Symbolism Part 1 - White Lilies
As it comes up the last days to discuss about people “interpreting things the wrong way, because they draw conclusions from the now-a-days and not back from when the story was made”, I want to give some emphasis on this topic here. It’s not so much a gap between now and yesterday, but even more of one between the Western worlds and Japan. I use “Western worlds” because there are significant differences in understanding different symbols between US and Europe, too (not to mention between diffrent groups within it, mostly based on the kind of education. Agape *coughs*).
My personal best smybol with a big chance of misunderstanding is the White Lily. In Christian context the lily, especially the white one, is a symbol of Mother Mary, of purity and unconditional motherly love. It’s a strictly feminine symbol, too, normaly not used in male context. In Japan this meaning is known, too, especially in the context of purity. But there is another meaning in it, at least in pictural medias. If you watch japanese series and films closely, you will come to see that white lilies often foreshadow death. That goes along with the modern european interpretation, where White Lilies are often used as death flowers, too.
This lily is from the anime Android Kikaider from 2000, Episode 5 (City of Rain). It’s the strongest symbol of both pure love and death within the whole episode (which I consider by far the best of the series).
These imigaes are taken form 18if (2017), Episodes 12 and 13. Again the flower seemed to be used for two meanings. But the purity meaning, that’s bound with and told by the charcter Lily is twisted. What’s left throughout the show is only the white lily as death flower.
What to note: If the white lily is used as a symbol for love, it’s a pure love. No sexuality involved. That’s a very old meaning dating back to ancient times and at least in those contexts I knew, a white lily isn’t understood that way. I would have taken in even older uses in manga/ anime/ shows, but I got no pictures ready, so watch out for edits on this one ^^
