#ans analysis

[nokaru]

Akagami No Shirayukihime ED 2 Flower Analysis

Hello! Hi! Yes, I'm back on my bs with flower language in ANS nonsense and this time I tried looking into the flowers depicted in the ending sequence of the second season. This was made thanks to the gorgeous ending post that's been going around again so thank you OP for that! The beauty of the ED NEEDS to be appreciated!

Anyway, let's get into the flower analysis and their meanings 🌸 though keep in mind I can't 100% identify all flowers correctly etc etc...and be aware that Japanese flower language may differ from the Western one sometimes so I will provide both versions. Cheers!

Starting with the first panel:

Shirayuki with her signature Yura Shigure

nothing much can be said about this besides Shigure being Shirayuki's fictional flower. The flower's whole deal is "if planted in the wrong place, it becomes toxic to other nearby flowers", it is also considered a very delicate and unusually beautiful flower.

Kiki & Mitsuhide

NOW this is super interesting because MITSUKIKI HAS PINK ROSES ON KIKI'S SIDE!! BUT YELLOW ONES ON MITSUHIDE'S!! THAT IS HUGE CAUSE!!!!

Pink Roses: in JP flower language Pink Rose signifies grace and is considered a very ladylike flower. They are usually given as a "Thank you". In the Western language Pink Rose similarly symbolizes gratitude, appreciation and admiration - but also romantic feelings and overall innocent love.

Yellow Roses: in JP Yellow Rose is considered as a sign of jealousy BUT much more often a sign of courage and inner strength. Fundamentally, Yellow Rose means friendship, devotion and self-sacrifice. Perfect flower for Mitsuhide.

Panel 2 featuring Obi, Ryuu, Garak and Kihal has more flowers + two ANS fictional herbs

Obi

Orange Carnations: Carnations are globally considered a "sweet love" flower, though orange ones symbolize happiness, warmth, determination and other positive emotions. They tend to represent health, balance and success - Orange Carnations are given as a celebratory flower but can also mean a refusal.

Obi & Ryuu

These two share (Orange) Dahlias and possibly(?) African Daisies.

Orange Dahlias: in JP Dahlia symbolizes "good taste". Overall, Dahlias symbolize celebration, good relationships and resilience. Orange ones focus on determination and strength. The interesting thing about them is that they are associated with "standing out from the crowd" and "following your own path".

African Daisies: or Gerbera symbolize optimism and loyalty, especially white ones that are drawn in the panel mean - hope and high esteem for someone.

Garak

Roka Fruit, ANS specific plant, associated with alcohol. Good for you Garak.

Kihal

Possibly(?) Chrysanthemums OR Dahlias again.

Chrysanthemums: ironically in JP Chrysanthemum is a sign of the Imperial/Royal Family...symbolizing the Sun and light, also longevity. The split of Red and Yellow there is questionable because Red Chrysanthemums mean love BUT Yellow ones mean sorrow and neglect - therefore these might not even be Chrysanthemums :/ though the flower as a whole just means rebirth and joy.

Last Panel 3 - Raji/Sakaki (tho i think the flowers behind them belong more to Mihaya..), Mihaya, Izana and Zen!

Raji & Sakaki & Mihaya

Either Lilac or Phlox (??? big MAYBE here, its probably Lilac)

Lilac: in JP Lilac symbolizes growth and the promise of new beginnings. Quite literally Lilac is a living emblem of renewal. The "redemption" arc flower for the baddies. Purple Lilacs are a sign of early love, new emotions and confidence.

OR Phlox: literally means "We Think Alike", helps with family relationships, harmony and unity. Purple and Blue Phlox symbolize maturity and responsibility.

Mihaya

Irises: in JP Irises are considered a sign of good news and loyalty - convey a message of wisdom and honor. They are mostly associated with ambition and courage in the Western world.

Izana

Only thing I'm sure about is that these are Lilies by his side. Iconic Izana flower. The bush is giving Gardenia but not sure??

Lilies: in JP Lily is a flower of purity and rebirth. Very honorable flower used in all kinds of ceremonies and special occasions. Lilies are considered mythical and mysterious flowers in ancient times.

Gardenia: Globally means SECRET LOVE and admiration. Associated with trust, clarity and hope. Translates to "You Are Lovely". Damn Izana.

OR another possibility Sweet Mock Orange: literally means "misleading" thanks to its orange-like scent. Big symbol of Deceit. Sweet Mock Orange is a flower of BROTHERLY LOVE. Good.

Izana & Zen

Their shared flower is either Hydrangeas or Lacecap Hydrangeas specifically.

Hydrangeas: JP meaning is gratitude, pride and heartfelt emotion, occasionally considered as an apology. In Europe White Hydrangeas symbolize boasting and bragging - simply arrogance but also purity and and grace. Can be also considered a sign of good relationships because the petals grow so closely together.

OR Lacecap Hydrangeas: Popular display of humility. On the other hand, associated with estranged relationships because the petals grow apart from each other in contrast to the usual Hydrangeas.

Zen

Last flower(s) is Zen's Lavender or possibly Muscari!

Lavender: in JP Lavender is a flower of faithfulness/fidelity. Other meanings are devotion, serenity and contentedness. Typically Purple color is a color of royalty and luxury. It's not necessarily a romantic flower but rather a flower of comfort and cherishment.

OR Muscari: in JP directly translates to "bright future", although in Europe Muscari is a flower of disappointment. Its commonly used meanings are power, wisdom, and confidence. The flower carries "sympathies" and symbolizes trust and sincerity.

🌸

AND THAT'S IT FOLKS! Hope you enjoyed this lovely flower voyage as much as I did! Till next time I feel bored enough to rant about flower language with yall <3

[midnight-in-town]

Yet another AnE chapter giving the spotlight to older women

I don't know if it's Kato-sensei getting older or if that was always the plan, but I do enjoy giving more spotlight and credit to women in general in Ao no Exorcist, and to older women in particular (Yuri, Shura, Lucy...).

We had both Iblis' and Lucy's flashbacks in this chapter...

...And addressing women having fears and dreams in the midst of an epic battle, in a very serious tone, was badass writing.

Not many shonen series take women as seriously as AnE does and that's why it's such a good read.

[stardustfanfare]

the thing about shilo is that he is incredibly good at manipulation. and of course he is such a polite young man and he is so pleasant and such a fun character and i feel like it is easy to forget that basically his whole character is built on some kind of warped idea about how the world works because he has lived his whole life cooped up in a small room, served blood from a chalice. and i think the chalice is almost symbolic of his whole carefully constructed view of humanity and love and all that kind of stuff that he only knows from the pages of books, and even then he would frankly prefer to think about pheasants. and thats kind of it isnt it. he would frankly prefer to think about just about anything else. of everything shilo is best at looking away. we can see visibly how central manipulating others is to his character but id also like to raise the point that hes really good at manipulating himself too. when he is given a body to drink from he cannot even look at it. he needs it served to him, necessarily separated from the source, anything to avoid guilt, anything to avoid guilt, anything to avoid guilt, anything to avoid guilt, anything to avoid guilt and i do not think he could look grefgor in the eye and truly say he loves him because he is not sure if he does. but if he doesnt think about it its probably fine right. if he can convince himself it must be true. so he looks away

[jonahmagnus]

Are you normal or Have You Noticed (shoutout to my friend @cody-paranatural who noticed most of these!!)

[ruthirlcartoon]

I think there's a lot to say about the different perspective of Ai Coleman and Kaiman in their view of Hole and themselves (Ai on himself and Kaiman on Ai)

Ai was saw himself as a complex puzzle, someone waiting for the moment where his life truly can start, to be reborn and fly far away from hell to a magic land. He was merely an egg waiting to get out breaking the shell of his old self

Kaiman on the other hand could see Ai as it really was. A depressed kid on a shitty place who could just dream of a better life.

All the times we are shown Ai's pov it's always like a legend, something mysterious and oniric. Even from other's people pov like Kasukabe or Risu

The only time this changes is on the fee last chapters when Kaiman finally refers to Ai as himself, and it's never done on the eerie narration that's been done the whole story, it's always recalling a memory "when I was a kid in hole". For him Ai isn't a legend or a mythical creature, it's simply the kid he was when he dreamed of becoming a man.

[suckerforthisshit]

After four years of lasser focus and obsession. I wake up and lost the feeling for Mello and Near. It happened all because I saw the other perspective, the possibility that Mello actually have a strong repulsion towards Near. After reading a part of the la BB murder cases light novel, where Mello says "I am the world's runner up, the best dresser, that died like a dog." It made me think a lot and come up with conclusion that his feelings towards near, from the hatred and admiration, obsession and all that what I already knew, is actually a deep pathological repulsion. As he saved Near's life, and literally sacrificed himself as Halle saw it, it seems that in the end, Mello did it for his deepest urges, his feelings of not being able to live with himself afterwards if Near win, instead of actually caring about Near as a person. It hit me. And it changed my mind. I saw.. no logic behind my theory that Mello is absolutely in love with Near but in denial.. because if the last thing he could say was his fascination about BB and talking about L and winning without one small hint about Near, it seems like Mello absolutely doesn't stand a chance to have any kind of attraction towards him.

The shit is- I am personally connected with these two and many songs, stories, man.. my whole life was lasser focused on them.. as a person who is seemingly phlegmatic and not giving shit about anything. Connecting with nothing, this was like the one and only emotional part of my being and very very intense. If I lose that, shit, what I'll have.

But I am in such shit right now I can't go over something that kind of doesn't make sense to me.. can't get over it so easily. If someone like... Proves me.. tells me.. if I read some old messages or my writings about them.. listen to some music.. Maybe I'll come up with it again..

But shit. Suddenly I have no motivation to do that.. like. At all. But now since that was my primary focus. Man I don't know what to do with myself

[wibble-wobbegong]

okay listen man. listen. i was gonna make a big formal epic post but i feel like this gets explained constantly by everybody and yet the point is still constantly missed by even some of the same people who explain it

the entire point of mike’s character is that we are supposed to be in his shoes. mike is the odd one out. mike is the one who doesn’t fit in the supernatural storyline. but he doesn’t fit in with society either. he has nowhere he feels like he belongs.

so many people around him fit in with society. they can be accepted there — they can be cool and have value there. mike can’t. mike doesn’t fit in with society because he’s gay. it’s a very real, very human problem for us. mike will never fit in with society because of how they view him, so he’s always turned to fantasy and comics because he thinks he can fit in there only to find out he can’t

he finally gets to live a real life comic book with super heroes and dark villains only to find out he isn’t the main character he thought he would be. he doesn’t have el’s powers (superman) or even nancy’s ability to gather informaion (louis lane) so where does he fit? he views el as this unreal, amazing superhero he always wanted to be as a kid because then it would be okay for him to not fit in. if he couldn’t be that, then at least he could be someone who doesn’t fit in with society but fits in with superheroes, right?

but it doesn’t work like that. even further than just el or nancy, he can’t be brave like will or strong like lucas or smart like dustin — he doesn’t see how much he adds to the story because he’s constantly just watching. nobody ever tells him how important he is.

the entire point of mike’s story is learning that he doesn’t have to fit in anywhere to be good. he doesnt have to fit society’s standards or be some superhero or fit in with hellfire (ex: dressing like eddie). he doesn’t have to fit in at all and he can still be good.

mike is ugly. mike is queer. mike doesn’t have superpowers and he won’t ever be popular. and none of that matters, because what makes him special doesn’t fit in any sort of standard or expectation — its that he never stops trying. he never gives up. mike will fight till the day he dies for the people he loves and that is what makes him special. he will take people by the hand and drag them out of the dark. he will keep giving people a reason to fight and keep fighting when they’re done.

mike is special because of how he loves. he’s not worthy because of any sort of idea of speciality. it’s his qualities that make him special and them alone. he just needs to learn to love those parts of himself in order to really, truly become the person he wants to be. he needs to stop wishing he were like lucas or nancy or el and start just loving and being himself.

every time we hype mike up or talk him down, we are like him too. we can be who we want to be if we start loving and being ourselves instead of reaching for these unattainable goals set by both the normal people AND the freaks.

that’s the point of mike’s character.

[blooxorsista]

Blue Exorcist - 3x09: Rin, Izumo, & the Rescue Scene

Okay, I was reading the comments under the latest episode (3x09), and I wanted to type something out, but it ended up being pretty long and I decided I'd just post here instead.

Basically, this post will address Rin and Izumo's character development in this arc, and the importance of the rescue scene in the most recent episode.

I've already mentioned that this arc is probably my favorite in the whole manga (although I'm not currently caught up), but the scene where Izumo cries for help and Rin comes to her rescue is probably one of my absolute favorite scenes in the series.

The scene was just so impactful to me as a reader, which I wrote about in my analysis from when Chapter 60 came out.

So needless to say, I was SO excited to finally see this scene animated! I was also especially excited to see the Nine Tails dance from Izumo, and was slightly disappointed that they may have adapted it too faithfully to the manga, with still shots instead of a moving dance. Maybe they didn't want to assume what it looked like and chose to play it safe. (It's fine, not a deal breaker!)

It wasn't totally apparent in the anime episode, but manga readers know that Rin noticed Izumo crying from the vent. That's why we saw his wide eyes right before he exploded through the ceiling. It was seeing Izumo that caused him to move into action.

It may be easy to overlook since it moved so quickly in the anime, but that scene is extremely important for both Rin and Izumo's characters. Up until that moment, Rin had been struggling internally about fighting humans. When he's trapped inside the giant zombie, he can hear the voices of the humans that were inside (in the same way he could hear Kuro). That's why he was having a bit of a mental breakdown, asking his father what he should do.

He KNOWS that he has to cause harm to humans in order to succeed in this mission. But it's easier said than done for him, because as someone who has been constantly demonized and struggled with his sense of self, he has drawn himself a red line in his own personal code of ethics. To him, the zombies ARE human. And hearing their voices just confirms that for him. They are still conscious inside of their experimented bodies. So in order to fight them, he would have to harm these humans who were essentially innocent victims of this organization.

For Izumo, she finally accepts her true feelings about others, and asks for help. Up until this point, she's put up a strong front, thinking she had to handle everything on her own and couldn't trust anyone. Now she lets all her walls come down and accepts her vulnerabilities.

And it's exactly in this moment that both Rin and Izumo have a synchronous realization. For Rin, seeing Izumo crying, asking for help, in her most vulnerable state -- it's the catalyst for him to resolve his own inner conflict.

In an instant, he has made his decision and strengthened his resolve (either consciously or subconsciously) to harm humans because all he cares about in that moment is to save Izumo.

It's enough to snap him into action. And that's HUGE development for his character. We even see him hesitate slightly at the end of the episode when the zombies fill the room, before ultimately slashing through them with his sword, because he knows that that is what's needed to save Izumo and her mom. In fact, I'd probably argue that this hesitation is due to Rin having to consciously decide to attack them, meaning that when he moved to save Izumo, he reacted subconsciously.

I just felt the need to point this out after seeing so many comments complaining about Rin and Izumo's actions and character development this season. In truth, their actions and motivations align.

Another common complaint I saw was about how Izumo should have taken Rin's offer for help the first time (on the bridge). I'd like to point out that running away wouldn't solve Izumo's problems. Even if she were to be rescued and escape with Rin and the others, Gedouin still has her mother and has already threatened to use her little sister if Izumo refused. In her mind, staying was the only solution, because her goal was to protect her family at all costs.

Despite what we know of the Nine Tails, Izumo believes that she can take control and use the possession to her advantage and destroy her enemies. That way she wouldn't have to worry about them coming after her or her loved ones again.

And for Rin, he's coming to learn that "good" and "bad" are not so easily distinguished. His view of the world has been turned upside down after realizing that not all of the "bad guys" are demons.

And as a side note, I also want to mention the animation style. I know it's been a bit of a controversial topic this season, since the style is so different from seasons 1 and 2, and that a lot of people have complained about some of the episodes. However, I had a feeling that the animation team was just prioritizing the more important scenes over the others (after all, there is a limited amount of time and budget, so it would make sense to spend more time on the biggest scenes, if you have to choose).

And I was glad that this seems to be holding true up until now. I was happy with the quality of the scenes that featured Izumo this episode (much like how I thought her backstory episode was high quality), and especially the rescue scene. And I loved that we finally got to see posessed!Izumo colored and animated!

I'm also curious as to how the next episode will be adapted. I was reading through an old rant of mine from when the corresponding manga chapter came out, so I'll be curious to see if I feel the same way after watching the next scenes play out.

All in all, I'm still enjoying this season and getting to experience the manga come to life with animation and voice acting!

[gausses]

o(*≧▽≦)ツ🎉

[blakeneedsahug]

The camera panning around WBY as they gave their speeches all ended on a reaction shot of their past selves, and they looked shocked. Not out of disbelief that current WBY wouldn’t accept their solutions, but in realisation that there was a way to grow from where they were.

WBY may have seen what they used to be, but their past selves got to see them stronger and as themselves.

[midnight-in-town]

Finally ! Some good Shura content !! <3

For the past few months, I've been complaining to some friends in private about being disappointed to see Shura rather casted to the side of the narrative, when the twins are still not able to communicate properly with each other (last month's chapter had more than one example). :/

In general, I'm a big fan of Shura's character, because she's one of the very few female mentors existing in Shonen series (protagonists, especially boys, are trained by older men in almost every Shonen series) and that was refreshing when I started the series something like 12 years ago. Shura gained even more depth with the Aomori arc explaining her past and rather unique circumstances and I loved her character development.

So I'm really happy to see her getting a bit more focus again, against the current foes.

If we first focus on the twins for this chapter, it really was interesting to see how they fell back into their old habit of respectively privileging people (Rin) and the mission (Yukio). It's yet another thing that might intensify the miscommunication that still exists between them, especially since both are really close to Shura.

For the record though, I don't blame Yukio at all for not stopping to help : the plan to defeat Satan & Illuminati is insane and that's why they have Team A opening the path for them.

Besides, Yukio has known Shura longer than Rin and he knows better than anyone what she's capable of. So rather than giving up on her, he's trusting her to survive (and I hope Rin will figure that out too). It's like in ch133, when he agreed to let her take the lead.

Lastly about her opponent, I'm 100% excited to finally read about Shura fighting against an opponent who is probably supposed to incarnate, like, every criticism she ever faced.

Like I said above, Shura is one of the few female mentors existing in Shonen series. However, unfortunately, she's also the typical "sexy older lady" that is way overrepresented in Shonen series. But now?

Hell, now, she's about to face this guy, the King of Lust, and I'm hoping that, through this fight, Kato-sensei might once more highlight that women in Shonen are more than boobs here to please the readers' eye.

Sure, they can be sexy, but they can also be mentors, fighters and most importantly they can also fight and defeat guys (because I'm super tired of the whole "girls will only fight girl opponents, teehee ❤" in Shonen series; I said what I said).

Can't wait for that fight, because I think Shura will prove to readers of Shonen series that you can be a badass girl and hand even the King of Lust his own ass. So go for it, Shura ! Show 'em what it's like to be Fujimoto Shiro's student and Rin's mentor !!

[byler-alarmist]

Mike is always so worried about being needed, that in S5 I want him to be honest about what and who HE needs.

[shrimplicitly]

watched american psycho for the first time the other night. feeling like i want to crack the cinnamon tography open ans bathe in its ribcage.

[raz-b-rose]

Nothing is more chronically online than complaining that villain characters, NOT GOOD PEOPLE, aren't good people...???

Like please go touch some grass and get out of a fantasy world where everyone is perfect and nice and not "abusive or toxic"

I know shows, movies, books and whatever else are supposed to be an escape from reality but it's GARBAGE writing if all of your characters are Mary Sue flawless images of perfection.

Real people are flawed, and diverse. Get out of your echo chamber.

[artemisbarnowl]

Some IDIOT out here blazing a post where he pronounces it gonkarov

[nastymajesty]

Refraining from saying what I would do to not have to write an essay and instead saying I fucking hate writing essays so much