AnoHana | Animated Observations

Menma’s Second Chance

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At the end of episode one, Jintan has a chance encounter with his childhood friend Popo. After discussing the subject of Menma with him, Popo tries to help him figure out what Menma’s final wish actually is. This leads him to the conclusion that her final wish was in fact to get the rare Nokemon from the game they played as a kid. Enlisting the help of Anjou, the three spend a night beating the game and eventually getting the rare pokemon they were looking for. Although it does not actually do anything for Menma, the three of them to start to rekindle their relationship.

While it is fairly obvious at this point in the story that Menma’s final wish has something to do with the group reuniting and becoming friends again, how they get to that point is the much more interesting discussion to have. Now, Jintan, Anjou, and Popo are all relatively easy going. However, Matsuyuki and Tsurumi seem much more detached from the past than then their peers, “seem” being the key word here. There have already been a number of hints dropped that Matsuyuki’s connection to Menma is a bit more deep than he would let on, such as with the two scenes that show him holding what appear to be Menma’s clothes in his closet.

Collective Guilt

One of the things Anohana displays so well in terms of genuine emotional sensibility is just how much those who feel vulnerable and sad will try and deflect what they feel away from others, especially when it comes to being guilty. Although Jintan probably feels the most obvious guilt for what he said to Menma and her death that followed, the rest seem to be just as guilty. I mentioned Matsuyuki above, but there is plenty of evidence already to suggest that their is still guilt felt by the rest, from Anjou’s momentary reflections on Menma to the way that Tsurumi runs away from talking to Amjou near cafe.

Popo as a character is a bit harder to figure out as a character. Though he seems the most relaxed of everyone, it is likely that he is hiding something as well. I’m saying this as someone who has watched the show but honestly remembers very little outside of its emotional power.

Conclusion

This is one of those episode where a lot is being hidden under the surface. Though Jintan, Anjou, and Popo’s reunion might seem minor, it is in fact a major step forward in helping fulfill Menma’s wish. There is likely going to be some conflict between these three and the other two in the coming episodes, and what that conflict looks like will ultimately determine how and at what pace the group comes together.

How do you all feel about this episode? Let me know in the comments below.

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Welcome, weebs, to Animated Observations

I do not know why I did this to myself…but, I guess we are here now, so lets talk about it.

It has been quite a while since my last time watching “AnoHana: The Flowers We Saw That Day,” for mostly good reason. Mainly, that its really sad. Now, I know that to anyone whose even remotely familiar with the show that is not a particularly revolutionary piece of information. However, given the year that has unfolded, I felt like being sad is just sort of an inevitability at this point.

It also just so happens that because Crunchyroll’s manga reader DOESN’T WORK AT ALL I can’t read “Inside Mari” as I initially planned. Putting that aside though, lets talk about “AnoHana” episode one.

For those who are totally unfamiliar, The story focuses on Jinta Yadomi, a high school kid whose memory of his dead friend Menma has somehow manifested her back to life. Now, he must reunite his old friend group, who drifted apart after her death, and grant her wish, whatever that may be.

Emotional Impact

The series eleven episode run time leaves absolutely no room for filler, even during the first episode. As the episode begins, the series shows Jinta’s reaction to seeing Menma for the first time. Rather than an immediate overreaction, Jinta begins to feel the weight of Menma’s presence slowly overtime, until he eventually collapses from summer heat and stress. After he wakes up, and the idea that his delusion of Menma is, in fact, quite real, Jinta begins to question why she is here in the first place.

The two also spend the episode meeting their old friend group, and it becomes apparent just how much everyone has changed from when they were kids. This upsets not only Menma, who is sad to see that her friends are no longer together, but also Jinta who, because of Menma, must now confront his own personal failures.

After Jinta tells Menma to leave her alone, she then goes to her family’s house, at which point the show also gives a look into the life of her family, who seem to have also grown distant in the time since her passing. Her brother seems not to care for their mom’s sentimentality.

The Friends That Once Were

Another thing that is immediately obvious is that their friends also have not forgotten about the past. As the episode comes to close, the perspective changes from Jinta to the others, each in fairly quick succession, showing them living out their lives, but not quite content with the present. Whether it was seeing Jinta once again or just having it on their mind anyway, the fact that they just sort of left each other after Menma’s passing is still bothering them.

Menma

is clueless during all of this, yes, but as I mentioned before, the series make sure lay out the fact that she knows she is dead and that she is their for some reason. The most interesting part about her character is that she has seemingly appeared out of nowhere, and seems to only have knowledge of the time before she died, which makes it a lot harder for Jinta to communicate with her.

Conclusion

The first episode hits pretty hard, but also does a lot of groundwork for setting up other important plot points later on. The eleven episode run time may seem like it might not leave a lot of room for the series to fully unpack itself, but episode one confirms just how much can be accomplished in a 20 minute run time.

There is definitely a long road ahead when it comes to this series. I’m not kidding when I say I legitimately started to cry near the end of the first episode, and I honestly do not remember a lot about the series since it has been about 4 or so years since I last watched it. Also, is there anything specifically you folks want out of this re-watch? Let me know in the comments below.