The first area where Aoi Hana shines is how it captures the culture of an all-girls school. For better or worse, girls at that age who have been in a mono-gender environment for much of their lives are much more open about expressing their affection and admiration for each other. While to an outside observer, it is possible to see these interactions are almost romantic or at least too cloying, they are very much the norm. These acts of affection, like compliments and hand-holding, are by and large platonic that come about due to the environment. While Fujigaya does fall into the stereotype, or perhaps more accurately, mould, of a wealthy upper-class girls' school, these very much exist in many east Asian countries. This is grounded in the details such as Fujigaya having a chapel indicating its origin as a mission school, which in east Asia tends to be much posher, wealthier and more historied than an average municipal school. This setting is fantastic and ripe for the confusion that comes with growing up and having a first love, which is doubly confusing if all your peers around you are all the same gender.
Instead of diving headlong into a romantically charged or awkward and suggestive relationship between Akira and Fumi, who have just reconnected, Aoi Hana focuses on how they, as characters, react to the situations around them. It does not cheapen or fetishise the closeness between their characters, with their affection being first and foremost as friends, at least initially. Fumi's character is a more direct examination of how she acknowledges and deals with her attraction to other girls. On the other hand, Akira's story looks more into the uncertainty and complications of becoming socially entangled in these relationships. Both these characters have to deal with the line between the usual closeness between girls and romantic overtures becoming blurred. For Fumi, this places a great deal of pressure on her as the innocuous admiration and fangirling over seniors begins to take on more romantic overtures. She cannot express her affection as freely as other girls since it is now burdened with other connotations. At the same time, she has to sit by and watch other girls heap gifts and praises on someone she is attracted to, all while wondering if there is something more to their actions. This makes Aoi Hana compelling since the characters' internal conflict carries much of the narrative's attention instead of solely intercharacter conflict that melodramas rely upon.
That being said, the stand-out character of the show is probably Sugimoto since she is the central conflict point for most of the narrative. While she could be seen as just the archetypical tomboy, her character actually highlights interesting things about the dynamics of the relationships between girls. Her popularity and appeal to many of the girls in the school does not just stem from her being a highly visible overachiever in both the basketball team and drama club but also from her masculine way of presenting and carrying herself. In addition to being true to life in many cases, this also implicitly raises the question if Fumi and many other girls are drawn to her because of her masculine manner instead of actually being interested in her due to her gender specifically. On the other hand, Sugimoto's story also raises the question of if her affection for Fumi and, by extension, other girls is genuine since she is also attracted to a man. Of course, there is the simple possibility that she is bisexual, but the narrative does not just rest on this simple answer. Although the idea of same-sex attraction being "just a phase" is cliched, it does raise the genuine question of why this stereotype exists. Sugimoto's character is interesting since her tomboy image is eventually revealed to be a reaction to being rejected. She developed this persona to become who she wanted to be by sheer force of will. So this suggests that Sugimoto's attraction to girls may be reactionary, or perhaps is simply a product of desiring intimacy and having the only suitable people around her being other girls. Though more likely since Aoi Hana does not settle for simple answers, a combination of all of the above.
This is where Aoi Hana shines in its character subtly, depth and sophistication, where most of the questions and tension it raises are kept natural and implicit. So much of this tension and uncomfortable questions are conveyed without dialogue, either through the characters' behaviour, both visually through expressions and lingering shots, and, more importantly, what they choose to leave unsaid. It avoids the nasty melodrama that many other shows devolve into because they lack the finesse to explore these questions without resorting to characters monologuing about it or clashing outright to make it clear. Or even worse, most other anime, yuri or even standard drama-romance, lack this depth at all. In addition, Aoi Hana includes a limited cast of male characters, which pushes it from simply being a yuri pandering show to a show delving into relationships between girls. The male cast is exclusively minor supporting characters but adds this depth of realism and suspension of disbelief since the world within the narrative is not just some contrived fantasy where only female characters exist for the sake of audience appeal. And as said while talking about Sugimoto, their presence always tacitly poses the question of if some of our character's attraction to other girls is driven more by circumstance than anything.
Despite this subtle and sophisticated dive into its themes and characters, Aoi Hana is still lacking in some areas. Despite the lack of melodrama generally being positive since it helps with the suspension of disbelief and avoids cheapening the characters or themes, Aoi Hana indeed lacks that gripping dramatic punch that really draws a viewer in. While the drama of Sugimoto's situation and response to it does give the narrative some bite, the issue is that she is not billed as the primary protagonist of the series. Much of the screen time is spent in Fumi or Akira's perspective, which are more often than not passive. It is interesting to dive into their character, but it is hard to call it dramatically compelling since much of their reactions are often melancholy or pouting. It is realistic, endearing and quite relatable but does not necessarily make the narrative as engaging as it could be. At times it feels like the choice of the show not having Sugimoto as the lead has structurally hamstrung it since the focal point of the narrative and drama is not the primary point of view. While this is common for shows that are more character-driven than plot-driven, Aoi Hana's characters lack that final spark to make up for this weakness and invest the audience completely. The art, sound and voice acting are also nothing particularly remarkable though thoroughly competent. Perhaps the art adds to this mellowness since it uses a slightly desaturated pastel watercolour pallet, and its style is in the vein of that used in shojo manga.
What is left is that while Aoi Hana is a sweet show with a subtle depth and realistic sincerity, it is also far less engaging than it perhaps could or should be. While this is very much in the spirit that J.C. Staff and the original manga were going for, it is hard to measure up against a show with both appropriate drama and depth. While strong in exploring its themes, it is hard to call Aoi Hana a truly excellent show. Much of its devotion to sincerity and realism are in tension with being dramatically compelling or engaging. However, it is hard to hold it too much against the show since it is a difficult, if not essentially impossible circle to square. Overall, Aoi Hana is a 7.5 out of 10 though much closer to an 8. Its characters lack that final spark to draw a viewer in and make up entirely for all the limitations created by its structural and tonal choices. However, it is nonetheless an excellent show and is exceedingly strong in its themes which is perhaps the most important area to get right when tackling these topics.
