Flowers in Anime, The Cental Node

Flowers are beautiful, sure. Even so, it can be easy to ignore or take for granted, In several anime, the flowers serve as something more than just beautiful objects in scenery. They often mean something.

I find myself blown away by the beauty of some anime scenes, but i;ll inevitably forget some of it after a few years. This post is to serve as a record for me and anyone else who stumbles upon it. Enjoy

Aster

The Aster is associated with memory according to some articles. A better way of translating it is as: keeping in your thoughts, or thinking about someone or something. The Director chose this as a code name for Lev in Irina The Vampire Cosmonaut when asked what flower was for praying for the safety of someone far away.

Chervil

What do the stars look like in space?

What do Chervil look like? A little white flower that blooms in bursts that look like fireworks.

Lycoris (Red Spider Lilly)

Lycoris flower, seen in Demon Slayer’s OP

This flower is normally associated with death, and appears in shows like Kimetsu no Yaiba: Demon Slayer. It’s said they flower when someone leaves and you don’t know if they’ll return. In Irina the Vampire Cosmonaut, the Director gives this code name to Irina before launching into space. Fitting, considering the chances of survival. However, rather than emphasize the risk of death with that name, he chose it because to him it means wishing for a safe return: “I hope we meet again soon.”

Sakura (Cherry Blossom)

The purple cherry blossoms that bring hordes of tourists to Japan each spring. If an anime covers more than a year, it’s almost guaranteed you will see them in the show. It could have other subtle meanings, but the main one is just: it’s spring. Studios use them to make magical scenes that will you to go outside and appreciate life. A few memorable ones are below.