After the first few episodes of Kiznaiver, I wrote a piece detailing the flower language used by the series’ ending sequence where each female cast member was paired up with a specific flower. These flowers were chosen very specifically for each cast member, sometimes foreshadowing their backstory or role within the series.
Now that Kiznaiver has ended, I wanted to return to the series’ use of flowers in addition to reexamining the flowers, and the young women, portrayed in the ending sequence.
Buttercup/Kingcup: original kizna experiment children
As the ending theme plays, researchers Mutsumi Urushibara and Kazunao Yamada watch their kizna system charges play in a field at the former facility. The flower that they’re picking is a yellow buttercup — more specifically a kingcup. Yellow buttercups can mean joy, happiness, friendship, and new beginnings — as is common with many yellow flowers — and kingcups/buttercups specifically are often used to represent childishness, humility, and occasionally a lack of gratitude.
The original kiznaivers, Noriko Sonozaki and Katsuhira Agata aside, were reduced to a wholly emotionless state as a side effect from the kizna system and Sonozaki’s emotional defense mechanism. At the end of Kiznaiver, they’re slowly starting to regain their emotions and are shown picking buttercups in a field as they embark on their own new beginnings. Sonozaki mentions to Katsuhira that their friends gave them the flowers that now sit in their hospital room, which then become a sign of their old friendship as well as their collective childishness due to the initial experiment. The buttercups connect the two groups — Asuka and company, Sonozaki and Katsuhira — as they both move forward from the kizna now that their physical connection has finally been severed.
Rose: Noriko Sonozaki
While Sonozaki is often shown framed by elaborate floral arrangements throughout the series at her desk and in her home, her flower in the ending sequence is a rose — more specifically, a bouquet of roses that is pre-arranged.
Everything about Sonozaki is seemingly elaborate and prepared. She is one of the overseers of the new kizna experiment and becomes the key to ending the experiment once and for all, returning the emotions that she had absorbed from the first iteration of the kizna system. As mentioned in the previous post, white roses often represent purity and innocence, orange roses excitement — if you chose to interpret them as yellow they take on more of a friendship meaning like the aforementioned buttercup — and green renewal and rejuvenation of spirit.
These roses take on a new meaning now that Sonozaki’s narrative arc has ended and we know more about her at series end. Sonozaki was squirreling away others’ feelings as a defense mechanism, unintentionally taking away the emotions of Katsuhira and the others. Her releasing these emotions, thereby ending their physical connection but returning their emotional one, is the start of her own renewal. She did this unwittingly, and was therefore innocent, and excitement at having friends also played a large part in why Sonozaki hoarded the feelings of others.
Nico Niiyama: Scottish Bluebells
I had originally identified these as blue-eyed grass; however, an astute commenter pointed out their similarities to Scottish bluebells, which have a lot more in common with Nico’s personality.
Nico goes through a great deal of character growth during the scope of the series — arguably the most of the kiznaivers aside from Katsuhira and Sonozaki. Initially introduced as a fake eccentric, Nico becomes the voice of reason by the end of the series, willing to make herself wholly vulnerable in an attempt to express her feelings. Due to her genuine honesty, she often becomes a guidepost for the other kiznaivers who end up following suit after Nico breaks the ice.
Scottish bluebells are not-so-coincidentally associated with fairies — it’s said that they call fairies by ringing — in addition to unending love, gratitude, and loyalty. Always seeking others’ friendship, even when she doesn’t realize that she already has it, Nico shows unwavering loyalty to her friends. In the final episode, Nico admits that she doesn’t like Sonozaki very much but wishes to help her because Nico cares about Katsuhira, who in turn, is in love with Sonozaki. Nico also is the character who expresses the most gratitude, both towards her friends and the experiment itself for bringing them together.
Chidori Takashiro: Purple Daisy, Honoka Maki: Marigold
Both of these flowers and their respective meanings don’t change much within the scope of the series. Chidori’s purple daisy — innocence, purity, everlasting love, royal beauty — still represents her ties to Katsuhira, which she only begins to release in the waning moments of the series. Whether she ends up with Hajime Tenga or not, Chidori’s love for anyone is always going to be very steadfast and emotionally heavy.
Honoka’s marigold still represents her ties to Ruru — honoring the deceased and death in general. At the very end of the series, she and Tsuguhito Yuta are seen together in front of a field of pansies. Pansies often stand for love or admiration of another person as well as thinking of love — a pensive love. This could be seen as a representation of where she stands towards Yuta, thinking over their relationship.
Filed under: Editorials/Essays, Kiznaiver
