This episode was a nice introduction to the anime that replaces Ristorante Paradiso in the CR (and presumably Japanese TV) line-up. Like RP, the show is not in one of the typical youth-oriented genres that most anime run to, but is instead a distinctive romance that doesn't fit into the normal categories. In this case, Aoi Hana is a shoujo-ai romance that features the relationship between two high school girls.

This first episode plays as a low-key, slice of life drama featuring the slightly awkward reunion of two childhood friends after 10 years, but the opening sequence gives hints as to how their relationship will actually develop. There are also a couple of hints during the episode that Fumi and her female cousin Chizu have done some yuri experimentation. But Chizu is leaving town, and most of the story is spent showing us the daily lives of the girls and their families and bringing the two of them together. The only reason I've rated the storyline a 4 rather than a 5 at this point is because apart from hints and premonitions, the first ep has a fairly conventional introductory storyline. There's not much they can do about that, but apart from the hinted relationship between Fumi and Chizu, there were two key touches that take it beyond the mundane. The first is how A-chan "rescues" Fumi-chan on the train the first time they meet, and the second is the last spoken line at the end of the episode.

Since this is a shoujo-ai romance, the two main characters are going to have to carry the plot line. Right now, Fumi is extremely introverted and bookish, and still seems to tear up at the drop of a hat, as her friend puts it. Akira is more outgoing, but still seems to have some trouble adjusting to her new school. They seem like they will fit together but there will still be some friction over time, which is a good thing. It means that not all the conflicts they will face will come from outside. One thing I enjoyed about the character drawings is that they are naturalistic with few cartoony short-cuts. Fumi's dad, in particular is clearly a Japanese salariman, as he is depicted leaving for work in the morning. The least naturally-drawn character is A-chan in her face, which could be a problem in the long run. The characters behave naturally, too. They most exaggerated behavior is Fumi-chan's crying. As an example of the restraint, A-Chan's brother is obviously on the make looking for mating opportunities. But he doesn't pop a nosebleed or howl whenever he sees a pretty girl, he's just constantly offering to drive his sister to school so he can hit on her classmates. I suspect he's going to be a little jealous of A-Chan as her relationship develops.

Strangely for a romance, the animators seem to spend an awful lot of detail on the trains that the girls ride. I suspect this is a case of having the 3-d tools to do the job and wanting to use them. The overall style of the environments and backgrounds is as if they were done as high-quality watercolor paintings, which gives the anime an attractive and distinctive (although not unique) sun-drenched style. Taking the watercolor motif to an extreme, the pastel-colored flashbacks and the close-up pictures of the flowers are evocative of the depth of the girls friendship (as it stands at this point).

The music is light, feminine and comfortable, which is appropriate but not distinctive in any particular way. In fact I never really noticed the music during the episode other than the opener and closing theme.

Edit 22-Jul-09: Cleaned up some grammar and spelling I missed in the original.

This was my first ever taste of a yuri anime & I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed every cute minute of it's adorable storyline from the word go, although I am a little dissappointed that it had to end so soon & fast with only 11 episodes and no hint or chance of a second season anytime soon either, as I honestly think that it could have been made a tad bit longer in length.

But saying that, I really have no other complaints at all about this otherwise really good & beautifully animated series with loveable characters & pretty songs, and the last episode made me have loads of tears in my eyes aswell as becoming very choked up as it's pure emotional overload from the word go & I love it the most when they're like this.

I will most definately be seeking out & watching similar yuri animes such as this in future from now on to watch for sure.

I did not know about this series until it was raved about from a main yuri website source announcing about its' adaption to anime. Being curious, I searched to find the manga to see what all the hype was about. Now, I've fallen in love, with the story and the characters. I do wish they had stretched out at least one or two more episodes for this season to show more depth amongst the supporting characters. But, I suppose the creators were just being careful as to not putting a filler episode for the heck of it. For those who love romantic stories with an open mind, yuri, character development, and slice of life type of anime, give this one a try. I'm not too knowledgable about art but I keep reading raves about its' soft watercolor appearances, so for art savvy folks, I suppose you should check it out. There were moments in the anime that showed such simple gestures but elicited so much emotions from the characters. I really hope they will continue on with this series since the manga has not been completed yet.

This story is Shoujo-ai, so if you don't like that, i don't think this is for you. I have read the manga, and it was pretty swell. The anime however, is good too. The overall was pretty good. Seems to be moving in the right direction. The character are pretty, the music is enjoyable. If you're looking for something that's soft, i say you should watch this. Overall is 4/5

This seemed to be moving ok and I gave it the benefit of the doubt assuming there would be plenty of time for clean up-- but this is weak even if it will eventually contibue--which I kinda doubt--- I realize this is based on a manga which is considerably deeper -- but we deserved a planned break -- not just to fall off a cliff here--

First of all: If you don't like yuri content, DON'T WATCH. There isn't more than a little kiss, holding hands and much blushing, but the story is about love between girls, so be aware of it. Boys happen to appear, but most of the time they play minor roles (although their roles are upped to the ending).
Second: If you only watch animes with action and much bloodshed, DON'T WATCH. The story is told in a slow way, there are times where it seems that nothing happens at all, but these times are important. It doesn't happen often that a story is told in such a poetical way, so all you romantic viewers out there, here is YOUR anime.

Every time Fumi meets hardship, she bursts in tears. And there are hard times waiting for her, like her cousin whom she is secretly in love with telling her that she will get married soon. Fumi has a hard time struggling with her feelings until she finds out where her heart really belongs.

As I said before, the story is told in slow pace. Some episodes seem to lead nowhere, or at least people could think so who only like action, action, action. But every development is carefully narrated and painted. If there are breaks, they have a meaning. They help the viewer to understand the feelings the protagonists have to deal with. Fumi's grow-up doesn't happen overnight, and the narrator considered this. As for the music, there is much piano and guitar play involved, and that's a perfect setting for me. I fell in love with the opening theme, I dreamt through the ending theme, and that's all I want to say about it. Why not 5 points, you may ask. Well, there IS better music out there, so I need some space above...

The main characters are very well exposed, thanks to the slow pace. You can feel their happiness, their pain, their trouble all the way (if you want that is). Giving the main role to a cry baby first got me irritated a bit, but when the story went on, I could see clearly where that could lead, and I enjoyed the show. The animation itself is not that perfect... but that doesn't matter for me. True, there are many scenes featuring trains, and obviously they saved much time and color by recycling those scenes. But it didn't kill the mood, so it wasn't too bad at all.

So if you want to see a wonderful story about loving, being dumped, recovering, finding true love... just sit back and watch. You won't regret.

I've just watched the recent ep, and i have to say, this story is going nowhere. Wuthering Heights 1 and 2 were just boring - end of. Yes, there were parts where the girls relationships were developing a little bit, but apart from that, nothing desirable really happens. What i mean is particularly the relatonship between Fumi and Akira, this is what the majority of the viewers are craving for right? you might argue about this, but it seems that most of the viewers are waiting for something to happen between Fumi and Akira, and not actually enjoy the actually series as much as it was made for.

But i have to say, the characters are more than perfection. The artwork is simple, plan and delicate with a meaningful purpose which can easily mirrors school girls in real life. (come on, do we really look like girls from strawberry panic?) The opening was just too, too cute, it made me smile it really did. you can actually feel 'real love' between the 2 characters. The music was fantastic in my opinion, fits well with the show. glad that i've just ordered the cd cos i'll be listening to it 24/7.

p.s. i love how they use water colour instead of a hugeeee animation for the ending credit, is the perfect ending for such a simple, shoujo ai anime.

I have actually read quite a bit of the manga for this anime and I found it to be quite good. I gave almost all the categories a 5 star because at this point they seem to be holding up at least a good portion of what the manga was about but overall they have changed some things that i especially liked about the manga so the overall got a 4 star. This is a very touching story and i would suggest reading the manga as well but just FYI if you didn't already understand what this story is about from this first episode it is a heavily Yuri based story line with a lot of character interaction if they hold up to what the manga is based on and also just a FYI last i heard the manga was still only coming out about once a year so if you do enjoy this anime and wish to read the manga then i suggest that you put your best effort into waiting for the next release since they are long waits but in my opinion they are well worth it to continue learning more and more about the characters and their feeling for each other. I hope this gives you a good idea of the story and i do hope that you watch this episode and pick up the manga.