Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day (2011)

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Meet the Super Peace Busters, six young kids lead by a boy named Jintan, who like to just hang out and have fun together. That is, until one day when a tragic accident takes the life of Menma, an always happy, smiling girl who was the cutest of the group. Actually, Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day starts ten years after – when Menma returns.

Since Menma’s death, the Super Peace Busters go their separate ways. Jintan becomes a shiftless homebody slacker with no plans or ambitions. He is also the only one who can see Menma, who like the others has somehow grown into a teen, although she remains a child at heart and behavior. Menma says she has returned to ask Jintan to help grant her wish, only she does not remember what that wish is.

Menma’s return effects each of the former friends differently. But it all involves opening old wounds and dealing with old psychoses which date back to the day Menma died. You guessed it. This one is a tearjerker, and the ending gets to your heart.

I liked everything about this series, including the artwork, animation, and characterizations. They were all superb, as were the voices in the English dub.

There will be no second season of Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day. The last episode wraps things up perfectly. There is a movie version which followed the series, though I suspect plot and characters were not as well developed. Check out the series. You can get it on Netflix Streaming.