In Chichibu, Saitama, a group of six childhood friends drift apart after one of them, Meiko “Menma” Honma, dies in an accident. One summer day five years after the incident, the ghost of an older-looking Menma appears beside Jinta Yadomi, the group’s former ‘leader’, and asks to have a wish granted so she can proceed to the afterlife. Jinta gathers his estranged friends together in Chichibu once again, believing that they are the key to solving this problem. AnoHana was an anime original which was followed by a serial novel, manga, anime movie, and live-action drama movie.

AnoHana takes place completely within and around real-world Chichibu, including the iconic suspension bridge.