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

[Flower]

TripleR said it very well imo.

I must admit that this series has been the darkhorse for me this season. I have REALLY enjoyed the first two eps thus far, and have big hopes that this it will continue to get better as the season goes on.

[Irisiel]

I don't really think Yukiatsu's sniffing is that creepy, and I can think of at least one incredibly melodramatic and one incredibly normal reason for him to have the dress.

First: He was there when Menma drowned, and she drowned because her dress was caught on something on the bottom, so when he jumped in to save her, he had to remove the dress, but it was too late. Later, her parents just doesn't want anything to do with the dress ('cause it killed their daughter, maybe?), and he keeps it because he doesn't know what to do with it.

Second: Menma has at least two of the same dress, and one was forgotten at Yukiatsu's place when their group had a sleepover. There just haven't been a good time to bring this up with Menma's parents, and now it's been so long that everyone pretty much forgot or thinks it would be too awkward to bring it up.

Optional third reason: One of Menma's family tries to get rid of all Menma's things, and Menma's friends and mother ends up getting them back, but the mother has a breakdown/denounces material things now that Menma is gone, and Yukiatsu is stuck with the dress.

For the record, the second one happened a lot amongst the groups of friends of all genders when I was a kid, and when my little sister grew up, we had weekly phone chains to check in on everyone's stuff because the kids would simply borrow clothes from each other/play dress up and then leave the stuff and go home in borrowed stuff.

But I think that either Yukiatsu, Tsuruko or Poppo will be final boss. Poppo is more living in the past than the rest of them; he tries to keep away from his childhood haunts in order not to overwrite his earlier memories, and when a chance to revive the Super Peace Busters comes up, he's all for it, and he is also completely excited about Menma still being around. Because of this, he might be the hardest one to turn around.

Yukiatsu is very obviously still deeply in grief, including rigid adherence to social rules and overachieving. He's desperate to keep Menma alive in his memories (hence he will have a harder time accepting that Jintan is capable of at the very least conjuring up such a vivid memory, at the worst, actually attracting the real ghost of Menma), which is probably why he tries to use scent as stimulation; scientifically, it is said that scent is very helpful for memories. Because he is still in that stage of grief, I think that maybe he was there when she died, and that he probably blames himself for not saving her.

Tsuruko would be the dark horse boss. She seems to have become resentful of Menma's memory, but can't get over it herself. These conflicting emotions could also make her very hard to heal.

In fact, those three could all take turns being the final boss: Yukiatsu is the obvious one, so he's the first one to go. Poppo is trying to hide, but is already in the gang, so he's second. Tsuruko is the last because she refuses at first.

The Rule of Three. Just like in so many fairytales.

With Anaru, I sympathise with her problems with her "friends". She seems to have fallen into a clique where too much sympathy for the weird guy could get her ostracised, so she tries to tentatively make them sympathise by themselves, with little success as they are fully occupied with themselves. She needs to realise that a group of "friends" that get together to talk trash about other people and pressure each other to conform to some social norm isn't really friendship at all.

Of course, Anaru would need other friends to dare to break with the gyaru crowd, or she would be too scared to be forced to be alone.

Also, Menma seems to be a ghost with substance, and I hope it means that Jintan isn't hallucinating, and that all the friends at least gets to see her one last time, but not as a reincarnation (sorry, I've seen Air, Angel Beats and a bunch of others in a row these past few days, and I kind of got...bored).

[DragoZERO]

Listening to the ED and it really is a great song. I just wish it wasn't so sad. I hope we get a happy 10 years before version or something.

[Flower]

Originally Posted by DragoZERO

Listening to the ED and it really is a great song. I just wish it wasn't so sad. I hope we get a happy 10 years before version or something.

I actually enjoyed both the end song and the beginning song.

[spawnofthejudge]

Originally Posted by DragoZERO

Listening to the ED and it really is a great song. I just wish it wasn't so sad. I hope we get a happy 10 years before version or something.

...Eleven years after?

[Kokoru Asami]

I heard that song a while back and it made me feel nostalgic then, now there's no helping it especially with this show

[Tu101uk]

Actually this is the first time I've heard "secret base" before (yep, I'm a bit slow on the uptake >.>;;; I know of ZONE, but didn't realise this was originally one of their songs, and I also know of Scandal and didn't realise they made a cover of it XD), and I like it - the beat is quite catchy and melancholic and the lyrics are beautiful.

I've heard all three versions now (ZONE, Scandal and now the AnoHana trio), and they all have their slight charms about them. I quite like ZONE's and Scandal's slightly more upbeat versions, but the AnoHana version's slower pace fits very well with the series methinks.

I need to hear the full version of the OP, that thing's been stuck in my head for a while now... >.<

O-O~

[Otani-kun]

Originally Posted by felix

Anyway, the show is not bad by a long shot (yet), but I suggest you hold the “this is the best thing since sliced bread” comments till after a few episodes have passed, or the main plotline has fleshed out a little. If Iroha is any indication you might get hugely disappointed if you get the wrong idea about it at this stage.

Saying it's the best thing since sliced bread is a bit much, but for me it's just my favorite anime of the season. I had that same feeling with Madoka last season and it didnt change. We're only two episodes in so far but I like where it's going so far, and I really like the characters/drama/theme of the show.

[pseudonhym]

Originally Posted by Triple_R

AnoHana is just very solid, heartwarming, serious, slice of life drama. There's no glaring flaws at all, but at the same time, there's not many specific scenes here that leaves me wanting to think over it and discuss it at length.

It's not particularly hammy, but nor is it particularly subtle. It's pretty clear cut and effective at what it wants to convey, but it's not notably loud or theatrical either. Very measured, very careful, generally good writing and realistic characters and dialogue.

This is just what the first two episodes is all about. I like every thing about it, the story, sound, animation, name it. I couldn't wait for episode 3.

[cereal_killerxx]

Nokemon ROFL.

These characters feel so genuine. I love this show!

[BetoJR]

Count me in as another one loving it so far. The characters feel genuine to a fault, even if they seem archetypal (as by nature). Can't wait for more of this.

[konart]

So....

Spoiler for ep3:

They DO see her?(Yukiatsu at least, no?)
I mean... WTF? What was that all about than? 0_o

[DragoonKain3]

Well, can't help but listen to the full ED over and over. Thought I wouldn't find a version I'd like better than original, but I feel like there's more emotion with this version of Secret Base. So yeah, AnoHana > Zone > Scandal > Kyou no Go no Ni (IMO Kn5n2 was downright horrible considering the pace didn't match the mood of the song).

[Marina]

Originally Posted by Pellissier

Claiming anaru Thanks, Pelly.

[cereal_killerxx]

I'm half tempted to cosplay Jinta for Acen, although I doubt anyone would recognize me

[physics223]

This is my favorite show of the season as compared to Hanasaku Iroha. The second episode seemed to be just a catharsis of sorts for Anjou, but she still has to get beyond her current life to truly express her friendship towards Jinta and Poppo, who belong in the fringes of society. I love how the show seemed truly heartfelt.

Here are some of my further thoughts.

[Guardian Enzo]

Originally Posted by konart

So....

Spoiler for ep3:

They DO see her?(Yukiatsu at least, no?)
I mean... WTF? What was that all about than? 0_o

Spoiler for 3:

My theory on that: it was Yukiatsu that Poppo saw earlier. And Yukiatsu was completely lying when he said he saw Menma. He just didn't want Jintan to hog the spotlight yet again.

Man, this show just gets me right in the gut. Emotionally, every episode has been spot-on. I loved the internal monologue in Jintan's head when he was walking to school. That has to have been an unbelievably difficult thing for him.

[Mr.Garfield]

Originally Posted by Guardian Enzo

Spoiler for 3:

My theory on that: it was Yukiatsu that Poppo saw earlier. And Yukiatsu was completely lying when he said he saw Menma. He just didn't want Jintan to hog the spotlight yet again.

Man, this show just gets me right in the gut. Emotionally, every episode has been spot-on. I loved the internal monologue in Jintan's head when he was walking to school. That has to have been an unbelievably difficult thing for him.

My thought exactly

Spoiler for Yukiatsu:

Though i don't quite like it. Cross-dressing as Menma and lying about seeing her, it just makes me feel sick. And it's kind of cliched too(apart from the cross dressing of course)
Hope he has a good reason for it, not just because of jealousy, but i doubt it...

Anyway another great episode, and another few moments when i have tears in my eyes. Love it!

[Guardian Enzo]

Spoiler for Yukiatsu/Menma:

While there's no question Yukiatsu actually wearing Menma's dress instead of just sniffing it is even creepier, it actually makes me feel sorry for him more than anything. He was an outsider then and he's still one now, it seems.

In addition to all the other great stuff going on here, Jinta's flashback to his mother's illness was revealing as well. Poor Jinta - yet another moment he regrets and can never take back. What we're seeing (magnificently portrayed by Irinu Miyu's subtle and powerful performance) is how the weight of regret can take a cheerful, brash and outgoing little boy and turn him into a beaten, timid young man. If indeed Menma is a ghost, surely that must have been part of what brought her back.

But then - she's an odd ghost to say the least. A ghost that can make material muffins out of material ingredients? A ghost that prays at the altar of other dead people ("I'm dead too - but I'm doing great!"). A ghost that goes tearing off into the woods because someone says they saw... her.

[Reckoner]

Nice catch Guardian Enzo! I didn't immediately think of what Yukiatsu meant at the end, but now it all makes perfect sense.

As for the episode itself, I thought it made itself a little too heavy handed a couple moments during the episode, particularly when Memma cried not once, but twice in the same episode.

Otherwise still a good episode. I liked the insult Jintan came up with as he left the school . I give it an 8/10.