Ranked #1038

Aoi Hana

Do you remember your first love?

This is a question posed numerous times and is delicately answered in various ways throughout Aoi Hana. Sometimes we can remember but do not want to, and sometimes it escapes us despite us truly wanting to know.

Aoi Hana is an anime that follows many firsts. Manjoume Fumi moves back to her old home town without any enthusiasm and starts her life as a high school freshman. She fatefully meets the best friend of her youth who she had almost forgotten, Okudaira Akira, and from there, the two girls rekindle their friendship and go through the trials that teenage girls face at that age. The anime primarily focusses on Fumi's perspective and the many bridges she crosses at that confusing and bittersweet time in her life.

Mostly we witness a coming of age and coming out story, and the way these two best friends support and stand by one another through the toughest of times. How do you tell a friend a secret that's eating you up inside? How do you handle hearing a secret from a friend that might make you think differently of them? Fortunately for us viewers, Aoi Hana features a story of growth and deep understanding with a cast of characters who are lovely, kind and wonderful people. This anime does not rely on fireworks and theatrics; it uses single actions and understatement to get its messages across.

Simplicity can work really well, and for an anime focussed on storytelling and characterisation, the art style of Aoi Hana proves suitable. The artwork and animation vacillates between being absolutely excellent to very inconsistent, but the one constant is the magnificent art direction. The minutest details in a character's action (such as lightly thumbing the handle of a tea cup, the slow, deliberate, and very subtle curling of a hand into a fist, or someone running their fingers through another person's hair ) are illustrated. So small, so tiny are these actions, yet they contribute more to the story and reveal the inner tribulations of a character more than a litre of tears or ten minutes of hysterics could ever do. Notably, the OP sequence says much Fumi and Akira's relationship without showing much at all. The scene in which they dance together, slipping between themselves as children and themselves as teenagers grips the heart gently. In less than five seconds, we are given an entire history of these two people.

The lighting is absolutely spectacular; sunlight filtering through a canopy of trees, splaying across skin, or gleaming through glass are some examples of the intricate and painstaking details given to this aspect. However, the character art suffers sometimes from lazy work and it shows, making the presentation less than perfect and sometimes really unacceptable. Despite this, the visual significance of certain close-ups, the controlled, contained actions, the almost unnoticeable movements that speak volumes more than words could, and the truly beautiful watercolour setting of the seaside town in which the story is set provide some quietly breath-taking sights. The soft palette and hand-painted backgrounds give this anime the look of gentility and peacefulness, making it very easy on the eyes.

The sound for this series is soft and acoustic, keeping in tone with the atmosphere and mood. The problem with a soundtrack so soothing is that it sometimes does not leave a lasting impression. The OP theme song truly is magnificent, providing a mature vocalisation rather than ear worm J Pop; 'Aoi Hana' by Kukikodan is a vocally driven, piano and guitar accentuated song that perfectly captures the spirit of the slice of life aspect of this series.

The voice acting may be hit or miss for a lot of listeners. Fumi's light, feminine voice and Akira's raspy though high-pitched voice may be considered entirely appropriate or annoying depending on the audience. This anime also has veterans like Horie Yui (voicing a character type to which she is not used, but she pulls it off well), and Noto Mamiko and Nakahara Mai taking back seats rather than leading. Surprisingly, these lead seiyuu show they can pull off supporting roles extremely well, bringing something a little different than what they usually do than when they voice main characters.

Aoi Hana has successfully utilised both the visuals and dialogue to develop and express the growth and personality of the characters. The characters prove to have chemistry and maturity to them that so many school dramas lack. There is nothing loud or blatant about their interactions. Their conversations are heavy with double meaning, clever quips, deep insight and the expectant youthful naivete that personify teenagers. Aoi Hana never treats the characters' ignorance as something exploitative, but uses it as a means for them to look within themselves and develop gradually. The conflict of growing up is accurately presented by these girls.

Surely some of the issues such as sexual orientation and arranged marriages will not be common for everyone, but the other important themes presented are things anyone growing up would understand: forming friendships, dating, jealousy, self-denial and self-acceptance, and emotional responsibilities to yourself and to others. The characters each have the sensibilities and rationalities of girls their age (mind you, intelligent girls their age), and it is utterly refreshing to see an anime not where irritating fools fall in love, but where deserving characters form fulfilling and plausible relationships whether they are healthy or not.

While the protagonists Fumi and Akira appear to be standard archetypes, as the plot unfolds, they show us that they are so much more than that and rise above our pre-conceived notions of them. Fumi is not just a shy crybaby; she is extremely sensible albeit emotional. Her inner fortitude is utterly inspiring at moments without her seeming like pillar of strength--she is a fragile person, after all. She does not cry because she is weak and wants to complain. She cries because she accepts the inevitability of life, and knows that it makes no sense mulling over these problems and wishing for something else--life will continue, and so she must as well. Is it wrong to let someone who accepts her problems cry a little over them? Not at all. Akira is not just energetic and supportive, but she is also perceptive and naive. In fact, while she starts off as the typical Messianic character, we come to understand that Akira cannot help but insert herself into people's lives. While she tries not to meddle, her overwhelming desire to protect her friends overrides her rational side, but she does not act rashly or stupidly. Also, despite appearing to be inexperienced in life and love, Akira proves to be the most understanding and astute character of the lot.

The most important relationship in this anime is shared between Fumi and Akira. Whether it be instantly forgetting about her much-searched after crayons to run to Fumi's aid or absent-mindedly banging her knees against a table to rush to her friend's side and comfort her, Aoi Hana skilfully shows us that not only words are necessary to express how much Akira cares for Fumi. And it is all too clear to us just how important Akira is to Fumi. The depiction of such a wonderful friendship is actually quite warming.

Aoi Hana's second group of protagonists consists of Sugimoto Yasuko, a dashing older student with an understated though evident charm (and a mean, selfish side that people are not aware of), and Ikumi Kyoko, a headstrong, stubborn though graceful girl who seems to forget her pride when it comes to matters of the heart. Some of the anime's best scenes take place between Yasuko and Kyoko, and the most mature and brutally honest conversations occur between them as well; they have smart and clever discussions without ever once sounding unrealistically wiser beyond their years. The comic trio Pon-chan, Yassan and Mogi, and Akira's extremely over-protective brother Shinobu provide humour to the anime. And there is the utterly sympathetic Kou, Kyoko's fiancé, who is quietly determined to get Kyoko to return his feelings.

Aoi Hana is all about subtlety and graceful presentation; you get drama without melodrama and romance without sap. This is an anime made for those who can sit back and just let the story and the characters soak into their bones. It is something to mull over lightly with some tea. You will not get tense drama, but you will get reasonable drama. You will not get fairy tale romances here. You will get real ones. The characters will not snap and change--they will grow, and you will witness that slow and satisfying growth. If excitement is what you enjoy, then you will not enjoy this anime. This is not an anime about grandeur. It is about the quiet aspects of life and love. And of course, of all those first times that one can possibly experience.

A first love is always the one you hold closest to your memories and you think of it fondly, sometimes painfully. Aoi Hana reflects on the first loves that have come and gone, first loves that are yet to happen, and long time loves that are preserved safely like a fragile memory of sweet blue flowers in our hearts. read more

A yuri anime where the story focuses on the feelings of being gay rather than showing lesbians make out every episode for the fanservice!? Yes, such anime does exist. Aoi Hana is one of these rare and beautiful anime.

Story: 10/10
You're introduced to Fumi Manjoume in the beginning of the first episode, a tall and seemingly quiet girl. Through some sort of fate, she ends up meeting with her old best friend Akira Okudaira/"Ah-chan". Over time, the two girls talk more and become closer again as friends. They help each other out with their struggles in life. Ah-chan is always there to help out Fumi, and vice-versa. You're shown the story of a beautiful friendship, and not a lesbian fantasy of girls getting it on with each other.

Art: 9/10
The art is nothing astounding, but that doesn't mean it's bad at all. The characters are drawn very proportionate; there are none of those ditzy girls that have enormous boobs and a stupid look on their face all of the time. The girls really do look like the average 14-year-old girls you'd find in a freshman classroom. The backgrounds are all very gorgeous and detailed.

Sound: 10/10
The opening and ending themes are very calming and sweet. They just give you a good feeling. The background music throughout the story is also fitting for the certain scenes, and it just sounds right.

Character: 10/10
You're presented with a variety of differences between the 4 main characters, and they are all unique and they all grow in their own way. Kyouko is the mature, refined, sexy (as Ah-chan said) "ojou-sama" of the group. Fumi is very quiet and a tall crybaby who enjoys reading. Akira is outgoing, optimistic, and a sweet girl that cares very much for Fumi and her other friends. Last but not least there's Yasuko, a very popular girl who enjoys basketball and the fine arts - specifically acting. Throughout the story they all share their emotions; whether it be happy, sad, or angry. You can see the growth in the character by the end of the series, and you won't be disappointed by the time you finish episode 11.

Enjoyment: 9/10
I can honestly say that this is the only yuri anime that I will probably ever give a 9 to. It's unique and fun to watch, and I watched it in only 2 days - and for me, 11 episodes on 2 school days means I was really attached to the screen waiting to see what would happen next.

Overall: 9/10
Even if you don't necessarily like shoujo-ai, I think you can come to love Aoi Hana. Like I said earlier, Aoi Hana isn't your stereotypical "girl meets girl, they fall in love, the end!" kind of yuri anime. Aoi Hana goes deeper into showing the feelings of how it really is to be a lesbian. The story is sweet and enjoyable regardless if you're a fan of girl x girl or not. read more