Ano Hana – Episodes 3 & 4 – Finding Menma

After Poppo finally brought Jinta and Naruko a bit closer, things are starting to look brighter for the revival of the Super Peace Busters. Also, more things are revealed about Jinta’s hikikomori along with a shocking surprise.

It’s apparent that Jinta has withdrawn himself from society for a long time because of a post dramatic event that happened during his childhood. This is when Meiko attempted to make steamed bread, which reminded him of his mother. She used to make them with raisins for the group at Jinta’s house. Regrettably, she has passed away due to an incurable and unknown illness. The death of her mother sets his situation apart from everyone else’s. Seeing that he had a very close relationship with his mother, he simply can’t bare the loss of her along with Meiko. These two deaths essentially caused him to become a hikikomori, a person withdrawn entirely from society.

Another thing that surprised me during Poppo’s effort to find Meiko is Atsumu himself. From the start, he is a very arrogant boy who is putting Jinta down frequently. However, he shows a different side of himself claiming to have seen her himself at the barbecue. After I heard his claims, it sounded fishy since Jinta himself is the only one that can see her ghost. From this, I felt that Atsumu love for Meiko is out of obsession. The nail is finally put in the coffin when he was caught crossdressing in a one-piece sundress while wearing a wig similar to Meiko’s. I felt that his crossdressing was merely done for shock value merely since he didn’t bother concealing his identity by shaving his legs and wearing makeup. Even so, I still think that everyone will still notice even if he put effort into it, especially Tsuruko through his appearance and behavior.

Even with the find Menma gathering, the group is still pretty far away from discovering the conditions to grant her wish. While Atsumu’s attempt to crossplay as her is utterly pathetic and predictable, it was important in showing his true colors. Because of this, this will remain be one of the most awkward moments that will be remembered throughout the series. From this realization, hopefully Atsumu will see the light and move on with his fixation on her. ¶