Review of Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day

There are a lot of beautiful things in this world, but not many are as wonderful as removing the thorns stuck on one's heart, then embracing more flowers right after. It's so beautiful that it brings a tear to your eye. Anohana is the simple, yet beautiful flower in the meadow. The story shows the skillful use of the past, in how one gives meaning to it, to display one's current disposition. Which, in turn, gives the characters' backgrounds more depth, and enriches the interaction among each other. The art is good. It isn't grand, nor is it dull. It's serene, yet feels ominous. Sound is also good.Voices had impact (I especially liked Menma's voice), and the themes felt right.

Overall, Anohana is a work of art. It's in the execution of elements that really made a difference in the end.

The review for the anime has ended, and from here on out, I would be reviewing how people perceive the show. Feel free to stay and read, but there are spoilers ahead, although very vague.

Whenever I see an article with Anohana in it, it's almost always being compared to anime like Clannad: After Story, Angel Beats, and the like; It's categorized as a sad anime. But that's not really the case.

The show has the ambiance of a serious battle than that of a clock that doesn't work anymore.

Anohana is a tearjerker. Sure, but there isn't really anything sad about it. If anything, it (or the only part that had any real emotion in it) fills people with joy.

You see a group of friends having just conquered the demons of their past, lay their feelings bare as they see off the flower that they've held on to for so long.

"MITSUKETA!". Just remembering this scene is enough to fill me with joy. It fills me enough to make the bowels of my being cry out.

I am wet with joy.