The appeal and evaluation of "Blue Flower": A masterpiece depicting the beauty and conflicts of youth

"Blue Flower" - A delicate story of youth and love

■Overview of the work

"Aoi Hana" is a TV anime series based on the manga of the same name by Takako Shimura. It was broadcast on Fuji TV from July 2 to September 10, 2009. The 11-episode series has been highly praised for its sensitive depiction of the youth and romance of young girls.

■Broadcast information

"Blue Flower" was broadcast during the following periods and on the following channels:

• Fuji TV: July 1, 2009 to September 9, 2009 (every Wednesday 26:08-26:38)
• BS Fuji: July 20, 2009 to October 5, 2009 (Every Monday 24:30 to 24:55)
• Fuji TV TWO: May 30, 2010 to June 27, 2010 (Every Sunday 25:30 to 26:20)
• Kids Station: October 28, 2013 to January 20, 2014 (Every Monday 24:30 to 25:00)

■Production information

Animation was produced by JCSTAFF and directed by Kenichi Kasai. Produced by the Blue Flower Production Committee (Media Factory, Fuji Television Network, Yomiko Advertising, JCSTAFF, Hakuhodo DY Media Partners). Copyright ©2009 Takako Shimura, Ohta Publishing/Blue Flower Production Committee.

■ Story

On the morning of the day that the crybaby girl Makime Fumi enters high school, she meets her childhood friend Okudaira Akira, a cheerful and energetic girl, for the first time in 10 years. The two eventually deepen their friendship while attending different schools, and experience their own adolescence. This is a clear and endearing love story that delicately depicts the wavering hearts of these girls.

■Explanation

"Aoi Hana" is a work that delicately depicts love and friendship between girls. Makime Fumi, who has just enrolled in Matsuoka Girls' High School, a prestigious school in Kamakura, meets her childhood friend Okudaira Akira, who has enrolled in Fujigaya Girls' Academy, another prestigious girls' school, at Kamakura Station on the day of the entrance ceremony, for the first time in almost 10 years. Akira is a special person to Fumi, and a delicate and high-quality love story unfolds that depicts the wavering hearts of these girls.

■Cast

The main cast is as follows:

• Makime Fumi: Ai Takabe
• Akira Okudaira: Yuko Gibu
• Yasumi Sugimoto: Chiemi Ishimatsu
• Kyouko Ikumi: Yui Horie
• Yoko Honatsugi: Sayuri Yahagi
• Misako Yasuda: Yuka Iguchi
• Miwa Mogi: Aki Toyosaki
• Hanashiro Chizu: Oura Fuuka
• Sugimoto Shizuka: Noto Mamiko
• Kazusa Sugimoto: Yukari Fukui
• Sugimoto Axis: Nakahara Mai
• Shinobu Okudaira: Shinji Kawada
• Sakiko Okudaira: Junko Kitanishi
• Yoshimichi Okuhira: Tsutomu Denzaka
• Mother: Shoko Tsuda
• Yasushi Sawanoi: Shintaro Asanuma
• Masanori Kagami: Kenji Hamada
• Fumiko Kawasaki: Ryoko Ono
• Yoshie Makime: Ayumi Fujimura
• Akio Makime: Mitsuru Ogata
• Kaori Miura: Tomoko Nakamura
• Kaori Ueno: Kanae Oki
• Father: Atsushi Ono
• Flower illustration: Sachiko Kojima
• Young Yasu: Akiko Tanaka
• Fumi's Grandmother: Kiyoko Miyazawa

■ Main staff

The main staff are as follows:

• Original work: Takako Shimura, serialized in "Manga Erotics F" / published by Ohta Publishing
• Producers: Katsuji Nagata, Hiroko Yamada (Fuji Television), Kazuya Watanabe, Michihisa Abe, Masashi Yabe
• Producers: Toshiaki Asaka, Yuji Matsukura, Koji Yamamoto (Fuji Television), Aya Saito (Fuji Television)
• Series Composition: Fumihiko Takayama
• Character design: Masayuki Otochi
• Sub-design: Yukie Hiyasui
• Art director: Shichiro Kobayashi
• Color setting: Ishida Miyuki
• Director of photography: Yoshio Okochi
• Edited by: Masahiro Goto
• Sound Director: Aketagawa Jin
• Music: Takeshi Hatakeda
• Music producer: Yoshiyuki Ito
• Music Production: Lantis, Fuji Pacific Music Publishing
• 2D graphics: Yoshihide Mukai
• 3DCG: Hidefumi Ihara, Kenichi Yoshimoto, Jun Shiota, Katsutoshi Sugawara
• Special effects: Atsushi Sato
• Editing studio: REAL-T
• Assistant editor: Hitomi Sudo
• Video editing: Tokyo Development Laboratory, Yohei Yamamoto
• Sound effects: Kenji Koyama, Katsuhiro Nakano
• Recording adjustment: Ayumu Anzai
• Recording assistant: Naoki Takeda
• Recording studio: Prosen Studio
• Sound Production: Rie Tanaka
• Sound Production: Magic Capsule
• Production manager: Kaoru Suzuki
• Programming: Masato Jonoh (Fuji TV)
• Producers: Atsushi Iwasaki, Yoshihiro Yamazaki (Fuji Television), Tomoki Bandai
• Public relations: Maiko Suzuki (Fuji Television), Kyoko Tanaka (Fuji Television)
• Advertising: Shinichi Tsuchiya, Sachi Kawamoto, Saori Takeyama
• Publicity cooperation: Yoshiya Uemura
• Original work cooperation: Ohta Publishing, Akira Uemura
• Animation producer: Masao Ohashi
• Animation production: JCSTAFF
• Director: Kenichi Kasai
• Produced by: Aoi Hana Production Committee (Media Factory, Fuji Television Network, Yomiko Advertising, JCSTAFF, Hakuhodo DY Media Partners)

■ Main Characters

The main characters are as follows:

• Makime Fumi: A first-year student at Matsuoka Girls' High School. A tall, beautiful girl who is a crybaby and quiet. She has known Akira since childhood, and they met again for the first time in 10 years on the day of the high school entrance ceremony. She is surprisingly quick to fall in love.
• Akira Okudaira: Nicknamed Ah-chan. A first-year student at Fujigaya Girls' Academy. A cheerful and lively girl, she enrolled at Fujigaya as an external student from the high school division. Her family consists of her parents and a brother who is a siscon.
• Yasumi Sugimoto: A third-year student at Matsuoka Girls' High School. She is the cool captain of the basketball club and is very popular throughout the school. She used to go to Fujigaya but suddenly transferred to Matsuoka in her second year of high school. She likes Fumi.
• Kyouko Ikumi: A first-year student at Fujigaya Girls' Academy and Akira's classmate. She has had a crush on Yasumi Sugimoto since middle school.

■Subtitle

The subtitles for each episode are as follows:

• Episode 1: Flower Story (2009/07/01)
• Episode 2: Spring Storm (2009/07/08)
• Episode 3: Waking up in the morning (2009/07/15)
• Episode 4: Youth is Beautiful (2009/07/22)
• Episode 5: Wuthering Heights (Part 1) (2009/07/29)
• Episode 6: Wuthering Heights (Part 2) (2009/08/05)
• Episode 7: When the leaves were young (2009/08/12)
• Episode 8: Love is Blind (2009/08/19)
• Episode 9: A Midsummer Night's Dream (2009/08/26)
• Episode 10: The Happy Prince (2009/09/02)
• Episode 11: Winter Fireworks (2009/09/09)

■ Theme songs and music

The theme songs and insert songs are as follows:

• OP1: Blue Flower
  • Lyricist: Yukari Yamazaki
  • Composer: Yukari Yamazaki
  • Arrangement: Wataru Kubota (under the name Kuuki Kodan)
  • Sung by: Kuuki Kodan
• ED1: Centifolia
  • Lyricist: Ceui
  • Composed by Kotaro Kodaka and Ceui
  • Arrangement: Kotaro Kodaka
  • Sung by: Ceui
• IN1: Ignoring sadness
  • Lyricist: Yukari Yamazaki
  • Composer: Yukari Yamazaki
  • Arrangement: Wataru Kubota (under the name Kuuki Kodan)
  • Sung by: Kuuki Kodan

■ Appeal and evaluation of the work

"Aoi Hana" has been highly praised for its sensitive portrayal of the youth and romance of young girls. In particular, the relationship between Makime Fumi and Okudaira Akira, and the romantic relationship between Sugimoto Yasumi and Ikumi Kyoko are carefully depicted, deeply moving viewers. In addition, the story is set against the beautiful scenery of Kamakura, making it visually appealing.

JCSTAFF, the animation production company, faithfully reproduced the atmosphere of the original work by meticulously depicting the characters' expressions and movements. Director Kenichi Kasai carefully portrayed the emotional turmoil of the girls, successfully evoking sympathy from the viewers.

Music is also an important element in enhancing the appeal of the work. The opening theme "Aoi Hana" and the ending theme "Centifolia" have beautiful melodies that match the atmosphere of the story and capture the hearts of viewers. In addition, the inserted song "Kanashimi Shiran Kao" also plays a role in deepening the emotion of the story.

■ Recommendation points

"Aoi Hana" is a work that depicts the youth and romance of young girls and can be recommended for the following reasons.

• Delicate story: The story carefully depicts the emotional turmoil of the girls, leaving a deep impression on viewers.
• Beautiful visuals: The beautiful visuals, set against the backdrop of the Kamakura scenery, are visually appealing.
• Charming Characters: Characters with unique personalities, such as Makime Fumi, Okudaira Akira, Sugimoto Yasumi, and Ikumi Kyoko, add excitement to the story.
• Emotional Music: The beautiful melodies of the opening, ending and insert songs deepen the emotion of the story.

■ Related works

The original version of "Aoi Hana" was published by Ohta Publishing in Shimura Takako's manga "Manga Erotics F". The anime version firmly incorporates the essence of the original work while adding its own interpretation. Other works by Shimura Takako include "Hōrō Musuko" and "Wandering Soन", which are also highly regarded for depicting the youth and romance of young girls.

■How to watch

"Blue Flower" can be purchased on DVD and Blu-ray. It can also be viewed on video streaming services. If you are interested, please check out the following services.

• Amazon Prime Video
• Netflix
• d Anime Store

■ Summary

"Aoi Hana" is a beautiful work that delicately depicts the youth and romance of young girls. The relationship between Makime Fumi and Okudaira Akira, and the love story between Sugimoto Yasumi and Ikumi Kyoko will deeply move the viewer. In addition, the visuals set against the beautiful scenery of Kamakura and the moving music also enhance the charm of the work. Please give it a watch.