History Anime / AnoHiMitaHanaNoNamaeOBokutachiWaMadaShiranai

[[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"]] [[WhiteHairedPrettyGirl Honma]], [[OtakuSurrogate Naruko]] [[JerkassFacade "Anaru"]] [[{{Tsundere}} Anjo]], [[TheRival Atsumu]] [[{{Hypocrite}} "Yukiatsu"]] [[CreepyCrossdresser Matsuyuki]], and [[TheQuietOne Chiriko]] [[SugarAndIcePersonality "Tsuruko"]] [[{{Meganekko}} Tsurumi]].-] ]]

When someone close to you dies--be it a friend, a classmate, a significant other, or a family member--it strikes a chord. Things change. Close friends drift apart. Some move on, and some stay firmly rooted in the past.

Such is the case with Jinta "Jintan" Yadomi, a high school-aged {{Hikikomori}}. After the death of Meiko "Menma" Honma, Jintan and their four other friends--Naruko "Anaru" Anjo, Atsumu "Yukiatsu" Matsuyuki, Chiriko "Tsuruko" Tsurumi, and Tetsudo "Poppo" Hisakawa--begin to lose touch with each other and move on with their lives. Five years later, Menma's ghost pays him a visit, asking him to help her fulfill a wish. Just what that wish is, she doesn't completely remember, but getting the old gang back together is a start.

''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."), [[OverlyLongTitle also known as AnoHana for short]], is a [[Spring2011Anime Spring 2011]] AnimeFirst series shown on {{noitaminA}} and produced by A-1 Pictures. It has been licensed for North American release by [[NipponIchi NIS America]] in July 2012.
-----
!''Ano-Hana'' provides examples of:

* TheAce: Yukiatsu. However, he begrudgingly acknowledges that even now [[MagneticHero Jintan has a certain persuasive charisma]].
* 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 The {{Big Guy}}, 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.]]
* AlphaBitch: Anaru's friends Aki and Haruna.
* AnguishedDeclarationOfLove: [[spoiler:Yukiatsu towards Menma when they were kids in a flashback in Episode 5. Anaru towards Jintan in Episode 8.]]
* AnimationBump: Menma's movements rocket up to rotoscope-smooth at the end of Episode 10.
* {{Bishounen}}: Yukiatsu. He's not shy about mentioning this himself.
* BlandNameProduct:
** Just from Episode 2, there's the [[NintendoDS Nindendo DZ]], [[Franchise/{{Digimon}} Dojimon]], [=WcDonald's=], and [[Franchise/{{Pokemon}} Nokemon]].
** [[{{Pocky}} Rocky]] anyone?
** Less obvious to viewers outside of Japan is [[http://www.virtualjapan.com/wiki/Cecil_McBee Giselle McBee]].
** Anaru and Jintan's game store stocks ''[[BrainAge Quiz Age]]''.
* BlondeBrunetteRedhead: The three girls of the group--Menma (blonde), Anaru (redhead), and Tsuruko (brunette).
* BlushSticker: Poppo as a child.
* ButNotTooForeign: Menma is half-Russian.
* 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.]]
* {{Catchphrase}}: Jinta's dad divides all the world's aspects into cute and not cute.
* 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.
* ChildhoodFriends: The entire main cast.
* [[spoiler:{{Crossdresser}}[=/=]CreepyCrossdresser: Yukiatsu, to the surprise of few. The hints used to foreshadow this were too large for a majority of the audience.]]
* CuteGhostGirl: Menma.
* DateRapeAverted: For Anaru in Episode 5 [[spoiler:by Yukiatsu of all people.]]
* ADateWithRosiePalms:
** Poppo's definitely been keeping himself company at the clubhouse.
** Two words: Man Juice.
* DeadpanSnarker: Yukiatsu can be quite the snarker when he's in a lighthearted mood.
* DeathByNewberyMedal: Menma's death actually occurs before the current storyline, but it plays out all the same.
* DoesNotLikeShoes: Menma doesn't wear them, though she did when she was alive. It may be an example of JacobMarleyApparel, considering she's shown to have lost her shoes when she drowned and she's wearing the same dress from back then.
* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: In Episode 3, Menma expresses her desire for Jintan to go back to school whilst straddling him and bouncing. It's innocent on her part. Probably not so much on the animator's.
* DoItYourselfThemeTune: The ending theme is performed by the voice actresses of the three girls of the main cast.
* EnjoKosai: Anaru's friends set up a group date with older men in Episode 5. When Anaru looks like she wants to back out early, one of the men walks her out and tries taking her to a {{love hotel}}. [[spoiler:Thankfully Yukiatsu noticed her beforehand.]]
* {{Expy}}: Menma, especially as a child, looks exactly like [[{{Disgaea}} 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.
* EvilPhone: [[spoiler:Not evil, but in Episode 8, Menma tries making phone calls to the gang to get them to believe in her. Seeing as only Jintan can perceive her, the most they hear is a vague scraping.]]
* FieryRedhead: Anaru.
* FightingTheLancer: It never escalates to an all-out brawl, but Jintan and Yukiatsu's relationship is constantly on-edge for the majority of the series, with Yukiatsu even ''strangling'' Jintan at one point.
* FiveManBand:
** TheHero: Jintan
** TheLancer: Yukiatsu
** TheBigGuy: Poppo
** TheSmartGuy: Tsuruko
** TheChick: Anaru and Menma
*** Though after Menma dies and comes back as a ghost she can also been seen as a {{Sixth Ranger}} to the current group.
* [[FourPhilosophyEnsemble Five Philosophy Ensemble]]
** The Cynic: Yukiatsu
** The Optimist: Poppo/Menma
** The Realist: Tsuruko
** The Apathetic: Jintan
** The Conflicted: Anaru
* 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.]]
* GirlishPigtails: Anaru.
* GratuitousEnglish: Poppo peppers his speech with a few phrases every now and then, which should be of no surprise, considering that he's a traveler.
* GreenEyedMonster: Anaru and Yukiatsu have had their share of this when it comes to Jintan and Menma. Even [[TheStoic Tsuruko]] has a bit of a moment when she eavesdrops on Yukiatsu comforting Anaru in Episode 9. In Episode 11, Tsuruko admits that the person that she's always been jealous of is Anaru for being his ReplacementLoveInterest and the person who understood Yukiatsu the most.
* HeIsNotMyBoyfriend:
** A shopkeeper mistakes Tsuruko for Yukiatsu's girlfriend. Her reaction is silent but strong nonetheless. Apparently their classmates also assume they're an item too, and Yukiatsu does little to dispel the misconception.
** Anaru also says this about Jintan when her friends tease her about dating him. Jintan's response [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere was to walk home]].
* HeroesWantRedheads: Inverted. It is the redheaded Anaru who has feelings for Jintan. Whether they stays inverted or gets played straight on Jintan's part remains to be seen, though they are both currently in {{UST}} territory. [[spoiler:The ending hints that eventually get together.]] Yukiatsu, however, plays the trope straight as he asks Anaru out and has a few ShipTease moments with her, [[spoiler:but nothing ever comes to fruition between them.]]
* {{Hikikomori}}:
** Jintan has a reputation of being this. He is obviously uncomfortable to go outside without [[PaperThinDisguise glasses and a beanie]].
** [[spoiler:Mrs. Honma, according to Menma's little brother]], refuses to leave the house and doesn't want to see other people.
* HotMom[=/=]MissingMom: Jintan's late mother Toko.
* {{Hypocrite}}: Yukiatsu accuses Jintan of being obsessed with Menma. Yukiatsu is much, much worse.
* ImportantHaircut: [[spoiler:Tsuruko in Episode 10.]]
* InSeriesNickname: Every member of the old group of friends has one.
** 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."]]]]
* JacobMarleyApparel: Menma's appearance doesn't display signs of her death, but she's wearing the same outfit she drowned in (although it's larger, since her ghost looks older and is taller than she was at death) and wears no shoes (which were washed away by the river).
* {{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.
* JerkassFacade: Anaru is surprisingly nice and pretty much a huge nerd under her jerkish [[{{Tsundere}} Tsundere-isms]].
* {{Keet}}: Poppo.
* LastNameBasis: Some members of the group have stopped using their nicknames or given names with each other on the few occasions they meet. As the group is getting closer again, this might be reversed, however. For example, Poppo calls some attention to Anaru referring to him as "Jintan" when the latter isn't around in Episode 7 and Yukiatsu calls attention to her almost saying "Jintan" but changing to "Yadomi" in Episode 9. [[spoiler:By Episode 11, everyone has gone back to referring to each other by their respective nicknames.]]
* LawyerFriendlyCameo:
** Episode 2 has Jinta and Anaru trying to get a rare [[Franchise/{{Pokemon}} Nokemon]].
** And in Anaru's words: "Who the hell buys Nokemon [[VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver Gold?]]"
** Other famous titles, such as ''[[Franchise/{{Digimon}} Dojimon]]'' and ''BoboboboBobobo'' show up in Anaru's manga and game collection.
** Friendly or not, there are insanely blatant posters of ''WanderingSon'', ''{{Sekirei}}'', ''SoraNoWoto'', ''Manga/BlackButler'', and ''{{Working}}'' in the shop Yadomi and Anaru work in.
* LimitedWardrobe: Averted. There are school uniforms, of course, but the characters (barring [[JacobMarleyApparel Menma]]) have consistently worn different casual clothes.
* LongingLook: Both Anaru and Yukiatsu still have feelings for Jintan and Menma respectively and are very obvious with their feelings (at least, to the viewers). [[spoiler:Yukiatsu, however, leans toward the obsessive side with his gestures, such as [[SmellsSexy deeply inhaling the scent of one of Menma's old dresses]] and ''[[CreepyCrossdresser crossdressing as her]]''.]]
* LoveHotels: A guy attempts to take Anaru to one in Episode 5.
* LoveHurts
* MaleGaze
* MaliciousSlander: Anaru suffers through this in Episode 6 when rumors leak out that she went to a love hotel with an upperclassman.
* ManChild: Poppo is a bit younger than most, but the fact that he lives in his old clubhouse suggests that he hasn't really matured since the gang split up.
* MaybeEverAfter: The epilogue drops some hints for [[spoiler:Jintan/Anaru and Tsuruko/Yukiatsu.]]
* {{Meganekko}}: Tsuruko. Anaru wore them as a child.
** Doubles for StoicGlasses for present Tsuruko and NerdGlasses for young Anaru.
* {{Melodrama}}: The final two episodes.
* MultitaskedConversation: Menma talks and talks...
* MyGirlIsNotASlut: Invoked by Jintan in Episode 6 [[spoiler:for Anaru, though they are not a couple.]]
* MyGreatestFailure: [[spoiler:Poppo was unable to save Menma when she drowned.]]
* {{Narm}}: In-universe--in Episode 11, Anaru's false eyelashes detaching themselves is enough to cheer everyone up after their ''extremely'' tearful confessions.
* NeverGotToSayGoodbye: Menma died before Jintan could confess to her properly or apologize for lashing out at her when put on the spot.
* {{Nosebleed}}: It was a ''normal'' nosebleed, but Jintan getting one gives Anaru the [[AccidentalPervert wrong]] [[NotWhatItLooksLike idea]].
* NotSoImaginaryFriend: Jinta thinks Menma is a figment of his imagination. She's not.
* NotWhatItLooksLike: A classic one for {{UST}} purposes in Episode 7, where Anaru slips and falls into Jintan, dragging them into an intimate position. Then Poppo walks in, sees them... and [[CrowningMomentOfFunny promptly beats a retreat]].
* OfficialCouple: Though [[MaybeEverAfter not explicitly stated]], the ending hints at [[spoiler:Jintan/Anaru]] and [[spoiler:Yukiatsu/Tsuruko.]]
* OneHeadTaller: Menma is much smaller than all the rest of the Super Peace Busters, allowing this to be invoked with any of them, though it's usually with Jintan. [[spoiler:Averted with each implied OfficialCouple, who are roughly the same heights as each other.]]
* OverlyLongTitle: The title translates to, "We Still Don't Know the Name of the Flower We Saw That Day."
* PairTheSpares: During their childhood, Tsuruko saw this as probable scenario between Yukiatsu and Anaru after Jintan and Menma would get together. Five years later, Yukiatsu himself started to see it as good solution. [[spoiler:It probably didn't end this way, though.]]
* PatientChildhoodLoveInterest: Anaru, based on her attitude towards Jintan.
* PortmanteauCoupleName: Used in-universe. Anaru invokes this by calling Yukiatsu/Tsuruko as Yukiatsuruko, though they're not a couple.
* PuttingTheBandBackTogether: Menma can't remember her wish but believes that it would be a step in the right direction for Jintan to pull this off.
* RealSongThemeTune: The ending theme is a cover of Zone's "secret base (Kimi ga Kureta Mono)" by the three leading ladies.
* ReplacementLoveInterest: In Episode 9, Anaru admits that she thought Jintan would like her best after Menma died, but he didn't, and Tsuruko loves Yukiatsu and believes that he will never feel the way because he sees Anaru as his "back-up."
* TheRival: Yukiatsu towards Jintan.
* RedHeadedHeroine: Anaru.
* TheRunaway: [[spoiler:Anaru stays out at the clubhouse in Episode 6, fearing reprisal from her mother should she go home. She returns to her house and gets her anticipated chewing-out and decides to make her stay at the clubhouse a bit more permanent until Episode 9.]]
* 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.
* ScaryShinyGlasses: Tsuruko gets them momentarily to intimidate Anaru away from the subject in Episode 9 when the latter comments that she never expected to hear Tsuruko talking about cute things.
* [[spoiler:SecondLove: Hinted at in the ending with Tsuruko for Yukiatsu and Anaru for Jintan.]]
* ShipTease: [[ChildhoodFriendRomance As children]], Jintan and Menma had feelings for each other with Anaru crushing on the former and Yukiatsu crushing on the latter, and Tsuruko crushing on Yukiatsu. In the present, Jintan and Anaru share a bit of {{UST}} while Yukiatsu and Tsuruko are usually seen together and are once [[HeIsNotMyBoyfriend mistaken for a couple]]. Yukiatsu also attempts to pull the PairTheSpares route with Anaru by asking her out, and Poppo has declared a slight interest in Tsuruko too, which would make LoveDodecahedron complete.
* ShoutOut:
** Episode 2: There are ''WanderingSon'' and ''{{Sekirei}}'' posters in Anaru's workplace register. The Sekirei one returns in episode 8.
** Episode 6: Jintan is watching ''OccultAcademy'' at the beginning of the episode. Anaru is shown to have carved a Anime/{{Hamtaro}} into one of the pillars of the clubhouse.
** Episode 7: Anaru's workplace has a ''{{Working}}'' poster near the register. A television show features a ''female'' pug named [[RoseOfVersailles Oscar]].
* SixStudentClique:
** The Head: [[MagneticHero Jintan]]
** The Muscle: [[TheRival Yukiatsu]]
** The Quirk: [[ManChild Poppo]]
** The Pretty One: [[TheCutie Menma]]
** The Smart One: [[SugarAndIcePersonality Tsuruko]]
** The Wild One: [[FieryRedhead Anaru]]
* SleepCute: Jintan and Menma in the second episode.
* StepfordSmiler: [[spoiler:Mrs. Honma]] and [[spoiler:Poppo.]]
* TheStoic: Tsuruko.
** NotSoStoic ensues later, of course.
* SugarAndIcePersonality: Tsuruko has grown into one.
* TallDarkAndBishoujo: Tsuruko.
* ThereAreNoTherapists: You'd think that someone would suggest that Jinta should see a therapist, being a shut-in who obsesses over a friend who died back when he was little and all.
** In General, just looking at the Super Peace Busters [[spoiler:and Mrs. Honma]] is enough to make you ask yourself "Dude, where are the grief counselors?"
* ThirdPersonPerson: Menma.
* TooGoodForThisSinfulEarth: Menma was an unbelievably cute CheerfulChild who always put her friends before herself and rarely considered her own feelings.
* TragicKeepsake: Yukiatsu's keepsake is [[spoiler:a pin just like the one he offered to Menma when he confessed. Tsuruko seems to have the actual one.]]
* {{Tsundere}}: Anaru. Jintan tsuns back at her quite a bit, as well.
* UnresolvedSexualTension: Jintan and Menma, Jintan and Anaru, Yukiatsu and Tsuruko, and Yukiatsu and Anaru.
* WillTheyOrWontThey: The same above. [[spoiler:Jintan/Anaru and Yukiatsu/Tsuruko are [[MaybeEverAfter suggested but not confirmed in the ending]].]]
* WalkingTheEarth: Seems to be Poppo's ambition. The mapping of his travels looks quite impressive. [[spoiler:All this was meant to forget his bitter memories of ''seeing'' Menma drown and being unable to help.]]
* WeWereYourTeam: The group drifted apart [[WeUsedToBeFriends after Menma died and Jinta broke down]].
* WhiteHairedPrettyGirl: Menma.
* WomanInWhite: Menma.
----

* WillTheyOrWontThey: The same above. [[spoiler:Jintan/Anaru and Yukiatsu/Tsuruko are [MaybeEverAfter suggested but not confirmed in the ending].]]

* 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 The {{Big Guy}}, it is likely that he will get the short end of the stick. [[spoiler:In the end, Jintan/Anaru and Yukiatsu/Tsuruko are the implied {{Official Couple}}s.]]

* WillTheyOrWontThey: The same above. [[spoiler:Jintan/Anaru and Yukiatsu/Tsuruko above are hinted as the {{Official Couple}}s.]]

* 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 Jinta 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 The {{Big Guy}}, it is likely that he will get the short end of the stick. [[spoiler:In the end, Jintan/Anaru and Yukiatsu/Tsuruko are the implied {{Official Couple}}s.]]

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

** Episode 2 has Jinta and Anaru trying to get a rare [[{{Pokemon}} Nokemon]].

** Just from Episode 2, there's the [[NintendoDS Nindendo DZ]], [[{{Digimon}} Dojimon]], [=WcDonald's=], and [[{{Pokemon}} Nokemon]].

** Other famous titles, such as ''[[{{Digimon}} Dojimon]]'' and ''BoboboboBobobo'' show up in Anaru's manga and game collection.

** Friendly or not, there are insanely blatant posters of ''WanderingSon'', ''{{Sekirei}}'', ''SoraNoWoto'', ''{{Kuroshitsuji}}'', and ''{{Working}}'' in the shop Yadomi and Anaru work in.

** 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."]]]]

** The Smart One: [[SugarandIcePersonality Tsuruko]]

** Episode 6: Jintan is watching ''OccultAcademy'' at the beginning of the episode. Anaru is shown to have carved a {{Hamtaro}} into one of the pillars of the clubhouse.

** EmbarrassingNickname: Anaru. Just... romanize it. Jintan seems to realize it now; [[TheDitz Menma]] doesn't. [[spoiler: [[DontExplaintheJoke It sounds like "anal."]]]]

''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."), [[OverlyLongTitle also known as AnoHana for short]], is a [[Spring2011Anime Spring 2011]] AnimeFirst series shown on {{noitaminA}} and produced by A-1 Pictures.

* OneHeadTaller: Menma is much smaller than all the rest of the Super Peace Busters, allowing this to be invoked with any of them, though it's usually with Jintan. [[spoiler:Averted with the implied OfficialCouples, who are roughly the same heights as each other.]]

''Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae o Bokutachi wa Mada Shiranai.'' is a [[Spring2011Anime Spring 2011]] AnimeFirst series shown on {{noitaminA}} and produced by A-1 Pictures.

** And in Anaru's words: "Who the hell buys Nokemon [[{{PokemonGoldAndSilver}} Gold?]]"

* AllLoveIsUnrequited[=/=]LoveDodecahedron: Tsuruko has a crush on Yukiatsu, but he is obsessed with Menma [[spoiler: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 Jinta 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 The Big Guy, it is likely that he will get the short end of the stick. [[spoiler:In the end, Jintan/Anaru and Yukiatsu/Tsuruko are the implied {{Official Couple}}s.]]

* GreenEyedMonster: Anaru and Yukiatsu have had their share of this when it comes to Jintan and Menma. Even [[TheStoic Tsuruko]] has a bit of a moment when she eavesdrops on Yukiatsu comforting Anaru in Episode 9. [[spoiler:In Episode 11, Tsuruko admits that the person that she's always been jealous of is Anaru for being his ReplacementLoveInterest and the person who understood Yukiatsu the most.]]

* HeroesWantRedheads: Inverted. It is the redheaded Anaru who has feelings for Jintan. Whether they stays inverted or gets played straight on Jintan's part remains to be seen, though they are both currently in {{UST}} territory. [[spoiler:The ending hints that eventually get together.]] On the other hand, Yukiatsu sure has [[ShipTease quite the screen time]] comforting Anaru through their mutual unrequited loves too, [[spoiler:but nothing ever comes to fruition between them.]]

* MyGirlIsNotASlut: Invoked by Jintan in episode 6 [[spoiler:for Anaru, even though the two were not a couple]].

* ReplacementLoveInterest: In Episode 9, [[spoiler:Anaru admits that she thought Jintan would like her best after Menma died, but he didn't, and Tsuruko loves Yukiatsu and believes that he will never feel the way because he sees Anaru as his "back-up."]]

When someone close to you dies -- be it a friend, a classmate, a significant other, or a family member -- it strikes a chord. Things change. Close friends drift apart. Some move on, and some stay firmly rooted in the past.

Such is the case with Jinta "Jintan" Yadomi, a high school-aged {{Hikikomori}}. After the death of Meiko "Menma" Honma, Jintan and their four other friends -- Naruko "Anaru" Anjo, Atsumu "Yukiatsu" Matsuyuki, Chiriko "Tsuruko" Tsurumi, and Tetsudo "Poppo" Hisakawa -- begin to lose touch with each other and move on with their lives. Five years later, Menma's ghost pays him a visit, asking him to help her fulfill a wish. Just what that wish is, she doesn't completely remember, but getting the old gang back together is a start.

* AllLoveIsUnrequited[=/=]LoveDodecahedron: Tsuruko has a crush on Yukiatsu, but he is obsessed with Menma. Anaru is in love with Jinta, but the latter is also obsessed with Menma. Menma does like Jinta 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 The Big Guy, it is likely that he will get the short end of the stick.

* AnimationBump: Menma's movements rocket up to rotoscope-smooth at the end of episode 10.

* 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 Episode 5 and 9.

* DateRapeAverted: For Anaru in episode five [[spoiler:by Yukiatsu of all people]].

* EnjoKosai: Anaru's friends set up a group date with older men in episode 5. When Anaru looks like she wants to back out early, one of the men walks her out and tries taking her to a love hotel. [[spoiler:Thankfully Yukiatsu noticed her beforehand.]]

* GreenEyedMonster: Anaru and Yukiatsu have had their share of this when it comes to Jintan and Menma. Even [[TheStoic Tsuruko]] has a bit of a moment when she eavesdrops on Yukiatsu comforting Anaru in Episode 9.
* HeIsNotMyBoyfriend: A shopkeeper mistakes Tsuruko for Yukiatsu's girlfriend. Her reaction is silent but strong nonetheless. Apparently their classmates also assume they're an item too, and Yukiatsu does little to dispel the misconception.

* HeroesWantRedheads: Inverted. It is the redheaded Anaru who has feelings for Jintan. Whether they stays inverted or gets played straight on Jintan's part remains to be seen, though they are both currently in {{UST}} territory. [[spoiler:The ending hints that eventually get together.]] On the other hand, Yukiatsu sure has [[ShipTease quite the screen time]] comforting Anaru through their mutual unrequited loves too.

** EmbarrassingNickname: Anaru. Just... romanize it. Jintan seems to realize it now, [[TheDitz Menma]] doesn't. [[spoiler: [[DontExplaintheJoke It sounds like "anal".]]]]

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

* {{Narm}}: In-universe -- in episode 11, Anaru's false eyelashes detaching themselves is enough to cheer everyone up after their ''extremely'' tearful confessions.

* NotWhatItLooksLike: A classic one in Episode 7 for {{UST}} purposes, where Anaru slips and falls into Jintan, dragging them into an intimate position. Then Poppo walks in, sees them... and [[CrowningMomentOfFunny promptly beats a retreat]].
* OfficialCouple: [[spoiler:Though [[MaybeEverAfter not explicitly stated]], the ending hints at Jintan/Anaru and Yukiatsu/Tsuruko.]]

* PortmanteauCoupleName: Used in-universe. Anaru calls Yukiatsu/Tsuruko as Yukiatsuruko, though they're not a couple. [[invoked]]

* ReplacementLoveInterest: In Episode 9, [[spoiler:Anaru admits that she thought Jintan would like her best after Menma died, but he didn't, and Tsuruko loves Yukiatsu and believes that he will never feel the way, especially because it seems he's chosen Anaru as his "backup."]]

* ShipTease: [[ChildhoodFriendRomance As children]], Jintan and Menma had feelings for each other with Anaru crushing on the former and Yukiatsu crushing on the latter. In the present, Jintan and Anaru share a bit of {{UST}} while Yukiatsu and Tsuruko are usually seen together and are once [[HeIsNotMyBoyfriend mistaken for a couple]]. Poppo has also declared a slight interest in Tsuruko [[spoiler:and seems to ask Menma something about himself before changing the subject, which would hint he might have liked her]], which would make LoveDodecahedron complete. Not to mention Yukiatsu casually suggesting to Anaru that they should go out too and comforts Anaru while a seemingly jealous Tsuruko eavesdrops on them.

* StepfordSmiler: [[spoiler:Mrs. Honma]] and [[spoiler:Poppo]].

* WillTheyOrWontThey: The same above. [[spoiler:The second and third pairings above are hinted as the {{Official Couple}}s.]]

* PortmanteauSeriesNickname: [=AnoHana=]. It's sorely needed.

* PatientChildhoodLoveInterest: Anaru, based on her attitude towards Jintan.