Oh, I am so glad I pre-ordered this one as soon as I could, despite having only watched one episode of the show at the time. 10/10, and currently my second favorite anime of all time, right below Clannad (including After Story). In fact, the two are practically tied for first in my eyes.
And believe me, I don't say this lightly at all.
A lot of things really got to me in this one. First off, I've always liked childhood friend stories; the themes of shared memories, knowing each other, being there for each other through thick and thin... All of these themes were incorporated in this show, and moreso in a balanced 3-guy-2-girl-1-dead-girl ratio, adding in that "group" sense to it all. Romance was incorporated nicely, too, if you ask me.
Beyond that, though, it's a story about being stuck in the past, and how to move on after tragedy. Where some consider the best way to do so is to deny or forget about the past, this show shows how that is exactly what keeps people stuck there. Which is why the show's most dramatic moment which I guess some people found to be
too melodramatic, is also my favorite moment...
Take all of that to the grand finale, which was equal parts heartwarming and heart-wrenching, and it all closes out this amazing story. Except, it's not really an ending, but the beginning of a new story, one where the characters remember the past but are no longer trapped in it.
There's more to the charm of this whole series, but those are the big things that really make this an absolute favorite of mine.
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