anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day

## The Anime

### Soundtrack

The original opening track to Anohana, "Aori Shiori" by Galileo Galilei, is pretty good. It's definitely got that "small town" anime vibe going for it. I guess it really sets the tone every time I start an episode. I didn't get a chance to hear the opening, though, since I watched the original broadcast version. But, I'm guessing it's just as good because Porter Robinson covered it.

I think the first ending song, "Dear Love" by REMEDIOS is really nice. It's got a backing track similar to songs of the "bedroom pop" genre, but the melody and the vocals really give off vibes of some other genre that I'm unable to name. Thank god it was only used once, though, since the animation for it is really boring. "secret base", the second ending song is nice, too. It definitely pairs well with the better ending animation. I can't say it's up there with the best of the best, but it's a definitely good ending song.

I thought that the final ending song was the best out of all of the other ones. "Still..." by REMEDIOS is just a perfect song to cap off the anime, really. It's such an gently hopeful yet sentimental song that really spoke to me after I finished all of the episodes. Honestly, it's almost like a song you'd hear in a Disney movie. But with all that being said, I can't say it's up there with the best of the best. Firstly, the visuals that come with the song is literally just the credits. Secondly, it's a song that only plays once, at the end of the anime. It's really good, but I feel like it being the final ending song really shifts my bias a lot.

### Thoughts

I mean, what can I say, Anohana is a really great anime. It's an basically an anime about accepting and coping with the death of a loved one, and the many shapes and forms that it can take. It does a lot of things; some good, some could be better. I can't say I'm not satisfied, though. The characters and the emotional weight of the plot really carried this anime from start to end.

Anohana is one of those animes that you can't split into any number of parts. What I mean by that is the story flows from start to end really well. The overarching plot is executed without any gaps, while the subplots aren't restricted to one or three episodes. The structure is more akin to a movie, really. Anyways, that's my surface-level analysis. Let's get into the details of the plot, which what makes Anohana so great. Anohana is an anime about how the Super Peace Busters, a group of formerly six and now five friends deal with the loss of their dear friend, Menma. They didn't deal with her death well, so they effectively broke up as a group. That is, until Menma comes back as a spirit to "haunt" the main character, Jintan. Throughout the entire story, the objective is basically to fulfill Menmas wish, which surprisingly isn't something she knows of. So, they have to guess. Basically, as they try to fulfill Menma's unknown wish, they become closer to each other, which eventually reveals unresolved problems of the past. Honestly, I can't say Anohana's overall plot is the most creative plot in the world. During every episode, it's almost obvious what was going to happen next. Listen, the overall plot is charming, let's get that right, but due to its simplicity, it's almost an open book, really. I don't mind that, but I can't say I prefer it over the opposite.

I think the ways people cope with the death of a loved one are mostly portrayed really well. Jintan, the main character, basically gives up on his life at the beginning of the story. He doesn't go to school, has no friends, and is basically a NEET. I can't say I'd do the same thing, but I understand why he'd feel that way. For context, before Menma died, he called her ugly after he was accused of liking her. He never got to apologize to her. That's not really the most complex story element, but it's emotional enough for it to be good, I guess. Anyways, Jintan eventually reconciles with his love for Menma. There are a couple of cheap things this anime does, and while that may look cheap, it isn't. I argue that it actually makes sense, especially with him being the only who can see Menma. His relationship with Menma is portrayed really endearingly, too. It's great.

Man, there are Too Many Losing Heroines. Give me a break, man. The dynamic between the members of the TBS is so complex, but in a cheap way. I get it, they're teenagers who can like each other, but is that really all they have to offer? Basically, Menma likes Jintan, Anaru, the tsundere, is jealous and likes Jintan, Yukiatsu, the seemingly confident academic, is jealous and likes Menma, Tsuruko, the apparenly quiet one, is jealous and likes Yukiatsu, and Poppo is just a comic relief character. That's it, I just described to you around 75% of the sources of conflicts within the TBS. It may sound like it's filled to the brim with vitriol, but no one hates each other or anything, so what's there to chew on? There's even this climax scene near the end with all five of them at the shrine where everything and the kitchen sink is shown, but even then everything is resolved by "We love Menma" and everyone laughs at the end. It's not resolved. The remaining 25%, though, is actually quite nice. Like, at the start, I really enjoyed seeing Anaru, Yukiatsu, and Tsuruko effectively look down on Jintan because he processed the grief of losing Menma and his mother seemingly more deeply than everyone else. I also really liked seeing the creepy way Yukiatsu dealt with his grief, by dressing as Menmu and creating a mannequin of her in his closet. That is batshit crazy and I love it. It's not just Yukiatsu that has great moments, though. I said before that I didn't really like the dynamics of the love polygon that the TBS had, but the moments they had with the characters that aren't their love interests were pretty good. For instance, Anaru is so obviously in love with Jintan. My favorite moment with her wasn't the one with Jintan in it, but it's actually the one where she talks about losing the war of love with Yukiatsu. It's a surprisingly mature moment between two losing heroes and heroines where they basically say they won't lose no matter what. On top of that, Tsuruko eavesdrops on the conversation. It's cinema. Wow, I really love the losing heroine trope, huh?

With the very open premise that Anohana brings to the table, it really felt like one of those animes where so much was done, but so much more could've been done. For example, the way Menma's family deals with her death could've been explored more, especially the dynamic between her brother and her parents. I can't say that's a wholehearted complaint, though. A lot of things are best implied and not explored; not because of budget or pacing, but because Anohana chooses to focus on other things. I think there's beauty in its simplicity, even if it detracts from various parts of the story. Let me be clear: Anohana is an amazing anime about the pain of losing a loved one and how it can affect us and the people around us. I didn't cry, though. The emotion that traveled into my heart wasn't sadness—it was hope. Hope that better days are coming. That's why it's a 9/10 Mid-Mid. It's good enough.

## The Movie

### Thoughts

It's mainly just a retelling of the anime. I did enjoy the scenes that occured a year after the events in the anime occured, though.