Review: Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae wo Bokutachi wa Mada Shiranai

We Still Don’t Know the Name of the Flower We Saw That Day.

Alex: Noitamina is a really famous timeslot among anime fans, and that’s for a reason: a lot of brilliant anime end up there. And that’s exactly the case with AnoHana. It’s got moe in it, sure, but not to the degree of say, Fractale, and the moe actually helps the series to be that little bit better.

What starts off as a really simple “Moe best friend wants a wish granting” premise turns into what can only be called an emotional roller coaster, shooting the viewer with a shotgun of emotions, and more often than not, every single one of them hits. The whole theme to this series is growing up and letting go of the past, despite the heavy amount of romance thats hinted throughout. Sadly, the romance never goes any further than the “We love each other” stage, but that’s really all that was needed.

I honestly don’t know how on earth i’m meant to describe how brilliant AnoHana is, actually. The last anime which was this emotionally intense was Clannad After, followed closely by Tokyo Magnitute 8.0, which was another Noitamina anime. AnoHana comfortably takes its position as the second most emotionally intense anime which is on the scene, slotting just behind Clannad After. This series does so much which just 11 episodes, it’s hard to explain.

The success of this series is in no small part to the characters. You have a group of 6 friends, and they all work together amazingly well t0 bounce emotions and thoughts off each other, and they’re such a great combination that you even start to turn sympathetic with some of the characters, and you start to notice some very strong links between you and certain characters. For me, it was Jintan. I was exactly like he was two years ago, so that may be why the show hit me so hard; It was like watching myself on the screen.

But all in all, AnoHana is really worth the 4 and a half hours that it’ll take from your day, and you’ll be left with something so rich and pure that you’ll feel good in yourself and in your life.

    

Mimi’s Score: 9.5 Meeps out of 10 (Great)

    

    

Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae wo Boku-tachi wa Mada Shiranai Episode 11

The Flower Blooming on That Summer

Alex: “God saw right through me and my selfishness”

Wow. What a brilliant conclusion for this series. The short noitaminA series ends with such an intense barrage of emotions it’s hard to think that i’ll ever get over this.All the characters “snap” and unleash a barrage of emotions, that like a well aimed shotgun, every single bullet hits you and wounds you. I wound up in floods of tears by the end of this episode…and not just for the “Jinta is me from two years ago”s scenario.
We finally get everything out of Poppo. About how he witnessed Menma’s death and how it haunts him so much that he became the recluse he is today. I cant imagine how much it would hurt somebody to watch the person that they love falling, and slowly drifting down the river without moving, and what i’d presume to be blood from her slip tainting the aqua blue water…

I don’t know what all the characters actually expected to happen from the first part of this episode. 6 hearts all clashing togther, with different feelings, different emotions, and different motives.

Menma’s wish itself was so simple and so pure, and everything all came together so beautifully that it was almost impossible to see coming.And something which fits in so well with the feel of this series…;~; I almost burst out in tears yet again when I found out what Menma’s wish really was.I’m not gonna talk about what happened…because you should watch it for yourself.And when the ED rolled around and Menma’s final letters to everyone came, I bawled once again. Such a stunning ED song was so perfect to finish off this brilliant series.

Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae o Boku-tachi wa Mada Shiranai Episode 10

Fireworks

Alex: What a brilliantly lovely penultimate episode. All the characters, with all their own motives and reasons were all pushing forward, doing their best to move this series to it’s finale in the next episode. Everyone just keeps pushing and pushing and pushing and it results in a brilliant episode.

Especially that part where Jintan asked Menma if she’d stay with him and never go to heaven..and she turned him down and said that she had to go no matter what. It was pretty obvious that the fireworks weren’t going to be the wish, so it was a little bit erking to see every character throw their entire belief into thinking that it was the fireworks, but that doesn’t change anything, really. I loved the buildup around the launch, and the actual launch itself.

I’m just left to wonder what the dice will roll for the final episode; it doesn’t seem like there’s anything left for it to pull, there aren’t any leads on Menma’s upcoming wish and with all hope the final episode will be focused around the relationships. That’s the drawback around this timeslot, it’s hard to fit everything into it.

Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae o Boku-tachi wa Mada Shiranai Episode 9

Everyone is Menma

Alex: Why do I suddenly have this feeling that the ending is going to be a real heart-puller where Jinta finally admits how he feels for Menma? They’re still hunting down the fireworks idea, but that’s obviously not her wish…maybe her wish is something really simple, and so simple that nobody notices it.

That scene at the end though. With Jinta and Menma? That’s how you do romance in anime if you’re using teenagers. That both made me ;~; and awwww. AT THE SAME TIME. But yeah. If you aren’t watching this show by now, you really should. That’s all I feel the need to say on this episode; because it was just…brilliant. Utterly utterly brilliant. And a really nice yet subtle way to deliver the build-up.

Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae wo Boku-tachi wa Mada Shiranai Episode 8

I wonder…

Alex: It’s episodes like this one that explain why i’m a fan of anime. It tore at my heart, and it was just SO realistic….and that cliffhanger…yeah, spoilers ahead.

Turns out that Menma’s mother blames the Super Peace Busters for loosing Menma, because she was always feeling left out, and they’re just “using” her name now. I was convinced that they were using her name, as the more the series progressed, the more I thought that there was no way Menma can be real, and that she was a hallucination of Jintan’s. So consider myself stunned beyond words when Menma finally makes everyone else notice her presence by simply writing in the diary.

This episode was brilliant, seriously.First Menma’s mother yells at the group and blames them for Menma, then Yukiatsu takes his anger out on Jinta and forces him to “pursue” Menma’s wish on his own, and if that wasn’t enough, Anjou FINALLY got that confession we’ve wanted all this time, and it was as brilliant as i’d expect it to be. And then it just keeps going with an amazing scene with Jinta’s dad, proving that parents are as reliable as they’re made out to be, and then with a heart-wrecking conclusion, this was easily the best episode yet, and the best single episode i’ve seen for a long long time.

Mimi called me a softie earlier for tearing up at this, but I think it’s more because I can relate. If I was to wind the clock back well…it’s been two years now, i’d be a clone of Jinta. I thought the same way, acted the same way…and everyone else acted like The Super Peace Busters did , because they were hurting in their own way. My mother was like Jinta’s dad in this episode, and it’s all…so realistic. It’s just so brilliant~n.n

Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae o Boku-tachi wa Mada Shiranai Episode 7

The Real Wish

Alex: I won’t lie and say that I got this on the very first time through.Two things threw me. The episode title (So, is this rocket/firework thing her real wish?) and Menma’s mother at the end saying that everyone’s just kidding around. Just that one line made me think that the mother has a lot more to do with it than what i’m expecting.I really really loved all the Jintan x Anara moments, though. It feels great to see them gradually get closer; although at this point, rather than getting closer, it would be more accurate to say they are going back to the way they were.

The more this series is going on, i’m still sticking to my original theory: Menma just wants to know the name of the flower from that day (Which, by the way, was a forget-me-not), but I wouldn’t be that surprised if it’s something darker and more serious. I can’t wait xD. On a completely unrelated note, though, who’s actually managed to cry at this series? I hear a lot of people talking about it, and i’m interested in some figures. :b

Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae o Boku-tachi wa Mada Shiranai Episode 6

Forget It, Don’t Forget

Alex: Do AnoHana for me? :3

Mimi: A folder icon? SURE : D (obsessed making anime folder icons at the moment)

Alex: HAHAHA. no.

Alex: Blog it. plz. thanks.

Mimi: D:

Mimi: D:

Mimi: D;

Alex: THANK YOUUUU -pat pat-

Mimi: But..I thought u wanted a folder icoooooooooooooon D:

Mimi: Meanie

Alex: Nope.

Mimi: ;~;

Mimi: It depends on if I get motivated on X-Men tonight :3

Alex: -whips- YA.

Alex: Get going.

Mimi: Muahaha Alex the slave-driver is caught at last! Oh well, he’s missing out, because this episode starts out awesome when Yadomi is watching Occult Academy on TV…one of the first anime I blogged, actually! Then it gets better when Yadomi finally goes to school, rumors are flying around about Anjou, and he tries to take the attention off of her by shouting in class. The more he yells, the more embarrassing it gets…even for the viewer. *hides behind my pillow*

In the last half, Anjou decides to camp out at the club house over night, and she visits Menma’s parents along with Yadomi and Poppo. Menma’s mother allows them to take her diary, which they agree to read at a later time. But when Menma finds out that they visited her home, she becomes extremely upset because she doesn’t want her mom to be reminded of her…which upsets Yadomi in turn. *sigh* D: I just really want to hug Menma during those moments. At any rate, great episode; the tension is always effective, and I seem to can’t wait for the next one. This is definitely aiming for a very high spot on my Noitamina list, which I didn’t think could be possible…

Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae wo Boku-tachi wa Mada Shiranai Episode 5

Tunnel

Alex: They made Yukiatsu work as a character despite him crossdressing. That’s actually a really refreshing thing to see, because it would have been all too easy for this show to pull a “Eh, this character is just another insane person” and leave it at that. But nope, he gets up the next day perfectly composed like he always is.

Every character plays their role really well in this episode. And it comes together in a really brilliant climax, when Menma breaks down because nobody else can see her. Why is she with only Jintan? Personally, I want the show to explain that before it explains anything else.

I reallllyy don’t think i’m the right person to blog this series, and I tried handing it to Mimi, but she said the same. So I dunno, i’ll probably just keep up with the late posts. Not that it’s a bad series, just that well…like GOSICK, I don’t have anything to say about it. But for a different reason: It’s beyond words.

Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae wo Boku-tachi wa Mada Shiranai Episode 4

White Ribbon Dress

Alex: And who would have known it, Justin from last week was spot on the mark with his theory.

Anyway…Yukiatsu is the biggest douchebag i’ve seen in anime and well, anywhere for a LONG time…he’s screwed up. He makes fun and belittles Jintan over being obsessed, yet he buys females clothing to act like Menma. I’d say he’s schizophrenic, but it didn’t look like he “was” Menma, he was just being Menma.Or twisting Menma to his own convenience.Yet I kind of understand how he’s feeling. How confusing is that? @_@

So it makes you wonder; just what else is this brilliant show hinting at? I could draw hundreds of conclusions just from the fact that people can fell Menma, but not see her. And why wouldn’t she drink the tea?

On a completly unrelated note, Mimi should be back to blogging, giving me a much earned rest.ಠ_ಠ

Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae o Boku-tachi wa Mada Shiranai Episode 3

Menma’s Search Party

Alex: This show knows how to make my heart jump without doing anything at all. Is it wrong that I can tear up at this show when it doesn’t even try to do drama…? Or is it really just that brilliant. I’m willing to go towards brilliant. The last time I was this moved was during Clannad After, and as you can see from my favorites, that was pretty damn good, and sat really well with me.

That revelation at the end, though…damn. I didn’t expect that they’d have everyone seeing a different Menma, since there’s no way that Jinta’s “Menma” is the one everyone saw, because they were all in two places at the same time.

And the ED single is out, and i’m not ashamed to admit I teared up listening to that. Such a…strong feeling throughout, and it ties so well into this anime. 3 episodes in and i’m already calling it a masterpiece…maybe i’m going soft.