Week after week passed, and the animation continued to air on Fuji Television, one episode per week.
The first episode primarily introduced the main plot: helping the Main Character realize her wish.
At the same time, several major and important characters made their appearances, including the Male Lead, the Main Character, the Male Lead's father, Anjou Naruko, Atsumu Matsuyuki, Tsurumi Chiriko, the Main Character's family, and Poppo.
The second episode immediately began developing the plot around the main characters and their central goal.
To help the Main Character realize her wish, they first needed to figure out what that wish was. But it wasn't just the Male Lead and the others who didn't know; even the Main Character herself was unaware of what she truly wanted.
Therefore, they had to gather possible wishes for the Main Character and try them one by one.
After encountering Poppo in their secret base, the Male Lead transformed the Main Character into a ghost and brought her back to his side. He then explained the situation and asked for his help in fulfilling her wish.
Although Poppo's appearance and personality had changed significantly since before, his attitude toward the Male Lead remained relatively friendly, at least not as cold as the others.
After listening to the Male Lead's explanation, he agreed to help and suggested a possible wish for the Main Character: obtaining a rare pet from the Nokomon game.
To fulfill this wish, the Male Lead went to a store and bought a copy of the game Nokomon (Gold), which had been released years ago. He then started playing the game to collect pets.
Anjou Naruko worked at the store where he bought the game. Although her attitude toward the Male Lead was unfriendly at first, she had harbored feelings for him all along.
Later, when the Male Lead and Poppo went to her house to play the game, she initially found it baffling. It was only when the Male Lead explained that Menma had appeared in his dream and asked her to help fulfill her wish that she joined them in collecting pets.
After playing the game for a long time, they finally collected a rare pet. Unconsciously, the relationship between the Male Lead and Anjou Naruko had grown closer. However, even after they had finally fulfilled the wish of exchanging rare pets, the Main Character did not disappear.
After the first episode aired, some fans defended Lin Zhiyan, claiming that the Main Character was a ghost and would never die. But after the second episode aired, no one came to his defense anymore. It was clear to everyone that the core plot of the animation—helping the Main Character fulfill her wish—was essentially about helping her achieve enlightenment and send her away.
Ghosts may not truly die, but if their final wish is granted, the ending will likely be heartbreaking.
By this point, with the truth laid bare, there's no good excuse left to defend Lin Zhiyan.
Fortunately, apart from the potentially depressing ending, the animation quality is truly excellent. In such cases, viewers are still very willing to keep watching.
The third episode begins to focus on Atsumu Matsuyuki's storyline.
It starts with Poppo spotting "Menma" near their secret base. Though he saw her, he couldn't find her, so he rounded up his childhood friends, announcing a "Menma Search Party" for that evening at their old treehouse.
To his surprise, everyone showed up that night, including the real Menma, who was staying by the Male Lead's side as a ghost.
However, once the gathering began, the "Menma" Poppo had seen earlier wasn't found. Instead, the Male Lead and Atsumu Matsuyuki argued, leaving everyone in an awkward mood.
Another night passed.
Everyone except Atsumu Matsuyuki gathered at the secret base again. That night, a second "Menma" appeared.
The group sprang into action, chasing after this second "Menma."
The second Menma was caught, but it turned out to be a fake—not the real Main Character, but Atsumu Matsuyuki dressed in a skirt and wig.
The Male Lead couldn't move past the incident of the Main Character's death, and neither could Atsumu Matsuyuki.
Atsumu had loved the Main Character since childhood and believed he was responsible for her death. Yet, after Menma died, she never reappeared beside him. So, he disguised himself as Menma to seek psychological comfort, never expecting to be caught this time.
The farce ended, and everyone returned to their lives.
One day, Anjou Naruko was put in danger by her two "best friends" and nearly forced into a hotel room. Fortunately, Atsumu Matsuyuki happened to pass by and saved her.
On the train ride home, Anjou Naruko admitted she was developing feelings for the Male Lead, Jinta. Atsumu Matsuyuki replied, "We were left behind."
His emotional knot hadn't fully untangled, but at least the farce had loosened it slightly.
Soon after, Poppo arrived at the Male Lead's house and said, "Menma being here... it's probably not a good sign. Maybe she can't ascend to heaven because of it."
It wasn't just the male lead and Atsumu Matsuyuki who carried unresolved feelings; Poppo did too.
Even Anjou Naruko and Tsurumi Chiriko, though they didn't show it as clearly, were still deeply affected by the Main Character's death.
The Main Character did appear as a ghost at the beginning, but her death was repeatedly mentioned throughout the episodes. Her family remained in constant pain, and her friends were plagued by guilt and self-blame.
The story was already deeply depressing long before the ending.
Moreover, this animation wasn't just depressing; the relationships between the characters were so complex they could be described as "stomach-churning."
To be specific, among the six childhood friends:
Tsurumi Chiriko liked Atsumu Matsuyuki, but Atsumu Matsuyuki liked the Main Character. The Main Character liked the Male Lead, and the Male Lead also liked the Main Character. * Then, Anjou Naruko also liked the Male Lead.
The problem was that the Main Character was already dead. Although she appeared beside the Male Lead in the first episode and stayed with him, she was only a ghost. Even if a ghost could love someone, they could never be together.
Fortunately, while the stomach-churning plot was painful, it wasn't so melodramatic that it would make viewers drop the show.
In fact, because Fuji Television's noitaminA slot initially targeted a female audience, this kind of emotional development proved quite popular, drawing more people into online discussions.
Moreover, the animation wasn't solely about despair and heartache; it also contained deeply moving moments.
For instance, the Male Lead, who initially wanted to be a shut-in and avoid school altogether, gradually began to improve for the sake of the Main Character, even forcing himself to attend classes.
When he learned that the Main Character's wish might be to create fireworks with everyone and set them off together, he wholeheartedly threw himself into the effort, working tirelessly and saving every penny.
Creating fireworks was no easy feat, so the Male Lead wasn't the only one working hard. His friends also did what they could, and even Atsumu Matsuyuki knelt before the Main Character's father, begging for permission to make fireworks.
Through this shared endeavor, the friends' fractured and estranged bond gradually began to mend, which was quite touching.
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