In Memoriam – Laura Fontanilla / AnoHana’s Menma and Her Letters

Cosplay by Larry Bear. Character: Meiko “Menma” Honma. Series: あの日見た花の名前を僕達はまだ知らない (We Still Don’t Know the Name of the Flower We Saw That Day.)

Cosplay and tributes work well together when the context of the show relates so closely to what you are paying tribute to. AnoHana for short, this show touches upon the life of a group of friends who lost one of their own early on in their childhood. Inner thoughts and emotional dissections ensue, and we have a rather satisfying ending. Inspired by a true story? Possibly. Laura was a good friend for many years. And though we lost touch for nearly six of them, we were able to reconnect for two more before her untimely passing. This is an open letter about my thoughts on her young legacy from my viewpoint. May she find peace and comfort in knowing that she was loved and will always be remembered.

AnoHana 10: Hanabi

Ever since it was revealed that Menma’s only form of communication was through her personal diary and pen, the gang of friends have been (more or less) doing their best to see her off to heaven. By shooting off fireworks together, Memna’s wish would be fulfilled and she would supposedly move on.

Well, suffice to say that the fireworks indeed went off without a hitch, but Memna still doesn’t disappear. Oh no! I guess all that hard work was for naught. Hopefully, Tsurumi doesn’t regret cutting her hair after that. But what now? If Memna’s true wish wasn’t for everyone to collaborate of the fireworks, then what was it?

AnoHana 08: Desperate Communication

The moment the (former) Super Peace Busters realized those words in Menma’s diary were probably written in near real-time had to have been the biggest sentimental (and even somewhat supernatural) shock I’ve ever seen in a while. It must have been difficult on a completely different level when she was the one that barely shed any tears over her situation despite everyone else doing just that. It says a lot about Menma’s character in both past- and present-tense, even when she’s technically not around to directly mediate the quarrels between her friends.

Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae o Bokutachi wa Mada Shiranai 01: F.R.I.E.N.D.S..Sort Of

While I wouldn’t count this show as being a stirring pot of teenage drama and waterfalls of tears just yet, it does bring out a lot of subtle qualities you’d come to expect from its genre. It honestly hasn’t been since Clannad that I’ve been exposed to anything remotely as emotional as this show is leading on, and it’s only been the first episode. It’s fantastic in the sense that the potential for this series to really shine is so high out the gate, but it’s also a little unnerving because the show could completely flop if the story isn’t executed consistently well for the next eleven weeks. Despite that, the first episode earned my two thumbs up and is shaping up to be quite the potential tearjerker/heart-tugger for the season.

(I must have a thing for shows like this about close friendships, as if you couldn’t tell from the similarities between the screen cap above my Honey & Clover banner for this site =P)