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| We Still Don't Know the name of the flower we saw that day |
The first few minutes of AnoHana gives the impression that this will just be another generic moe anime, a genre that has been plaguing the anime industry for the past decade now, but turns out, AnoHana is nothing generic at all, it is an enticing and epic original show that is so full of beauty and wonders.
AnoHana tells the story of Jinta, a teenage shut-in who is definitely troubled. One summer day, his long-time dead childhood friend, Honma Meiko, appeared before him, asking to have her wish fulfilled. Meiko (or Menma, her nickname) and Jinta was childhood friends 10 years ago, where they always play around in a group of 6. One Day, Menma died, leaving the others to grow apart and troubled. As the years went by, distance grows between the group of friends as they stop contacting one another, and over the course of 11 episodes, they try to fulfil Menma's wish whilst trying to regain their lost friendship once again.
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| Menma, the moe and loli heroine |
The story seems to be a pretty simple slice-of-life anime at a glance, but deep down, AnoHana contains a deep and compelling story. Mari Okada did a wonderful job in writing the script for this show, a surprise as she did a lot of other shows at the same time during the past year, such as Hanasaku Iroha, Wandering Son, and Gosick. The dialogues are great and not dull, the story flows wonderfully as each episodes always drives the story further. The story keeps moving forward during the course of 11 episodes and ended with a good conclusion, one that will leave the viewers feeling satisfied.
What I like about this anime is how every episode always unravels new information, giving the element of surprise and suspense for the viewers, leaving them to want more. The pacing is near-perfect, as each moment is used wonderfully to develop each characters. Each moments in the anime is well-depicted, and will draw us in.
AnoHana is a tear-jerker, but unlike my other favourite drama animes such as Air, Clannad or Kanon, which is all made by Key and Jun Maeda, the story lacks complexity or huge plot twist. But AnoHana does not need all that as it shows that simple story that executed well could drain the viewers' tearduct.
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| The cast as childhood friends |
The characters are original, and lovable. The 6 main characters all have a distinctive design, and each plays a pivotal role in bringing the story to its conclusion. Aside from the main characters, the side characters all also have a distinct and original design, with each of them plays an important supporting role. This is rare in present-day anime, as some of them only focuses on the main character, not bothering to focus on the side characters. I can see how the creators spent time in creating these characters, and they have succeed, as AnoHana's main strength came from its lovable casts.
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| AnoHana's Cast |
Each characters are easy to relate to, and each is developed throughly. What I like best about AnoHana is how each character is portrayed, how we can see deep into their minds, and how we could feel the raw emotion coming out from each of them. Each character struggles with each of their own trouble, and each shows different reaction and emotion, all that is portrayed with perfection in this anime. Moreover, each of the character's development affected one another, making the casts a perfect mix of personality. We can see that deep beneath everyone's exterior, a complex and distraught minds exist, and that element of psychology is what drives AnoHana to be the best show this season.
The music in the anime are simple, but works wonders in this series. Each of the piece blended perfectly with each scene, picturing each moments with perfection, and helps in the build-up of the viewer's emotions. Each song is timed perfectly with each scene, and the transition between each score to another is very smooth. The ending song is a remake of ZONE's famous song - Secret Base, now sung by all the female seiyuu of the anime, and the song is a perfect match for the anime, as the song is used with wonderful timing in important scenes. The opening song, Aoi Shiori by Galileo Galilei, is simple but will grow on you after a couple of episodes in. The music is not all memorable, unlike the pieces made by Jun Maeda for each Key visual novels or games, but each of them works well to create the atmosphere when watching the series.
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| Tomatsu Haruka did a great job voicing the fragile Anaru |
The seiyuus did a great job in voicing each characters. Tomatsu Haruka, in particular, did a perfect job in portraying Anaru, as Anaru's fragile emotion is depicted wonderfully in each scene. She is definitely my favourite seiyuu of the season, as she also did a wonderful job in voicing Msyu in C, which airs at the same time as AnoHana does.
The Animation here is very good and beautiful, with no still frames found in each and every episode. The town is portrayed wonderfully, and I cannot find any distorted faces or badly drawn frames in each episodes. There's only a couple of blank faces when the camera shoots from far away, but that occurs only once or twice and is barely noticeable. Each of the movement of the characters are very smooth, even their hairs flows and waves naturally. A-1 pictures did a top-notch job in animating this series.
Now, AnoHana is epic and wonderful, but it comes a bit short to gain a perfect score. AnoHana does have a small flaw, which is the number of episodes it has. In my opinion, AnoHana could work better as a 13-episode series rather than an 11-episode series. There are times when I see that some part of the story is rushed and is too condensed. AnoHana is a Noitamina Anime though, so it has to be either 11 or 22 episodes long. The flaw is nothing big, as AnoHana concludes wonderfully in the end, leaving no questions unanswered. There are a few small plot holes that requires the viewer's own imagination as it is left unanswered until the end of the show, but that is something normal in every show and does not hinder the viewer from truly enjoying the show.
All in all, AnoHana is an epic series that I definitely recommend both anime fans and non-fans alike to watch. The story is simple, yet enticing. Each of the characters are lovable, and is brought to life by the voice actors. The animation is nothing short of beautiful, and the music blended well with the scenes, creating several epic moments that truly fill the viewers full of emotions. Saying that this is the best show that came from the 1st half of 2011 is no exaggeration, and it is quite a feat considering this year, we are bombarded with lots of high-quality anime such as Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Steins;Gate and Hanasaku Iroha. AnoHana truly brought the drama-anime industry to a whole new level. The series portrays both the human emotions and also each of the relationship of the character well. It portrays the effect of time to people's relation wonderfully and shows that a simple story, when executed well, could make you feel.
Score:
Story:9.5/10
Characters: 9.5/10
Music: 9/10
Animation: 10/10
Final Verdict: 9.5/10
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