Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day, also known as "We Still Don't Know the Name of the Flower We Saw That Day," first aired in 2011 and became a popular coming-of-age anime, even being adapted into a live-action film. The bittersweet and painful coming-of-age tale woven by its characters is impossible to watch without shedding a tear. We'd like to introduce the "Super Peace Busters," a group formed by the six main characters when they were in elementary school!
Jinta Shukuumi/Jintan (CV: Miyu Irino)
The protagonist of Anohana. Five years ago, Jintan lost his childhood friend Menma in an accident. This, combined with the death of his mother and failure in his entrance exams, led him to become a recluse due to the trauma. However, five years later, Menma suddenly appears at the end of summer, forcing him to confront his past. Although the trauma has made him overly self-conscious about what others think of him, his true nature hasn't changed much since childhood, as he can't help but become impatient when his friends are in trouble.
Jintan's Childhood
He was originally a bully and a leader. Menma, who stood out from the crowd because of her hair color, was accepted by the group without prejudice or sympathy, and the six of them, including herself and Menma, formed the Super Peace Busters. However, one day, when Anaru asked her, "You like Menma, don't you?", she became embarrassed and shy, retorting, "Who's calling me ugly?" and ran away. She thought she could just apologize tomorrow, but that tomorrow never came, and Menma died in an accident.
Meiko Honma/Menma (CV: Ai Kayano)
The heroine of Anohana. He is the mascot of the Super Peace Busters, who was supposed to have died in an accident five years ago. However, for some reason, he appears in front of Jintan at the end of summer five years later and says, "I want you to grant me a wish, don't you think?" Although no one other than Jintan can see or hear him, he can physically interfere with him, so to anyone other than Jintan he is a supernatural phenomenon. Although he has appeared in a more grown-up form since that day, his innocent personality and the way his mind is thinking have not changed since then.
Menma's Childhood
Menma's cheerful personality hasn't changed at all since she first appeared before Jintan. However, since she was a child, her mother was Russian, and she was born with a different hair color than the other children, which made her feel like an outsider and an outcast. Despite this, she loved Jintan and the other members of the Super Peace Busters, who accepted her as a member, and wanted everyone to get along with her, even if it meant ignoring her. This is probably the main reason why Menma appeared.
Anjou Naruko/Anaru (CV: Tomatsu Haruka)
A high school girl with a distinctive, flashy appearance who attends the same high school as Jintan. She has had a crush on Jintan since childhood, and continues to care for him even after he stops coming to school. Although she adopted a flashy appearance after starting high school, this is due to her easily influenced personality, and she is self-conscious about it. Contrary to her appearance, she is meticulous and has a penchant for otaku. Her childhood nickname was "Anaru," an abbreviation of Anjou Naruko's name, but after learning the meaning of the nickname, she becomes angry when people call her by it.
Anohana's Childhood
She used to have curly hair and wear black-rimmed glasses, and her appearance is quite different from now. She has always had a crush on Jintan, and was self-conscious about Menma's silky hair and introverted personality, which Jintan liked. She is deeply traumatized by the fact that the words she spoke to Menma just before her death may have been the trigger for her death, and that she thought Jintan might turn to her because of Menma's death.
Matsuyuki Shu/Yukiatsu (CV: Sakurai Takahiro)
He has a cool personality, attends a prestigious high school, ranks second in his grade, and is extremely popular as an athletic, handsome guy. At first glance, he seems like a winner and an unlikable guy... but in reality, he still can't forget Menma and is still haunted by her. His pent-up romantic feelings and trauma lead him to do crazy things, like running around the mountains and fields dressed as Menma. He's perfectly normal when it's not about Menma. Tsuruko has had feelings for him for years, but he's completely unaware of it.
Yukiatsu's Childhood
He remains cool and competitive. He still loves Menma, and on the day of the accident, he confesses his feelings to her and tries to give her a hair clip, but the matter is left unresolved. Because the accident occurred immediately after, Yukiatsu believes he was responsible for Menma's death, and he has been plagued by guilt ever since.
Tsurumi Chiriko (CV: Hayami Saori)
A literary girl with a cool, bespectacled appearance. She attends the same prestigious high school as Yukiatsu and excels in academics. They are always together, and while it may seem like they have a long-standing friendship, she has long had feelings for him and works hard to keep up with him. She keeps a close eye on Yukiatsu and realizes he is suffering from a major trauma, sometimes resorting to drastic measures to help him. However, knowing that Yukiatsu's interest would never be directed towards her, she has given up on the idea. She sometimes views Annaru, whom Yukiatsu sympathizes with, as they share a similar background.
Tsuruko's Childhood
She used to have short hair and didn't wear glasses. She had a crush on Yukiatsu back then, but Yukiatsu, who had feelings for Menma, didn't notice. In that sense, Tsuruko had similar feelings for Menma as Annaru.
Hisakawa Tetsudo/Poppo (CV: Kondo Takayuki)
After graduating from junior high school, he didn't go on to high school. Instead, he saved up money from part-time jobs and traveled the world. He's a very kind person with a cheerful personality, and he believes Jintan's story that he can see Menma, and actively cooperates with him. With the exception of Menma, he seems the most unchanged from the past, and he calls everyone in the Super Peace Busters by their nicknames. However, he has his own reasons for cooperating with Jintan to make Menma's wish come true. His erotic tastes are quite niche.
Poppo's Childhood
He was small and a little brother to everyone. Because of his small size, he wasn't the type to proactively make friends, so he was grateful to Jintan and the others for letting him join their group. However, he actually witnessed Menma's death up close, and was traumatized by the fact that he was unable to do anything and fled as Menma weakened. This trauma is also a factor in his support of Jintan.
Anohana Super Peace Busters Summary
The characters in Anohana are fascinating, and each one carries their own trauma, which adds to the excitement of the series. The final scene is so moving that it's hard to believe it's because the characters are so charming! Anohana has been adapted into a movie, a live-action film, and even a slot machine. Perhaps there will be some developments in the future!
