doux

Anime Review #4 - Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day

[ Completed Anime on thursday 19-01-24 ]

You're gonna cry at the end of this one.

Yesterday I felt like watching a new anime and this one had been sitting at the top of my ‘want to watch’ list so I thought “sure let’s watch it!” and omg i loved Menma so much uwu uwu♡♡♡ Also can we talk about the OP ‘Aoi Shiori’ because that song SLAPPED! Anyways before I get into all this, this review contains SPOILERS so if you still haven't seen the anime, don’t read this review! Ok here we go!~~

The plot: Many summers ago a girl named Menma gets into an accident and dies. Her tight-knit group of friends, dubbed the super peace busters, shaken by the event, end up drifting apart and move on. Now, ten years later, Menma has re-appeared as a ghost that only Jintan, the former leader of the group can see. All she wants now is for Jintan to fulfill her final wish so that she can move on to the afterlife and reincarnate. But with no memory of what that wish is, it’s up to the teenager to gather his former friends together as they try to help Menma go to Heaven (thanks anime planet for that summary<3). This, of course, is harder than the group realizes as everyone is so different now and drama within the group ensues as feelings of love, selfiness, and guilt get in the way of the Super Peace Busters trying to fulfill Menma’s wish.~

(i'm so bad at summaries, ごめんなさい)

Main Character Time!!! *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

-Menma/Meiko: ADORABLE PURE CUTIE WHO DESERVED BETTER!!!✿ gosh i really love this character so much omg i just wanna squeeze her little cheeks! Even though Menma is a ‘ghost’ she still continues to find happiness in her situation and is just so sweet and kind during the whole show I couldn’t help but smile everytime she said or did anything lol~ I feel like she deserved so much better :( it’s sad that she had to die that day because I think she would’ve made a really cute bride. She has such a bright personality and loves spending time with her friends because just being with them, regardless of what they're doing, makes her so happy (not to get too personal but I’m a bit jealous of Menma as well ahah). The fact that she’s able to find such happiness by being with people she cares about as well as not changing to please others is so UWU <3! The ending though omg :( I’m happy she got to speak with all of her friends again but :( the way she had to go was heartbreaking<3 and the little letters she wrote to her friends omg my HEART! Anyways morale of the story is,, STAN MENMA!

-Jintan/Jinta: I started out really liking him but (SORRY) he started to annoy me a bit in some parts lol.. He’s kind of relatable though in that he’s lazy and unmotivated about school (SAME) but he’s also hardworking and stands up for his friends which is really admirable. Little Jintan here has the phattest crush on Menma but he was never able to tell her when they were children and she was still alive, so when he sees her back again in his life, he’s happy and doesnt want to lose her again. What annoyed me about his character, though, was how shit he was at being sensitive to other people's feelings other than Menma. I get that he loves Menma and doesn't want to let her go or see her cry, but the truth is, she’s dead. He can't just have her all to himself like he wants and just because she's gone doesn't mean he has to stop trying at life. Getting a job is good but going to school and finishing your education is good too! I know he does end up ‘letting her go’(?) in a way at the end so that’s good, but i don't knowwww I didn’t love his character I just liked him lol!!! (i’m so bad at words in this review im sorry) *cough* poppo is better *cough*

Other Characters I Enjoyed/Wanna Talk About!!!･:*:･ﾟ☆

-Anaru/Anjou: Omg she was so adorable like stupid Jintan why wouldn’t you like a catch like that! She had lots of fun looks/outfits through this entire 11 episode show which I appreciate (like that shirt that says ‘pig’ on it) ICONIC FASHION QUEEN! I feel like she deserved a lot better though :/ Like she spent the majority of the show trying to please others such as those two “friends” of hers whom she was just trying to fit in with and they were so freaking rude! I think she’s really sweet and she speaks her mind and she's shy and adorable and nerdy and UWU! The kids in class who gossiped about her and called her names like ‘whore’ are so fucking disgusting like you don’t know her at all! Oof! Regardless, I just loved her character a whole lot even though people in the show kind of took her for granted and used her :/ <3 Adorable fashion cutie whom i love! I wish she’d wear her glasses more too because ahhh she looked so cute with them!!!

-Poppo/Hisakawa: OKAY HE WAS LITERALLY MY FAVORITE CHARACTER!! A wholesome big boy who i love so much wow♡ King of living in the Super Peace Busters shed and traveling and wearing button up shirts with funky designs. He was just so loveable omg how didn’t none of the girls in their friend group have a crush on him because I LOVE HIM!<3 <3 He believes in and cares about his friends after all these years of being apart and he's just so loveable and friendly and helpful gosh SUCH A GOOD BOY! I love him so much and it was sad in the end when he reveals to his friends that he saw Menma on the day that she fell and died :( </3 He had to spend all these years with that memory in his head yet he kept a smiley deposition around his friends the whole time ugh my heart<3 anyways he’s a big cutie and i love him hehe!

-Tsuruko/Tsurumi: She was so adorable and honestly she can do way better than Yukiatsu!!! Literally she’s a smart, intelligent, sassy, independent queen whom i stan! I liked her character because she was different from the other girls in that she was more mysterious and kind of petty in the best way lol. Even though she’s kind of harsh on the outside, deep down she is a big softie cutie and has feelings for Yukiatsu, even though, again, she can do WAY better than a cross dressing smartass hehe ;-) <3 I love her cute little haircut and her glasses and that little flower clip she wears in secret.

-Yukiatsu/Matsuyuki: I mean I didn’t like him but I didn’t hate him either. I get it though he’s the character that drives the conflict and drama like sure that's fine he’s not suppose to be “likeable” right away, but I also get why he’s angry. Though he shows his love for Menma in a strange way, (like dressing up as her with a wig and everything) he’s just a kid who’s mourning his friend/love and he can’t let go of the past. He warmed up to me at the very end though because the ending was just so wholesome and they all came together to say their farewells to Menma. But honestly you’d think the boys in this show would be a bit less dense like ahh how did he not know Tsuruko had feelings for him!! Whatever he was OKAY..

Rating/Overall Thoughts!!♩♪♩

Okay so, to be honest, my rating for this one changed around a lot haha but this is all based on my opinion so I’m giving this one an 8.5 overall because I thought the beginning episodes were adorable and the plot idea is really cute, but there were some parts that i had to pause because i was cringing at the dramatics lol. Like i get it, trust me i get it, they’re all still grieving over losing their friend from childhood, but i don't know.. the whole Matsuyuki dressing up as Menma part was like ‘uhhh ok?’ Of course I never read the manga beforehand (is there a manga?) I just kinda dived in not really knowing what to expect with this one other than that it’s sad, so maybe that’s my fault?? Also I feel like the way the characters reacted to love confessions was so rude lmao! Like i know anime is all about the drama and the *gasps!* ngh! but like COME ON be a little more sensitive to someone when they’re confessing to you! Like jesus don’t just blow them off and run awa- whatever.. Other than a few cringey bits here and there (maybe i’m just a harsh critic) I still thought the story was really touching and Menma is so gosh darn adorable I couldn’t help but shed some tears at the end when they all got to see her as she passed on. I do recommend this anime though if you’re looking for a cute show to grow attached to the characters and they cry over when they leave!!!! Super Peace Busters Are Friends Forever hehehe!✿✿✿ okey dokey that’s the end and sorry for typos~

that's all folks :-)

-doux