Flowers of Evil

Whenever people watch a film or show, regardless of whether it’s anime or not, they want to be enticed into a deep and complex world full of mystery and wonder that they can solve for the benefit of their humanity. It seems as though Aku no Hana was meant to be something that was going to be the “change” some people were looking for in the wake of entertainment controlling the masses. But boy, did it fail at doing that on almost all accounts. Let's reveal the elephant in the room, the animation. It is flawed, but not to the extent where it should be castratedout of someone’s psyche after viewing the first episode. For starters, the animation that the studio decided to use is called rotoscoping, a style of animation where people are filmed in live action and animators draw over the film frame-by-frame. Considering that this is the first anime show to do this animation style, how is the quality of the rotoscoping? Not too well, that’s for sure. The lip-syncing is atrocious, and the facial expressions are devoid of any character. They don’t fit well with the emotions that the characters are trying to convey, and given how low the budget was, the animation isn’t very fluid in most places. Though these flaws are mentioned, the show isn’t necessarily unwatchable due to the average animation, so it gets a slight pass in this department. With this in mind, however, the art design of the background in the show’s setting is truly spectacular. The grime and rust from the buildings and the dark tone of the outside world succeed in enveloping this dark, depressing story. It fits with the style Aku no Hana is trying to capture, and its effectiveness is relatively good. Another thing that also improves Aku no Hana’s mood is the music. Its subtle ambient and minimalist influenced sound is one of the most beautifully crafted scores that I’ve enjoyed listening to. On a technical level, the show is mixed with good music and art but average animation, but how does it compare to the narrative and writing? Not too well, that’s for sure. For one, the characters and how they are written are not well developed or fully realized with anything happening with the plot. To address this even further, the relationships between the protagonist Kasuga and our two main heroines, Nakamura and Saeki, are as well put together as one could get from a high schooler’s attempt at writing a story as this, a bad one at that. What makes these characters so bad in terms of a writing perspective is how poorly paced it gives us a clear indication that Kasuga has a bond with either Nakamura or Saeki. With Kasuga and Nakamura, there is no chemistry. They play off as a couple of degenerates who spout out vapid angsty monologues towards one another whenever they are on screen. Kasuga himself is not an enticing protagonist to be on-screen. Just because you make him this Holden Caulfield type of character where he is obsessed with a dark poetry book doesn’t make him have any more depth than any other character in the show. Are we to sympathize with him just because he acts pessimistic about the world around him with his pseudo-intellectual jargon? Not if it’s done with careful precision in Kasuga’s archetype, which is not the case in Aku no Hana. Nakamura and Saeki are two other characters who are unfortunately not spared in mediocre character writing. The romantic development between Kasuga and Saeki was rushed to the point where we only see very few inclinations that they are a couple. We get two awkward dates and a moment where she invites him into his room. Not only that but Saeki’s reasons for liking Kasuga are not at all convincing to the slightest degree. With all of the things Kasuga did or forced, in this case, to Saeki’s property, any ordinary girl would quickly never speak to him again. Still, just because the writers want to keep the story going, they’ll have to hope that anyone with half a brain would buy into this—no explanation for Saeki’s reasoning for liking Kasuga. Then there’s Nakamura, Kasuga’s “sidekick” in the show. As you might predict, she is about as explained throughout the show as any other character. This is, of course, the intention because Nakamura is something that we should be wary and suspicious about whether she’s evil or not. Once she forms a contract with Kasuga, the only thing we get out of Nakamura is that she is nothing more than the show’s attempt at pouring empty melodrama into the mix to make the plot seem too deep than what it already is. Her primary goal to the plot’s theme is never given any deep context other than the fact that she thinks the whole world is bullshit and should be destroyed. If you want to provide me with an existential angst plot device, try to deliver a better explanation than just a one-dimensional written one. The character can be portrayed in a reasonably sympathetic light. Unfortunately, Nakamura just doesn’t cut out to be a deep convincing anti-hero with how poor the writing is. While the show's tone is solid, the atmosphere tries too hard to be frightening to the point where it almost does the opposite effect of what it was initially trying to impose. Whenever there is a faint rumbling noise in the background that’s supposed to resemble a heartbeat, that is hardly effective in establishing a mood, or whenever the music starts to grow in its dynamics with a dark droning noise that is unsettling in a wrong way. What’s funny is that some of the build-ups in some of the scenes are unnecessary and fail to capture any fear. Once you do it multiple times throughout the show, it loses its momentum quickly, and all you are left with is just an empty white noise in the background. It’s not often I talk about the actual “acting” rather than the voice acting in this show. While good in a few areas, the acting is often overly dramatized and doesn’t reach that greatness of any drama TV show you could be watching right now. Actors constantly spout out their lines and try to carry out as much emotion as possible in scenes that don’t seem as though it was needed in the first place, such as one that involves a bathroom area. The numerous plot holes drag down the plot from making it convincing to anyone watching. Usually, plot holes can be forgiven if they are tiny to where they are not noticeable to ruin the show's flow. With Aku no Hana, many coincidences can easily be accounted for lazy writing, such as no one noticing the blackboard writing being blocked out the day after the vandalism scene. Anyone could have easily deciphered what the saying was in two seconds flat. In the short scheme of things, Aku no Hana is just a failed experiment that probably never should have been fully realized given its source material. In all honesty, the original manga’s story is quite fascinating. If only they had hired more competent writers to fill in the wide gap that crippled Aku no Hana’s chances of becoming an intriguing psychological drama. It wouldn’t be a shock to call this a “wasted opportunity” given how the creators were ballsy in making it with the rotoscope technique; it just goes to show when you want to do something “different,” you might want to focus more on your writing structure than your artistic integrity. Grade: D+

I normally don't write reviews, but because this series got so much hate, I felt obligated to say something. I thoroughly enjoyed this series for many reasons. First I'll address the elephant in the room that got this series so much hate: the art style. At first I couldn't stand the art style myself. I thought it was going to ruin the series the minute I saw it, but to my own surprise I was completely wrong. After getting into the story, I felt the art style fir the show perfectly. By not having cartoon-looking characters, it made the show much more believable that thesecharacters could possibly exist, which only makes the show even more troubling. Next thing I want to address is the story. Right after the first episode, this show had me hooked. I found myself eager to watch the next episode right after the last. Even though it is not categorized as one, the first few episodes disturbed me more than any "horror" anime ever has. And don't even get me started on the creepy music when the end credits roll. Throughout the story, we see a boy who tries to be different from everyone else because he feels like he does not fit in anywhere. This made me feel like I was going to be faced with a boring protagonist and little to no character development. Once again, I was wrong. After Kasuga spends so much time with Nakamura, we get that hint that these two may slowly be falling for each other. I enjoy how the mood of the show changes along with the opening credits music throughout the series. At first, everything seems very troubling and eventually changes into a story of a boy who is trying to find himself. Because of Nakamura, he questions everything he has ever known, and even later admits he has been lying to himself for his entire life. Because of one girl, Kasuga's entire perception on life is changed and that is what I found so appealing about the story. I must admit, the last episode did kind of disappoint me and I'm really hoping for a part two. One of the only problems I had with this series was some of the dragging scenes. No, I do not want to watch a five-minute animation of Kasuga walking through the streets accompanied by sad music. Besides these minor problems, I really enjoyed this series and recommend to anyone who likes psychological anime.

Aku no Hana is by far the most controversial Anime of the Spring Season 2013, receiving by far the most hate and still having quite a big fan base that does like it. Which one of the two sides arguing against each other is right? Story: The story of Aku no Hana takes place in Japan and revolves around Kasuga Takao, a quite normal boy, who goes to school, loves books (especially Baudelaire's "Aku no Hana") and has a crush on what is supposed to be the beauty of the class. One day he finds her sport clothes as he wants to get the bookhe accidentally forgot in the classroom. He takes them out and hears a sound. In the hurry he just takes them and leaves quickly. Later on the psycho child of the class, being Nakamura Sawa tells him she saw him stealing the clothes. From then on she makes him do things that...well are kind of awkward. The whole story is really well executed and as far as I know follows the Manga quite well (didn't read it). It is really enjoyable to watch and it keeps unfolding in directions that the viewer doesn't expect to go to. It was a good story, but no masterpiece! 8/10 Characters: The characters are the shining point of the show. Even though the only ones that get any focus at all are the three main characters that everything revolves around, they are that good developed that that is no problem at all! Kasuga Takao seems to be one of the most normal students we've seen in a while in Anime. He likes books, has a crush on a girl and doesn't have any powers or things he is really good in. That is until he gets seen by Nakamura stealing the clothes and his life gets more and more messed up, just as his mind. Nakamura Sawa is a psycho. That's what everyone agrees upon. But it is a kind of psycho, that seems more pleasant than the "I'll kill you all" type, and rather is someone that is claims himself to be a deviant and searches for people that are the same as she is. Saeki Nanako is the girl Kasuga has a crush on. She is a kind and good looking girl. I am not gonna talk a lot about her since I'd just end up spoiling. One must be said: The characters aren't likable at all! It is hard to really like them, but that is the point the series wants you to be in. It's a point were you can look down on the show from a spot a lot higher, which makes every single character a lot more human and makes their built up incredibly well done. 10/10 Art: Well....the first thing that comes to your mind while watching Aku no Hana is the character design, which looks to say it in a polite way different. It is not a bad thing to make them look this way, since it is just another point that makes you feel more distant to the characters. The point were the art fails is the animation itself. The characters suffer from either to much movement at the same time and you just can't seem to concentrate because the characters look as if they would tremble without a reason or they don't move at all. The amount of still screens in this show is incredibly high and makes the show feel as if it was something based on an incredibly low budget, which it probably is. Later on the Animation gets a lot better but still not good enough to make up for what they did within the first episodes, which makes the enjoyment go down by far and the hate level rise in the same way. 4/10 Sound: The Soundtrack of Aku no Hana is incredibly simple. It mostly consists of tones getting louder and louder which creates a suspense that really fits the show as something dark and awkward. Aku no Hana has one of the most memorable endings ever created. A song only sung by a computer voice singing about the flowers of evil definitely is really creepy and fits the whole show really well. Just as the 4 Openings do. Every single one of them is weird in it's own way but still it fits the show so well that by now I really enjoy hearing them on their own. The voice acting is nothing that really stands out. While it definitely is not horrible, it is nothing I do love. 8/10 Enjoyment: I have no idea how to score this...honestly! This show is nothing you will enjoy! However it is something that makes you want to shut down your browser and never open it again. At parts I couldn't watch an episode in a single sitting, but had to constantly pause it to calm down a bit, since my nerves were blank, but this is what makes this show so good! 9/10 Aku no Hana is not a show everyone will enjoy, that is for sure. It is hard to watch and if you aren't into thrillers or that kind of stuff you really should stay away from this, but if you like them or if it even interests you a little, go watch this and make your own picture of it.

"You piece of shit!" " Eat shit and die!" Nakamura constantly screams these words, or some variation of it. To whom, you ask? Mostly to Kasuga, the ever spineless and submissive male protagonist in the midst of awkward, budding puberty, who struggles to see into Nakamura's soul and innermost desires. To the audience as well, who judge and silently watch Nakamura wither away in a boring, stagnant town, in which she chooses to embrace all that is depraved and immoral. Twisted, perverted, unnatural, yet oddly beautiful. Loathed by all who know her; loved by those who think they understand her. These are feelings towards Nakamura,or perhaps befitting of the anime itself. It's awkward. It's dark. Frustrating and cringe-worthy at times. But more than anything, there is beauty beneath the decayed surface. This is Aku no Hana, a dark and perverse take on the classic adolescence story. Aku no Hana is the end product of artistic vision seldom experienced in the medium of anime. A masterpiece, some will say. Still others, a laughable, steaming pile of excrement. The verdict? Straddling the lines of masterclass and tragically missed opportunity. Aku no Hana is a veritable master of atmosphere. Standing alone among the heap of high school harems and bland isekai novel adaptations. The haunting and minimalistic music, the morbidly gray yet excruciatingly detailed art, the omnipresent feeling of dread and anticipation. An orgasm of the eyes and ears that can leave you limp, wheezing and gasping for air and salvation. Aku no Hana lies submersing and drowning in its own pool of narcissism and sheer artistic ambition. This is the dualistic beauty of Aku no Hana. Rotoscoping: the animation style of Aku no Hana. It's a daring and ambitious adaptation of an otherwise plain and forgettable looking drawn manga of the same name and story. It expresses in animation what mere pen and paper can only dream of, yet the very source of this series's extreme scrutiny. An animation style that few know of and even less appreciate, relegated to the knowledge banks of basement dwelling movie nerds and glinty-eyed hipsters begging for recognition. It defies all the clichés and identifiable traits Japanese animation has come to represent. No big eyes. No panty shots. No flashing lights. It's anime only in the sense that was made in Japan. Love, or hate. No middle ground. Many struggle with the rotoscope. "I reject this!" many say. This was not what I expected, the second thought of the masses. For the few, then comes acceptance. Then appreciation. And now? I see a bold choice by the director to visualize the heart and soul that Aku no Hana as a narrative seeks to tell. And what is that narrative? Watch it. Bask in its insufferable ego and glory! Aku no Hana's inconsistencies? It's a daring vision that, within the confines of a 13 episode series, struggles to strike an effective balance with the atmosphere, story pacing, and character progression. Begrudgingly, it drowns in the very narcissistic pool that birthed it. Story progression and pacing suffers considerably. Arguably, its slow progression is an aspect of the entire artistic package, but a sometimes unnecessary burden. The art? Background art aside, the character line art would fade as distance increased. Missing anatomy. It's hard to distinguish whether the art is sublime and infused with meaning, a flaw of rotoscope, or a result of rushed deadlines. One other point of contention is the ending. It cuts off and ends prematurely with clips and visions of what is to come in the manga. Is this a sign of a second season? Who knows. I see the ending as an artistic device. Like a clairvoyant seeing the future but the prophecy of it not yet realized in reality. The prophecy of what's to come is more powerful than the actual occurrence of those events, to continue the logic. Or, perhaps equally so, a vainglorious art project not given enough time, money, and resources. The music, art style, pacing, symbolism, all these elements are deliberate. All meant to coalesce with the holistic message that Aku no Hana visually and aurally represents: the darkness and perverse depravity that society shuns and refuses to embrace in the light of day. A state of pure craft that pen, paper, and manga panels could only ever dream of expressing. Driving hipsters wet with rabid, throbbing excitement, thirsty for the torrent of juicy ecstasy and lustful desire. Kasuga's dark and twisted story of awkward adolescence, of squeamish sexual tension, and of crossing the boundaries of morality, is not one from the bottle. It is the special one. Standing tall with arrogance among the anonymous pile of Japanese anime of years past, present, and future. Art, for art's sake. Yet in the shadow of its many highlights, enough maddening errors of omission (continuing the story) and seeming art and production problems gnaw away and detract from the experience. It has the atmospheric ambition rivaling any Coppola movie. The execution has enough pitfalls that mimics the fumbling of an awkward teenager. If it had ended in the right place, this production would be among the greatest works of sublime and self-worshiping art to have ever come from Japan. Instead it came up short and wanting. A masterpiece, a disaster and dirty stain among anime, or just one hell of a wild ride. Your mileage may vary. Some parting words: just watch it. Seriously. And if you're still meandering, try it out—for Nakamura's sake. If not, you may very well be one: a "shithead." Her words to you, not mine. -- Disclaimer: At the time of the review's writing, there has been no official press release for a second season. This review assumes that there will not be a second season. If there is a second season, I have no intention of writing another review that includes the first season or a review of the second season alone. This is a stand-alone review for the Aku no Hana animation project.