Buddy Daddies Hydrangea Symbolism
*Contains Spoilers for episode 7*
So, to start off, hydrangeas have a bunch of symbolism depending on their color and the culture you’re talking about, but Japan’s symbolism for them makes Kazuki and Yuzuha’s story way sadder.
To start off, hydrangeas only blossom in Japan around June and July, always coming hand-in-hand with the rainy season. There is a myth in Japan that states an emperor once gave blue hydrangeas to a woman he loved to apologize for not giving her attention. He was so focused on work and his duties, but gave her these flowers to show that he had not forgotten her, even if he was busy. As a result, blue hydrangeas have come to be associated with apology and deep gratitude. I was, unfortunately, unable to find any good mythology sources for this, but this seems to be the gist of the tale passed around.
To start off, Kazuki and Yuzuha first met when he went bleeding into the hydrangea garden that Yuzuha was in. Hydrangeas are often associated with love, so this is a very sweet introduction for them as a couple. The more it progressed though, the sadder everything got as we transitioned into the other main meaning for hydrangeas.
Next, we have her actual death scene. It’s raining. She has blue hydrangeas on her umbrella. It’s very safe to assume that it’s the rainy season, meaning it is also around their anniversary of when they first met. The very pointed zoom in on the hydrangeas on her umbrella after the explosion is a pretty good indicator of “hey, you should pay attention to this.”
Roll back to the present time, and it is, once again, rainy season. The hydrangeas are in full bloom and the anniversary of them meeting and Yuzuha’s death is back. No wonder the developers chose hydrangeas to represent Kazuki and Yuzuha’s relationship. These flowers brought them love, but they also cause Kazuki to grieve every year. He takes Yuzuha’s death very personally, as he believes it is his fault, which fits well with how hydrangeas are associated with apology. I don’t think that the deep gratitude part sinks in for him until after he talks to her sister, Karin. She teaches him a better way to honor her memory and show that he still cares without destroying himself in the process.
I can’t remember if there are any other instances of hydrangeas in the later episodes, but I would really like to see how he progressed on this. I would’ve loved to see a little nod to it in the final episode.
Hydrangea Source: https://oharaflorist.com/flower-types/an-emperor-and-his-hydrangeas/
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