The thing I love about many new anime films is that they often serve to introduce me to excellent series I missed out on during the years when I didn’t watch any anime. One of these is Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day — a beautiful, heartbreaking story about loss.
And as the theatrical film of Anohana will be released in Japanese theatres this weekend, now is the perfect time to look back at this excellent TV series.
Good — A Simple Supernatural Mystery
On the surface, Anohana is the story of Menma, a girl who dies in an accident, then returns as a ghost to haunt her best friend, Jintan, five years later. The problem is, neither Menma or Jintan know why she has returned. The two are quick to latch on to the “unfinished business” school of thought and decide that they need to grant Menma’s wish to get her into heaven. Of course, neither of them have any idea what this wish could be.
Thus the story is ostensibly about them trying to figure out Menma’s wish and fulfil it. Of course, this is made all the more difficult by the fact that only Jintan can see Menma. Soon the two of them are forced to involve their old friends — who have drifted far apart over the five-year gap — and reopen many of the old wounds surrounding the events of Menma’s death.
Good — Young People Dealing With Loss
So when it really comes down to it, Anohana is the story of how Menma’s death affected her five closest friends. Even though she died when they were in elementary school, their lives all still revolve around her death — or rather how they have attempted to cope with her death. Jintan has become more and more antisocial to the point of not going to school. Poppo has dropped out of school and travels around the world searching for adventure. Anaru blindly follows the popular crowd at school — doing anything to fit in. And Tsuruko has completely devoted herself to being the constant companion to Yukiatsu, the final member of the group.
But it is Yukiatsu, who outwardly seems the most normal, that has fallen the furthest. His childhood love of Menma — and his jealousy of Jintan — has focused his life into a single obsession. And it is an obsession that cannot be maintained indefinitely nor without consequences.
So while all five living friends have gone their separate ways in order to cope with Menma’s death, the very nature of her ghostly predicament requires them to be drawn together again. This in turn violently breaks down each of the friends’ emotional walls and makes for a truly heartrending drama.
Good — Families Dealing With Loss
But it is not only the five friends who have had to deal with the catastrophic loss of a loved one. Menma’s parents have also had a terrible time dealing with the loss of their daughter. Menma’s mother has become a recluse, secretly hating that Menma’s friends are allowed to grow up while her daughter is not. Menma’s father has taken the opposite stance, trying everything in his power to not be reminded he ever had a daughter in the first place. But perhaps the worst off is Menma’s brother, who can barely remember her, but is nonetheless constantly neglected by his parents because of their fixation on his dead sister.
Jintan’s family is hardly better off as his mother died shortly before Menma — no doubt contributing to his self-isolation. Meanwhile, Jintan’s father has responded to the loss by letting his son grow up with complete freedom — which basically amounts to the freedom to do nothing.
Mixed — Prepare to be Depressed
If you haven’t guessed by reading everything else so far, Anohana is not a happy story. Rather it is a serious look at how the death of a young child has derailed the lives of all those close to her — even years after the fact.
But that is not to say that there aren’t happy moments. Nor is that to say that it isn’t an uplifting and hopefully optimistic story — which it is. While the plot is filled with depressing revelations and heartbreaking drama, all the exploration of loss has a point. In the end, it is a story of love, letting go, and doing the right thing for the right reason.
Final Thoughts
Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day is no doubt one of the saddest anime I have ever watched. But it is also one of the most uplifting. The story it tells is so painfully real — so emotionally raw — that it will cause even the most jaded heart to weep. As loss is a universal part of the human condition, I would recommend Anohana to absolutely anyone — but only if they were prepared to have a good cry.
Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day aired on Fuji TV in Japan. It can be watched for free and with English subtitles at Crunchyroll. The theatrical film will be released in Japanese theatres on August 31, 2013.
Comments
15 responses to “An Anime That Will Make Even The Most Jaded Heart Weep”
A+ anime would recommend to anyone.
I’ve vaguely heard about this anime, never really looked into it but it sounds really interesting. Might look it up. doubt it will make me cry though, the only thing that has accomplished that was To The Moon.
Such a brilliant game, definitely had me a bit upset too. One I’ll never forget!
Yeah. Unfortunately it’s also one of those games that just doesn’t have the same impact in subsequent playthroughs without the use of amnesia pills.
A++ anime. Made me cry at the end, a very emotional tale. Despite crying, I loved every moment of it.
Since I saw this, I had to comment.
DAMMIT KOTAKU!!!
Now you made me remember all the super-sad feelings I felt everytime I watched this anime!
Especially when that ending credits song plays, ‘himitsu natsu no owari…’
Now I have to go to bed and cry myself to sleep because I’m thinking about Menma now.
Yeah as above have said, was a really great anime, manly tears were shed. A+++
Saw this a while ago and it was definitely one of the better Anime i’ve seen, would highly recommend it.
I watched this with a friend a couple months ago, we didn’t cry….but that’s probably because we watched it together haha
If you like anime that will make you sad I suggest.
Kimi ga Nozomu Eien
Kanon (2006 remake)
There were others, but can’t remember right now… These two i’ve always remembered.
Clannad after story: To this day that still rates as having one of the saddest moments in anime
Grave of the fireflies: Don’t wanna talk about it…..
Saikano: Was really depressing when I first watched it. Not sure how it’ll hold up on repeat
Angel Beats:
Oh god… I forgot about Grave of the Fireflies…. WHY WHYYYYY WHAAAAAAAHHHY :'(
It’s the saddest film I’ve seen, I don’t recommend it to anyone because it’s just too depressing.
Clanned after Story wasn’t bad too… I was thinking of mentioning it.
Haven’t heard of Saikano.
I thought Angel Beats was a pretty average series, but finding out how he died was heartwrenching.
Saikano, or SHE the Ultimate Weapon as is localised in AUS, has a special place in my heart. I watched it fansubbed back when it came out and found it strange that at the end of episode 9 or 10, the fansubbing group put a special note at the end of the show warning people to NOT watch the rest of the series unless they wish to be mindf**ked and punched in the emotional soul. Of course I watched the rest and was glad for the warning,
Clannad: After Story is the awesome, as like any KEY-based anime. My personal ranking is Clannad > Air > Kanon. Haven’t played the others enough to rate them properly yet.
Anohana is a fantastic anime and I would highly recommend it to anyone. It is one of the few pieces of media that truly affected me. It sure was dusty and rainy the day I watched the ending…
Watched this anime a while ago and I couldn’t stop crying… I recommended this to a friend and she couldn’t stop crying either. ;_;
I had to write this to say thankyou for suggesting this anime.
I added it to my “to-watch” list, then decided to skip over everything else and watch it instead. I am now 5 episodes in & loving it.
This is the type of anime I love, with a simple story that delves into human emotions.
I have yet to cry, but I suspect they’ll come as I delve in deeper.
Again thankyou. 🙂