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This anime had so much potential but the net result was a bit disappointing. It's an original, rather than a manga adaptation, with the plot touching upon childhood grief, loss, friendships.

Visuals:
The artwork is pretty and the animation, such as it is, is fluid. Character designs are great for the most part. Menma was extremely stylized moe, but that fits the plot, I suppose.

Audio:
The music is OK. Doesn't kill the mood, doesn't blow you away. Didn't particularly notice the sound, ambient or otherwise. The voice acting, while great for the adolescents, was not good for the kids.

The meat:
The pacing was hit or miss, the dialogue, ... again, is a bit hit or miss, and character development, while it does happen, is a bit bash-or-block. Nothing happens and then they change suddenly. The anime does touch upon some fairly unique themes, which was welcome but wasn't necessarily perfectly executed.

Enjoyment:
The central theme is definitely not a happy one. Nevertheless, I did *appreciate* large bits of the show. The issues (more on that later), however, detracted from that appreciation as well.

What it does well:
- Original story
- Relatively unique focus on friendships that wither with time, on loss and how children (and parents) deal with that
- Artwork
- A relatively smooth plot (with some bumps) flow towards an obvious end

Where it falls short:
- Menma, we are told, is a paragon of all virtues. She sees no development and either smiles or bawls (more on that later)
- The emotion on display, with *everyone* (and these are kids, the ones I know sure don't do that) leaking bucketful of tears and screaming pretty much every episode, was way too forced. Contrast this with a major death and how people deal with that in LotGH. A bit of subtlety would've gone a long way! Rather than tug at my heartstrings, these scenes only annoyed me
- I didn't buy the idea of a bunch of what 5 year olds yearning for unrequited love - they all do - and pining for their loved ones years down the line
- Menma can clearly interact with physical objects and she wants to communicate with her old gang. Yet it somehow takes her literally 2/3 of the show to stop wishing for it in their presence and do it!

Overall, a relatively original anime that could've been much more with a lighter and more careful touch