#greensnap

[danceofthephilos]

Hanakotoba and the Meanings of Flowers in SK8 the Infinity

Ranging from very overt allusions in the text to single pieces of official art, almost every main character in SK8 has been associated with a flower. Hanakotoba, the Japanese language of flowers, is something that the creators were attentive to, evidenced by its mention both in the show itself and by staff in discussion about the episodes, and considering how hanakotoba might have been taken into account in the other examples of flower imagery can add an interesting layer of symbolism to speculate on.

The hanakotoba columns on GreenSnap were my primary source for this post, but I've crosschecked the meanings on multiple websites as much as possible to ensure the factual information here is accurate to the best of my ability. This is quite a long post, so bear with me.

🌹 Roses 🌹

Naturally, the first flower to start with is the one that is directly mentioned in the show itself:

As Adam says, red roses do mean "passionate love", though his particular wording (jounetsu no ai) is slightly paraphrased from how that meaning is typically worded. (If you look up the meaning of roses in hanakotoba, you may see netsuretsu na koi (熱烈な恋) instead.) They can also simply mean "love" and "passion" (ai and jounetsu, as Adam uses in this line), as well as "beauty" and "I'm in love with you."

In Japanese as in English, red roses are a very classically romantic gift, so in the finale and the Blu-ray box art, it seems Adam's passionate love hasn't waned.

There are also specific meanings for certain numbers of flowers in a bouquet of roses, and while it's never stated how many roses are in the first bouquet Adam brings Langa, extrapolating from how many flowers are visible in the shots and how many are hidden, as well as the bouquet at Adam's birthday display at the 2022 NAMJATOWN collaboration containing 50 flowers (as I was able to confirm from some fans' photos from better angles, that I won't be reposting here as they were personal photos on Twitter) I believe that the bouquet in the show also contains 50, which means "eternity."

Adam's bouquets to Langa are also not the only times roses appear in relation to him, nor is red the only color they appear in. Several flashback shots of Ainosuke and Tadashi as children feature red roses, which has quite clear subtextual implications, especially alongside the comparison between Tadashi and Langa made in the show itself.

But one prominent flashback also includes pink roses, meaning "deep impression."

In Ainosuke and Tadashi's last scene together in the finale, there's a vase of purple roses behind them, meaning "pride" or "respect."

And his graffiti tag from the 2022 Infinity Week art features blue roses, which, along with being in Langa's image color, mean "dream come true", "impossible" or "miracle."

Roses also have a lengthy history of associations with gay men, both in real-life Japanese gay culture and in the boys' love genre, and how this relates to the use of rose imagery in SK8 could (and likely eventually will) be its own post, but it's an extra aspect to take into consideration with Adam especially.

As a bonus, the mangaka for the official manga adaptation also drew Langa and Reki with red and blue roses (respectively) to celebrate the season finale:

And while Reki is never associated with roses in any more official capacity, Langa does have red roses in his house that are visible in a few scenes:

~

🌷 Tulips 🌷

This is another one that's directly confirmed, this time regarding Shadow's bouquet in the ending montage.

For love bouquets, Adam uses roses, so Hiromi-chan's was tulips and white baby's breath. In hanakotoba, red tulips mean "confession of love." Pink means "sincere love." Orange means "shyness", so we went with these three. Plus, white tulips are "new love" or "unrequited love" so we stopped there… (lol) By the way, in hanakotoba, baby's breath means "innocent love" and "gratitude."

(Episode 12 Director Masatoyo Takada, Skater's Backstage)

Tulips in general mean "charity" and "thoughtfulness", and Shadow is frequently associated with them outside of just this scene, whether on his clothes or in official merchandise. "Tulip" is also the name of the flower shop where he works!

He's holding another bouquet of tulips on the Blu-ray box art, as well, with the same colors as in the finale - but with the addition of the mentioned white tulips for "unrequited love", and yellow tulips, which can mean "honesty", but can mean "unrequited love" (or "hopeless love") too... Sorry, Shadow.

~

🌺 Hibiscus 🌺

Moving away from directly stated connections into slightly more obscure ones, Reki is nevertheless visually associated with hibiscus in several places, both in shots in the show and in his 2021 birthday art.

Hibiscus flowers generally can mean "new love", "trust" and "I believe in you" (a meaning thought to originate from Hinduism), while red hibiscus specifically (as Reki is depicted with) mean "bravery."

Hibiscus flowers are also considered as symbol of Okinawa as a whole, making them an especially fitting flower for Reki, who's implied to be of indigenous Ryukyuan descent and is the character who could be considered the most representative of Okinawa (and Langa's new life there) in the show,

~

🌸 Cherry Blossoms 🌸

This one is fairly self-explanatory; Kaoru's surname is Sakurayashiki (sakura being the Japanese word for cherry blossoms), his S name is Cherry Blossom, cherry blossoms feature on his costume and heavily in the decor in his calligraphy studio, et cetera. As one of the most well-known and famously Japanese flowers, they're well suited to Cherry's traditional Japanese image, and the whole aesthetic of his character is themed around them. Even his birthday is on March 27th, Sakura Day in Japan.

In hanakotoba, cherry blossoms' most well-known meaning is "moral beauty", a phrase referring to the beauty of someone's personality or character. They can also mean "graceful woman" or "pure-blooded", and the specific species of cherry blossom that the ones in Cherry's design resemble (somei-yoshino cherry blossoms) can additionally mean "noble" or "innocent." The fact that the same flower with such elegant meanings is related to both his public and S personas adds to the characteristic duality between his outward appearance and private personality.

While not specifically hanakotoba, the French meaning of cherry blossoms also appears to be well-known in Japan - "ne m'oubliez pas", or "don't forget me", associated with ending relationships.

~

💮 Chrysanthemums 💮

Another flower associated with a character through their surname, chrysanthemums are the "kiku" (菊) in Kikuchi. A chrysanthemum also features prominently in the design on Adam's skateboard.

Chrysanthemums also appear on both Adam and Tadashi's clothes in a few pieces of official art.

Chrysanthemums' meanings in hanakotoba are all variations of "nobility" and "purity." They're a flower with great cultural significance in Japan, being the crest of the Imperial family, and often appear as a symbol of Japanese society itself - including on the badges worn by both Diet members such as Ainosuke and even certain ones worn by their secretaries, making this flower one that's representative of a very important aspect of both their lives.

While there's no particular history to this meaning, due to the romantic color, red chrysanthemums such as the one on Adam's board can also mean "I love you."

According to director Utsumi in the 2022 Infinity Week livestream, the chrysanthemum on Adam's board was a happy accident, as Thomas Romain, the artist who designed the board, didn't know Tadashi's name or anything about his history with Adam when creating it. The double layer of symbolism is an incredible coincidence!

~

🌻 Sunflowers 🌻

Joe doesn't have any particular connection with flowers in the show himself, but there is one piece of official art featuring him with sunflowers, which complement the strong association he does have with the sun.

In hanakotoba, sunflowers mean "admiration", "longing" or "I'm only looking at you" - originating from the way sunflowers will always turn to face the sun. As this particular piece of official art was for a magazine feature for White Day (a Japanese holiday where men receive gifts from women they gave gifts to on Valentine's Day), perhaps they're meant to be a gift to him. As Joe's stronger association is with the sun itself (his tattoo is of the sun, his board has the word "sole" - sun in Italian - written on it and a sun incorporated into the design, his restaurant's name (Sia la Luce) translates to "let there be light") he could be seen as the sun that the sunflowers (his admirers) would look towards.

Along with the hibiscus in the image, Reki's birthday event in 2021 also featured sunflowers as part of the display, fitting his yellow image color.

~

❄️ Snowdrops ❄️

And finally, one more case with only a single piece of official art - but one with a very interesting history behind its meanings. In Langa's 2022 birthday art, he's shown holding snowdrops - a natural association with his S name and the fact that he's a former snowboarder.

In hanakotoba, snowdrops mean "hope" and "comfort." These meanings are said, as you will find on any Japanese hanakotoba site, to originate from a story about Adam and Eve dating back to at least 1925, if not earlier (with 1925 being the earliest version of the story the Japanese Wikipedia page on snowdrops is able to cite.) As the story goes, after Adam and Eve were cast out of the Garden of Eden, an angel took pity on them suffering in the winter cold and turned the falling snowflakes into snowdrops, to console them and give them courage. In that 1925 version of the story, the first snowdrop was specifically a gift to Eve:

The Snowdrop Legend When the first winter lay white upon the earth, Eve sorely missed the beautiful things of the field. An angel who pitied her seized a snowflake and, breathing upon it, bade it live, for her delight. It fell to the earth a flower, which Eve caught to her breast with gladness, for not only did it break the spell of winter, but it carried assurance of divine mercy. Hence the flower means consolation and promise.

With both the superficial connections of being winter flowers named after snow and their connection to SK8's intentional biblical themes (as producer Mari Suzuki described the show as a whole as "the story of Adam searching for Eve" in Animedia March 2021), these have some of the deepest meanings of any of the flowers depicted, despite only appearing in a single piece of art.

The flower imagery SK8 uses is fascinating and surprisingly layered, especially knowing the deliberate attention to hanakotoba that was paid in certain cases, and it'll be interesting to see how it might continue to feature in the future.

[warriors-rewritten-chaos]

GraveClan Cats: Pumpkinvine

Pumpkinvine is a round ginger tom with green eyes. He is based off of Prompt #29, Jack ‘O Lantern, although I just went for a general pumpkin theme for him instead. He is a Warrior. Pumpkinvine is a sharp-witted jokester who refuses to take anything seriously. He likes making others laugh and lightening the mood, and most cats are fond of him as a result. He does have a major problem with reading the room before he makes his jokes and often attempts to use humor as a solution to problems that would not be solved that way. Pumpkinvine uses humor and jokes as a coping mechanism for all of the problems in his life instead of trying to fix them himself. He and his best friend Darkflame often laze around together and tell bad jokes and play pranks. Cats who don’t know Pumpkinvine too well wonder why his best friend is a cat who despises his sister. Whenever he’s asked, Pumpkinvine just laughs, tells a bad pun, and changes the subject...

He, Duskleaf, and Greensnap are littermates.

[bailonglee]

【綿とは？】育て方のポイントや種まきからの栽培方法は？ - HORTI 〜ホルティ〜 by GreenSnap

[hyakkasan]

久々のブンルートーチ　斑入り 少し大きめのがうちに来た😊 ほんと、数が少なくなってきている中で斑入りは更に😚 #観葉植物 #インテリアグリーン #観葉植物のある暮らし #インテリア #サンスベリア #サンセベリア#interiorgreen #sansevieria #斑入り #東海 #愛知 #春日井 #植物 #多肉植物 #植物のある暮らし #botanical #ボタニカル #greensnap #グリーンのある生活 #ブンルートーチ https://www.instagram.com/p/CJJYp1MJt5c/?igshid=qenaxltpzhd8

[haniwasubmarine]

卓上植物経過観察2。 ■パキラ 小さかった葉がどんどん大きくなり、縦横両方向、特に横に広がりつつある。違和感なく会議中の画面に見えるようになった。 ■ガジュマル 新しい葉が上を目指して出てくる。見たところ、新しい子葉が出てから2日ほどで、ツヤツヤした大きな葉になって居座る。 #greensnap #tableplants https://www.instagram.com/p/CgqGDeVPdkU/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[kana-i73]

. 素敵なお花でほっこり癒しの時間を過ごしてました✨ . . これは定期便で送られてくる“#medelu ”。 . . 花屋さんに行ってはどの組み合わせが良いのか悩んだりしてたけど、お花のプロが選んでくれるから素直にお花を楽しめます。 . コースは3種。 お花のボリュームを楽しむBasicコースとLiteコース。 . . Basicコースは手渡しか宅配ボックスで。 . Liteはポストか、入らなかったら手渡しor宅配ボックス。 . . ＊様々な花を楽しみたいANYROOM . ＊モノトーンでスタイリッシュなお部屋にあうMODERN . ＊自然な温もりのあるお部屋にNATURAL . . 届くまで、今度はどんなお花かな？ってわくわくするし、開けてみたら素敵なお花と共に選ばれたお花の花言葉。 . こういう小さな気遣いって凄く嬉しくなっちゃいます☺️ . ぜひチェックしてみてね✨ . . . . . . . . . #greensnap #お花の定期便 #flower #お花 #癒しの時間 #癒しの空間 #暮らし #暮らしを楽しむ #花言葉 #癒し #リラックス #リラックスタイム #素敵な時間 #素敵な空間 #素敵な言葉 #2020kanai73 https://www.instagram.com/p/CHfiErJD-O-/?igshid=1gmgdnev3z63s

[shimuran]

アガパンサス（#Greensnap で教えてもらった）ってユリ科に分類されたりアガパンサス科を作ったり、今はヒガンバナ科だそうで。やはりそんな感じ💦 https://www.instagram.com/p/CBxrbSCJmWM/?igshid=n9gqqtyvmg4t

[sunny9958]

. . . もくようび . . 週末までもうすぐ。 . 楽しみ☺︎ . . . .

[teru4454]

#差し入れ #BLUESEAL トラスコ中山さん初の産学連携イベントで、法政大学の優秀な学生達とコラボレーションイベント！ https://www.diyfactory.jp/workshop/workshop0096/ #工具は全部トラスコ中山 #外のイベントぶっちゃけ暑いよw #夏の思い出 #まだ夏は終わらない #一年中夏気分 #半袖組 #そうじゃないw #学校の夏休み終わる前にやって欲しかったｗ #宝箱をつくろう #トラスコ中山 #DIYFACTORY #法政大学 #GreenSnap #PROTOOL #BOTANICALPICNIC #InspiredLab #IL #BusinessInnovatorsNetwork #BIN (恵比寿ガーデンプレイス (Yebisu Garden Place)) https://www.instagram.com/p/B2GVZA_j5yvUlN-tiVwQvqe1nMWNnIh96uQunk0/?igshid=1siu79j2hewbo

[shotahoshino]

あじさいまみれの画 母の日には紫陽花も人気なんですよ👍 仕事場が花だらけ #flowers #flowerstagram #plants #pod #nature #natural #green #greensnap #あじさい #紫陽花 #花 #植物 #鉢植え #母の日 #sony #a7 #sel50m28 https://www.instagram.com/p/BxL_BLChQ5w/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=fphar5lb67u

[gvpixx-blog]

Greenish Pathway covered by leaves... #green #prosperitymindset #prosperity #gogreen💚 #ecofriendly #pathway #path #greenpath #environment #gvpixx #shotonhonor #leaves #nature #naturephotography #naturelover #greensnap #greenphotography . . . Follow us : @gvpixx24 Admin : @candy_guy_24 (at Kumbakonam) https://www.instagram.com/p/BxC9NrABoxi/?igshid=6kjptsx7vidd

[warriors-rewritten-chaos]

GraveClan Cats: Duskleaf

Duskleaf is a brown and ginger tom with amber eyes. He is based off of Prompt #28, Autumn. Whenever I think of fall, I think of the leaves turning colors and about how it gets darker earlier, so that’s what inspired Duskleaf’s name and appearance. Duskleaf is the archetypical background cat of GraveClan, and he likes it that way. He doesn’t enjoy too much excitement in his life and prefers solo patrols where he can enjoy peace and quiet. Batstar recently decided to mess with him get him out of his shell by giving him an apprentice, Sweetpaw. Duskleaf doesn’t mind it too much, but did she really have to give him the chattiest and most excitable one? 

He, Pumpkinvine, and Greensnap are littermates.

[tsukusutakai]

見上げたら#椿 葉っぱは黄色区なって落葉…。 #ガーデニング #gardening #greensnap #乙女椿 #ピンク乙女ツバキ #花 #flower #flowers #flowerstagram #camelliajaponica #camellia (LEGOLAND Japan （レゴランド・ジャパン）)

[hyakkasan]

白いけど白くない😅 でも可愛いもんですな #観葉植物 #インテリアグリーン #観葉植物のある暮らし #インテリア #interior #interiorgreen #東海 #愛知 #岐阜 #三重 #春日井 #植物 #多肉植物 #植物のある暮らし #botanical #botanicalshop #ボタニカル #greensnap #ビカクシダ #コウモリラン # #platycerium #コウモリラン #rareplants #壁面 #壁面緑化 #ウォールデコレーション装飾事例 https://www.instagram.com/p/CE4I4iNDZA-/?igshid=g4oiy92716ro