That aside, I have been having a countdown of my own; one to the release of the final episode of Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae o Bokutachi wa Mada Shiranai. AnoHana, as it is affectionately called, is an anime-first, 11 episode series that started airing in Japan on April 15th of this year. Not only is it an amazing anime that I will be sad to see end, but it is also the first ongoing anime that I have watched. Having only been on the anime scene for under a year, I hadn't ever really looked at what new shows were being released or bothered to watch them. That was until I stumbled across AnoHana.
Literally translating into English as "We still don't know the name of the flower we saw that day," AnoHana tells the story of a group of childhood friends, who grow apart when one of them dies.
- INTERJECTION! asdha,sgdahn. WTF sort of announcement was that, J.K Rowling? Additional info on Harry Potter sounds cool, but I was expecting something... more. More than Pottermore. A new series, or something published. Bah! Edit: It actually looks kinda cool. It would be better if the site didn't keep crashing though! Double bah!
My apologies, I had to get that out of the way. Moving on! When Menma, one of the groupmembers dies, those left living find themselves torn apart and a mess, filled with guilt and depression. Ten years later, the leader of the group, Jinta Yadomi (Jintan), has since become a recluse in his home. One hot summer's day, an older looking Menma appears to him and tells him to grant her wish, which she cannot remember. In a bid to try and help the ghost, Jinta must reuinte with his group of childhood friends, but nothing comes easily. Everyone has changed over the years, and it turns out that only Jinta can see Menma, so the group are reluctant to even believe in her existance.
Naraku Anjou (Anaru), who has had a crush in Jinta since childhood, is now the perfect picture of popularity. Atsumu Matsuyuki (Yukiatsu) is a popular A student, and popular with the ladies. Chiriko Tsurumi (Tsuruko) is his equally intelligent friend. Tetsudo Hisakawa (Poppo) has travelled the World, and stills carries his happy disposition. However, all of them still carry scars from the past, and have not truly moved on from their childhood. Anaru cannot face the fact that Jintan loved, and still loves Menma, not her. Yukiatsu, who had been in love with Menma, ends up crossdressing as her, to deal with his guilt over her death. Tsuruko is deeply troubled by the fact that Yukiatsu never has, or probably ever will love her, and Poppo still feels like the unintelligent outsider of the group. As for Jintan, well, he's just downright depressed, because shortly before Menma died, when he could have admitted his feelings for her, he instead insulted her. He still harbours feelings for her, and does not want to grant her wish, because he doesn't want her to leave. And Menma's dead and only one of her friends can see her, so obviously she's got tonnes of problems.
There has been so much going on is this anime, I don't even know how to summarise it in a post. There is a love like, dodecahedron or something going on. The relationships in theis show are so complicated and very delicate. From the first episode, I expected a lot from Ano Hana. So far, it hasn't let me down. The storyline has been heartbreaking, and reduced me to tears more than once. The only problem I can see is that the series is too short. I don't know how they're going to wrap everything up in one episode, because there is still so much that needs to be accomplished, plot-wise. That said, I have great faith that the creators of this show can pull it off. Episode 10 was nothing short of spectacular; one of the best episodes in an anime I have ever seen.
I have no doubt that I will be getting up early to download the final episode tomorrow morning, so I should go and get some sleep. However, I shall leave you with a wrap up of my opinions. Look out for what is sure to be a massive post on the finale, tomorrow!
Animation: 9.5/10. I'll admit, I'm not particularly picky when it comes to animation, but this show just blew me away. Such a vibrant colour palette is used, and the scenery shots are just gorgeous! Chin-wise, the characters could have been animated a little better, but that's the only complaint I can find.
Soundtrack: 9/10. Just... amazing. The opening and closing songs are just perfect, with the latter even bringing a tear to my eye on the occasion. The music used throughout the show also compliments the storyline well, and adds tension where need be.
Characters: 8.5/10. There are a lot of interesting, real and intricate characters in this show. Yukiatsu, Anaru and Tsuruko in particular, have always interested me. However, Jintan is quite transparent, and accounts for the loss of points in the catagory.
Voice acting: 9/10. Spot-on. There's nothing more to say. Oh, and Takahiro Sakurai (Yukiatsu). I will forever love him as a VA. He rocks my socks.
Story line: 9.5/10. So far, I have been completely immersed in the story. I have found it so complete beautiful and touching, yet also quite fun. Will the finale ruin this, or cement it? Only time will tell...
Overall: 9/10. An excellent anime, and so far, my second favourite ever. Bring on the finale!
From left to right: Poppo, Anaru, Menma, Jintan, Tsuruko, Yukiatsu.
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