Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae wo Bokutachi wa Mada Shiranai.: Menma e no Tegami

Watching this about 2 years after watching the series feels like I just unlocked some heavy PTSD that I had no idea I had. This is basically the responses from the gang to the letter's that Menma wrote. This digs into your heart and I couldn't help tearing up. If you loved the series, this doesn't add much but hearing their reactions as they write letters back to her is just so beautiful. I highly recommend watching this if you enjoyed the series. It feels like Menma is still with them even after they "found" her. It made me end up rewatching the ending ofthe series to remind myself of the letters and it hits so much more powerfully just with that much more alone.

First off, this picture drama is supposed to be a small addition to the anime, which I'm sure all of us here watched. A year after this special was made, the movie was released, so it would make sense to watch this beforehand, which is what I did, but trust me, watch the movie first and then this special. This picture drama contains the response letters of the crew which are pretty much explained in the movie, so once you've watched their process of writing, you can dive in this special since the movie doesn't show what they wrote in detail, making this special a kindof "filler" to the series. Of course, it's up to you whether or not to watch it, since it might get repetitive. Story: As I mentioned before, it simply reads out the letters. I personally found it very heartwarming and I couldn't hold my tears after the first half of it. It also adds a few things that weren't mentioned in the series, which I found very cool. There isn't much to say other than that, though, it is a 12-minute picture drama, but it was still nice. Art: It was very simple yet creative. Few frames, sketchy art, can't say it was great but the details were still added, and since they narrate written letters, there isn't much to draw other than pictures, and using a greater budget would be meaningless. Can't complain at all. Music: The music just made it even harder to hold my tears. I can't think of better ways to set the mood other than a pacific and emotional background music to the crew's letter writing, which also fit each character's personalities well. Of course, the seiyuus also did a great work for a simple special. Really loved it. Characters: Reading the letters made it feel very personal. After watching the whole series a few years ago and listening to their personal stories, I felt an emotional connection with them, it just brought me great nostalgia and empathy. Couldn't ask for more. You may find this review as overrating, since I wasn't expecting it to be so strong emotionally, even though it's from the Anohana series. These small details meant a lot for me. If you do not want to watch the whole Anohana movie after finishing the series, or feel like you need more after watching it, you can add this small special to your list. 8/10