AnoHana - Episode 7 Discussion / Poll

[Pellissier]

Originally Posted by ID555

So... Menmama blames them for Menma's death?

It's a theory, but it still doesn't flow well in my eyes. Why was she so kind and caring when they paid a visit in the past episode then? Besides, we did not witness what the father's reaction would be if he met them. Granted, at this point it seems we have one of Menma's parents being quite upset towards her friends, probably because they're considered at fault for her death (still a lot of "if" in the speculation since we stil don't know the name of the flower they saw that day, but we don't even know what exactly happened that day).

[blewin]

this episode feels a bit slow, but it's an emotional moment when Jinta and Menma both realise how much they care for each other (so bad that Menma is already dead).

the episode is entitled "Real Wish", so does that mean Menma's real wish is really the firework? or is it (as she said she feels great when watching him feeling alive) that her real wish is just to see Jinta?

[ID555]

Originally Posted by Pellissier

It's a theory, but it still doesn't flow well in my eyes. Why was she so kind and caring when they paid a visit in the past episode then? Besides, we did not witness what the father's reaction would be if he met them. Granted, at this point it seems we have one of Menma's parents being quite upset towards her friends, probably because they're considered at fault for her death (still a lot of "if" in the speculation since we stil don't know the name of the flower they saw that day, but we don't even know what exactly happened that day).

That might show how broken she really is, because my untrained self heard her last line as 'You're f***ing kidding me, right?' (in a very monotone, serial killer manner )

I wonder how guys who know Japanese would translate that line?

[Pellissier]

Originally Posted by ID555

That might show how broken she really is, because my untrained self heard her last line as 'You're f***ing kidding me, right?' (in a very monotone, serial killer manner )

I wonder how guys who know Japanese would translate that line?

I'm not japanese either, but she said "fuzaketeru wa ne?" , and I also take it in a range varying from "kidding me" (as in "They're kidding me, aren't they?) to "(stop) messing around", to even stronger meanings.

I've rewatched the last minutes, and the transition between the scene where the guys are told that the responsible is Honma-san and the scene at Menma's house is almost seamless, as to precisely indicate who's who. Although even Jintan's words aren't clear about it. He says "Menma`chi no..." , Menma`chi means Menma's family (as in house, household).
So it would be "The .... (?mother-father?) of Menma's household".

[sledge]

Pretty good episode, liked it better than the last few..

Originally Posted by FlareKnight

If she wanted to keep it a secret from Jintan then why was he there?

Well I remember it was Jintan himself who ran to the base to tell them about the new super peace busters name that he came up with, while all the others were already there.

[roankun]

This has been sitting in my mind since ep 5, but I'm really bothered about it right now.

Does Yukaitsu still not believe that Jintan can see Menma? I mean, (s)he said sorry about the hair clip thing right? No way that Jintan could know about that so...

EDIT: And "Honma-san" who talked to the fireworks guy... I assumed it was Menma's mother since they cut to her scene immediately, but was it her father??

[ars89]

Wow, my favorite ep so far.

Like how Jintan was lecturing Anaru about not going to school. He actually knows first hand about how missing days can harm someone. I don't think Anaru was wrong to say that he cares about other people because when he was younger he lead the pack and looked out for everyone. I think this ep showed how if Jintan puts his mind to something he can do it and lead others, making him look cool to them.

Best scene was when Anaru fell on top on Jintan and Poppo walked and and out in a heart beat. For some reason i felt bad when they were reading Menma's diary, just because Jinatn said something about memories he never had because they were hers only. Obviously they need to use it to somehow find her wish out.

Nice to see everyone some together again and try and work out a plan. I liked how Anaru still had their plan when they were kids, such a beautiful memory. I don't know if i believe Yukiatsu yet that Menma called them together but to not tell Jintan. Just because he holds a grudge still. Yukiatsu seemed stunned by Jintan's acknowledgement of being scared to ask her. I think that would be the easiest, but i don't think Menma remembers her wish yet. I think he was stunned because maybe he feels the same way in that he could not face her if he did saw her too because he feels responsible. So also it's a shock of being similar to Jintan.

Enjoyed them all working to save money. Nice to see Anaru and Jintan getting along again. Nice save by Jintan when those guys were talking about rumors about Anaru. Menma was so cute when not worrying about jIntan, but got so angry when she heard he was skipping school for work. When she realized that he was doing it all for her she was so happy again. I wonder if her wish really is the firworks because she remembered when overhearing Anaru and was touched. Liked how she moved the lights to illuminate his path so he wouldn't fall, i wonder if he realized it was her.

Wow so all that work just to be stopped by the head guy, who happens to be Menma's father. No way he would listen to them since he's past his daughter's death. Interesting how the Mom knew that they were all doing something for her. I didn't understand why she said it ws time to stop playing. I thought the mother would be really happy that they were doing something for her daughter whom she misses so much.?

[miketyson]

Just chiming in to reiterate that getting confirmation from a native Japanese speaker on that last line would be greatly appreciated.

I heard it two ways. The first I'm pretty sure is wrong (but would appreciate confirmation), and was "fusageteru wa ne" (塞げてるはね). The meaning of the verb (塞ぐ/fusagu, block/obstruct) fits really well with the "Menma's mom is evil/scary" theory, but if that grammar's not just outright wrong the meaning would be pretty weird (and I can't remember having ever seen it).

Second time I heard it as "ふざけてるはね" (fuzaketeru wa ne), like everyone else (well almost like everyone else, I keep hearing "wa ne" not "yo ne"). That seems right, and I do have a tendency to mishear voiced as unvoiced and vice-versa.

But if that's right: it seems like she's saying that affectionately to Menma, and not about Jinta's friends? Like the dialog is essentially "Menma, it seems like Jinta and his friends sure are doing all kinds of things on your behalf. *Pause*. You're goofing around, right?", with the same affection as when she described Menma as a bit of an airhead.

roankun: I think Yukiatsu might actually be the one who believes the most for the reason you said; all the rest seem to be just going along with it for various reasons. But, b/c Tsuruko somehow had that old hairclip she would've probably seen what happened with Menma and Yukiatsu, so it's very possible that when she gave Jinta his "mission" she also told Jinta about the hairclip (and what to tell Yukiatsu).

[Soconfused]

I could do without the cliche moments between Anaru and Jitan, yeah yeah we get it you two are gonna hook up, whatever, theres no need for "falling unto each other whist someone walks in and gets the wrong idea" scenes in an anime like this, it felt out of place, or moreso, unnecessary.

And looks like Menma's mom (and possible dad) are through.playing.GAMES. Those kids are snooping around a bit too much and they need to be stopped. Next episode will be quite a battle.

[Pellissier]

Originally Posted by miketyson

Second time I heard it as "ふざけてるはね" (fuzaketeru wa ne), like everyone else (well almost like everyone else, I keep hearing "wa ne" not "yo ne"). That seems right, and I do have a tendency to mishear voiced as unvoiced and vice-versa.

But if that's right: it seems like she's saying that affectionately to Menma, and not about Jinta's friends? Like the dialog is essentially "Menma, it seems like Jinta and his friends sure are doing all kinds of things on your behalf. *Pause*. You're goofing around, right?", with the same affection as when she described Menma as a bit of an airhead.

Indeed it's "wa ne", I was focused on the first part and misheard the rest. I don't dislike your take on the dialogue, since I'm more inclined to think it's the father.

On a related note, UTW subs are out and translate that line as "What a joke". Previously though, the whole discussion between the three and the fireworks' man has been translated as if they were talking of a female (she, her).

[miketyson]

Originally Posted by Pellissier

On a related note, UTW subs are out and translate that line as "What a joke". Previously though, the whole discussion between the three and the fireworks' man has been translated as if they were talking of a female (she, her).

Yeah, I don't have time right this minute to go back and listen again but I distinctly remember that the main word used for the person the fireworks guy blabbed to was "yakuin" ("official"), and don't really remember hearing anything gender-specific.

It wouldn't be out of the question for the mother to be an "official", but it seems a lot more natural for the story progression for it to be the father (and it fits with how he was presented in ep1, and it'd be a little unusual to have a naturalized foreigner like the mom be some kind of official).

[Triple_R]

Originally Posted by Kanon

That was the best episode in a long time. A nice break from all the drama. We needed a breather, and this episode was perfect.

I totally agree.

I had joked to a couple fellow anime fans almost a week ago that I wished that we could somehow "trade" 10% of Anohana's drama to HanaSaku Iroha for 10% of HanaSaku Iroha's lightheartedness, as I felt that would make both shows even better.

Well, judging by the last episode of each show, maybe such a trade actually happened, lol.

The overall balance for both shows improved markedly over this past week, in my opinion.

I've started that despite how cute she is (and she really was adorable in this episode), I don't really care about Menma herself. I'm far more interested in Jinta, Anal, Yukiatsu and Tsukurou. I like Poppo too, but the poor dude's such a fifth wheel

Agreed.

The thing with Menma is that, ghost or hallucination, she is dead, and she's not coming back to life (I hope not, anyway, as a twist of that magnitude would probably be more than I could swallow, lol).

Since she's not coming back to life, I'm more interested in how the story ends for the rest of the Super Peace Busters, as I hope that they all achieve at least somewhat happy endings.

The two (potential) romances in particular (Jintan/Anaru, and Yukiatsu/Tsukurou) are the subplots that interest me the most.

I really really loved all the Jintan x Anal moments. It feels great to see them gradually get closer; although at this point, rather than getting closer, it would be more accurate to say they are going back to the way they were.

Good point.

Kind of wish Jinta hadn't started calling her Anal again though. That is such a terrible nickname

Do you know what Jinta calls Anaru when she displays a very good memory?

Anal Retentive.

... I'll be here all days, folks!

It was also good to see Jinta work so hard for Menma. This episode showcased why he was the leader of their group: he cares about others, is a hardworker, and isn't afraid to stand up to others to protect his friends, even if it means getting himself into troubles (total opposite of Yukiatsu ).

In fairness to Yukiatsu, he did come to Anaru's rescue.

I'm sure Yukiatsu knows about her feelings. However, since he still hasn't forgotten about Menma and therefore can't respond to them, he's trying not to address the issue for the time being. I think he likes her a lot too, but as long as he can't move past Menma, he can't get with her.

I think Yukiatsu is open to a relationship with Tsukurou, but he wants to take it slow, hence him suggesting a date that's not quite a date. Tsukurou probably wants something a bit more definitive than that, though.

I seriously doubt that is her wish. Seems kind of pointless to make those fireworks now that Jinta's mother is dead anyway...

This is slated for 11 episodes, right? So 4 more to go after this one. Probably too much time to stretch out the fireworks plotline if shooting off fireworks ends up being the climax of the entire anime.

So, yeah, based on that I agree with you. Her wish is likely something else. But I do think that the fireworks thing will bring them closer to whatever it actually is.

The wish will most likely have to do with what she wanted to tell the gang. She intended to keep Jinta out of the loop, so I'm guessing it was a present for him or something along those lines.

It would be funny - cheesy, perhaps, but really funny - if the climax to this all is going through with a several years old plan for a surprise birthday party for Jinta and everything coincides with his actual birthday in the present.

Originally Posted by Haak

Agree with this completely but I also want to add that it was also great seeing Tsuruko and Yukiatsu interact more aswell. I wouldn't mind them getting together either.

I would have mentioned that as well, except the subs led me astray. They led me astray by what theBlue brought up here...

Originally Posted by _theBlue

Apparently I saw this on the site I'm watching AnoHana

I just love Yukiatsu and Tsuruko together. And I'm srsly torn between Jinta/Anaru and Jinta/Menma. D;

When I read Tsuruko say "Plus, it's kind of tiring to be around you" that immediately made me think of something Makoto Ito once said about someone in School Days, and, well, let's just say that raised serious red flags for me.

But knowing what Tsuruko actually meant there, I'm fully onboard with Yukiatsu/Tsuruko myself now.

[ID555]

Originally Posted by Pellissier

On a related note, UTW subs are out and translate that line as "What a joke". Previously though, the whole discussion between the three and the fireworks' man has been translated as if they were talking of a female (she, her).

Nice, that sounds a lot more natural than the subs I have. I'm switching carriers!

[Kaoru Chujo]

Originally Posted by _theBlue

...I just love Yukiatsu and Tsuruko together. And I'm srsly torn between Jinta/Anaru and Jinta/Menma. D;

Menma is dead, so eventually it will be Jinta/Anaru, whatever happens. Menma finally leaving the scene will also be good for Yukiatsu/Tsuruko. Not that I want her to be dead.

I liked what they did with this episode, but the fact that there is little likelihood that the fireworks were Menma's real wish still grates on me. They just jumped on the first thing they saw in the diary, rather than reading the whole thing. I know it's all to set up the drama, but it seems so artificial. In a fairly realistic show like this, lack of realism in the details matters.

I think it's a possibility that Menma's dad misses her even more than the mum, so he can't even bear to have her stuff around. And whether or not he was Menma's dad, it would have been hard for him to approve of illegally involving under-18s in making fireworks.

[Guardian Enzo]

Originally Posted by Pellissier

It's a theory, but it still doesn't flow well in my eyes. Why was she so kind and caring when they paid a visit in the past episode then? Besides, we did not witness what the father's reaction would be if he met them. Granted, at this point it seems we have one of Menma's parents being quite upset towards her friends, probably because they're considered at fault for her death (still a lot of "if" in the speculation since we stil don't know the name of the flower they saw that day, but we don't even know what exactly happened that day).

I concur - I think the look Menmama gave the kids when they visited reflected that she regrets that they dropped out of her life when Menma died, not that she blames them. Especially Jinta - she looked like she recognized in him that was as unable to let go of Menma as she was.

[Kaoru Chujo]

Originally Posted by Guardian Enzo

I concur - I think the look Menmama gave the kids when they visited reflected that she regrets that they dropped out of her life when Menma died, not that she blames them. Especially Jinta - she looked like she recognized in him that was as unable to let go of Menma as she was.

That's exactly what I thought I saw, too.

[Izayoi]

That is one tripping last line...

[Flower]

Interesting how the possible plot line of the fireworks that Kanon suggested above also works. It also makes the story sad, but does not add as much "raw" drama to the possible story like my speculation of a possible abusive family environment in Menma's home did. Actually, part of me is glad the latter seems to not be the case....

Three cheers for Jintan and Anaru getting closer too!

Things still are not clear, though, and the series is doing a masterful job at telling the story!

8/10 vote from me....

[miketyson]

Aside from that last line of dialog, this episode did have what for me is the saddest scene for me in this series so far: the scene where Jinta comes back and Menma's made him the raisin steamed bread. While they're eating Menma and Jinta both more-or-less lie to each other, more-or-less know the other is telling a lie, and more-or-less decide to go along with it to keep the other happy.

Saddest thing I've seen so far in this show, and it it makes me think Jinta's not going to wind up apologizing to Menma until it's "too late" (eg: right as or just after Menma's vanished / gone-to-heaven). Instead, he'll just get wrapped up in trying to grant her her wish and avoid making her sad and won't remember.

At least there's a balance, b/c seeing the contents of Menma's diary were by far the funniest thing for me so far. Such a comically anticlimactic revelation. It's easy to see why Menma's mom thought she was a bit of an airhead.

Also: is anyone else getting the sense this show's been "cut down" from an original story outline that was longer (eg: 13 episodes, or even a full 2-cour)? It's not a complaint, just a feeling.

[CWW]

Originally Posted by Kaoru Chujo

I liked what they did with this episode, but the fact that there is little likelihood that the fireworks were Menma's real wish still grates on me. They just jumped on the first thing they saw in the diary, rather than reading the whole thing. I know it's all to set up the drama, but it seems so artificial. In a fairly realistic show like this, lack of realism in the details matters.

They already pointed out that most of her diary entries consist of the same line and that she isn't the greatest in written language. I'm fairly positive she didn't write about the day she wanted to meet everyone except Jinta, since that day was the day she died. As already pointed out, she isn't someone who writes detailed entries anyway. It seems silly to spend precious screentime on them analyzing the diary when it's easier to infer that it's full of fluff.

You might infer that the fireworks isn't Menma's wish in the end, but they don't. It seems pretty obvious in their point of view, since they even went out of their way to design the fireworks, and it had a clear purpose: the fireworks was supposed to cheer up Jinta's mother. It's a more plausible wish than catching Nokemon at any rate. If you really want to blame the writers, blame the fact that Jinta is reluctant to discuss with Menma about her wish.

PS. The amount of Tsuruko x Yukiatsu fans in here is disturbing my inner fangirl. Anaru x Jinta for eva!