasn’t too detailed or exemplary, nothing too impressive, so it has to be a solid 7.

Soundtrack (9/10):

The opening and ending themes were great and really fit the theme of the show. I personally really enjoyed both songs as they were calming but cute and still maintained the feel of the anime. The soundtrack during the episodes was also well done and complemented each scene appropriately.

Final Notes:

I must admit this anime was really refreshing to watch. Anime nowadays have become overrun with the spunky, morally correct protag who everyone loves and alway saves the day, so it was nice to watch an anime that explored the characters as real people, with their moral flaws, insecurities, and regrets. A must-watch!