1:15 AM. The animation had finished.
Yet many viewers had no intention of sleeping, or rather, simply couldn't.
Nakamura Mizuki, who had followed the series from the first episode to the last, wiped the tears from her face. Then, she went to wash her face, picked up her phone, and sent an email to a high school club friend who had previously invited her to a get-together: "I was really busy before and couldn't make it. If there's another gathering, I'll definitely go this time, even if I have to take time off or skip work."
Within a minute, she received a reply: "Why the sudden change of heart?"
Nakamura Mizuki paused. She wanted to say that watching Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day had moved her deeply and made her reflect on her own situation, which was why she wanted to attend the next gathering. But on second thought, she decided not to mention it.
As she was pondering how to respond, her phone suddenly rang—it was the friend calling directly.
When she answered the phone, the voice on the other end immediately asked, "Mizuki, am I disturbing your rest?"
"No, not at all," Nakamura Mizuki replied.
There was a two-second silence before the voice asked, "What are you doing right now?"
"I was just watching a TV show."
"Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day?"
"Uh..."
"Actually, I was watching that same animation just now."
"Really?"
"Finished it a little while ago. I don't think I'll be able to sleep tonight."
"Then... let's just chat for a while?"
"Sounds good. By the way, are you free this Saturday? If you are, let's make plans. Everyone said we should wait for the next gathering since you couldn't make it last time. If you're available, I'll ask the others again and try to get everyone together this time."
"I... I'll be there! I'll definitely be there!"
As they chatted, Shiga Taka, who had also just finished the final episode of Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day, posted online:
Reborn in the Stormy Era
"Who was it that said Anohana wasn't tear-jerking at all, and not even a little bit depressing? Who wanted the storm to rage harder? Come out here! The final episode, especially after secretbase~you gave me everything~ started playing, I was sobbing my eyes out, waah waah waah~!"
As soon as the animation ended, the internet exploded with related topics.
Beyond Shiga Taka, many other viewers joined the discussion, sharing similar sentiments:
"The final episode was truly heartbreaking."
"I can't pinpoint exactly why it was so moving, but I couldn't stop crying. It's so strange."
"The BGM was too unfair! I never expected secretbase~you gave me everything~ to fit the story so perfectly."
"The first ten episodes were all about building up the tension, and then the final episode just exploded. How could anyone hold back their tears?"
"Menma... I found you... My tear ducts just collapsed right there."
"I probably shed a kilogram of tears in this episode. Good thing it wasn't too much."
"The first ten episodes were just a super popular, high-quality animation. But after the final episode, it became a true masterpiece—a rare, tear-jerking masterpiece at that."
In another timeline, the anime Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day premiered in April 2011 and still managed to deeply move a vast audience.
In June 2008, the second season of the tearjerker masterpiece After Days hadn't even been released yet. While the original game had been out for a while, its audience was far smaller than the anime's, and its core essence lay in the text. Though it featured visuals and music, it couldn't match the audiovisual impact of animation.
The release of Anohana at that time was like a bombshell. How could viewers possibly resist?
The most active online users were almost exclusively "old otaku"—those who watched a lot of anime and followed the animation industry closely. Many more viewers watched anime but never participated in online discussions or commented anywhere.
Among these viewers, the number who cried was even greater. This was especially true for the Noitamina slot, which attracted a large female audience that didn't typically watch much anime.
With lower emotional thresholds, these viewers were more prone to tears.
Thus, after the final episode of Anohana aired, the anime achieved legendary status, becoming a rare tearjerker masterpiece. It also marked Lin Zhiyan's latest masterpiece, following Death Note, Lelouch, Gurren Lagann, and Puella Magi Madoka Magica.
As everyone was moved and discussing, Lin Zhiyan's earlier post was dug up, sparking another heated debate:
"Anohana isn't sad or tear-jerking? I could let it slide if anyone else said that, since most people hadn't seen the final episode back then. The first ten episodes were indeed relatively mild... but for Old Thief Lin himself to say that? I'm so angry! It's impossible that even he, the Supervising Director, hadn't seen the final episode at the time."
"I did my best? Listen to this! Is that even human talk?"
"Damn it, he said the final episode would be as moving as ever! It was moving, sure, but it was also way too tear-jerking! And the ending was both tragic and heartbreaking. For him to claim the animation's focus wasn't on sadness and tears? That bastard! Even demons aren't as evil as him."
"I've figured it out. That post was basically a crime forecast. And the worst part is, even though he announced his crime, everyone was clueless."
"Lin Zhiyan, the ultimate evil of humanity. No rebuttals accepted."
"Am I just too naive? I really shouldn't have trusted Old Thief Lin's words. Not even a single punctuation mark."
Although ghosts don't truly die, the Main Character ascending to Buddhahood and leaving everyone behind was essentially equivalent to her death.
Everyone had anticipated this outcome, but without the final episode aired, it remained unconfirmed.
Now that the finale had aired, the truth was undeniable. Lin Zhiyan's reputation as the "Main Character Slayer" once again soared:
"Of course, the Main Character had to die again. Does this Old Thief Lin have a personal vendetta against them? Can he not sleep at night unless the Main Character is dead?"
"Menma ascending to Buddhahood was predictable, but you could have at least shown her reincarnation in the final scene!"
"Main Character Slayer, true to your name."
"Old Thief Lin's next animation trailer: The final episode will kill the Main Character."
"I used to think Anohana wasn't written by Old Thief Lin but by Takagi Makoto. If that were true, the Main Character might have survived. But it seems it doesn't matter who wrote the script; as long as Old Thief Lin planned it and directed it, the Main Character is doomed."
"If I lived in an anime world, the worst fate would be to become the Male Lead or Main Character in one of Old Thief Lin's animations. The Main Characters almost never get a happy ending, and the Male Leads lose them or meet their own tragic ends. It's a shame anime characters can't come to reality, or those poor protagonists would have killed Old Thief Lin themselves."
"I don't know if his protagonists want to kill him, but I certainly want to! That bastard is so hateful! So damn hateful!"
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