Finally, a non-filler post. I was ranting and raving about how amazing this anime was back when it started, and then, after I finished episode 4, I stopped watching it, and instead opted to wait for the series completion. Well, the series has now come and gone, leaving one question up in the air:
“Do I still think Aoi Hana was one of the best new anime of 2009?”
Aoi Hana
Before I get into a review that is bound to show spoilers, let me describe the basics of the show.
Premise: Two girls who used to be childhood best friends reconnect when one of them (Fumi) moves back home. Contains lesbians.
Now, first of all, the phrase, “Contains lesbians” should be a dead give-away that I like this show. I don’t know why I like shows with lesbians in them, but I do. So far, score one point for Aoi Hana right off the bat.
Aoi Hana – 1
Reasons to Not Like Aoi Hana – 0
How about the animation, was it up to par? Personally, not only could I not find a single mistake in the animation (although I never actually look for mistakes when I watch anime), but I also kind of liked the fuzzy sort of animation, as well as the color scheme. This is rare, as I do not usually like dull color schemes and fuzzy animation, but this was somehow different. I have never watched an anime with this type of animation, so it was good to see something new. Score another point for Aoi Hana
Aoi Hana – 2
Reasons to Not Like Aoi Hana – 0
So how about the story? This is where it gets hard to determine for me. The story was obviously good, because I found every episode enjoyable and easy to watch. I feel like I finished the series in no time at all (although it was only 11 episodes, which is nothing). But honestly, I feel as though…..oh hold on….(SPOILER)……I feel as though over the course of this anime, nothing really changed. I mean, sure, one could say that Fumi changed emotionally and yatta yatta yatta…..but who really cares. I want to see her end up with some girl at the end, even if it isn’t Akira. Like, at the beginning, she was single, and so was Akira. At the end, it’s the same situation. No couples formed. Nothing was really decided. That annoyed me. (SPOILER OVER). That being said, I award 300 points to Aoi Hana:
So now our standings look like this:
Aoi Hana – 302
Reasons to Not Like Aoi Hana – 0
Of course, just like “Who’s Line is it Anyway,” points don’t matter one bit in my review, so now I will hand out one award:
Best Character: Kyouko
You won.
I said, you won.
Wait…..Kyouko? Why is she the best character? You didn’t choose Fumi?
Fuck no I didn’t choose Fumi! Fucking Fumi sucks! Well, she doesn’t suck, but Kyouko is awesome, and I chose her for one of the following reasons:
- Her character design is awesome with the short hair flipped to the side like that.
- She’s just pretty cool.
- She does art.
Okay, so I really only picked her because of the character design, because let’s face it, every character with the exception of Akira had pretty much the same personality, which involved one of the following things:
- Crying
- Blushing
- Liking girls
Actually, all of the characters involved all of these things (besides Akira….and I guess a few other minor characters). So now, like any good writer does, I will conclude my review by circling back to the beginning to answer my initial question, “Do I still think Aoi Hana is one of the best new anime of 2009?”
I will say that while I did find this to be an enjoyable watch, It didn’t really blow me away much. It was definitely good, maybe even really good, but I can’t include it when talking about the top anime of 2009 (depending on the rest of the anime of 2009, which I am behind on). I believe that they should make a second season, that adds a conclusion of some sort (I don’t know if the manga or visual novel or whatever for Aoi Hana is still going on or not). Make an OVA series at least. Until then, I’ll give it a
FINAL GRADE = 5
but will also say that I thought reading the manga, Pieta, was more enjoyable (not to take anything away from Aoi Hana, but Pieta was fuckin great).
SIDE NOTE: I have finally updated My List, although I have yet to update and change my Top Ten.
Eye Sedso 