After years of absence, Nonoka returns with her father to her old hometown. The town has a strange feature in the form a disc hovering in the sky above the nearby lake, bathing everything in a mild glow during the night.
At her new home Nonoka is greeted by a strange girl named Noel, who somehow seems to be linked to the disc, and who also has ties to Nonoka's memories of trying to fulfill a wish at the old observatory, together with her childhood friends.
Now Nonoka has to try to get to grips with her past, the promise she made with Noel, and the disc in the sky that was the realization of the wish she made with her friends, changing the landscape of the town drastically.
The anime, the debut by Studio 3Hz, aired on Japanese TV starting in October 2014, followed by an OVA titled Aru Shoujo no Kyuujitsu on July 24th 2015, and a sequel ONA titled Mou Hitotsu no Negai on October 11th 2019.
Tropes:
- 2D Visuals, 3D Effects: An odd example: The vehicles are hand-drawn. But the tires, when in motion, aren't.
- Breather Episode: After how tragic and emotional the two episodes prior to it were, Episode 6 definitely qualifies.
- But Now I Must Go: Noel vanishes after fulfilling everybody's wish of smiling together, which makes the disc over the town disappear as well. It was explained in Episode 9, that the disc moves on to another wish to fulfill.
- Childhood Friends: The entire main cast qualifies, as they all knew each other since they were 7-8.
- Cosmic Retcon: Happens in Episode 12 after Noel vanishes, with only Nonoka and Shione fully remembering the events that happened prior to the reset.
- Flashback: Used a lot to drive the emotional core of the show's drama.
- Flying Saucer: Nonoka and her friends called one to Lake Kiriya seven years prior to the events of the show, and is used as the main plot point to drive the mystery and drama. It's later revealed that a certain blue-haired girl is said saucer.
- Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: Yuzuki is hot-headed and impulsive, in contrast to her brother Souta, who is more level-headed and calculating.
- Irony: Yuzuki really hates the flying saucer but she thinks Noel is adorable. It turns out Noel is the saucer.
- Missing Mom: Nonoka's mother passed away in Tokyo during the seven years they lived there.
- Never My Fault: The reason why Yuzuki hates the flying saucer is because shortly after it appeared, it was forbidden to use fireworks around the lake. Yuzuki went to do it anyway so Souta went to look for her, but he fell from the bicycle and was hospitalized. Yuzuki refuses to admit that Souta's accident was her fault and blames the saucer. Luckily she gets better.
- The Promise: Before having to leave Lake Kiriya, Nonoka requested Noel to tell Shione that she'll promise to come back soon. This ended up biting Nonoka in the ass when she eventually returned and met Shione again 7 years later. HARD!
- Pinky Swear: Part of the promise between Noel and Nonoka. It also gets lots of focus in the opening sequence.
- Real-Place Background:
- The show takes place in the town of Tōyako, in the Hokkaidō prefecture of Japan, with many lingering shots of scenic Lake Toya.
- The school is based on the Former Hokkaidō Government Office in Sapporo. Nearby Odori Park and Sapporo Tower also appear a few times.
- Scenery Porn: No effort is spared to show just how pretty Tōyako is.
- School Festival: Takes place in Episode 9.
- Sibling Rivalry: Yuzuki doesn't seem to be all that fond of her twin brother Souta, and often acts very competitive toward him.
- Signature Headgear: Nonoka always wears a lopsided scrunchie. When she was little, she wore baubles instead.
- Soap Opera Disease: Nonoka's mother died of one in her backstory.
- Unusually Uninteresting Sight: The glowing disc in the sky was perhaps a big deal with it first showed up, but nobody seems to be all that bothered by it by the time the story takes place.
- Vague Age: Noel didn't age at all since Nonoka last saw her.
- Your Door Was Open: Noel simply appears in Nonoka's bedroom, without any explanation how she even got there.
