Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day is a 2011 anime with 11 episodes. If you’re the type of person that gets emotional when watching dramatic shows, prepare for rivers here.
The focus of the story is the Super Peace Busters, who are a group of teens who were friends in their childhood. Years after splitting apart, they are reluctantly brought together because of the ghost of their childhood friend.
The storyline is deep and gets you immersed in the drama of it all quickly. The character-spectrum is wide, and you’ll likely find one you’ll relate to. Up next we’re going to tell you more about Anhohana: The Flower We Saw That Day.
Plot
The story revolves around a group of six sixth-grade childhood friends. They drift apart after one of them, Menma, dies in an accident. Five years after the incident, Jinta Yadomi, the group’s leader, withdraws from society.
One summer day, the ghost of an older-looking Menma comes to Jinta and demands to have a wish granted. She claims that once it is fulfilled, she will move on into the afterlife.
But because Menma doesn’t recall what her desire is, Jinta once again brings together her separated friends, believing that they are the secret to fixing this dilemma. He is joined by the whole group, but most of them do so reluctantly.
All the group members, called the Super Peace Busters, want to bear the responsibility for the death of Menma and long-hidden feelings are sparked. They struggle as they strive to help Menma move on and help each other move on as well.
Characters
Detailed below are the main characters of the story.
Meiko “Menma” Honma
Meiko Honma, also called Menma, is the female protagonist in the story whose ghost appears to Jinta because of her wish to be granted by him and his friends.
She’s a child-like girl who used to be part of the Super Peace Busters before she was involved in an accident and died.
Jinta “Jintan” Yadomi
Jintan is the series’ main male character. Jintan was his group’s leader in the past.
During his youth, he was enthusiastic, cheerful, and a natural leader. After the deaths of Menma and his mother, he became distant and alienated.
Naruko “Anaru” Anjou
He is a Super Peace Busters member. Naruko shows a hostile attitude toward Jintan, notably in front of her friends, but is secretly concerned about his well-being.
Naruko is characterized as an individual who is easily swayed by others. She goes along with other girls around her, even if she doesn’t approve of them.
Atsumu “Yukiatsu” Matsuyuki
Yukiatsu attended the same prestigious high school as the other members of the Super Peace Busters. All except Jinta who couldn’t get in due to his bad test results.
Atsumu maintains a snide and dismissive attitude to Jintan in the present. Whenever Menma is mentioned, he becomes distressed and attempts to cover that he is still upset over her death.
Tetsudō “Poppo” Hisakawa
Tetsudō had a huge appreciation for Jintan during their childhood and frequently called him ‘amazing’ or ‘cool’. He admits that, as he was an awkward child, he was always thankful to the group for including him.
Tetsudō is worldly and laidback. He is excited to see the Super Peace Busters get back together, genuinely believing that Menma could see and speak to Jinta.
Chiriko “Tsuruko” Tsurumi
Tsuruko has an incredibly serious and rational personality that can criticize others and pesters Anaru for her habit of following others in specific.
With Menma’s return, Chiriko still feels doubtful, questioning what her motives are or whether she has really forgiven anyone.
She admits to Anaru that she is in love with Yukiatsu, but she claims that he will never love her back. That’s because she is unable to win against Menma and thinks that her ‘replacement’ will be Anaru.
Conclusion
Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day has episodes streaming on Netflix, as well as with a subscription on Funimation. It is also free on Crunchyroll.
This is an action and adventure anime with an extremely intense emotional element. You’ll have to be prepared for that if you want to watch it.