AnoHana - Episode 5 Discussion / Poll

[CWW]

Originally Posted by physics223

Somehow, I feel that Tsuruko's been trying to show how she's felt for a long time toward Yukiatsu, only for him to ignore that because of his obsession with Menma. It's somewhat parallel to Jinta's situation, where his concern with Menma and his past have prevented him from seeing Anjou's ten-year waiting for him.

Naruko believes this, which we got to know during the conversation with Yukiatsu, and it certainly was a life changing period of Jinta's life, but I'm honestly not sure this is the case anymore. Naruko didn't reach out to Jinta in all those years. At the beginning of the series, he didn't even see her as a friend anymore. In all these years Jinta's understandably changed into a shut-in. He's so accustomed to his current lifestyle now that he has trouble breaking out of it. He even acknowledges that all he does every day is eat, game and sleep. The problem is he has zero motivation to change his lifestyle. His dad doesn't push him to go to school, his mother passed away, his friends abandoned him, who has to tell him to pick up his life? Jinta is partly to blame for his current situation, but not all of it. Naruko has been trying to get him to school again, but not very convincingly. At any rate, it's a case of too little too late. Don't get me wrong. I like Naruko as much as anyone else, but she's a classic case of tsundere.

Which might be the reason why only Jinta can see and talk with Menma. He's the only one out of the Super Busters whose life remained stagnant. The rest has, at least from their outward appearance in society, moved on.

[Triple_R]

As it pertains to "Why doesn't Jinta and/or Menma try to prove her presence to everybody else?", I think that the core answer is that this is the mostly private, personal story of six childhood friends, and not a story about ghosts, per se.

That being said, I do see (and somewhat share) the difficulty that some have as it pertains to Jinta and/or Menma not doing more to prove her presence.

Perhaps it's best to think that Jinta's Menma is an actual ghost, but that everybody deeply involved in this situation are too emotionally and/or psychological distraught right now to take a more clear-headed and scientific approach to proving if Jinta is seeing the actual ghost of Menma or not.

I'm fairly comfortable with that interpretation myself.

[ThereminVox]

Ah, and with that, I'm all caught up. Love the music, love the characters. I'm looking forward to watching the rest of the series in "real time".

Also, I'm kind of fine with "Because wizards, that's why" being the explanation for why Menma doesn't go all Poltergeist with the others to prove she exists. It's clearly not relevant to the story being told.

[Guardian Enzo]

Originally Posted by Pellissier

I assumed Tsuruko took that hairpin and conserved it since, while Yukiatsu simply bought a new one. It was mentioned that he used to buy a lot of women's accessories.

Besides, so far we've seen the story from 3 POVs, Jintan, Anaru and Yukiatsu. I'm convinced they'll also show us how things went that day from Tsuruko and Poppo's perspectives.

Yep, agreed on both points.

[cyth]

Up until this point I believed Menma was just a presentation of everyone's memory. This I based on the presumption that all physical evidence of her presence were superficial given the circumstances. I still think so, but what changed with this episode was that Menma started questioning her existence. At first we were led to believe she's there because the gang needs to grant her wish, now we know she's there because she has a problem too. The series has given this aspect too much attention to simply back away, unless Okada Ma(ry

[ipodi]

Query- In the opening theme, are they talking about holding a cider in their hand, or holding a soda?

Earlier episodes said cider, but UTW's translation have it down as "soda." I am inclined to go with the latter since cider is an alcoholic beverage, but I like to get a confirmation from more knowledgeable posters here.

[Haak]

Originally Posted by Archon_Wing

Hah, it seems they'll never let Yukiatsu over this, nor will Jintan forgive him for a while about raining him with tears.

I actually thought everyone (including Yukiatsu) were amazingly cool about it. Yukiatsu had to goad Tsukuro into calling him a cross-dresser and Anaru even apolagized for rubbing it in his face. I think Yuikiatsu has definitely redeemed himself and i just love how no one fully understands their feelings and are really struggling. What's more is that there's no one single messiah-like character that's coming to save the day. They all have to help each other out but each individual ultimately has to make the leap and come to terms with their problems themselves. This was another great episode.

[Archon_Wing]

Originally Posted by Haak

I actually thought everyone (including Yukiatsu) were amazingly cool about it. Yukiatsu had to goad Tsukuro into calling him a cross-dresser and Anaru even apolagized for rubbing it in his face. I think Yuikiatsu has definitely redeemed himself and i just love how no one fully understands their feelings and are really struggling. What's more is that there's no one single messiah-like character that's coming to save the day. They all have to help each other out but each individual ultimately has to make the leap and come to terms with their problems themselves. This was another great episode.

Oh, but their first natural retort is always gonna be "crossdresser". It's always gonna be the butt of a joke for years to come.

Of course, it's just going to be playful ribbing. They do understand the situation so outing him really helps in the long run.

[TakezoMusashi]

Originally Posted by Archon_Wing

Oh, but their first natural retort is always gonna be "crossdresser". It's always gonna be the butt of a joke for years to come.

Of course, it's just going to be playful ribbing. They do understand the situation so outing him really helps in the long run.

God knows fans of the show will never stop making fun of it.

[.x.crii.x.]

Lol, idk...I don't think they´ll call him crossdresser to make fun of him later on. xDD Idk, they don't seem like the type to use an old wound to laugh at later on. :I

[pseudonhym]

Tsuruko having another hairpin and trying it on feels like:
1) She really is envious/jealous of Meiko in the same way as Naruko is to Meiko;
or
2) Similar to Yukiatsu, she's really devasted on the tragedy that befell on Meiko.

Kinda feels like it's leaning on #1 though.

[Raiga]

Originally Posted by ipodi

Query- In the opening theme, are they talking about holding a cider in their hand, or holding a soda?

Earlier episodes said cider, but UTW's translation have it down as "soda." I am inclined to go with the latter since cider is an alcoholic beverage, but I like to get a confirmation from more knowledgeable posters here.

I don't read the OP/ED translations, but I heard "cider." Might be referring to the non-alcoholic kind.

Anyway, just caught up with this all today. Should have been asleep an hour ago but who cares! Couldn't stop watching. Love it.

[guuchan]

Originally Posted by Sackett

I'd like to say that after thinking about it...

Poppo must have some major issues too.

I mean he's introduced as this happy go lucky carefree guy who hasn't changed since childhood (except getting bigger), and everyone else is so angsty that we think "oh finally someone who is normal."

But how normal is it for a highschool aged boy to be traveling the world and living in a "fort" down by the river?

Do 16 year-olds really just work odd jobs and hop on planes to visit the world, all while living as a hobo? Is that really a common thing in Japan? 'Cause it's not that common over here in America.

How messed up must Poppo's family life be? Where is his family anyway? Something is not right here. Not right at all.

One thing I notice about Animesuki forum is people tend to over-compare anime characters to reallife people. No, I don't think it's a common thing in Japan either, but how can anime/games have different kinds of characters if they are all designed after the norm? As much as this show belongs to slice-of-life category, it still doesn't mean everything in it has to be "common" as in reallife. Poppo's setting kind of reminds me of Inaho Shin, the character voiced by Majima Junji (who got really hot lately in anime world, by the way), who has appeared in all the games of Memories Off series with its first game released in 1999. The character also quit high school and travels around the world. He travels to one country, back to Japan, work to earn enough money for his next trip, travel, back to Japan, etc. So Poppo is far from the first of his kind.

Originally Posted by ipodi

Query- In the opening theme, are they talking about holding a cider in their hand, or holding a soda?

Earlier episodes said cider, but UTW's translation have it down as "soda." I am inclined to go with the latter since cider is an alcoholic beverage, but I like to get a confirmation from more knowledgeable posters here.

It is cider (サイダー). And it's not apple cider kind of cider; cider in Japan is carbonated drink, so it's basically equivalent to soda/pop in America. Usually it means the fruit-flavored ones, such as the lemon soda Yukiatsu and Tsuruko drink during the scene where the lyrics is.

[Solace]

Originally Posted by Sackett

Do 16 year-olds really just work odd jobs and hop on planes to visit the world, all while living as a hobo? Is that really a common thing in Japan? 'Cause it's not that common over here in America.

Not common, but certainly plausible. It's a lifestyle choice. The odd jobs thing could just be a way for him to stay busy and/or connect with the communities he's visiting. For all we know he's secretly rich. Sort of like this guy.

[erneiz_hyde]

I now have a new way of enjoying this anime: making up a scenario on how Menma can know or do something, and in extent, Jinta. This anime really reminds me of umineko. So far, I see nothing that can falsify Menma scene=schrodinger box (in the umineko sense).

Tsuruko having another hairpin and trying it on feels like:
1) She really is envious/jealous of Meiko in the same way as Naruko is to Meiko;
or
2) Similar to Yukiatsu, she's really devasted on the tragedy that befell on Meiko.

Kinda feels like it's leaning on #1 though.

Or it could be she actually really likes Menma! Yuri field active!

I'm guessing the ending would be Menma disappearing when Jinta and the rest comes into peace with their pasts and start taking steps forward. I guess Menma's wish is something like this: "I don't want my death to hold my friends back. I want them to keep moving forward but still treasure their memories about me"

Btw I'm not sure why Menma cried at the end? Was she mad because Poppo tell her to "rest in peace"? Or was she really just frustrated because she really don't understand why she's there?

[ipodi]

Originally Posted by guuchan

It is cider (サイダー). And it's not apple cider kind of cider; cider in Japan is carbonated drink, so it's basically equivalent to soda/pop in America. Usually it means the fruit-flavored ones, such as the lemon soda Yukiatsu and Tsuruko drink during the scene where the lyrics is.

Thanks. Much appreciated.

[Saturn Beaver]

Originally Posted by erneiz_hyde

Btw I'm not sure why Menma cried at the end? Was she mad because Poppo tell her to "rest in peace"? Or was she really just frustrated because she really don't understand why she's there?

A little bit of both, I suppose. At first the instinct when you're a spirit is to 'rest in peace', but now Menma doesn't want that because it would mean that she will leave the Super Peace Busters gang. She (and Jintan as well) tried to not think about it for the time being and enjoy things the way it is, but Poppo forcing the issue makes her have to face the harsh reality again.

Which brings up the second point, that she doesn't know how she came there, and as such doesn't know for how long she can even stay that way. At first it's fine for her to get the group back together and see their interactions from the sidelines, which is similar to how it used to be it seems (even as a kid, she seems more interested in the 'group of friends' rather than the activity they're doing). However, now the inability to interact with them directly is getting on to her, highlighted when she can't do anything even when Poppo believes that she's there and is actively looking for her.

Of course, ideas such as writing and manipulating objects have been mentioned as an alternative for communication. As such, I personally hope that next episode they'll have Menma actually interacts with the rest of the group as opposed to not thinking of the aforementioned solutions and angst about it. After all, the obstacles are gone with the rest of the group pretty much believes that Menma is a ghost that only Jintan can see, and all parties seem to want to interact with each other. I'm not sure where this will brings us, but it'll be a welcome change than to keep this status quo for too long.

[Deconstructor]

I always save Anohana as the last anime episode I watch each week. It's the closer, the grand finale, the lord of cheese. And no, I don't think that last phrase actually means anything.

Many anime focus completely on one or two main characters. The camera is always directed at the hero. The spotlight shines brightly for only the hero and his love interest. Everyone else tags along because they are important to the plot, but they receive far less attention. Initially, the story focuses on Jinta and Menma. But after Jinta re-emerges from his house and reunites with his friends, the story expands to include them as well.

All six main characters have their own unique perspective. Any one of the six characters share complex and diverse relationships with the other five. For example, Anaru is in love with Jinta. But she's also somewhat jealous and yet somewhat in admiration of Menma. And Anaru wants to be friends with Tsuruko, even though they are indifferent to each other. This episode, Anaru's relationship with Yukiatsu is developed; they share a common trait of being in unrequited love.

If you draw all of their names in a circle, and connect all of their names with each other, you'll get a wonderful web of character connections. I truly enjoy it when I can talk about each and every one of these relationships, as if they were all equally interesting to me. And out of all the anime I've watched in my whole life, I can think of none threading the character web better than Anohana.

Episode 5 Rating: 9/10!

Originally Posted by Reckoner

I've come to terms with the lack of emotional impact I've experienced these past two weeks since I realized had I marathoned this series, it would've been different. It's simply a byproduct of the week wait between each episode that it's hard for me to get fully engrossed, emotionally speaking, in each episode without something different to pull at my heart. There doesn't exist a show out there than can maintain that degree of emotional impact on a week in week out basis, and I should be fair to Ano Hana that I probably won't feel as emotional as episode 1 until it gets close to the end.

Overall though, I'm loving how well executed everything is and the characters continue to shine.

100% true for me as well. Episodes 1 and 2 pile on the sadness, but it's unreasonable to think every episode can be as emotionally moving. The full dramatic package includes more than the climax at which the viewers bawl their eyes out; it also includes the build-up, where our main characters develop their own identities and personalities through interacting with others. Certainly, Anohana excels at both aspects.

[Pellissier]

Originally Posted by erneiz_hyde

Btw I'm not sure why Menma cried at the end? Was she mad because Poppo tell her to "rest in peace"? Or was she really just frustrated because she really don't understand why she's there?

Because she feels totally impotent in the situation she's in. Poppo wanted to see her so badly and was calling her, but she couldn't be seen. No one except Jintan can see her, they even zoomed on the glass during that scene and there was no reflection of Menma.
She's desperate and frustrated for this, she doesn't know why she's there, why her friends can't see her and what's worse, she acknowledges that at the moment there's nothing she can do about it.

[broken270]

Spoiler:

Jinta goes up to Yukiatsu, now caught in the Menma outfit. Yukiatsu releases all of his emotions onto Jinta, saying things like "of course, I am not okay," or "It was my fault this all happened." Yukiatsu cannot forget about the time he confessed his love to Menma and got rejected by her. Menma goes down and realizes what was going on with his mind. Menma tries to comfort him, even if it had to be Jinta to relay her words to him. Everyone else is still pretty shocked about all of this. Tsuruko seem to know about Yukiatsu's problem more than anyone else. Yukiatsu seems to have calmed down for now, after releasing all of his thoughts out to them like that. Tsuruko is shown to have some feelings for Yukiatsu, having the old hairpin that Yukiatsu was originally given to Menma and all. Trouble seems to be stirring in Jinta's house. Those two are starting to get waht happened a few hours ago into their heads. Why is he the only one who can see her. Why can't everyone else notice her. Jinta states that with the addition of Memna, his original steady lifestyle goes haywire and he does not know how to react to it. Neither does Menma.

The next day, Anaru is still in a daze about going out with her friends and all. Her friends are starting to catch on to her anxiety and uses her confusion against her to go out with them. Meanwhile, Tsuruko and Yukiatsu are at the train station. Yukiatsu wishes for her to act at the very least different from what she was in the past. Both caught her with her group of friends, and Yukiatsu takes leave to see what is going on. Good thing he did as well, or Anaru might be in a tight situation. Yukiatsu did manage to play hero, just not the one that Anaru thought about. Yukiatsu openly admits he is a narcissist; Anaru accidentally insults him with that. Anaru is caught off guard with Yukiatsu asking her out, but she still has some feelings toward Jinta. Even she does not know what her feelings are. Having lost a good friend and his mother, Jinta is probably as wrecked as anyone would thought he might be. Poppo comes into his house to eat and talks about Menma, saying that the reason she is here is because her wish was not fulfilled. Having her wish fulfilled may get her to go to heaven, but now Menma is starting to doubt her presence and who/what she is. She cannot make a shadow; she does not have a reflection. So, what is she. Jinta is getting upset about Poppo's ranting in wanting to help her despite not seeing her and tells him to stop. Jinta is now confse on what the heck is going on with his life.