Review of Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day

-- After much (a little) thought, I decided to give this anime a 9, but I'm going to keep my review in tact in case you guys wondered why I thought this anime deserved a 10... YOU MAY PROCEED -- Brace yourself people: this is the first and only anime that I have EVER given a 10. All of my favorite anime that I'd gladly recommend and watch over and over I still only consider a 9. The 10 score doesn't mean that this anime doesn't have any bumps or faults; it means that despite these minor setbacks, this anime is great. Until I'm proven wrong,there really isn't anything in my anime library that's worth that title. Even if they're a favorite.

Story: 9
Loss will always be one of the only human conventions that we will never learn how to deal with properly. Because when it boils down to it, how do you deal with the loss of a loved one? Someone who has been in your life everyday, you love them, you trust them, and suddenly: they're gone. You still have the rest of your life ahead of you, but they don't. And whether you miss them for altruistic or egoistic reasons, you still miss them. And there's really nothing that can cure that feeling. And no matter how unconnected to the death you were, there's still that crushing guilt that you could have done something. You should have done something. "What if I didn't let them walk home alone that night?" or "Why didn't I give them more money for the bus?" When you're older, you tend to have a better grasp on the world and how it works. But when tragedy strikes when you're young, how do you add up what just happened in your brain? Such things are impossible for adults to do. Because death is so hard to deal with, we all deal with it in different ways. We might lock ourselves in our house, pretend it never happened, try to compensate by joining a group, returning to the place that it all happened, and any other way. That's what these characters do. Each one of them deal with the death of their friend Menma in very different ways. After Menma passed, they all faded apart. But when the topic of Menma comes up, they find themselves coming back together.

Art: 9
The attention to detail in this anime is superb. From the way that they walk, to the way that they react; it's lifelike. More than that, the backgrounds and scenery are wonderful. You truly feel like you're with them in that quiet Japanese city. The character designs are another plus. Jinta, although his demeanor is lifeless, he has plenty of light in his eyes. Menma is absolutely haunting. White hair, white clothes and icy blue eyes. All wrapped around in a touch of innocence. Although she is years older in stature, she still holds onto that girlish charm that she had so long ago. From what they wear, to how they wear things, the drapery was well thought out. All in all, the art was something to be satisfied -- overly satisfied -- with.

Sound: 10
The in-anime score was spot on. The anime was riddled with soft piano themes, and realistic sounding background noise. The sound would either perk up, or take a turn for the gloomy when the anime changed its pace. If it weren't for the score, this anime would certainly not have as much of an emotional impact as it did. I find it to be an absolute gem when the anime has charming OP & ED's. There is only a handful of anime that I can literally say that I enjoyed the OP & ED from beginning to end (Lovely Complex, NANA, Death Note, Kimi Ni Todoke, Inuyasha). This anime has been added to the list of "theme songs that I'll be YouTubing in due time". It's not only the beautiful lyrics and vocals that make the OP and ED so great. I have to give it up to the picture that shows alongside. Stunning. It really wets your lips, and braces yourself for what is in store. A bitter-sweet, beautiful story.

Characters: 10
I can't remember the last time that I have watched a anime where the characters are so fulfilling. Maybe NANA. But as great as the characters were in NANA, they're still incomparable to these characters. Another anime that comes to mind is Lovely Complex, but those characters are fulfilling in a different light. Those characters delivered, but these characters take realism beyond the point of repair. This anime is an 11 episode series. I can seriously say that I don't think I've watched an anime this short (unless you count 5 cm per sec, but I watched that as a movie) in my anime-watching career. And somehow in that short period of time I was able to latch onto the characters. More so than some of the anime that I have watched with over 100 episodes. I think that that says something about the ability of the characters, and the genius of the creators.

Enjoyment: 9
You may be wondering, "Hey MLF (my username abbreviated hah), if you think that AnoHana is worth a 10, why is your enjoyment at a 9?" Let me start with saying that I really, really, thoroughly enjoyed this anime. The only downfall is that it took me a few episodes to completely get enveloped by the story. The first episode, I thought that this anime was going to end up being a 7, and then the next 2 or 3 I spent thinking that this anime was worth an 8. And then the anime really hit the goldmine. So I was weary towards the beginning, but the quality of the show shined through. And when this show got to the promise land, it was a steady progression. It didn't falter and fall from grace. I think that's pretty impressive. But because it took me a few episodes to get into, it was knocked from a 10 to a 9.

Overall: 10
This anime is living (lol) proof that quality wins over quantity. I doubt that there are many (by many, I mean 1) anime that are over 300 episodes that compare to this one. I really hope future anime-makers look at this one as inspiration to see what can be done to make a nearly flawless anime. Don't overlook this anime because it has 11 episodes. Don't think that it's not worth the watch. Not into slice of life? That's alright, I'm sure that there's a chance that this anime can sway your opinion on the genre. And if not, well then that's too bad. If you haven't already, I hope that you give it a chance.

Thanks for reading!