History Anime / AnoHanaTheFlowerWeSawThatDay

* {{Jerkass}}: In his first modern-day appearance Yukiatsu has the gall to mock Jintan for not getting into a good high school and for mourning Menma. Then, in Episode 4, he tries to manipulate everyone into not working toward Menma's wish.

* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: His [[BreakTheHaughty haughtiness gets broken]] in Episode 5 after [[spoiler:everyone finds out that he's crossdressing as Menma and]] he breaks down, blaming himself for Menma's death. In the same episode, he later rescues Anaru when she gets sexually harassed by a guy intending to take her to a love hotel.

* AllLoveIsUnrequited[=/=]LoveDodecahedron: Tsuruko has a crush on Yukiatsu, but he is obsessed with Menma and later considers Anaru to be his ReplacementLoveInterest. Anaru is in love with Jintan, but the latter is also obsessed with Menma. Menma does like Jintan back, but due to her being deceased, she cannot be with him. The only one among the gang who doesn't seem to be part of the romantic loop is Poppo, but being TheBigGuy, it is likely that he will get the short end of the stick. [[spoiler:In the end, Jintan/Anaru and Yukiatsu/Tsuruko are given a MaybeEverAfter.]]

* AbortedDeclarationOfLove: In the movie, [[spoiler:Anaru tries a couple times to confess to Jintan that she still has feelings for him, but ultimately decides against it. Instead, she writes it in her letter to Menma, satisfied that she will one day be ready to tell Jintan]].

** JerkWithAHeartOfGold: His [[BreakTheHaughty haughtiness gets broken]] in Episode 5 after [[spoiler:everyone finds out that he's crossdressing as Menma and]] he breaks down, blaming himself for Menma's death. In the same episode, he later rescues Anaru when she gets sexually harassed by a guy intending to take her to a love hotel.

* LoveHurts: Almost every character, with the exception of Poppo, is in love with another, and aren't very happy that their love interest likes someone else.

** Although, there's some question if Jintan and Yukiatsu were ever really friends, as the flashbacks indicate that the former was always [[GreenEyedMonster rather resentful]] of latter. Even more so than Anaru and Tsuruko were of Menma.

* MaleGaze

* MaybeEverAfter: The epilogue drops some hints for Jintan/Anaru and Tsuruko/Yukiatsu.

* AllLoveIsUnrequited[=/=]LoveDodecahedron: Tsuruko has a crush on Yukiatsu, but he is obsessed with Menma and later considers Anaru to be his ReplacementLoveInterest. Anaru is in love with Jintan, but the latter is also obsessed with Menma. Menma does like Jintan back, but due to her being deceased, she cannot be with him. The only one among the gang who doesn't seem to be part of the romantic loop is Poppo, but being TheBigGuy, it is likely that he will get the short end of the stick. [[spoiler:In the end, Jintan/Anaru and Yukiatsu/Tsuruko are given a MaybeEverAfter. This may change with the release of the upcoming movie.]]

* EarnYourHappyEnding: After much angst and tribulation [[spoiler:in which the group vent their anger and express their true feelings to one another, they are finally able to overcome the psychological traumas each one of them acquired after Menma's death, and Menma's ghost is able to say one last tearful goodbye to all of them. Jintan stopped being a hikikomori for good and started attending school regularly, and it's implied that he and Anaru will end up together as a couple eventually. It is also implied that Tsuruko and Yukiatsu are dating, though the movie says they aren't yet. Meanwhile, Poppo also has gone back to school (although he did not quit working at the construction site)]].

** EmbarrassingNickname: Anaru. In Japanese, ''l'' and ''r'' are pronounced identically, and ''n'' is the only consonant that doesn't need a vowel on the end. Jintan seems to realize it now; [[TheDitz Menma]] doesn't. [[spoiler: [[DontExplainTheJoke It sounds like "anal".]]]]

* RealSongThemeTune: The ending theme is a cover of Zone's "secret base (Kimi ga Kureta Mono)" by the three leading ladies.

* RuleOfSymbolism: The name of the flower they saw that day? Forget-me-nots. They adorn the OP and ED, and pop up frequently in the anime. It also makes Jintan's words about fulfilling the wishes of those flowers all the more meaningful.

* DeathOfTheHypotenuse: Deconstructed. Back when they were children, Anaru liked Jintan and Tsuruko liked Yukiatsu, but both boys liked Menma and the girls, despite caring for Menma, felt that they couldn't compete with her. Menma's untimely death, only made things worse for all of them, since such a tragedy ''tore the group apart'' and showed that, in reality, the demise of "the person who gets in between" does NOT equal to the others getting together: the guys got so broken (and Jintan already had his own issues) that no girl in their eyes can match the very high standard that Menma had left, with Jintan becoming a {{hikikomori}} and Yukiatsu both considering Anaru as a prospect "back-up girlfriend" (and neither she nor Tsuruko, understandably, are happy with that) [[spoiler: and wearing dresses similar to those Menma used to wear]].

* OfficialCouple: Though [[MaybeEverAfter not explicitly stated]], the ending hints at [[spoiler:Jintan/Anaru]] and [[spoiler:Yukiatsu/Tsuruko]]. The movie [[spoiler:says that they unfortunately did not become a couple yet.]]

* {{Tsundere}}: Anaru. Jintan tsuns back at her quite a bit, as well.

''Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae o Bokutachi wa Mada Shiranai.'' ("We Still Don't Know the Name of the Flower We Saw That Day."), [[LongTitle also known as ''anohana'' for short]], is a [[Spring2011Anime Spring 2011]] AnimeFirst series shown on Creator/{{Noitamina}} and produced by Creator/A1Pictures. It has been licensed for North American release by [[Creator/{{Nippon Ichi}} NIS America]] in July 2012. There's also a movie of the same name licensed by AniplexUSA which retells the story one year later, which premiered on August 2013.

* DeathOfTheHypotenuse: Deconstructed. Back when they were children, Anaru liked Jintan and Tsuruko liked Yukiatsu, but both boys liked Menma and the girls knew they couldn't compete against her. When Menma died, it only made things worse for Anaru and Tsuruko since while now they can hang out more with the guy they like, Jintan and Yukiatsu have become obsessed with Menma and both are quite screwed up because of her death.

** Just from Episode 2, there's the [[NintendoDS Nindendo DZ]], [[Franchise/{{Digimon}} Dojimon]], [[UsefulNotes/McDonalds WcDonalds]], and [[Franchise/{{Pokemon}} Nokemon]].

* {{Expy}}:
** Menma, especially as a child, looks exactly like [[VideoGame/DisgaeaHourOfDarkness Flonne]]. The fact that their dress is almost identical makes it even more apparent. Their [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} airheadedness]] is almost on the same level and though Menma is not as fanatical a {{love freak}} as Flonne, she would definitely go out of her way to make it so everyone would get along.
** Anaru herself looks a lot like [[VideoGame/DragonQuestVIII Jessica Albert]].

''Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae o Bokutachi wa Mada Shiranai.'' ("We Still Don't Know the Name of the Flower We Saw That Day."), [[LongTitle also known as anohana for short]], is a [[Spring2011Anime Spring 2011]] AnimeFirst series shown on Creator/{{Noitamina}} and produced by Creator/A1Pictures. It has been licensed for North American release by [[Creator/{{Nippon Ichi}} NIS America]] in July 2012. There's also a movie of the same name licensed by AniplexUSA which retells the story one year later, which premiered on August 2013.

''Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae o Bokutachi wa Mada Shiranai.'' ("We Still Don't Know the Name of the Flower We Saw That Day."), [[LongTitle also known as AnoHana for short]], is a [[Spring2011Anime Spring 2011]] AnimeFirst series shown on Creator/{{Noitamina}} and produced by Creator/A1Pictures. It has been licensed for North American release by [[Creator/{{Nippon Ichi}} NIS America]] in July 2012. There's also a movie of the same name licensed by AniplexUSA which retells the story one year later, which premiered on August 2013.

* MarketBasedTitle: The localized version of the series is called ''[=AnoHana=]: The Flower We Saw That Day'', presumably due to the [[LongTitle ridiculously long original title]].

* EarnYourHappyEnding: After much angst and tribulation [[spoiler:in which the group vent their anger and express their true feelings to one another, they are finally able to overcome the psychological traumas each one of them acquired after Menma's death, and Menma's ghost is able to say one last tearful goodbye to all of them. Jintan stopped being a hikikomori for good and started attending school regularly, and it's implied that he and Anaru will end up together as a couple eventually. It is also implied that Tsuruko and Yukiatsu are dating. Meanwhile, Poppo also has gone back to school (although he did not quit working at the construction site)]].

* OfficialCouple: Though [[MaybeEverAfter not explicitly stated]], the ending hints at [[spoiler:Jintan/Anaru]] and [[spoiler:Yukiatsu/Tsuruko]].

* GhostAmnesia: Menma doesn't remember her wish.
* GhostlyGoals: Menma reappears to Jintan to have him help her fulfill [[UnfinishedBusiness her wish]]. [[spoiler:Her wish turns out to be fulfilling a favor to Jintan's mother--making him cry.]]

* ByTheEyesOfTheBlind: Only Jintan can see or hear Menma. [[spoiler:Which pretty much scares the hell out Anaru and Tsuruko once the others discover that she is indeed real and can only see things floating whenever she grabs something. Before Menma goes to Heaven, everyone can see her.]]

* ChildhoodFriendRomance: Jintan and Menma have mutual feelings for each other, but Jintan was never able to confess to her. Anaru and Yukiatsu have unrequited lingering feelings for Jintan and Menma respectively. Yukiatsu lampshades their unrequited positions in Episodes 5 and 9. Tsuruko also has feelings for Yukiatsu.

* DeathByNewberyMedal: Menma's death actually occurs before the current storyline, but it plays out all the same.

* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler:Menma's ghost finally passes onto the afterlife, but not before she and her living friends properly say their farewells. Jintan reconnects to society and was last seen walking together with Anaru, while Yukiatsu and Tsuruko grow closer to each other, and Poppo continues his part-time duties. The series ends with the five remaining friends gathering one more time at their old hideout to read Menma's letters.]]

* [[spoiler:{{Reincarnation}}: The name of the anime is about this. Jintan's mother told Menma about how a person can be reincarnated as another creature (such as a cat or a flower) after they die, and this becomes Menma's objective after she remembers her original wish. She wants to be reincarnated so she can be in the same world where her friends are.]]

* RedHeadedHeroine: Anaru.

** Friendly or not, there are insanely blatant posters of ''Manga/WanderingSon'', ''Manga/{{Sekirei}}'', ''Anime/SoRaNoWoTo'', ''Manga/BlackButler'', and ''Manga/{{Working}}'' in the shop Yadomi and Anaru work in.

[[caption-width-right:350:Clockwise from top left: [[TheQuietOne Chiriko]] [[SugarAndIcePersonality "Tsuruko"]] [[{{Meganekko}} Tsurumi]], [[TheHero Jinta]] [[{{Hikikomori}} "Jintan"]] [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold Yadomi]], [[OtakuSurrogate Naruko]] [[JerkassFacade "Anaru"]] [[{{Tsundere}} Anjo]], [[DeadToBeginWith Meiko]] [[GenkiGirl "Menma"]] Honma, [[TheRival Atsumu]] [[{{Hypocrite}} "Yukiatsu"]] [[CreepyCrossdresser Matsuyuki]], and [[{{Keet}} Tetsudo]] [[ManChild "Poppo"]] [[WalkingTheEarth Hisakawa]]]]

[[quoteright:317:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/anohana3_2741.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:317: [-From left to right (lower row): [[TheHero Jinta]] [[{{Hikikomori}} "Jintan"]] [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold Yadomi]], [[{{Keet}} Tetsudo]] [[ManChild "Poppo"]] [[WalkingTheEarth Hisakawa]], [[DeadToBeginWith Meiko]] [[GenkiGirl "Menma"]] Honma, [[OtakuSurrogate Naruko]] [[JerkassFacade "Anaru"]] [[{{Tsundere}} Anjo]], [[TheRival Atsumu]] [[{{Hypocrite}} "Yukiatsu"]] [[CreepyCrossdresser Matsuyuki]], and [[TheQuietOne Chiriko]] [[SugarAndIcePersonality "Tsuruko"]] [[{{Meganekko}} Tsurumi]].-] ]]

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** BrokenAce: Yukiatsu looks perfect, smart, hot and all, but he's got massive issues.

* DeconstructedTrope: The concept of PuritySue is ''smashed to pieces'' here. Not only was Menma ridiculously pure and innocent (and kinda ditzy) because she died as a child and thus got mentally/emotionally stuck as a little girl forever, but it's made brutally clear how much pressure that kind of character would put on her friends: Tsuruko and Anaru remember Menma fondly but are also jealous and resentful of her because she (unintentionally) left an insanely high standard for them to meet when she kicked it; Jintan and Yukiatsu are very screwed up due to still loving her for a long time after her death, with Jintan unable to function in social situations and Yukiatsu cultivating an unhealthy obsession; and Poppo constantly has to put on a happy face in order to interact with others [[spoiler: due to his guilt after not being able to save her life]].

* EarnYourHappyEnding: After much angst and tribulation [[spoiler: in which the group vent their anger and express their true feelings to one another, they are finally able to overcome the psychological traumas each one of them acquired after Menma's death, and Menma's ghost is able to say one last tearful goodbye to all of them. Jintan stopped being a hikikomori for good and started attending school regularly, and it's implied that he and Anaru will end up together as a couple eventually. It is also implied that Tsuruko and Yukiatsu are dating. Meanwhile, Poppo also has gone back to school (although he did not quit working at the construction site)]].

* EarnYourHappyEnding: After much angst and tribulation [[spoiler: in which the group vent their anger and express their true feelings to one another, they are finally able to overcome the psychological traumas each one of them acquired after Menma's death, and Menma's ghost is able to say one last tearful goodbye to all of them. Jintan stopped being a hikkikomori for good and started attending school regularly, and it's implied that he and Anaru will end up together as a couple eventually. It is also implied that Tsuruko and Yukiatsu are dating. Meanwhile, Poppo also has gone back to school (although he did not quit working at the construction site)]].

* TheRedStapler: The town of Chichibu has seen an immense increase in visitors because of its appearance in the anime, which is milked for all it's worth by the local tourism industry.

Viewers in the US may watch this show legally on [[http://www.hulu.com/anohana-the-flower-we-saw-that-day Hulu]] or [[http://www.crunchyroll.com/anohana-the-flower-we-saw-that-day Crunchyroll]].