That was yet again amazing. Again, every character played a major role in this episode and nobody was left out. This series really never fails to pull at my heartstrings.
I love how the creators actually made Yukiatsu work as a character despite his cross-dressing antics. The way he composes himself right after his little break down makes him much more than just another insane character, and this series brilliantly combined these crazy plot twists with the down to earth setting here. I also loved how he acknowledged how cliche it was that he saved Naruko from being taken advantage to, even though the way in which he did it wasn’t cliched at all.
And heck, this episode did touch upon a very important issue in this series: why did Menma appear in front of Jinta? I mean, okay she was in love with him and all, but it probably isn’t this shallow: throughout the series we kept seeing how she wanted to be together with everyone; her crush on Jinta seems completely gone now.
By the way, I really have to say that, leaving the episodes she wrote of Simoun and Red Garden aside, that this is the best original screenplay that Mari Okada has written so far. There is just so much emotion put into it and everything is just so incredibly balanced. And that while she’s working on two other series this season as well!
Rating: *** (Awesome)
Best episode so far; so many delicate topics that can normally turn a series into trash are being handled so skillfully, definitely the best anime of the season. Also, this was the first episode of AnoHana that almost makes me cry… Poppo ;_;
Ah this show is just so good 🙂 I can really feel it becoming into a classic (and definetely with a final score of over 90 ;))
I take back what I said…Ano Hana is awesome ^__^
I’m really liking how the story is going…and the characters too!
The scene where she breaks down at the end was pretty heartbreaking.
Makes you really really wonder …
What exactly is Menma’s wish? |:
Another amazing episode. The beginning and end almost made me break down, but not yet! I can tell this is going to make me feel very un-manly by the end though. *sniff*
This is great stuff. It’s been a while since I saw a show that doesn’t skirt around it’s defining drama, so it can reveal it in a melodramatic wham moment later.
It`s amazing how solid the storytelling is in this series. It has no setback since episode 1, and all the characters are given its proper developement.
It really interested me what yukiatsu said, that they have all abandoned jinta after menma died. I didnt think of it that way, and it turn out to be quite right.
So often I write to complain a bit…..but this show has really blown me away.
It is my current favorite and I did not expect it to be. A very well written story along with great art. All the episodes so far have really added up here and I feel like the window into these souls is getting clearer.
For me the character development really works because each person is revealed bit by bit as the story moves forward. The events are small but have a big impact on you. A very well thought out way to tell a great ghost story, it makes it feel very fresh and lively.
I am really looking forward to the rest of the show. It’s my pick for best of the season.
…and the doubters are now all on board. So very good –
And (ahem) did I call it? Yukiatsu X Tsuruko!
My heart might not be able to take this series for much longer, but in a good way. It’s so very touching and in the proper ways that make you feel for the characters. Everything’s so real.
Personally I think one of the characters, forgot his name, but it’s the chubby guy who’s always either eating or talking about Menma – they need to tone him down a little. Less food, less Menma talk, and show him doing something else for once. I get that he’s simple, but even simple people have emotions.
Also, I dunno about these guys in the series, but I’d be scared to walk the woods at night.
@Afrim
I actually take PoPo’s behavior as an indication that he too is pretty damn broken. We just have not gotten to his episode yet.
Not everyone has to be brooding, or have a problem with life to be a human being. Some people just take life in strides and enjoy it as it is, rather than thinking about how complicated the world is. I take it Popo is supposed to be one of those types of people. That, or he’s always high. High people take everything as a joke.
^
Of course and there’s nothing wrong with staying positive – but when you find out one of your friends is a cross dresser, that of a dead girl nontheless, you expect some sort of reaction to it.
And I’m not asking to see him depressed or “unhappy” – just a little more aware of what’s going on around him, and a bit more sensitive, like sober humans are.
@afrim: What exactly is a “sober” human? I find Popo perfectly fine the way he is, his character is realistic as it is…
I do not understand what problem you see unless you expect all characters to be sensitive emotionally? You do realize that characters are human and as such they are supposed to be imperfect as well.
Popo’s callousness fits his personality, his priority in life is to live and have fun, not to be tied down with obsessions and drama like the other two guys in the cast. In a way Popo is a foil and a catalyst for them, because he is so unlike Jinta he is able to create a situation that Jinta would never have otherwise (like the BBQ session and the Nokemon thing) which is great for plot development and everyone’s character growth.
Not everyone needs to be mature and sensitive to be a “good” character. Characters are there to act as counterparts and foils to each other. There should be a balance of all sorts of personalities (good or bad, sensitive or insensitive, somber or upbeat) to create an interesting dynamic in a story.
Thank you for blogging this series, psgels. I decided to give it a try and I’m loving it!
I’ve been following your anime suggestions for a couple of years now and they’re (almost) all great ^^
I’m the Tough kind of guy…
and this is probably the first or second time in my life I felt tears in my eye watching ANYTHING…
really great show!
Did anyone find the way Naruko compared Jinta to Ryosuke Yamada kind of amusing? I mean despite the overall serious tone this episode took, this very very minor joke just took the cake for me.How adorable is that? In Naruko’s eyes, Jinta=Ryunosuke Yamada(almost).
As for the Popo thing…well,the way he was acting while calling for Menma was definitely unsettling. He was rambling for far too long and the expression on his face was just scary, as if Popo were masking his feelings under his constantly smiling facade. I don’t think he’s just that happy-go-lucky guy we’ve been seeing in the past episodes. While it seems like he treats searching for Menma as a game,Im going to bet there’s just as much turmoil bubbling deep inside him just like with the other characters. I could be wrong, he might just be that ray of sunshine he’s portrayed to be. I guess well just have to wait and see.