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Out of the ordinary comes the extraordinary, and out of these come the exceptional, being works of perfected storytelling that leaves you in awe and disbelief at how entrancing a simple story could hook you on. Anohana, an original anime by A-1 Pictures Studio and Aniplex, shows how one can achieve to be such a masterpiece that pulls at your heart in all the right ways, leaving you with wanting more, but satisfied with what was given. And so without further adieu, here's the review.

The story of any work of entertainment must strive to achieve one thing, no matter who is viewing the work, and ... that is to captivate you in a way that captures your sense of time and trap it in confusion, making 30 minutes at a time seem more like 30 seconds. In a flawless fashion, Anohana accomplishes this while holding you accountable for what was shown in those fast moving minutes. Beginning one day in the heat of summer, we are introduced to the main protagonist of the anime, Jinta, a shut in "hikikomori" and more affectionately known as Jintan, encountering one of his unfortunately deceased childhood friend Meiko, or Menma, in his house unannounced. Quickly learning that Menma is either a ghost or an apparition of Jintan's guilt, we are led through a series of flashbacks accompanying each episode that reveal further intensity and intimacy into the tale, showing the past nostalgia of our group of six, the silly Poppo, serious Yukiatsu, insightful Tsuruko, quiet Anaru, spirited Menma, and leader Jintan. With these flashbacks and the actual occurrences of the present plot, we join the group in a journey to not only uncover the mysterious "wish" of the Menma Jintan sees, but to regain what was lost one summer long ago, their very own lives in a sense, and their ability to move on from the past that holds them back. Reuniting from their individual separated lives, they explore their internal conflicts that binds them together in an incredible ride for us to see along with them. The complexity of such a storytelling and the execution does not allow any summary to do it justice, and leaves me urging any reader of this review even slightly interested in this anime to watch it, as it will be the only way one will understand the actual depth and emotion within it. There absolutely can not be enough to be said about this incredibly simple, yet amazing tale.

Using fluid and a very appropriate color scheme, the art in Anohana serves its purpose to the fullest, giving precisely the correct atmosphere needed, and the environment is furnished with the exact amount of detail it required. While the character models are not the most eccentric you've ever seen, they establish themselves to serve their intentions of being real people with a story to be told. However, as stereotypical or cliche as they appear, the in depth and meticulously planned identities the characters have is distinctive and very memorable. That being said, there is nothing wrong with the art, but there is nothing spectacularly exceptional about it either. The focus of the anime does not revolve around its beautiful surroundings or extremely detailed models, but the story and characters.

The OP, ED, voice acting, and music is simple brilliant and remarkable. The OP is used as a partly monologue of the entire cast that echo the longing for the joyful fun filled past, but also hits the realization that while these wonderful experiences remain in their memories, the past cannot be recreated and must move on. The plot also seems to have been inspired by the ED called "secret base ~Kimi ga Kureta Mono~", again recalling the past one so desperately desires to relive once more. The heavy symbolism and contextual meaning within the songs used brings a fluid connection between the anime and the intro/outro. The lyrics absolutely exceeds at accompanying the anime, and I cannot stress the perfect association enough. It is simply unprecedented. I am entranced every time I watch Ano Hana by the lyrics of the OP and ED, watching every second of it, reading every line, and feeling the goosebumps of how well communicate their use. The seiyuus do a fantastic job in creating the mood, giving the right amount of intensity and passion, but with enough restraint that it is never overdone. In addition, the back ground music of various dramatic piano solos fit the solemn mood very well to accompany the tone.

The shining and most powerful part of the anime, the characters separate it from others in a way I've never seen before. In a cap of merely 11 episodes, the anime manages to capture the very identity of each of the six main characters given to us in a magnificent manner, in that it develops them as a whole. There is no segment pertaining to character exploration for only one character, but in an elegant smooth transition, delves into several with a clear reason as to why the scene was included for more understanding and clarification. The group as a whole with separate individualistic qualities appear and are given the depth some animes fail to do in 15 or 20 episodes or even at all. The Super Peace Busters, what the six mains called themselves in the past, have all aged with the flow of time, trying to lead separate lives, and yet ultimately come back, intertwined by the one deceased that holds them together. The power and intensity of the characters' emotions are thoroughly shown and the amount of realism in their reactions, emotions, and actions is astounding. None of the characters fall into a cliche, stereotype, or title, showing a performance only reality could give life to - the elaborate and profound realism of a human's psyche are very hard to show in anime, as the ability to conceive a character without making them appear as if they came out of recycled material from the past gets harder and harder. And yet, it is done here. The characters all have such characteristics that I just cannot describe in one word. They all are given expanded backgrounds, presenting a strong cast that is all likable in the end and powerfully put together.

Through it all, Anohana is one of the best of Spring 2011 anime that seeks out not only to entertain an audience, but to give us further meaning on death, relationships, and powerful impact of close ones around you. This is the one anime of Spring 2011 you do NOT want to miss out on. No matter who the person, age, gender, or genre, this is a must watch for anyone who wants to see a well put together anime that exceeds from start to finish, and puts your expectations even higher for the future.

Ok, I want anyone reading to know that I will kiss ass to this anime as much as I can, because of its heavily driven drama impact it has that most animes don't. To sum it up, the drama must replace an atmosphere you're in and take you in into a completely different one, which I believe this one does successfully. After finishing this anime, I have to say that I felt obligated to praise the living hell out of it, because it was such a good ride getting here. And so with that warning, I'll continue.

Story: 10
Although the ending of the anime is somewhat ... sad and I believe, a bit quickened to meet the demands of an episode cap at 13, it was superb and beyond anything I've ever watched before. Of course that may differ from person to person, but it was indeed spectacular nonetheless. I would have never expected at episode 1 that it would end at where episode 13 did. It was a completely nerve racking ride throughout with you having to wait an entire week for another episode. Furthermore, it's just something that is done so creatively and masterfully; a story of where young adults seeking something lost that they believe was an unfair trade of life IN a school and WITH a band (K-on anybody?). All in all, the journey that the anime will take you will be somewhere you'll see coming, but it will make you realize its smooth transition into how you got there. Trust me, it'll be worth your weight in gold.

Art: 10
The art is nothing short from visually pleasing. It's easy on the eyes and the setting is shown so that even though it's not the strongest point of the anime, it sure as hell is pretty damn good. Even though overused extensively in animes everywhere, the setting is first not the least displeasing due to the fact it has crisp visuals with fresh CG backgrounds. The character models all look great as well, with characters with varying styles that are all mostly easy to differentiate from one another. Overall, it's something that is not meant to be in any way the main focus of the anime, and as a result, is not spent the most time on, but still more than enough detailed that it's better than other animes.

Sound: 10
The sound is great. That's all that I can say. It's just simply fricking great. None of the seiyuus are annoying in the slightest bit, and most of the time you want to hear more of them. (TK, Shiina, Kanade) The BGM at first, you feel doesn't fit some of the circumstances, but it grows on you and you begin to love it. The OP is used to entrance you into the world that the anime takes place, but then the ED is used to take you back out. They both sound great and you can tell that actual time has been spent into composing the lyrics and music of the songs. (Unlike Neko Mayoi Overrun, holy crap that thing sucked)

Character: 10
It's a 10. Need to say more? ALL the cast is loved sometime or another and you'll be REALLY wanting to see more of them. Because the main cast is centered around some three or four characters, the other members are shown sparingly, and you really feel as though they are fanservice whenever they come out (Good actual fanservice, not boobflashes or pantyshots). The mains, Otonashi, Yuri, and Kanade all have haters and lovers, but without a doubt, are all complex and deep characters that all have conflicts until the very last moments of the anime, where everything is said and done to completely fulfill their desires and satisfy their lives. There isn't one person that you'll want to kill off (Actually maybe there is one devil tailed pink haired girl) and it becomes a pleasure knowing them, that at the end you'd want to thank them. (o.O ok whoa wtf)

Enjoyment: IT'S OVER 9000!!!!
No seriously. It is. This HAS to be a must watch on your anime list if you haven't already, and MUST BE on your favorites. Even the subbers of this anime can't wait to sub it. They upload the subbed in less than a fricking day. How much more evidence can you give that it's superb and beyond. Kiss ass it may be, but be warned cause you might do the same after it's through with you.

Overall: You would know what I would give this if you've read up to here.
The story is great, the art is great, the sound is great, the characters are great, and overall, this is an absolute masterpiece of drama. Even if you aren't a big fan, you WILL thoroughly enjoy this beautiful anime. There's something in here for EVERYONE. Guns, awesomeness, action, fighting, awesomeness, comedy, girl's band, moe characters, and did I mention awesomeness? It's just indescribable. The proportions of how much impact an anime can have on you, is that it's still just an anime, no matter how good or satisfying it is. But few of the many, FEW, have the power to impact you and make you a slave/fan of it and their work for a long time to come. I know that this is one of those few. And so, as a favor for yourself. Watch it. I guarantee you will satisfied.

Princess Lover from the get-go looks like your average harem, with the regular guy who gets lucky with all the girls. There's no exception here. This was a pretty bland ride throughout the entire anime, and mediocre at best.

Story: 5
The story here is nothing original. You have your male protagonist, Teppei, who seems to be your average high school student. Soon after, though, you find out he's someone who's rich. Not to spoil anything, but from here on out the story doesn't even matter. It's a continuous nonstop ride of events that don't connect very well together, and the creators trying to make sense of ... it all. The way the anime ends was very anticlimactic as well.

Art: 9
If there was a very good pro about this anime, it's that the art is very good looking. There were very few bad frames of animation here and there, but all can be forgiven when the characters and the background all look superb.

Sound: 8
The sound was pretty good too. The music was upbeat and easy on the ears, but I found some of the seiyuus to be very annoying to listen to, especially Charlotte. For some reason, that voice was just frustrating to hear in the tone she uses. But Yuu's soft soothing voice made up for that one.

Character: 4
This is where I felt the anime fell apart for me. Teppei's character was absolutely flat in my opinion. When tragedy befalls his family in the beginning, he doesn't even seem to give a squat about it. You don't feel any sympathy for him as his personality just seems to be as blank as a piece of paper. Sometimes, I felt like yelling at some of the characters at how bland they were. I also saw how even though it was a harem, the story seemed to focus much more on the random events that happen chronologically then the characters themselves. We start out with five or so female leads and in the end learn that they weren't the focus of anything that happens. The characters just seemed lacking personality.

Enjoyment: 5
At best, Princess Lover! was an anime that didn't go anywhere, and after you finish, you'll most likely forget what happened. It satisfies that harem which keeps your attention with its fan service here and there.

Overall, I felt that the anime was a waste that could have been something better and something that should be skimmed through. Even if you had the time, I recommend you skip over this.

Toaru Majutsu no Index is an anime that is set up to keep you excited at the fundamental core idea of the story, but one that fails to deliver when most needed. It does a fantastic job of trying to set up the world it takes place in, but then seems to fall off track and becomes distracted. I'm someone that tends to enjoy a lot of what I stick with, and therefore this seemed to be a fairly enjoyable ride. The characters themselves were somewhat flat, but you could see there was an attempt to give them color and personalities. It just seemed to ... try to put in too many arcs into too little. Each arc is somewhat of a Family Guy episode. Something new happens, but it doesn't seem to affect anything in the storyline after it, besides the introductions of new characters. Overall, it's something I enjoyed when I had time to kill and think others will enjoy too, but at the end of it, you'll just ask "That's it?"