Well, this is the first 2012 anime show that I've finished. While I'm still in the middle of Future Diary, I was able to finish Ano Natsu - or Waiting in the Summer, if you prefer to call it that - much faster because of its shortness. Simply, the anime is pretty much a spiritual successor to Ano Hana, and I'm not making comparisons just because the two shows were made by the same guy, have similar animation, and have "Ano" in the titles.
Ano Natsu is a show that captures the feeling of nostalgia, with much of the series consisting of slice of life stories, much like to Ano Hana. At the center of both shows lie convoluted love triangles and the difficult (or impossible) nature of ideal romantic relationships. However, there are many elements that are intentionally contrasted to create distinctions. While AnoHana dealt with deeper and more "relevant" themes, such as loss and salvation, Ano Natsu deals with much lesser themes that pertain to adolescent feelings. Interestingly, Ano Hana finishes off in a minimalistic climax of hide and seek, while the last act of Ano Natsu focuses on a epic showdown against the aliens.
Before finishing Ano Natsu, I watched Super 8 and can't help but compare the two. Superficially speaking, both deal with teenagers making a movie during the summer. The two also have aliens, love triangles, etc. The biggest similarity, however, obviously is the nostalgia aspect. While I've stated that Ano Hana and Ano Natsu were nostalgic anime, both capture different feelings of nostalgia. Ano Hana is about how we let go of things in the past, but also latch on to certain important things as we move on. Ano Natsu focuses on the idea of preserving memories; the vision engraved in Ichika's mind and making movies to leave "evidence" are obviously parallels in the story. Super 8 is a self-referential homage to filmmaking that's about memories of our past and how we have the tendency to long for and capture those memories. Basically, the two stories (Ano Natsu and Super 8) focus on the idea of certain "normal periods" that feel, or felt, like a movie. In that context, both are Spielbergian, considering how they're about normal people being caught in extraordinary situations.
The interesting thing about Ano Natsu is that it started airing during the winter, despite the fact that it's a story set in the summertime. I think creators were playing the audience there; the harshness of the winter makes you crave for the warm, soothing, relaxing environment that you can only experience during summer, thus making the series feel more nostalgic to an extent.
I don't think Ano Natsu is actually as moving as Ano Hana, but I quite liked how it wrapped up. The penultimate episode left hope for the characters, as Ichika learns she might not have to go home, but the finale finished in a bittersweet tone, in which the efforts of the main characters weren't paid off. I think many viewers, including myself, hoped or believed that the main characters would come out prosperous at the end. In that context, I actually think Ano Hana, despite having a more tragic premise, ends much happier.
While it's not nearly as plot less as K-ON!, the rather too straightforward and derivative narrative of Ano Natsu might turn off certain viewers; I sort of considered quiting near the beginning. Still, Ano Natsu was actually worth 12 episodes for me. It's not the best show I've seen this decade, but it's my number 1 anime of the year so far (considering this is the only anime I've seen from this year). Recommended, especially if you liked Ano Hana.
Ano Natsu is a show that captures the feeling of nostalgia, with much of the series consisting of slice of life stories, much like to Ano Hana. At the center of both shows lie convoluted love triangles and the difficult (or impossible) nature of ideal romantic relationships. However, there are many elements that are intentionally contrasted to create distinctions. While AnoHana dealt with deeper and more "relevant" themes, such as loss and salvation, Ano Natsu deals with much lesser themes that pertain to adolescent feelings. Interestingly, Ano Hana finishes off in a minimalistic climax of hide and seek, while the last act of Ano Natsu focuses on a epic showdown against the aliens.
Before finishing Ano Natsu, I watched Super 8 and can't help but compare the two. Superficially speaking, both deal with teenagers making a movie during the summer. The two also have aliens, love triangles, etc. The biggest similarity, however, obviously is the nostalgia aspect. While I've stated that Ano Hana and Ano Natsu were nostalgic anime, both capture different feelings of nostalgia. Ano Hana is about how we let go of things in the past, but also latch on to certain important things as we move on. Ano Natsu focuses on the idea of preserving memories; the vision engraved in Ichika's mind and making movies to leave "evidence" are obviously parallels in the story. Super 8 is a self-referential homage to filmmaking that's about memories of our past and how we have the tendency to long for and capture those memories. Basically, the two stories (Ano Natsu and Super 8) focus on the idea of certain "normal periods" that feel, or felt, like a movie. In that context, both are Spielbergian, considering how they're about normal people being caught in extraordinary situations.
The interesting thing about Ano Natsu is that it started airing during the winter, despite the fact that it's a story set in the summertime. I think creators were playing the audience there; the harshness of the winter makes you crave for the warm, soothing, relaxing environment that you can only experience during summer, thus making the series feel more nostalgic to an extent.
I don't think Ano Natsu is actually as moving as Ano Hana, but I quite liked how it wrapped up. The penultimate episode left hope for the characters, as Ichika learns she might not have to go home, but the finale finished in a bittersweet tone, in which the efforts of the main characters weren't paid off. I think many viewers, including myself, hoped or believed that the main characters would come out prosperous at the end. In that context, I actually think Ano Hana, despite having a more tragic premise, ends much happier.
While it's not nearly as plot less as K-ON!, the rather too straightforward and derivative narrative of Ano Natsu might turn off certain viewers; I sort of considered quiting near the beginning. Still, Ano Natsu was actually worth 12 episodes for me. It's not the best show I've seen this decade, but it's my number 1 anime of the year so far (considering this is the only anime I've seen from this year). Recommended, especially if you liked Ano Hana.
