Introductory information:
I want to preface this review by stating that I seldom write reviews. After finishing this show I needed some sort of catharsis and this is the best I could do. Rather than glance at my overall rating and dismiss my opinion, please take the time to read on; perhaps your opinion of this anime will change.
Anohana was created by studio A-1 Pictures, the same studio that produced Sword Art Online, Your Lie in April, and Fairy Tail (all of which I consider to be pretty bad). Studio A-1 Pictures has an interesting reputation among western audiences; in that they’re known for their unceasing barrage of subpar shows that occasionally becomes popular in the mainstream. Anohana is a notable example of this phenomenon. Is every show produced by A-1 Pictures bad? Not necessarily, but this one certainly is. It’s among the worst I’ve seen.
Summary and the primary plot contrivance:
Anohana follows five high school students as they deal with the guilt and pent-up frustration they feel following the death of their beloved childhood friend, Meiko Honma “Menma”. In the years following her death, the group of friends have drifted apart. Unbeknownst to all but the protagonist Jinta Yadomi “Jintan”, Menma has returned from the ether to torment her perceived kille- I mean, ask her friends to help her fulfill her childhood wish. Until her wish is fulfilled she cannot pass on to the afterlife. One problem: she doesn’t remember what her childhood wish is (It must not have been very important...). With that in mind, Jinta’s goal is to reunite all five childhood friends with the common interest of helping Menma pass on. Will he be able to convince them that Menma has returned? Is this a shitty melodrama? The answer to both questions is a hard yes.
The first (and arguably most significant) of many problems begin with the details realized in the premise. While Jinta is the only person capable of seeing Menma, Menma is able to limitlessly interact with her surroundings and leave a tangible effect on our world. Though she does not have a body and she cannot speak, she is capable of touching, grabbing, pushing, pulling, kicking, picking up, and setting down anything she sets her mind to. She’s even capable of eating food and baking confectionary, tasks that dead people generally cannot perform. As it applies to the plot, Menma’s lasting effect on her surroundings is demonstrated in episode one, and she doesn’t utilize it to prove her existence until end of episode eight. Yes, you read that correctly. Neither Jinta nor Menma think to prove Menma’s existence until the end of episode eight. What happens in the first eight episodes, then? I’m glad you asked. Inconsistent treatment of the in-universe logic, love triangles, melodrama, contrived misunderstandings, overblown pathos, gossip, name-calling, fist-fighting, and crossdressing (more on that later). You’re definitely in for a treat.
Characters and Characterization:
As previously mentioned, the primary cast consists of five high school students and dead girl. A few other minor characters make the occasional appearance, but only Jinta’s father and Menma’s mother have a small influence on the plot. I’ll touch on them briefly, then I’ll address the five high school students and Menma.
Jinta’s father takes a passive role in his life. Despite being a single parent, he does not try to guide or teach Jinta. While most other anime going for a realistic tone would characterize this as bad parenting, Jinta’s father is relegated to the role of the wide-eyed, unassuming, oblivious man-child. He likes cute things and occasionally cooks dinner. The father and son never bond, argue, or have a notable conversation whatsoever, presumably because it would impact the plot.
Menma’s Mother is still grieving her dead daughter. She occasionally comments on how Menma behaved as a child and how well Menma got along with her friends. She gives the protagonists Menma’s diary, which proves useful in episode eight. Aside from furthering the pathos and occasionally delivering exposition, she offers nothing.
-Chiriko Tsurumi “Tsuruko”
Tsuruko is extremely judgmental and standoffish toward every character aside from Yukiatsu. She frequently berates and belittles Anaru specifically. Years after Menma’s death, she remains close to Yukiatsu because she has feelings for him. She is somewhat jealous of Menma and Anaru for stealing Yukiatsu’s attention. She secretly took the barrette Yukiatsu had planned on giving Menma and wears it in private. Tsuruko offers nothing to the main plot and she's quite a selfish, distasteful character. Her sole purpose is to pad the story by adding more melodramatic misunderstandings. This anime would have been much better without her, she takes away a lot of time that could have been spent on other characters.
-Atsumu Matsuyuki “Yukiatsu”
Yukiatsu is frequently at odds with Jinta and often threatens violence against him. Years after her death, Yukiatsu is still deeply in love with Menma, to a disturbing degree. He is angered when Jinta claims Menma is still on earth, presumably out of jealousy. He claims he too can see Menma and crossdresses as her late at night. I wish I had made that up, but unfortunately it’s true. The scene in which Yukiatsu is caught crossdressing as Menma is both easily and clearly unintentionally the funniest in Anohana. Yukiatsu does nothing to further the main plot of Anohana, the quality of Anohana would be improved without him. Like Tsuruko, he exists solely to add to the melodrama. Time spent on him could be used to expand on other characters.
-Tetsudō Hisakawa “Poppo”
Poppo is arguably the most sane, realistic character in this shitfest of an anime. Unfortunately, there isn’t a shred of skepticism in the poor bastard’s head. He is the first person to believe Jinta’s outlandish claims and he does so without a shred of evidence, much less proof. He assists Jinta and Menma in every endeavor, and he has a goofy, amicable attitude while doing it. He is the only character that isn’t caught up in an unrequited love subplot. He is the only character that has realistic thoughts, feelings, and memories regarding his childhood and Menma’s death. Poppo’s inclusion makes Anohana a more bearable venture.
-Naruko Anjō “Anaru”
Initially cold and distant, Anaru is skeptical when Jinta claims Menma hasn’t left earth. Despite this, she tries to help Jinta in any small way she can because she still has feelings for him. She is jealous of the now-dead Menma for taking Jinta’s thoughts away from her. While she is necessary for the plot to move forward, her jealousy toward Menma and unrequited love for Jinta are distracting and annoying. Any interactions between Anaru, Yukiatsu, and Tsuruko are uncomfortable and unnecessary. Anaru, like most of the other characters in this anime, is selfish and unlikable. A better show would've given her more redeeming qualities.
-Jinta Yadomi “Jintan”
Initially Jinta believes Menma is a delusion, despite her observable affect on her surroundings. Jinta never once tries to prove Menma’s existence, instead he just claims she’s there and holds one-sided conversations with her. He is a frustrating character to deal with, because he holds the story back for no discernible reason. After Menma’s death, Jinta secludes himself and mopes around in his house. Upon her return, Jinta realizes he’s still in love with Menma, and is sexually attracted to her ghost. Some point before granting her childhood wish, he asks her to stay on earth with him as his ethereal waifu. Jinta is possibly the most selfish character in this anime. His character could be improved by making him less selfish and more relaxed and amicable.
-Meiko Honma “Menma”
Menma is the most difficult character to write about because she has no character. She is unable to ascend to the next plane, but doesn’t know why, or what triggered this period of stasis. She doesn’t seem to know anything at all. Though her ethereal body has aged with everyone else’s, she still displays the mentality of a child. Or, rather, a hack screen writer’s impression of a child. She is nothing more than a contrived child archetype. She displays no personality and the only personality trait she’s given is selflessness, a trait that she (demonstrably) does not possess. Menma is every bit as selfish as the rest of the characters in this anime, or she wouldn’t have returned to earth in the first place. When prompted, she tells Jinta she loves him, not that this admission means anything. She’s dead, she can tell him whatever she wants and he’ll be none the wiser.
Ending of the Anime and Final Thoughts:
While the majority of this anime focuses on melodramatic subplots involving feelings of unrequited love between most of the cast members, the ending isn’t a bad sendoff. The characters realize how selfishly they’ve behaved up to this point and vow to send Menma off out of love, rather than out of their own desires. While the realization and acknowledgement of their flaws is good, the end result is the same, so it comes off as a bit hollow and meaningless. The characters aren’t instantaneously redeemed after several wasted episodes of bickering, but the possibility of them learning from this experience is entertained. Anohana could have ended on a worse note.
Anohana is an awful anime with far too many unrequited love subplots (most of which are dropped), a sparse main plot, inconsistent (and frequently nonsensical) logic, overly melodramatic dialog, major plot contrivances, underdeveloped leading characters (some of which were not necessary), and inexplicable crossdressing. Unless you want to watch this bizarre, disturbed anime to try and figure out what went wrong, I’d recommend you stay far away from this thing.
