After Action [COMPLETED]

[WS] "FORMAL REVIEW: 'ANOHANA' "

Written 19 November 2019

'Anohana': a story of friendship, loss, and moving forward

Boy, what a ride. What a ride. It was a fun experience watching this latest entry on my (formal) animé review . . . one problem, though: I have not shed any teardrop―for now.

'Anohana' was an animé title I've heard long ago, but have not watched, despite its premise piquing my interests. (I did a quick Wikileaks―I mean, Wikipedia―search for it.) And it was a tweet by Miss Aly Almario―yes, that "Alyloony", the Filipino writer whose published works, both on Wattpad and in print, include 'My Prince', 'Lucid Dream', and 'She Who Stole Cupid's Arrow'―declaring the animé as one of the best she have watched that spurred me to watch it, as well, based on her recommendation. One problem, though―again: I did lie to her about prioritizing 'Anohana' on my animé watch list, because, if I did carry on to that promise, 'Yagate Kimi ni Naru' will be the latest entry for my (formal) review. Yet here we are.

Enough babbling―let's get on to it.

Losing someone close to you is hard. Whether that loved one succumbed to a life-threatening illness, or was killed in an accident―or they just passed away due to old age . . . life will never be the same again. However, losing someone who has become a friend from your childhood years―and in a tragic accident that was not supposed to happen? The emotional scars will run so deep, it will haunt them forever.

'Anohana'―full title: 'Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae o Bokutachi wa Mada Shiranai'―is a slice-of-life animé with an added supernatural element. It deals with a group of friends who have drifted apart, and have reunited―thanks to a restless ghost on a mission to fulfill a forgotten promise from long ago. It also deals with the seemingly-endless trauma associated with the tragic death of a childhood friend, and how the emotional scars have affected those who were left behind―both on an individual level, and as a collective. In this animé we are presented a varied cast of main characters: a teenage recluse, a teenage beauty on the way to her downfall, a prideful young man, an intelligent "Ice Queen", and an outgoing "Big Guy". And all they have in common are the emotional scars each carried on their own, stemming from the tragic death of their childhood friend. 'Anohana' is an eleven-episode journey―and boy, was I surprised to know that the animé itself only had ELEVEN episodes of run time!―of "getting the old band back together", complete with all the obstacles they must face along the way, both from within and without.

I've got to say, 'Anohana' is supposed to pull a great number of heartstrings―only if I were not numbed by all the personal struggles I have to deal on my own all this time. The twists in the story, however, is really interesting; that only showed how the trauma of losing someone will manifest in each person―among others. I know this latest (formal) animé review is much more dull and analytical than the earlier entries, but this Internet "mercenary" did enjoy watching 'Anohana'. The story of friendship, love, loss, and moving forward to the future―together, once again―is . . . uniquely 'Anohana', and it does evoke a number of emotions for the viewer. Even with the supernatural element of the show left mostly unexplained, the story line is more than enough to divert one's attention away from it. The only thing is, I have not fully appreciated the message it tries to convey―that moving forward is a whole lot of different from moving on―as I am slowly recovering from another bout of depression. Overall, 'Anohana' is a great show, with a great story line, and an interesting cast of characters, to boot. And I've got to thank Miss Aly Almario for this one. (One problem―again: I only know of the main characters by their nicknames, save for Honma Meiko―the ghost of a childhood friend the Super Peace Busters know of as "Menma".)

Final rating: 8/10