Ano Hana 09

Did anyone notice the "I ❤ Menma" thing going on here?

I’ve always thought that Ano Hana is a drama that’s grounded in reality. It has a realistic setting with believable characters. Menma as a ghost may have been an oddity, but I’ve always theorized that it might be an illusion or a figment of Jintan’s imagination. Well, all that is dashed right at the start of this ep. They did not hesitate in throwing Menma’s presence around now, since it gets downright poltergeist (floating objects!) with Menma making the gang muffins from the get-go. It’s bit jarring to say the least, since this aspect was always hinted at, but avoided for the sake of mystery and intrigue.

One positive thing to gain from the reveal though is Jintan’s self-confidence. He seems much more carefree, probably since he must be relieved that he’s not just crazy and that this is all real. The gang has also stopped looking at him with doubt, which will invariably make the whole “wish” thing a much easier thing to accomplish.

Story needs less "Ghost" and more "Yuri"

Sadly, Menma coming out of the dark brings even more conflict, to both Jintan and the gang. Yukiatsu has now succumbed to jealousy, with Anaru not far behind and Jintan is having contradictory feelings about fulfilling Menma’s wish. Going into the episode, I thought that we would finally be exploring the enigma that is Tsuruko but instead the focus is again shifted to the Yukiatsu/Anaru/Menma/Jintan square. Don’t get me wrong, these four always manage to get the story flowing at a good clip, but damn it guys, 2 episodes left and we still know next to nothing about Tsuruko (and Poppo!).

Poor Tsuruko left behind again....

...again......(Goddamn Yukiatsu screwing up my OTP. RELEASE THE YANDERE!)

But enough about what I wish would have happened and onto the actual episode. My thoughts on Yukiatsu have been flopping a lot during the course of this series. Some weeks I hate him, others I don’t. This week, it flops even more. To me, Yukiasu has always been a man with a plan. It didn’t help that he had an obvious “Keikaku Doori” moment in episode 3. He has obvious, deep-rooted issues, like his inferiority complex to Jintan but I had hope that he was progressing after the cross-dressing debacle. Seeing him kick that poor post out of jealousy threw all those good vibes away. That was the turning point, with some events beforehand acting as foreshadowing (going 99 questions to Menma at the start of the ep, “projecting” his thoughts on how Jintan wanted to keep Menma to himself”).

From that point on, I couldn’t help but see him as “Jekyl” Yukiatsu. Some may say that he was ‘heroic’ in saving Anaru from even more turmoil by comforting her, as well as ‘dependable’ when he begged Menma’s father for permission. But from my vantage point, everything he does now seems suspicious. His motives are suspect at best. Clearly disturbed by Menma’s appearance, he now wants to do everything he can to have Menma liberated, if only to take her out of Jintan’s hands. It was a classic case of “If I can’t have her, no one can”. The same can be said about his actions in wooing Anaru. He knows that Anaru likes Jintan, so he is possibly trying to cut off her ties with him completely, just so Jintan has no where to turn to when Menma is gone for good.

"Crashing" is the best way to describe this situation. Nicely done, Tsuruko

I’m probably thinking too much into this though, since there is no way the writers are escalating the drama when there are only two weeks left in the story. I hope that’s the case at least, and that Yukiatsu is genuine in his actions. One thing is for certain; he is the most complex character in Ano Hana. The fact that I can speculate so much based on what he does and does not do is testament to that. What I don’t know yet is whether he is a devil or a saint.

In the end, this episode raises a lot more questions, when everyone is expecting everything to slowly settle down. From Tsuruko’s misinterpretation of the Yukiatsu/Anaru scene, Poppo’s trailing question to Menma, the role that Menma’s brother plays, Tsuruko’s red ribbon Menma drawing, that meeting that Menma called on that fateful day, as well as the mystery of Jintan’s mum (oh and how Menma actually died), there are quite a few loose ends to tie up.

If Poppo loves Menma too, I'll lose my head. What's so great about her? Is it cos she's half russian!? (Actually, I totally get it now. Carry on)

If you ask me, that’s quite a lot of ground to cover. While the series has been great at introducing and resolving conflicts in the past (most of them in an effective and efficient manner), 2 episodes isn’t a lot of wiggle room for the story to reach a natural and satisfactory end. With all the focus on the supposed core characters (Jintan, Menma, Anaru and Yukiatsu), Tsuruko and Poppo have been casted aside, even though it’s becoming more apparent now that they too have issues regarding the past.

I suppose in Tsuruko’s case, it would be the obvious confession to Yukiatsu since it’s pointless to include more drama into the last two episodes. Poppo’s may even be left out altogether. I hope we will finally get to her story next week, cos the clock is ticking.

How he survived that fall, we'll never know. But Jintan, you're totally pulling off that cardigan

Even though Noitamina are known for their strong one cour stories (other than the obvious black sheep), it saddens me a bit to know that the series had a bit more to explore in terms of character development that may ultimately be left untouched. Still, I have faith that the last two episodes will give a fitting conclusion to the story. Whether it is similar to what I theorized a few weeks ago, only time will tell. I just hope it doesn’t feel rushed.

P.S. Also wanted to plug Aorii’s interesting Ano Hana article from Major Arcana. Be sure to check it on your way out ☺

/ 11 Commentsleave a comment /

• Foshizzel says:

  June 15, 2011

  Yes release the yandere! Waiting for it muhahahah!! Also yes I noticed the I <3 and Menma beside him nice!

  So Drama next few episodes between the girls DUN DUN DUUUNNN!!

  Damn we almost learned more about Menma's death, I wonder if she happened to remember would she vanish? Anyway great stuff.

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  • Bass says:

    June 15, 2011

    I love how they're handling the mystery to her wish and her death. I thought it would be something straight forward but the writers have done a great job with all the side tracks and smoke screens lately. I don't even know where to begin cos there's only 2 eps left and we barely even know the direction this is going.

    Hopefully it's going to lead to some epic WTF moments, cos that would make it pretty sweet.
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• Elyon says:

  June 15, 2011

  Ahhh Yukiatsu, I really can't figure him out. I think it's like you said though: he just wants to take everything away from Jintan, and that's why he's going after Anaru.
  But I kind of understand where he's coming from. It's sad to be left out. :< And the fact that Menma never tried to make her presence clear to them all this time would upset me too. I mean…she can write, yet she never even communicated with them. It's like, deep down, she and Jintan just wanted to have each other to themselves.
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  • Bass says:

    June 15, 2011

    Yea, Jintan isn't doing a great job since the big reveal. He's actually been acting like a huge dick since he is outwardly showing how happy he is that it's not all just a big lie. His actions don't show consideration to Anaru, who confessed to him and then ignored, and to Yukiatsu. It's pretty inconsiderate and I hope he realizes that soon before the bridges are burned forever once Menma is gone.

    Yukiatsu is interesting because of his mystery haha. I can't help but to admire the way that he's going about things. It's entertaining just to watch him and see what he's about to do next. But if he gets Anaru shit's gonna hit the fan.
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• Elyon says:

  June 15, 2011

  "But if he gets Anaru shit's gonna hit the fan."

  Two words: Yandere. Tsuruko. ;D

  I secretly kind of want to see that.
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  • Bass says:

    June 15, 2011

    I think a lot of people do. I know I do. She's been casted aside way too much, I really want to know her thought process since she drew the red-ribboned Menma as well as wearing that hairclip all the time.

    *Gasp* She might have pushed Menma down the creek (kidding)
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• RP says:

  June 15, 2011

  It’s bit jarring to say the least, since this aspect was always hinted at, but avoided for the sake of mystery and intrigue.

  This.

  Menma as everyone’s friendly ghost is a real departure from the bits and pieces we saw in the first 8 eps. I’m afraid that the reason they brought her to life, so to speak, was because they couldn’t figure out how to end the story properly otherwise, and they needed something extra, something a little random to stir up everyone up.

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  • Bass says:

    June 15, 2011

    They probably planned for this, but they didn't manage to come up with a substantial enough reason for avoiding the glaring plothole.

    To some people, Yukiatsu's reasoning of Jintan wanting to keep Menma for himself, or Jintan's own self struggle with being honest with his own feelings in regards to Menma disappearing, might be enough but at this point of the story it seems a bit too desperate, like you said.

    I'm willing to let it go for now, assuming that they manage to close up all the remaining loose ends in the span of 2 episodes.
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• darkjam says:

  June 15, 2011

  Good review, I think you got your analysis of Yukiatsu spot on. Pity the anime is drawing to a conclusion, so much left to be answered, so little time to do it in. I really hope that during the next two episodes we aren't rushed through everything to tie it all up – to me it would be a rather disappointing end to what has been a wonderful anime. The relationship between Yukiatsu and Anaru and the lack of one developing between Tsuruko and Yukiatsu is really something, which in my eyes, needs to be fixed. It's really annoying me >> Besides that, you're right again about the bit roles Poppo and Tsuruko seemed to have developed; a pity in my opinion as both characters have their own parts that should be addressed. I'm particularly interested in Tsuruko right now, how she isn't sick of Yukiatsu yet is somewhat beyond me – although I'm inclined to believe that what she saw could very well be the last straw for her. But yeah, good episode on the whole, can't wait for the end and the answers I've waited so long for..

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  • Bass says:

    June 16, 2011

    God I hope my analysis on Yukiatsu isn't spot on, that would mean that I would have to hate the guy >_<

    Like you said, the relationships will definitely need to be addressed since it seems to be a large theme in the series. I would even be open to having the series end with an open relationship between everyone, since it seems like everyone is too preoccupied with the past to maintain a healthy relationship (but I want my Jinaru still).

    I'll be damn sad when it all ends. I still harbor hope for an epilogue OVA or something. The producers are definitely putting a lot of effort into this series with the merchandise and the reconstruction of the actual clubhouse, so I hope they have some plans for the series post-broadcast. Then again, I don't think there have been many other noitamina shows that have had stuff after it's ended so the chances are slim…
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