A N I M E / O T A K U : PART 2

AnoHana

Other Title:

Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae wo Bokutachi wa Mada Shiranai.

anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day

Synonyms:

AnoHana, We Still Don't Know the Name of the Flower We Saw That Day.

Type:

TV

Aired:

April 15, 2011 to June 24, 2011

Source:

Original

Genres:

Slice of Life, Supernatural, Drama

Synopsis:

Jinta Yadomi is peacefully living as a recluse, spending his days away from school and playing video games at home instead. One hot summer day, his childhood friend, Meiko "Menma" Honma, appears and pesters him to grant a forgotten wish. He pays her no mind, which annoys her, but he doesn't really care. After all, Menma already died years ago.

At first, Jinta thinks that he is merely hallucinating due to the summer heat, but he is later on convinced that what he sees truly is the ghost of Menma. Jinta and his group of childhood friends grew apart after her untimely death, but they are drawn together once more as they try to lay Menma's spirit to rest. Re-living their pain and guilt, will they be able to find the strength to help not only Menma move on—but themselves as well?

Characters and Voice Actors:

- Main:

Naruko "Anaru" Anjou

Height: 165 cm (5'5")

Weight: 53 kg (116 lbs)

Starsign: Capricorn (stated in the anime by Jinta, her birthday was not revealed though)

Naruko is a childhood friend of Jinta and Menma. While she displays a cold attitude towards Jinta, she is secretly concerned for him. She is perhaps the closest to him at present and is enrolled the same school (although Jinta stopped attending school). Chiriko comments that Naruko has not changed over the years: she is still easily persuaded by everyone around her. Naruko seems to be popular in high school and gets along well with girls that Chiriko deems "sluts."

While they have grown apart, Naruko seems to care deeply about her childhood friends. She works at a video game store and has a large collection of manga and video games herself. Because of this collection, she started reconnecting with Jinta and Poppo.

Spoiler:

Naruko admits that, when she was a child, she was jealous of Menma. Insecure of her glasses and curly hair, she desperately wanted to have flowing hair like Menma. Moreover, she was jealous of Jinta's affection towards Menma. Naruko secretly had a crush on Jinta, which is why she asked him whether he had feelings for Menma. She blames herself for Menma's death, because her question ultimately precipitated in Menma's death. Presently, it is shown that Naruko still has lingering feelings for Jinta.

Naruko is involved in a scandal when an older boy, whom she was hanging out with, tries to force her into a love hotel. When she wouldn't agree to have sex with him, he attempts to force her into the hotel to rape her; however, Matsuyuki protects her. Despite this, the rumor that Naruko had sex with this man reaches her high school. Naruko has to face the judgments of her fellow students until she decides to stop going to school in favor of working full-time to get the money to build the rocket.