Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae wo Bokutachi wa Mada Shiranai - Episode 2

Current Group Members: 3/5

Episode Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ (4/5)

A good mix of dramatic and comedic moments made this an awesome episode. The group is slowly getting reformed with the addition of Poppo and Anaru. The only two left are Yukiatsu and Tsuroko. I have a feeling those two won't be so willing to relive the days of their childhood. Lots of Pokemon references in this episode too.

The episode begins with Poppo actually believing JInta's story about Menma returning. Even though Jinta tells him that it's probably because of hallucinations, Poppo is still ecstatic about it. Poppo's energy hasn't left him since the days they used to play in the "secret base" where they are talking now. Poppo goes on to tell Jinta that he is travelling the world using money from a part-time job and doesn't go to school. After talking about Menma, she is shown to be wandering around the streets wondering about where her "home" is. Meanwhile, Anaru is at WcDonalds with her friends who ask her if she really went to Jinta's house. They then go on to tease Anaru by saying that Jinta is probably having erotic fantasies about her. After the girls burst out laughing, Tsuruko, who was annoyed by the noise level, gets up suddenly and leaves. Anaru, who was obviously surprised, notices that Tsuruko left her notebook behind and rushes outside to return it to her. As she returns it, Tsuruko gives off a "I'm better you so get out of my face" vibe which angers Anaru. As Anaru's anger level rises, Menma, who happened to be walking by, tries to stop them but to no avail (because they can't see her). Tsuruko manages to stay calm the whole time while battering Anaru with things from the past. The final hit came when she recalls how Anaru always strove to copy Menma. Tsuruko then leaves, most likely satisfied with the amount of damage she had done with her words. On the other hand, Anaru recalls the past and how she had always wanted to be Menma. I'm guessing it's because she like Jinta but Jinta likes Menma. It's sad how there was already a love triangle even when they were children. Her recollection of the past came to a sudden halt when she got a text message which seemed to imply that she forgot something important.

At what looks like a game store, Jinta appears to be having trouble looking for a game. Being a hikikomori, he starts getting nervous when one of the staff starts asking if he needs help. Then, Anaru suddenly appears, meaning that the text she got earlier was most likely from her boss who told her she's late for work. Jinta then tells her that he is looking for Pokemon Nokemon Gold. It is quite obvious that Nokemon is a parody of Pokemon. A flashback to when Jinta and Poppo were talking reveal that Menma had always wanted a "rare Nokemon" that was really hard to find. After rushing back home, he starts playing his new game. Gamer nerd much? He falls asleep while playing and Menma returns soon after. After seeing the Nokemon game, she fell asleep beside him with a big smile on her face. The next day, Yukiatsu is seen jogging and meets Poppo along the way. After some discussion, Poppo tells Yukiatsu that Jinta told him that Menma wanted her wish to be granted. I know, that was a weird sentence. Anyways, back at Jinta's house, he wakes up and realizes that he had fallen asleep while playing the game. His day starts off with Menma greeting him after she takes a bath. Jinta starts turning red, saying that Menma should realize that she has grown, until he realizes she is still flat-chested. Then, the doorbell downstairs rings and Poppo appears at the door. After discussing how to trade Nokemon over last night's leftover beef, they come to the conclusion that they need to find someone with another Nokemon cartridge. And that person is? None other than Anaru (who doesn't seem like a gamer at all).

Meanwhile, at Anaru's house, she thinks back to the time when they were all playing Nokemon together. Even though she liked Menma, she also despised her because she was the one Jinta liked. However, she wouldn't get much time to think about this any further because her mom then tells her to water the plants in the garden. When Jinta and Poppo, along with Menma, arrive at Anaru's house, she welcomes the two guys by spraying them with water from the hose she was using. Once inside, they tell her that she needs to play Nokemon too. At first, she declines but once they mention the fact that Menma is the one who wanted the "rare Nokemon" she changes her mind and decides to play too. After a while of playing, they finally achieve their goal and, at the same time, bring back memories. A short while before that happens, Yukiatsu is sniffing what looked like Menma's clothes. That's certainly creepy. He talks like he doesn't care about Menma at all but, on the inside, he's actually obsessed with her. The next day, Menma tells Jinta that wasn't her wish but a lot of good things happened nonetheless. After Menma says that she has been having a lot of fun lately, it made Jinta realize that he never had this much fun in a while. This series is starting to become one of my favorites for the spring season because of the great story and drama. Really looking forward to the next episode and how everything unfolds.