We Still Don't Know the Name of the Flower We Saw That Day, which aired in 2011 and garnered a huge response from even those who don't usually watch anime, including celebrities. Originally an anime adaptation of Anohana, it was adapted into a live-action TV special in 2015. I'd like to introduce the main cast of this live-action series and how much it ties in with the original... ahem... differences!
Jintan Yadomi / Nijiro Murakami
The protagonist, Jintan, is played by Nijiro Murakami. He's currently 22 years old and has appeared in numerous films and TV dramas. Her somewhat shadowy presence lends her a reclusive personality, making her a perfect choice for the role. Perhaps due to her connection with Noitamina, she also tried her hand at voice acting in the 2017 broadcast of Inuyashiki, alongside her father, played by Fumiyo Kohinata.
Meiko Honma (Menma) / Minami Hamabe
The heroine, Menma, is played by Minami Hamabe. She's an actress who is more active these days. She's cute. I strongly associate her with her appearances in live-action films, including Anohana.
Anjō Naruko (Anaru) / Airi Matsui
Anaru is played by Airi Matsui. She used to be a model and idol, but now seems to be more active as an actress. Recent appearances include Good Doctor and I Give My First Love to You.
Yukiatsu Matsuyuki / Jun Shison
He starred in Ressha Sentai ToQger and has been active recently, appearing occasionally on variety shows. He seems like he'd suit cross-dressing, or maybe that's why he was cast in the role...
Tsurumi Chiriko (Tsuruko) / Iitoyo Marie
This model and actress has been appearing on TV more and more recently. Considering that Jun Shison, who plays Yukiatsu, appeared in ToQger, Iitoyo's experience in Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger may have led to the offer being made due to her special effects connection.
Hisakawa Tetsudo (Poppo) / Takabatake Yuta
With his tall stature and sturdy build, he seemed perfectly suited to the role. However, I never imagined that something like that would happen just one year later... Due to various circumstances, he is currently on an indefinite hiatus. I hope to see him again around August 10 years from now... but it seems he's making a comeback. I look forward to his future endeavors!
Minase-san / Minase Inori
This mob character, a hamburger shop employee, has an incredibly catchy voice. Who on earth is she? Incidentally, she also appears in the live-action adaptation of The Anthem of the Heart, which has a connection to Anohana. Is she a "Kitaino Shinjin" or something? Her voice sounds somewhat similar to a character from The Anthem of the Heart. Who on earth is she?
What are the similarities with the original work, and how well does it replicate it?
One commonality is that the setting for both the stage play and anime is Chichibu City. It's almost like the scenery in the anime perfectly matches the scenery. ...Actually, the anime is more focused on realism, so it's only natural that the live-action version fits so well. Or maybe the anime is just that much more impressive.
Strange T-Shirts
The strange T-shirts worn by Jintan were perfectly recreated, and there was a wide variety to choose from. They faithfully recreated the T-shirts worn in the same scenes as in the original manga. However, in the anime, the T-shirt with "Issun" written on the front and "Itto" written on the back had both. Also, the T-shirt with "White Negi" written on it was changed to "White Negi Taro," and an illustration was added.
Anaru
Anaru is, of course, the same. However, unlike the anime, there was no "Anaru, Anaru" chant that froze the viewer in shock. Perhaps the story was already so condensed that Anaru's impact was too strong? Anaru's appearances were almost completely eliminated.
The infamous cross-dressing scene
This is an absolutely essential scene. As a fan of the original work, it's a must-see, but I feel like it left those who had read the original work feeling left out, and even more so for those watching without any prior knowledge. However, it was an absolutely necessary scene.
Are there any differences in the setting?
First of all, the original staff is not involved, and this is a work independent of the "ANOHANA PROJECT." Don't go saying, "Oh no, I have a bad feeling about this!"... The story basically follows the original, and there aren't many major changes.
Menma's Background
Menma's hair color is different. Menma's mother is half Russian, making Menma a quarter Russian. However, for production purposes, Menma's mother is Japanese and her name was changed to Yoko. This is unavoidable in a live-action adaptation. But Anaru is still Anaru, and Anaru is Anaru.
How much of the original work did they stray from?
The live-action version of Anohana had to condense 11 episodes of the anime into two hours, so a lot of stuff had to be cut out overall. As a result, it's difficult to follow unless you've read the original manga, but those who have read the original manga found it unsatisfying. I'd like to explain how the live-action version differs from the anime.
Summer Beast Appears~
Menma appears before Jintan and asks him to grant her a wish. The anime featured some comical scenes and a visit from Anaru, but these were cut! Jintan goes to his secret base to look for Menma, where he reunites with Poppo, but these scenes were also cut! In the live-action version, Jintan meets Poppo at a convenience store.
Reunion with Yukiatsu and the others
In the live-action version, Anaru and Yukiatsu are reunited at a hamburger shop after being called by Poppo. After the reunion, a flashback of the Super Peace Busters is shown. In the anime, Jintan learns of Menma's death at home, but in the live-action version, everyone is present. It seems that only Poppo witnessed the decisive moment, but if everyone was there, Poppo's trauma seems a little less severe.
Yukiatsu Cross-Dressing
The scene then transitions to Yukiatsu running around the mountains in drag. There's no event where he catches a rare Nokemon at Anaru's house. In fact, Anaru's compensated dating and running away from home are completely cut, so Anaru is left out. After discovering Yukiatsu's cross-dressing, Menma reveals her presence there. In the original work, not everyone believed in Menma's existence at this point. This means that the event where he uses his diary to prove his existence at the secret base is also cut!
Making Fireworks
From there, they go to retrieve Menma's diary and plan the fireworks display. The fireworks making goes smoothly, without any particular intervention from anyone. Then we see Jintan's part-time job. Then we see Anaru and Jintan at work. In the scenes with Tsuko and Anaru, and Jintan and Poppo, each character talks about the trauma they've been carrying. In other words, the scenes where they speak their true feelings after Menma doesn't disappear are significantly shortened.
Menma didn't disappear~
In the anime, there's a scene where they blurt out their true feelings after Menma doesn't disappear, but that was cut! Instead, it emphasized that everyone must find Menma. When Jintan returns home and goes to call Menma, she says that Menma's wish was to make him cry, but since there's no flashback to Menma, we might feel a little left out.
Last
After taking Menma to the secret base, Jintan also loses sight of Menma, leading to the final scene where everyone searches for her. Menma's final letter and the final scene where everyone finds her and helps her pass away were tear-jerking even in the live-action version. I also thought the final epilogue was good. However, I think it was a bit too much of a "Super Original Busters" due to the lack of time.
Anohana Live-Action Summary
The live-action version of Anohana follows the original manga without making any major changes to the story. However, since the entire story had to be wrapped up in about two hours, the story was condensed, and every scene started abruptly, leaving the viewer feeling left behind. However, the final scene was still there in the live-action version, so I thought Anohana was a great show after all! The original Busters are always friends!
