AnoHana

-Facepalm- After reading this, I had to google "anaru" to get it, luckily Urbandictionary had an article on it.

edited 23rd Apr '11 2:38:38 PM by EternalSeptember

It dawned on me when I remembered that English in anime is jokingly called Engrish. And I had to do a facepalm. I was slow.

Hah, yeah. Thats why I don't call Naruko by her nickname.

I'll bet she was mortified when she realized what her nickname could mean.

Gotta agree with Setsuna on Naruko. And holy crap does Poppo make an adorable Keet.

...The hell, this show's making me all squiggly inside, and it's only Episode 2. I am psyched for the rest of this.

I really dig all the little details they put in, like Naruko's reaction to Jintan's touching elbows, subtle things like that.

Any speculation about what kind of supernatural being Menma is and how it will affect the story? From what we have seen, she is more invisible than intangible and she is shown eating that grilled meat.

My guess is that one by one the group will be able to see her. Yukiatsu will be the last, just saying.

Hmm...I'm leaning towards "she's whatever she needs to be at the moment". And, of course, we have not established firmly that she's not just a delusion Jinta is having.

Menma being Jintan's imagination is not ruled out yet? But in episode 1, she went back to her house independently and there was a scene where she knocked down a glass of water. She even opened the door herself. So she is possibly not that intangible.

Duh.

Thats what I get for posting when I'm dead tired.

So yeah, who knows? I doubt it'll be explained, its not really important.

Yeah, I am probably missing the point when fixating on the supernatural in a show aiming for drama/slice of life. But I couldn't help but think of all the Power Perversion Potential a being like Menma can have. Fortunately (?) she is still an innocent child in her mind. Or I should worry about my own mind first.

edited 25th Apr '11 5:27:09 AM by Musicalcroc

I recently started watching this.

It strikes me as being a sort of reverse Key Visual Arts: an inciting tragedy occurs before the show starts, the difference being that the fallout from it is made explicit in the first twenty minutes (it's even pre-empted by the trailers). We're working backwards from the revelation, as it were, rather than leading towards one.

What I find interesting is that the relationships and characters are there to be repaired rather than developed, which is at least a variation on an otherwise well-worn premise: the skeletons aren't so much "in the closet" as "practically running the house". (Yes, I'm looking at you, Yukiatsu...)

The recent additions to the spring anime line-up seem to be overshadowed by the sleeper hit that is Madoka, which I haven't touched, but from what can be seen so far Ano Hana seems be on well on the way to critical success in its own right.

Or maybe my definitions of "critical success" are a tad optimistic...

edited 27th Apr '11 2:49:43 AM by zeroplusalpha

As a noitaminA show, I'm expecting it to be pretty good, but not as popular as it ought to be. Disappointing, but that usually seems to be how it turns out...

What are you talking about? Its already on course to being one of the best selling noitaminA shows ever.

Wow. Me, posting so late on the forum thread for a show I enjoy? Unforgivable. I am loving it so far. Especially Anjou, considering she is my favorite female seiyu.

EDIT: And we have a new episode. I have some disturbing speculation to post, but it requires images, and I don't want to spoil anyone, I'll wait a day or so.

edited 28th Apr '11 8:57:52 PM by Augustine

Naruko with her hair down and in a one-piece mini dress. *dies*

And Yukiatsu is still megas creepy.

Yeah, Naruko looks way better with her hair down... and that dress suits her!

Ok, what do you guys think of Yukiatsu's interesting proclamation? And while we're at it, why not pick apart the supernatural aspect in general?

She's a ghost. She does ghostly things like give people uncomfortable feelings when she's touching them and moving small objects. I don't think there's much to be said there, unless the show suddenly changes genres.

Yukiatsu is almost certainly making shit up to make Jinta look less special. Although why he doesn't just want to make Jinta look crazy is slightly confusing. Well, he's been shown to be very disturbed himself so far, so I guess it's not out of nowhere.

Ah, but Menma died when she was young, younger than the Menma we see, and ghosts don't typically age, right? Ghosts don't typically eat too. Furthermore Poppo saw someone like Menma in the forest, but Menma stated she wasn't there at the time. Yukiatsu's probably lying, true, but what if he was telling the truth? Could that mean there's a bunch of ghostly Menmas walking around. Yeah, that's just me imagining stuff.

Guys. Go look at the part where Poppo sees Menma. She is wearing a watch on her left arm. Yukiatsu is wearing the same watch at the barbeque. He also has one of Menma's dresses. I'm creeped out.

EDIT: I have images for proof if anyone wants to see.

edited 29th Apr '11 8:45:19 AM by Augustine

EEEAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH

Nice catch there. that "Menma" Poppo saw did not look particularly friendly

On the other hand, nice to see the ladies kind of worked it out with each other. All is left is the party crasher

That Menma also had an interestingly manly chin, now that I look back at it

For some reason I suddenly think of Yukiatsu dressing in Menma's dress, donnning a wig and walking around.

I'm sure we don't need spoilers anymore, its been quite a few posts. Hopefully the size won't hinder the picture, but here it is.

That is what I was getting at.

edited 29th Apr '11 12:09:16 PM by Augustine

^Oh...oh God...

He ritually dresses up as Menma and goes to the spot where he (maybe accidentally, maybe not) killed her as penance and a devotion, as he's just that obsessed.

This show may be hiding a secret layer of fucked upedness behind it's melancholy nostalgia surface...

EDIT: WAIT, EVEN BETTER: He did kill her, but the guilt and trauma caused him to snap, and now he blames her death on Jintan, and will eventually end up going all Buffalo Bill on his ass in the near future...or maybe on ALL OF THE GROUP. CALLING IT NOW, SLASHER MOVIE END, FUND IT.

EDIT REDUX: OH GOD HE WAS CHECKING OUT GIRLIE HAIR SCRUNCHIES RIGHT AFTER THEY SHOW IT WASN'T REALLY MENMA. AND DAT KNOWING SMIRK. AND DAT "I'M NOT TELLING." Villainous Crossdresser confirmed.

EDIT THE THIRD: Poppo has seen too much. He'll be the first to die.

edited 29th Apr '11 12:43:55 PM by rbx5