Anohana

Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day is an 11-episode 2011 Japanese television series. The anime aired between April and June. An anime film was released in Japanese theaters on August 31, 2013.

Plot

A group of six childhood friends drift apart after one of them, Meiko "Menma" Honma, dies in an accident. Ten years after the incident, the leader of the group, Jinta Yadomi, has withdrawn from society and lives as a recluse. One summer day, the ghost of an older looking Menma appears before him and asks to have a wish granted, reasoning that she cannot pass on into the afterlife until it is fulfilled. At first, he only tries to help her minimally because he thinks he is hallucinating. But since Menma does not remember what her wish is, Jinta gathers his estranged friends together once again, believing that they are the key to resolving this problem. All of his friends join him, though most of them reluctantly. However, things grow increasingly complicated when his friends accuse him of not being able to get over the death of Menma, for Jinta is the only one who can see Menma's ghost and his friends think he is seeing things. But as things progress, it is realized that Jinta is not the only person in the group who is having trouble letting go of the past. It is revealed that a majority of the groups members blame themselves for Menma's death and hidden feelings for other members of the group are rekindled. Along with feelings of bitterness from Menma's parents, the group struggles as they grow from trying to help Menma move on, to helping themselves move on, too.

Trivia

• A movie made by the team of Anohana is said to be released on the 21st of September this year.
  • A live action version of Anohana is also planned to be released.
• A visual novel of the game was released on August 30, 2012 in Japan for the PlayStation Portable.
• Anohana was originally going to have slapstick comedy with erotic tones, as the characters were exploring their budding sexuality in their adolescence, with the focus being on their childhood and how they were maturing as they were growing up. It had to be changed a lot for it to be greenlit, since the original concept was found to be too cliche.

Gallery