(L) Aoi Hana (TV)

[pagan poor]

Wonderfully level voiced put down by Fumi this ep. Just a lil surprising that she thought "enough is enough, and it's time to move on" going on her previous behavior. Nice to see some character development as aulzon has mentioned.

[MeoTwister5]

Had some choco brownies with episode 10.

First things first, the Sugimoto family seems as dysfunctional as I assumed they are.

Secondly I was actually expecting that bringing her along to see Fumi on that bridge might end up biting them in the ass as a rather dick move, but I was wrong in certain ways. A bit of backstory on Sugimoto does show a lot on how she became who she was: a child just doing what she feels and wants almost to a whim, not realizing she was essentially just reliving a vicious cycle with Kyouko with her now as the person being pined over.

Fumi got it down pat so maybe there was no need for me to say it anyway. Sugimoto needs to grow up and move on. Lingering around does nothing for both of them. Fumi says she's moved on and Sugimoto's still trapped in that cycle she'll never come out of until she realizes she needs to let go at some point. As long as she acts more on her own impulses rather than trying to see what the other is feeling, she'll just be reliving the same thing over and over again, in perpetua.

It was great seeing Fumi being the mature one here and asserting her own will. She's not going to be whipped around by Sugimoto anymore and is willing to move on. Where she's moving on, of course, I guess we'll see next episode.

[Proto]

Also Akira's brother is really annoying.

I gather you are not a brother yourself then.

Well I have to accept he takes one's big brother instincts to the next level though

[Tiberium Wolf]

At least he is not like Arthur in Tears to tiara.

Anyway the way that Fumi acted was so mature. I wasn't really expecting that from her.

[Sinestra]

Originally Posted by Tiberium Wolf

At least he is not like Arthur in Tears to tiara.

Anyway the way that Fumi acted was so mature. I wasn't really expecting that from her.

I think this is why Fumi is rapidly becoming one of my favorite female characters. We actually get to see her growth and watch her pick up herself up need be and carry on but what we are also seeing is her blossom into woman hood. I wouldn't even call it her standing up for herself it was how she honestly felt and in the past Fumi had a very hard time expressing herself whether it was good emotion or a bad one and it would manifest itself in her crying. Yumi quite simply and elegantly and growing up.

[Shiroth]

Spoiler for Episode 11:

I feel cheated in a way that they changed around my favorite scene from the manga, and the one i wanted to see more then anything in this episode, though on the other hand it makes sense that they changed it because they were going for an actual ending of the series. In the manga, Fumi tells Ah-chan that she was her first love, and this is while the two are still in bed. Here in the adaptation, they go for a little walk to their old school. A huge part of me still wishes she told her and it could have at least played out the same, though i'm going to accept this ending because i am rather happy with it. I'm not going to let a change destroy my overall enjoyment of this adaptation.

Still it's a good thing they kept the build up going for that final scene. Adding in the letter from Fumi's cousin did the perfect job.

Anyway, that was a great final episode. I'm glad they kept in the fact that Sugimoto is moving to England, because it shows that she's beginning to move on from her first love. Truly a shame the adaptation had to end here, though i'm happy with what we got.

Overall this show was a perfect adaptation of the manga. I just kept on smiling episode after episode, as it kept doing the job at bringing the manga to life. It's also good to know that a lot of none manga readers were able to appreciate the show. I just hope they'll plan to start reading the manga once they've finished the show.

These past few months have been quite the experience. It's good now and then to see an adaptation of the manga doing a grand job. Just hope more and more people will watch this show in the future, and read the manga.

[ThoHell]

Oi we're getting an OVA or something right? An ep 12? A series ending with the 11th episode is just....weird. Ok, I'll be honest. I want more of a conclusion.

[Shiroth]

Originally Posted by ThoHell

Oi we're getting an OVA or something right? An ep 12? A series ending with the 11th episode is just....weird. Ok, I'll be honest. I want more of a conclusion.

No OVA has been announced.

With the material that they have to use, the ending we got does the job. The manga is still on going, and there are 9 more chapters from the manga after these events.

& for anyone who wants to know, the anime adaptation stopped at chapter 18 of the manga. If you want to know the differences and what's anime original material in this last episode, then check my post regarding this episode.

[Kaoru Chujo]

Really an outstanding anime. I wish we had gotten -- and hope we will get -- more, but what we got was wonderful. They found an ending that made sense. Maybe there can be an OVA series next year sometime. But I'm afraid I won't hold my breath. I don't have any DVD sales figures, but I doubt this is the kind of show that generates a lot of sales. I'll just keep following the manga.

Director Kasai Kenichi's autumn show is an utter change of pace: the weird-sounding bishounen comedy Miracle Train, in which stations on a Tokyo subway line are personified as beautiful young men.

[Tiberium Wolf]

WTH? 11 eps? Another weird number. Damn... and I thought we were going to see more and it ends at ep 11. I mean it gets pretty interesting in the last eps!

[wandering-dreamer]

Just saw episode 10 and the episode turned out to be a lot deeper than I was expecting. I love how the characters have grown, or their lack of growth has been pointed out. To me this is one of the best romance shows I've seen, it really seems to convey the confusion, the happy times, and the lost loves that many people go through in high school.
Boo only one more episode.

[bbee]

I've been in love with this show since ep 1, and with the demise of TM8 it's been my favorite show of the season. It's one the best romance anime I've ever seen, shoujo ai or otherwise, second only to Koi Kaze.
The story and presentation are wonderfully subtle. The art is beautiful, the music is enchanting, the VAs do a great job. Even the "cinematography" / shot selection alone sets this show apart.

But somehow I can't escape the feeling that I'm not really fit for this show. I remember being annoyed at some of the digressions the story took during the earlier episodes. I was bothered by the fact that the show didn't really focus fully on one relationship; instead we got more of an ensemble of love related stories - musings on adolescence and love in general.
Maybe I've been manhandled too much by simpler natured romance anime so I was expecing a bigger emotional payoff. Maybe some of the first episodes are deceptive in what they make you expect of the show, or maybe I've been spoiled by too many unrealistic "Hollywood" happy endings.
A lot of this was set straight by the ending though, and hopefully the whole thing will fit neatly into the bigger Fumi-Achan picture.

Either way it's the first anime that has made me -as a viewer- feel inadequate to watch it, and that's saying a lot. I'll be sure to rewatch it in 10 years

Now, time for the best part after watching a great show: the all-nighter reading the manga!
Tomorrow be damned.. art > future > *

[firehawk12]

I honestly thought that they would end it with:

Spoiler for manga spoiler:

the confession from the manga and leave it as a cliffhanger.

But I'm glad they ended it there. In fact, this ending leaves it more in line with the extremely close but non-sexual relationship standard set by Marimite, so I think it actually works as a series ending as well. In fact, a second series, if they ever make one, would almost ruin the arc set up over these episodes.

Here's hoping Sasameki Koto, despite siding more with comedy, turns out just as well.

[aulzon]

Finished it and I got to say, I was really disappointed to find out that this was the last episode. My initial prejudice was that it was just beginning and I thought the ending would be a little unfulfilling.

But after watching it, I'm quite happy with how they ended it. I mean, it's as good as you can end it within the constraint of 11 episodes. I also think Akira and Fumi work a lot better in a relationship that transcends being a traditional couple. They have a really special friendship and there's a lot of ambiguity in it and what happens to them next.

Anyways, I'm going to start reading the manga now.

[Ashlotte]

Sad that its ended already, but it was quite the enjoyable ride...Easily one of my favorite shows from this season.

[pagan poor]

I'm with everyone else... sad that it ended so early, but happy that I was able to watch an awkward time in some girls lives played out so wonderfully.

I'll be following the manga as well.

[Malkuth]

I should join in to agree with everyone and despite not usually watching this kind of shows ... Aoi Hana stands out ... very well done and despite being slow (), I loved the pacing.

[TubZzz]

all i can say is... niceee

this was great

i really enjoyed it

[KiryuuKazumanosuke]

Goodbye, Aoi Hana! You were nice to watch, and you had pretty backgrounds.

[Shiroth]

Originally Posted by firehawk12

I honestly thought that they would end it with:

Spoiler for manga spoiler:

the confession from the manga and leave it as a cliffhanger.

Like i've said enough times, that's what i was hoping. But using that would mean not really enough closure compared to the anime original material that they added to the last 5 or so minutes of episode 11. A huge shame though.