Ranked #832

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

If your requirements for enjoying an anime are fantastical brightly colored settings, perfectly formed and ideal bodies, and over the top comedy chop full of nosebleeds and sparkly heart shaped eyes; then Aoi Hana is not for you. If your only interest in yuri storylines is girl on girl macking and fan service; then Aoi Hana is not for you. Aoi Hana has none of these things. (Well besides the girl on girl macking)

What Aoi Hana attempts to portray is a thoughtful and serious story about a group of teenage girls as they learn about first love and themselves. The main focuses are the girls Fumi and Akira (affectionately called Aa-chan). Both were close friends when they were very young but in the years they had forgotten about each other since Fumi's family had moved away. The story begins with both girls starting as freshmen at new high schools, Fumi at Matsuoka High and Akira at the nearby and prestigious Fujigaya. The girls are fatefully reunited through a series of chance meetings and the new friends they make at school.

There isn’t anything flashy about this series, much like its lead Fumi, its soft and delicate. The story is much more diverse and real than your standard romance series. While the themes are mostly yuri, it also feels like a slice of life, a comedy, and a heterosexual romance. Aoi Hana is unique in that it is one of the few series I have seen that has dealt with sexuality in a serious manner. Usually yuri romance is set in an unrealistic world where everyone is completely gay without question and in which there are no social consequences. Here the cast struggles to deal with their crushes or unrequited loves for both male and female characters. Things never play out quite the way you might expect them too either. I also felt the story was very mature and classy. There isn’t any exploitive fan service or sexual content added for mere titillation. Though there is intimacy and mature themes everything is handled so tastefully that it really stays true to the themes of the anime.

The only thing that really keeps this series from getting a perfect score from me is the open ending. At this time the manga is still publishing so the only way to have a true ending is to go with an original one. J.C. Staff didn’t do that with this and chose to leave it open. This was probably the right call, even though it is a bit annoying as a viewer. What Aoi Hana really needs is a sequel and hopefully we might get that someday. Though it’s not a bad ending even if this does end up being all that’s made, but it still left me wishing for much more.

As a character, Fumi ultimately proved to be the most interesting and deep. She is a shy, weepy girl who will cry seemingly over everything and nothing. Fumi further stands out as being the only really completely gay character in the show. While many of the characters deal with relationship angst involving both sexes, Fumi is at least confident in her own identity. She is perhaps both the most cowardly yet also the bravest character, having the courage to come out of the closet to her best friend but yet not able to speak her true mind to even her lover. Yet she evolves over the story and while the essence of what makes her such a sweet and likeable character remains to the end, the inner strength she discovers by the end made her so much fun to watch.

Akira is the kind of character that is likeable from the start. She’s the kind of person every girl wants as a friend. In the story she is the anchor that keeps the rest of the cast together. She is in the middle of seemingly every plot line though she doesn’t really have a story of her own. Though she is technically just as much of a main character as Fumi is, I felt that she didn’t get the kind of development she deserved. We get many subtle and perhaps not that subtle hints on her love interests but sadly there is never any payoff.

Yasuko Sugimoto is exactly the kind of girl I hate in anime. She is the tomboyish, athletic, outwardly emotionless, and inexplicably popular character type. I have never understood why this types are so desired by girls in these kinds of shows. Someone like this certainly wouldn’t have been this popular in my high school. But a friend as told me this is not the case in an all girls environment. The simple fact of the matter is that I thoroughly detested her. Though I have to admit that despite me not liking her, she ended up being an interesting character and indispensable to Fumi's growth.

The last of the main cast would be Kyouko Ikumi. She becomes Akira's first friend upon her starting her life at Fujigaya High. While Ikumi is a sympathetic character in a lot of ways given the way she is often treated by Yasuko, she also has a lot of creepy stalker elements. Personality wise she’s a lot like Fumi in that she is very emotional and prone to tears. Though she also appears to be outwardly much stronger emotionally then Fumi, on the inside she really is a bit of a pathetic person.

The supporting cast is also strong. While the cast does seem to get a bit large by the end, the anime does a good job of picking out the most important things to show and leaving the fluff behind. Unusually for a yuri series there are a few male love interests. Though for the most part all of these men are not given much screen time, their impact is felt very strongly and their presence is extremely important to why certain characters are the way they are.

Most will probably look at Aoi Hana's artwork and think it is plain looking. But they would be missing the point I think. The art and animation is perfect for what this anime is trying to accomplish. The colors are soft and reserved and add to the feeling of realism this show has. There aren’t any impossibly short miniskirts or mountainous breasts and all the characters look and feel like regular people which only further adds to the sense of realism.

The music further adds to the atmosphere. Both the OP/EN songs are soft and pleasant and thoroughly enjoyable. The voice acting is stellar. The main cast is voiced almost entirely by new faces who I felt did a great job. There are many familiar veteran seiyuu almost the supporting cast which I thought was an interesting reversal.

For fans of yuri, Aoi Hana is a title that must not be missed. I think it’s a bold and original production in an industry full of the same tired old themes and sequels. Anyone else who is interested in a serious romance and coming of age story should definitely give this a try.
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