Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae wo Bokutachi ha Mada Shiranai August 1, 2011

‘Ano Hana’, as fans affectionately refer to it, is simply a lovely series. It’s the tale of six childhood friends who’ve drifted apart and the shared tragedy that ultimately brings them back together.

Though there’s a supernatural element to it, the core of the show is really about friendship and whether the ties that bind in childhood hold true as you grow to teens on the cusp of adulthood. It’s this simple emotional dilemma – of wanting (or not wanting) to move on but being unable to, of holding on to things and never knowing if that’s the right thing to do – that gives Ano Hana its charm.

Kiiragi on Random Curiosity makes a fair point – the show never quite rose to the high level of profundity and empathy I thought it might. I don’t know quite what I was expecting, but even though the story reached a logical conclusion, it felt like something of a damp squib after a final three episodes that had me weeping at every cliffhanger. This strange lack of satisfactory closure means, for me, it doesn’t quite rank up there with the likes of Kare Kano, Angel Beats! and Honey and Clover as among my all-time favourites. But it is certainly a show I’d recommend and at just 12 episodes it’s a lovely, sensitive and emotional journey that’s well worth your time.

A particular shout out for the music too – Ano Hana features a fabulous score by Remedios and two really lovely OP and ED themes. The ED in particular, a cover of Zone’s classic Secret Base, came to be my theme tune of the Spring, maybe my year altogether. I’m sure I’m not alone in holding this song dear. Having learnt that the group is also reforming to “fulfil the promise of meeting 10 years after that the lyrics allude to” this makes it all the more poignant.