Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae o Boku-tachi wa Mada Shiranai (generic thread)

[Anh_Minh]

...
Looks like I'm the only one who thinks white just isn't working for her.

(Showing off her thighs, though... did seem to have a nice effect on Jinta.)

[Ravenblitz]

[Tu101uk]

Originally Posted by Ravenblitz

:o My gawd, that's a good quality pic... :D

Thanks for that, mate! ^_^

O-O~

[OceanBlue]

Originally Posted by Iron Monkey

If you look at things from the perspective of Anaru's friends, they know Jinta about as much as we know about Yukiatsu. For all they know, Jinta's some weirdo sitting at home doing weirdo things too. For all we know, Yukiatsu is actually at home not doing weird things like people are speculating. So in a way, I think the poster has a point.

I know, but a point I made later on in the thread was that the girls aren't unlikeable because they have preconceptions about other people, but because they express them in poor ways. At least, in my opinion.

[Sackett]

I don't think Yukiatsu sniffing Menma's is that creepy. People do that to remember people quite often. If it was a mother smelling her dead daughters clothes we probably wouldn't bat an eye. Or for a daughter smelling her dead father's old shirt and reminiscing about the way he smelled when he tucked her in at night and sang her a lullaby or something.

It's just that it's a rather intimate action. Other then a spousal or parent-child relationship it's hard to find that. I guess siblings might- I could see a younger sister doing something like that if her adored older sister had died.

But to get that hung up over a friend? That's a little strange. I wouldn't put it in the creepy level yet, mainly because Yukiatsu was the same age as Menma, but still a sign that he's really hurting in some strange way.

The theory about cross dressing I'd tend to dismiss, but there are some evidences, not enough to even make it the most probable outcome, but possible. If that is the case then it makes Yukiatsu more pitiful then anything else.

Tsuruko and Yukiatsu are interesting because they both are the outsiders of the group. Jinta was the leader. Menma was the female leader and Jinta's second in command. Anaru was Menma's follower and sidekick, just as Poppo was Jinta's (although Anaru obviously had some more issues going on then Poppo).

Yukiatsu and Tsuruko however are both introverts. From the flashbacks Yukiatsu appears to have been the guy in the group who had the ability to argue with whatever Jinta had thought up. Probably also drawn on by Jinta to come up with plans to make Jinta's ideas reality. As long as Jinta maintained a leadership of merit I bet Yukiatsu accepted it, even if he felt beaten at least he was beaten by someone better than him.

But recent events shattered Jinta's aura of superiority, leading Yukiatsu to have disgust for this guy who defeated him. Yet at the same time there is the fear that Jinta will come back and take the leadership place again. That would explain his hostility- which to me seemed tinged with fear.

Tsuruko likely has a kinship with Yukiatsu because they are both the outsiders. As "the smart ones" I bet they were paired alot when they were kids- either as cooperators, or as competitors. (If your team gets Yukiatsu then our team gets Tsuruko!)

However she is very hard to read. Even her scene in the flashback, she seems to be that person who says and does things and you can never be certain if she is mocking you, or is she just taking your plan dead seriously and doing what needs to be done to make it work.

The only real notable thing I've seen so far is her apparent hostility for the other girls- which she does not display towards the guys at all. In the feud between Yukiatsu and Jinta she seems to want peace. Not sure if she blames the other girls for the breakup, or if she feels the sting of being the outsider girl more then Yukiatsu did as an outsider guy (perfectly believable, as guys tend to deal with ostracism better then women).

[DragoZERO]

Originally Posted by Malkuth

Doesn't anyone find strange that Menma switches freely between 1st and 3rd person when referring to herself (and I do not mean in a childish/girlish way). For example, at the end of the episode she joined Poppo to search for herself (or her own apparition) after Yuikiatsu's suggestion... WTF

Is it because she is being cute? Hmm...

I wish there she wouldn't appear in front of other people without Jinta being there. Having that what if about her being a hallucination would be a good touch. I want to call Fight Club too.

Originally Posted by Kanon

Yeah, Menma's the good kind of airhead. She's simply adorable. I liked how she kept changing her wish in order to manipulate Jinta (for his own good of course) too
She can actually be pretty smart.

What I love is that the Menma is going to bring them all together again. That is obviously her wish. Now the question is whether she was the reason they all broke up or if they just grew apart... you know, for the irony.

[Johnny]

Originally Posted by Sackett

I don't think Yukiatsu sniffing Menma's is that creepy. People do that to remember people quite often. If it was a mother smelling her dead daughters clothes we probably wouldn't bat an eye. Or for a daughter smelling her dead father's old shirt and reminiscing about the way he smelled when he tucked her in at night and sang her a lullaby or something.

While I would agree with this statement, but they are not brother/sister or father/daughter so his action is still in the creepy column. Will need more evidence to see if he is actually crossdressing as Menma. If so then he'll be moved into the really creepy column. I would say the hair ties he keeps purchasing again could be linked to his crossdressing, but that's also just guessing...

Although I wouldn't be too surprised if we got a better glimpse of the scene where he was sniffing the dress. We would also discover some shrine of sorts that he has of Menma...

[Guardian Enzo]

Originally Posted by Sackett

Tsuruko and Yukiatsu are interesting because they both are the outsiders of the group. Jinta was the leader. Menma was the female leader and Jinta's second in command. Anaru was Menma's follower and sidekick, just as Poppo was Jinta's (although Anaru obviously had some more issues going on then Poppo).

You may be right and I don't think we've seen enough flashbacks to say for sure, but I read Menma and Anaru's relationship a little differently. I get the sense that, even then, Anaru deeply resented Menma for the stranglehold she had on Jinta's attentions, and that resentment bubbled over into open hostility at times. Menma, being both sweet and sweetly dense, was probably either too unaware or too kind to ever resent Anaru in return for her feelings - but I sense that Anaru kept a distance between herself and Menma, and I don't think she thought of herself as either a sidekick or follower.

[CWW]

There's speculation and then there's speculation. Anaru is a good gal. : (

[Flower]

Originally Posted by DragoZERO

....Now the question is whether she was the reason they all broke up or if they just grew apart... you know, for the irony.

I have been wondering if this were the case - but not in the sense of her consciously being the cause.

Afaict the dynamic between them all was something like this: (Mind this is mostly guess work on my part.)

****

We have Yukiatsu and Jinta both liking Menma (although perhaps to different degrees).

It is possible that Yukiatsu was jealous of Jinta.

Then we have Tsuriko liking Yukiatsu and Anaru liking Jinta.

And then we have Poppo happy and go-lucky in the midst of it all (at least it seems so).

Thus far it seems that Menma liked everyone but seems to have singled out Jinta, although not in the way, say, Anaru liked Jinta.

****

The interaction leading up to Jinta calling Menma ugly (mostly out of unthinking embarrassment than ill will) came to be especially powerful later on because shortly after Menma died an early death in a tragic way.

So this interaction (and maybe some interactions after and leading up to the death that have not yet been shown?) proved to impress itself very strongly in the consciousness of some of the group of friends - thus far we can see it really affected Jinta and Anaru.

In terms of materials not explicitly shown but possibly hinted at I think Yukiatsu sniffing Menma's clothes would fall into this category.

****

I think that the core of the story will involve everyone coming back together again. I also think that this is Menma's "wish" - a sort of "undoing" of what she unintentionally helped catalyst just before and after her death.

****

As for other people seeing Menma ... thus far it has been Poppo (actually shown in an episode) and Yukiatsu (although he only claimed so). I think that either Yukiatsu or Tsuriko dressing up is a possiblity, of course (or one of them arranging for someone not yet introduced to dress up as Menma for some strange reason) ... but I would agree that it is still too early in the story to say a definite yes or no with any one "answer".

Maybe there are other things that will come up and surprise us? Although to be honest maybe I am in "distrustful mode" of what seem clear story plots after being put through the wringer by the Madoka episodes.

[Sackett]

Originally Posted by Guardian Enzo

You may be right and I don't think we've seen enough flashbacks to say for sure, but I read Menma and Anaru's relationship a little differently. I get the sense that, even then, Anaru deeply resented Menma for the stranglehold she had on Jinta's attentions, and that resentment bubbled over into open hostility at times. Menma, being both sweet and sweetly dense, was probably either too unaware or too kind to ever resent Anaru in return for her feelings - but I sense that Anaru kept a distance between herself and Menma, and I don't think she thought of herself as either a sidekick or follower.

I think Anaru is one of those people who when they are jealous or resentful of a person tend to emulate them and become their follower, while secretly still nursing their resentment.

Sort of a love hate thing. She hates Menma for being in her way, but loves and admires her as her ideal. She is a sidekick, but the kind of sidekick that's the sidekick because she desperately wants to be the hero- not because she wants to be a sidekick.

In a similar way even Yukiatsu might have had similar conflicted feelings for Jinta. The difference of course is that Anaru's competitor has been removed- which means the Menma will always be better then her and stay in the top position.

Yukiatsu instead sees his rival/ideal fall and fail. Which makes him more aggressive in thinking he really is the better man, but also enraging him that his former role model failed him.

Might be speculation, but that's the kind of dynamic I'm picking up.

[wandering-dreamer]

Switching gears a little, did anyone else get the impression that Jinta's mother first attempted suicide which put her in the hospital in the first place? There's a quick shot of a bandage on her arm which she covers up when she notices Jinta looking at it and I couldn't tell if that was supposed to be where she had an IV in (and didn't want to show it to Jinta and worry him more) or if it was supposed to show that she tried to commit suicide and was embarrassed about it. And if it's the second one, boy, no wonder Jinta has really withdrawn.

Originally Posted by Pellissier

All freebies. If you want your name in one of the last two signs, feel free to ask.

Mind if I snag this one then?

[Westlo]

Pretty sure she was just trying to hide the IV...

[Guardian Enzo]

Originally Posted by Westlo

Pretty sure she was just trying to hide the IV...

Yes, I'm pretty sure she just didn't want him to see the IV line. I assumed it was cancer or some similar illness, although they rarely get specific in anime.

[Shadow5YA]

Originally Posted by wandering-dreamer

Switching gears a little, did anyone else get the impression that Jinta's mother first attempted suicide which put her in the hospital in the first place? There's a quick shot of a bandage on her arm which she covers up when she notices Jinta looking at it and I couldn't tell if that was supposed to be where she had an IV in (and didn't want to show it to Jinta and worry him more) or if it was supposed to show that she tried to commit suicide and was embarrassed about it. And if it's the second one, boy, no wonder Jinta has really withdrawn.



Mind if I snag this one then?

No... I'm pretty sure she was just trying to hide the IV so that she doesn't appear weak and frail to Jinta.

There's a big difference between a hospital patient with no equipment attached and a patient attached to an IV drip, electrocardiograph, etc. The patient without the typical equipment on looks ready to leave any day. The person stuck to a bunch of machines could be there for weeks or months.



Also, concerning Yukiatsu, I really doubt he'll turn out as bad as he appears now. Considering they were all Menma's friends, it's impossible for any single one to be rotten to the core, or Menma wouldn't have been friends with them all.

[brocko]

I really hope kid Jinta had a good reason for lashing out at his mother like that. Left a very bad taste on me to be honest.

[wandering-dreamer]

Originally Posted by brocko

I really hope kid Jinta had a good reason for lashing out at his mother like that. Left a very bad taste on me to be honest.

That was another reason why I was wondering what had landed her in the hospital, he could very easily be just mad at her for being sick or mad at her for trying to kill herself. But I agree that Soap Opera Disease is probably what happened, poor Jintan.

[Guardian Enzo]

Way, way harsh. Jinta is supposed to be what, 8 or so there? That's incredibly difficult, seeing your mother in a sickbed like that - I don't think his reaction was surprising at all.

[brocko]

First reactions for your own terminally ill mother should be one of worry imo. The fact that he lashed out at her instead was a little mean and selfish to say the least... I know that he's still young, but even kid's don't lash out at their own mothers (especially one that's terminally ill) unless they have a good reason to. It was a difficult situation for him no doubt, but i still don't understant why he had to push her away like that =/

[blewin]

new revelations in episode 3: Popo and Yukiatsu both saw Menma, but it's clearly NOT the Menma that's hanging around Jinta. I'm guessing Menma is a manifestation of each character's sentiment towards her, and hence we get different Menma. Wonder if Anjou and the other girl will later on see Menma too.

again, really like the subtle flashbacks slid in between present moments. Why was Jinta's mother in hospital?