hmmmehehe i miss posting here,,,,, i havent drawn much professor layton or deltarune, but i beat umineko yesterday and i'm going through the side arcs in saku right now 👍. i want to kiss ushiromiya battler
This is my attempt at an analysis of the imagery used to represent André in the anime movie. Although the limited runtime of the movie required many scenes to be trimmed, the creators still took care to convey the emotional depth of the original work through thoughtfully placed visual motifs. Noticing these subtle symbolic choices scattered throughout has made me appreciate the movie even more. I hope you enjoy this analysis, and as always, I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments.
The title of this two-part analysis is a nod to track 29 from the original soundtrack. Stay tuned for part two.
First off, the credit for identifying water as a leitmotif for André goes to @mannatea. She casually mentioned it in one of the comments of her awesome fic and listed all the scenes where it was hinted as such. Naturally, I was mind-blown and had to go rewatch the anime movie to track down every single one.
Now, the first scene by the fountain… After their duel, teenage Oscar and André sit by the fountain in the gardens of the Jarjayes mansion to catch their breath. Oscar speaks with pride about being entrusted with the role of protector to the dauphine, while André listens with quiet admiration. She tells him she’ll need his support more than ever as her attendant at Versailles, and he is only too glad to fulfill that role.
The fountain is shown from multiple angles throughout their exchange. Its jets are off, and we hear only the faint sounds of still water. The scene ends with André telling Oscar, “I’ve always been by your side and I always will be,” and at that moment the camera cuts to a close-up of the water in the fountain with the rays of the setting sun shimmering on its surface.
I felt like this shot was meant to convey the soothing and ever-present quality of water. And André is both of those things. Think about it. André’s gentle nature is the anchor someone as willful and driven as Oscar needs. To quote @mannatea, “[André] very much feels like a ‘still waters run deep’ kind of man.” And he’s always simply there. Oscar says so explicitly in the scene with the poisoned wine. They probably haven’t spent a day apart since André was brought into service. He has witnessed almost every single day of Oscar’s life—just as that fountain witnessed many of their precious shared moments. Always in the background yet essential—André's presence is a lifeline for Oscar, as she comes to realize towards the end of the story.
The second scene by the fountain takes place nineteen years later. I got very emotional watching these two scenes back-to-back, especially once I realized that they intentionally paralleled one another.
Although both scenes unfold at sunset, the light differs subtly. In the earlier scene, the sun burns brighter, almost like sunrise—because then Oscar and André were at the dawn of their lives. In the later scene, the sunlight is deeper, more somber, like the final glow of a setting sun—because they were approaching the end of their lives.
The imagery in the second scene also represents André’s soothing and constant presence. The French Guards have received the order to march the next day and Oscar tells André to stay behind, fearing for his safety given his disability. Naturally, André refuses, and Oscar relents. She asks him to stay by her side and lend her his courage. Then, suddenly, she rests her head on his shoulder—no doubt to calm her nerves. And again, we see the shimmering surface of still water in the background. While Oscar doesn’t voice it as she does in the manga, it’s easy to imagine her wondering to herself at how André’s quiet strength comforts her at times like this.
The same fountain appears in the scene where Oscar’s father tells André to enlist in the French Guards. We see this view of the garden from the library/study precisely when the General calls out for him.
The next scene heavy with the water symbolism is the "proof of love" scene with Girodelle. I love this scene so much that I thought it deserved its own appreciation post which I’ll share soon. Here, Oscar meets with Girodelle in the gardens of Versailles to declare her resolve never to marry. They stand between two fountains that are shut off. The only sounds are the rustling wind and chirping birds. When Girodelle asks Oscar if it’s for André’s sake that she would not marry, we get this shot with the one of the fountains at the forefront.
Once again, the mention of André summons the image of still water glimmering in the sun. Oscar answers Girodelle with a resolute nod. But then, when he asks whether she loves André…
Suddenly the fountains burst to life, water surging loudly from the conduits and jets. It’s as if Girodelle’s question triggers a flood of emotion in Oscar’s heart. To quote @mannatea again about Oscar realizing her feelings for André in relation to this particular scene: “It's like the waters were so still, Oscar was submerged in them and didn't notice it until something happened to make her realize.”
Indeed, the question takes Oscar by surprise. She gasps, as though the thought had never crossed her mind. And it’s not like she has fully grasped her feelings yet. She tries to make sense of what Girodelle’s question stirs in her and can’t really put a name on it. So she answers him truthfully and tries to explain how she feels about André. And this is how the anime visualizes her soul-searching, taking the imagery in the manga as a reference.
So, while still water symbolizes André, flowing water symbolizes Oscar—as established in this scene. This symbolism returns in the battle scene at the Tuileries Garden. After the French Guards open fire at Oscar’s order, fountains in the garden surge on.
It's as if the fountains running throughout the fighting mirror Oscar’s state of mind. She is overflowing with emotion. She’s confident—free at last from the restraints that held her back. She’s exhilarated—commanding her troops in the name of shared ideals. She’s hopeful—having promised André that they would wed after the battle. And she’s terrified—having seen him take the bullet meant for her.
The next morning, the fountains in the Tuileries Garden are silent, as though the overflowing emotion of the previous day has settled into solemn stillness. Oscar rallies the remainder of her troops for the storming of the Bastille. Her uniform is still stained with André’s blood. When she calls out to him out of habit, a light breeze stirs the leaves where he would be standing. That’s when it hits her anew that he’s gone. She excuses herself to her soldiers and breaks down crying.
@mannatea helped me revisit this scene with fresh eyes. The scattering leaves capture the force of Oscar’s grief. But then, we see a single leaf drift down onto the fountain’s surface. The still water—again symbolizing André’s steady, reassuring presence—receives it gently, sending soft ripples across the surface.
It’s a serene vision that perhaps reflects what Oscar herself sees in her mind’s eye at that moment—as if she feels André's presence and it helps her calm down. The gentle ripples across the water are meant to show us this shift back toward composure. Though the memory of André is painful, it still brings Oscar a measure of calm when she needs it most.
Indeed, when we see Oscar again in the next shot, she has steadied herself. The worst of the storm has passed. She wipes away her tears, resolve returning to her features, and gives the order: “To the Bastille!”
Stay tuned for part two: Bird of prey
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