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Unwritten Anime Rule #9: The Red Spider Lily Omen
Why This Rule?
Flowers are a great gesture to show someone special how much you care for them. But roses, dandelions, and many others aren’t as positive as the flower we’re investigating today. The Red Spider Lily is the culprit that I view as an omen in anime. Seeing this flower in a scene, opening, or ending is a clear indicator that something terrible is going to unfold. In fact, as far as I’ve personally witnessed, there is
nothing positive about this flower in the context of anime. People die. People are changed forever. Final goodbyes are said all too soon. This plant isn’t your friend...even if it is really beautiful to look at. View from a distance, friends.
Examples and Exceptions
The most prominent example that comes to mind is in Tokyo Ghoul. White carnations morph into Red Spider Lilies during Kaneki Ken’s inner dialogue during his torture at the hands of Jason - and we, figuratively speaking, witness the death of the gentle person he was.
The only other anime that I’ve seen the Red Spider Lily is Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron Blooded Orphans…and that’s a discussion for another time. To my knowledge, this flower is so heavily symbolic that it is always a sign.
Origins
Here’s why we’re closing out this haunted season with this flower - The Red Spider Lily, genus name Lycoris radiata, is known as the flower of death (1). The bulbs themselves are poisonous when ingested, and they’re commonly used in Japan to keep away mice and pests from rice paddy fields (1). Doing some quick searches, you can find many different names for it as well, like “Corpse Flower”, “Hurricane Lily”, “Resurrection Flower”, “Equinox Flower” and many more. I’ve also read that it’s closely associated with the Sanzu River, Japan’s version of the River Styx, separating the living world from the one of yokai and demons (2).
It’s only fitting that a plant with this kind of reputation is so powerfully symbolic that it carries over in the 2D world. Some believe that if you have someone that you’ll never see again, this flower will bloom along their path as they leave (1). Fun fact: White carnations symbolize innocence and pure love, which makes you look at the Tokyo Ghoul transformation scene in a whole new light (3).
The Red Spider Lily blooms in the late summer, so I have a theory that most of the beliefs that come from it could be applied to life in a way. Think about this: If a person’s birth and adolescence is spring, adulthood is summer, fall is the middle-aged years, and winter symbolizes the decline until death. Between adulthood and middle-age, the Red Spider Lily appears...meaning that death is looming. It’s the sign that death is closer than ever. If for some reason that you see this in an anime - someone’s going to bite the dust. Metaphorically or literally dropping dead.
Overall Judgement
The Red Spider Lily is a beautiful flower...but it’s like a classic case of “Touch-Me-Not”. Its unique appearance and heavily symbolism only point to one thing - hard goodbyes, hard-hitting tragedies, and death.
Likelihood that people will die when Lycoris radiata starts showing up:
100%
"Lycoris radiata." Wikipedia, Web. 23 Oct 2018. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lycoris_radiata>.
"Sanzu River." Wikipedia, Web. 23 Oct 2018. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanzu_River>.
McCarty, Sue. "Meaning of White Carnation Flowers." Hunker.Web. 23 Oct 2018. <https://www.hunker.com/13426248/meaning-of-white-carnation-flowers>.
Red Spider Lily Picture: https://imagesam.oyewiki.com/images/4f677dec847f4f8c8152a1d71c8dddb6.jpg
Tekkadan Picture: http://www.themeraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/gundam-iron-orphans-background-6.jpg