>> muhootsaver Highly recommends this show.
I watched this episode using crunchyroll streaming service.
© 2009 志村貴子・太田出版/青い花製作委員会
Above images are from the official homepage:
HERESpoilers ahead! Click to read more...
Oh man, I ended up jerking out some tears. T__T I can't complain if it ends this nicely! I think this is the first show that really hit all the right spot for me since Honey and Clover and Ouran. I think I won't be able to think of anyone else other than director Kasai Kenichi when it comes to "Shoujo anime". Then again, his next series is Miracle Train...;;; I digress. Just like Honey and Clover, it warpped things up in a nice way that it doesn't really need the second season. It's great that the series holds up as an independent show and I was quite satisfied. Another "must have" on my buy list. orz...
You know, when I think of "Yuri", only show I can think of is "Maria watches over us". I confess, I used to try hard to like the genre "Yuri" to fit into the crowd. And I failed. Usually, I ended up not liking the characters or script and I just couldn't feel the vibe when it comes to their emotion. Atmosphere of many of these shows didn't really fit my taste either. Same goes to "Maria watches over us". I tried many times to finish the show and like it but I couldn't even finish the first season. However, Aoi Hana was different. It succeeded in expressing the clumsy love of a high school girl realistically yet beautifully. I guess it had the advantage of starting off with a good original material but it was more than a faithful adaption. Director was able to express femininity by using smooth and fluid movements within calm atmosphere. Usage of monologue and pastel like visual was superb, too. Tempo was very good and despite my worries, last episode was beautifully executed, emphasizing the friendship by connecting it back to the very first episode. Looking at Fumi crying over remembering her first love, I even thought that maybe Fumi unconsciously locked away those memories, being such a fragile child and all.
I really thought that this anime adaption was able to pull out the gems of the original manga and it won't surprise me if the series becomes the trademark of Yuri genre.
