Review of Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day

*spoilers ahead* Story 10 Art 10 Sound 10 Character 10 Enjoyment 10 Overall 10 Well first I was introduced to this when I typed on Google "Saddest Anime", finished it in a one sit. No regrets.Anohana is the story of Menma, a girl who dies in an accident, then returns as a ghost to haunt her best friend, Jintan, five years later. The problem is, neither Menma or Jintan know why she has returned. The two are quick to latch on to the “unfinished business” school of thought and decide that they need to grant Menma's wish to get her into heaven. Of course, neither of them have any idea what this wish could be.

Thus the story is ostensibly about them trying to figure out Menma's wish and fulfill it. Of course, this is made all the more difficult by the fact that only Jintan can see Menma. Soon the two of them are forced to involve their old friends—who have drifted far apart over the five-year gap—and reopen many of the old wounds surrounding the events of Menma's death.

Anohana is no doubt one of the saddest anime I have ever watched. But it is also one of the most uplifting. The story it tells is so painfully real—so emotionally raw—that it will cause even the most jaded heart to weep. As loss is a universal part of the human condition, I would recommend Anohana to absolutely anyone—but only if they were prepared to have a good cry.