Review of Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day
A seemingly innocent anime on the outside, with distinct theme of life and death that smacks you right in the face within the first few minutes of the show. AnoHana is one of the best anime I have ever watched, and for good reason at that. It is an all-out, full-fledged feels trip that will drive you from joy, to tears, and back again in every single one of its eleven episodes. A story of life, death, love, and adventure that will have you at the edge of your seat waiting for the next episode only for it to toss you aroundand wreak havoc on your emotions. Well then, the time for a review is at hand! Let's get this show started.
Animation
AnoHana's visual appeal is outstanding. The animation catches each heart-pounding emotion and tear-jerking feeling shown in every moment of the anime. Its settings and backgrounds are absolutely lovely as well and the lighting, shading, and overall effects are gorgeous and give this anime a much fuller and deeper effect. It sometimes comes up short when showing the main characters from a distance, especially in flashbacks and some lighting at times can mess with facial distortion, but otherwise it was excellent.
Story
Love and life are a dangerous game that ends with the inevitably morbid consequence of learning how to cope with the death of friends and loved ones. For the six friends in AnoHana, the effect death has is powerful enough to destroy their relationships, their psychology, and even their own identity. It's a heavy burden that they must all bear with their broken hearts in order to become greater individuals, and even greater friends. Overall, the story is amazing. Watching these ideas of coping and strengthening bonds within their own lives as well as each other's develop and bloom makes for a beautifully written masterpiece.
Sound
The music and background sounds used in AnoHana are quite outstanding. In fact, its audio track only enhances the seemingly perfect, full effect of the series. Because of this, it feels as though every episode meshes together extremely well and gives the aura of a full series without leaving you wanting more. To top that, the opening and ending are both wonderful. The opening can bring you to tears and the ending can pick you back up and usher into watching that next episode.
Characters
The uniqueness of each character in AnoHana go beyond their simple quirks or personalities, but more importantly their entire being. And that isn't only with regards to the group of six friends. The six friends develop immensely through the short series as the redefine the bonds that once tied them together, but their families and friends also develop to great extent as well. The in-depth characterization and plot-development make every character's appearance, main or supporting, completely necessary and extremely important to the storyline. The character designs are also remarkably fitting when comparing their early childhood years to the time that they are developing into young adults. The link between the viewer and the characters is so strong that you really, and truly connect with their feelings, senses, and emotions. Marvelously magnificent.
Verdict!!
So, should you watch this anime? YES!!! You HAVE to watch this. Never have I witnessed or experienced anything quite like AnoHana. The series pulled emotions and feelings out of me that I could have never fathomed to be stored away inside myself. As far as manga/anime go, this is an absolute must-see. Prepare to laugh, to cry, to frown, to smile, to experience heart-wrenching pain, and to be filled with an aura of happiness and comfort. This is one of the best shows, hands-down, that I have ever watched and I will gladly re-watch and cry to it like a little baby again and again.