Review of Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day

Anohana is a masterclass of a slow build. That being said, I refrain from giving it a 10 because while the conclusion is incredibly effective there certainly were moments that felt as if they dragged on, or failed to add to what the show was working towards. While the characters fall into somewhat trope-y roles their interactions with each other and their development, especially in relation to Jintan and Menma was fully realized and the final scene knocked me on my ass. I wish that we got to see a little bit more of each character in order to flesh them out a little more,but I don't know how that could have been done without bloating the show and lessening the full experience so I accept and respect the choices that were made in terms of internal monologues for the sake of characterization.

I'm not sure what else needs to be said honestly, it's a character study and it nails the characters. It's a slow build and the payoff is fully realized. Character designs were tight and conveyed characterization without being over the top (though again perhaps that's partially because of tropes that were leaned into but I'm forgiving on this occasion).

This was a great show. You should watch this show.