June 26, 2011
Ano Hana Finale: Flowers for A Lady
Our dead are never dead to us until we have forgotten them.
– George Eliot
June 11, 2011
Ano Hana Ep9: Just Beyond The River’s Edge
Of course none of us can really comprehend or even experience the death of another human being. To die is to die, a state that is the absence of life, a one way trip to an existence or non-existence that is exclusive only to those who go through it. A lot of people nonetheless would like the make that crossing to the other bank that, once crossed, can’t be returned from. It is ultimately unknown to all of us except until the time we must also go through it. It is inevitable for everyone, some earlier than others. Watching this series it makes me wonder if Jinta has ever tried to think about death as something more than simply no longer “being there”.
With this episode I think he is starting to understand.
June 3, 2011
Ano Hana Ep8: Letting Go
Letting go is, and will always be, the hardest part. This is especially true for parents who have lost children, and children who have lost friends. Parents live their lives believing they’d watch over their kids as they grow into teenagers, into young adults, until the day they become adults themselves and finally leave the nest. A parent expects to grow old and play with their grandchildren, to watch a new generation come to take the world from them as they sit on the sidelines, content that their work is done.
A parent expects their children to be the one to bury them. It’s never a job for a parent to bury their children.
May 30, 2011
Ano Hana Ep7: Memories of You
Due to time constraints (switching rotations to another location in a few days), was not able to post here in time. Here’s some screenshots of the episode. Hana Saku Iroha’s next episode will come up later.
May 22, 2011
Ano Hana Ep6: A Reason for Living
In school most of the time all we think about is reputation. In high school almost nothing will determine the life you will lead there than your social standing, to be at the top rungs or the bottom of the heap. A little gossip here and there could raise you up or destroy whatever image you’ve been cultivating. Anaru brings about an image of a very sociable and likable girl, but after being seen in front of a “love hotel” and having the story spun around by listeners, one can only expect her to become the so called “school whore.” A sad turn of events for someone who only wanted to get for herself the same life she thinks Menma had.
May 16, 2011
Ano Hana Ep5: The Blame Game
Place the blame or share the blame? There are people who defend themselves by placing blame on others in a rapid attempt to absolve themselves of guilt and shame. There are also those who are willing to accept their faults and their blame, admitting not only to themselves but to the world their faults and feelings and realizing what they have done or have contributed to. While it’s easy to blame Yukiatsu for his hypocrisy and arrogance towards his old friends, it’s another thing to realize how much he’s done it because of his own shame. A fact that, again, shows how different each person’s self defense is.
April 22, 2011
AnoHana Ep2: I Remember Yesterday
Most of us have probably had friends we haven’t seen in years, sometimes by circumstance or by choice. When the chance to reconnect does happen, however, we get surprised both by how much they’ve changed, and how much they’ve stayed the same. The geeky dues suddenly look like bodybuilders, the sporty ones get a rounded beer belly, the ones that barely passed exams have a high intellect job, etc etc. Sometimes it’s a surprising evolution during a time in our lives we thought would stay the same, but anyone above twenty knows that nothing ever is. At the same time the familiarity is there, because no matter how much we’ve moved on, pieces of us stay the same.
And it’s these very same pieces that helps us recognize each other.
April 16, 2011
Anohana Pilot Episode: When We Were Friends
Life goes on, days pass by, and people come and go in our lives. We grow older, perhaps a little wiser, and we encounter many people in our journey through life. Some stay for only a while, some stick with us for some time, and some stay for what feels like a lifetime. When we were children we certainly felt like the days would stay the same forever, stuck in our youth. What we didn’t know back then that things change, the world changes, and sometimes the most unforeseen event could tear us apart when we thought we’d be friends forever. We drift apart because of one thing, one thing that changes everything.
If you’ve seen Cross Game episode 1, sometimes even for mere children, death can be that thing.
Medical Student vs. Anime 