Since the full meaning of Japanese names can be lost on non-Japanese speakers, myself included (because kanji and wordplay), and because this show is full of meaning everywhere, I thought it might be interesting to discuss what the characters' names (or even places' or events' names) could indicate about their roles in the story, or what the themes and ideas of the story might be.
It would be really great to get input and discussion from people who know Japanese, since I don't know very much of it at all (I wrote this based off what I found through an online dictionary, so if there are social norms or specific ways that words or kanji are used, it's very possible I missed them).
I wrote this up for Kureha, though I did it after episode one, so it's a couple weeks old. I think it's mostly still relevant, since at this point only three episodes have aired. That also means it's largely still speculative.
Spoiler-tagging due to length.
[Kureha Tsubaki (椿輝 紅羽—Tsubaki Kureha)]
Kureha’s last name, “Tsubaki”, is the Japanese word for the camellia flower. Its first kanji, “椿” (tsuba), means camellia. The second kanji in her last name, “輝” (ki), means gleam/radiance/shine/sparkle/twinkle. Camellia flowers are common flowers, so Kureha’s last name could indicate that she’s not inherently special or noteworthy in a good or a bad way, but stands out nonetheless due to her sexual orientation. Because of the kanji “輝” in her last name, the show seems to be framing her standing out due to her sexual orientation as a positive thing. She’s the “common flower that shines”.
The kanji “椿” is also used in the Japanese word for nectarine. Nectarines are an offshoot of peaches, which symbolize virginity. Unlike peaches, nectarines don’t have fuzz, which could underscore Kureha’s purity. In Chinese culture, peaches (and by extension nectarines) are symbols of longevity and immortality, which could imply that the show is saying that lesbianism (or non-heteronormative sexuality in general) is something that has always existed, and will continue to exist. It’s not something that can be made to not exist. In Christianity, peaches are associated with the Virgin Mary and the Christ child, and symbolize salvation. This could hint at a possible role for Kureha as someone who brings positive changes to her world (and possibly the bears’ world as well).
The kanji “紅” (kure) in Kureha’s first name is the kanji for red in general (and deep/crimson red in particular), and rouge or lipstick, implying strong sensuality and sexuality, and passion. This meaning seems to speak to Kureha’s nature, as when she’s in love, she’s really, truly, in love. 紅 is also used the same way the word “Red” is used in the West as slang to refer to someone who is a Communist. It’s also used as an abbreviation for “red light”, “red ink” (like how it’s used to mark mistakes in proofreading and school assignments) and “in the red” (financially, to indicate a loss or deficit). These negative connotations could refer to how Kureha, because of her sexual orientation, is seen as a pock mark or blemish on the rest of society.
The kanji “紅” is used in the words for “crimson lotus flower”, “venison”, and “safflower”. The lotus flower in general is incredibly important in Buddhism and Hinduism, and symbolizes enlightenment because it grows from within the mud to bloom above it. In a more mundane sense, here it could refer to growing in knowledge and experience as one progresses through life, hinting that this will happen for Kureha over the course of the show. More specifically, the lotus flower is sometimes used to symbolize overcoming a hard time in one’s life. The red lotus in particular represents the original nature and purity of the heart. It also represents love, compassion, passion, and all other qualities of the heart. This could imply that Kureha has some connection or openness to, or affinity for, the bears, as they symbolize acceptance of one’s sexuality and, more generally, of one’s animalistic side.
The kanji “羽” (ha) in Kureha’s first name means feather/plume/wing and, combined with紅, hints at the possibility that she will leave, or “take flight from”, her current circumstances for the sake of her love.
Written with different kanji, “くれる” (kureru), means either to give or be given/to let one have/to do for one, or to get dark/to (come to an) end/to close/to run out/to be sunk in despair/to be lost. The first meaning could further hint at something big that Kureha does for the sake of her love, while the second meaning could imply that things will continue to get worse for her.
Kureha’s first name, written slightly differently, as “紅花” (kouka; but could technically be pronounced as Kureha), means safflower. Safflower is native to arid environments that only get seasonal rain, but because of its deep taproot (the largest, most important root of a plant), it is able to thrive. This could hint that, despite the pain and hardship she’s suffered in the past and is suffering in the present, Kureha will ultimately be able to blossom beautifully. Safflower is one of humanity’s oldest crops, and in the past, before cheaper and alternative methods became available many different parts of the plant were used for a variety of purposes, from making dyes and medicine to being used in flavoring and coloring for food. This could further underscore that non-heteronormative sexuality is something that has been around since the dawn of humanity and will continue to exist, as well as highlighting the fact that, in various ancient cultures, homosexuality was not seen as the sin or abominable act that it is today. Today, safflower is primarily grown for the mono- and poly-unsaturated oils it produces. These kinds of oils provide us with essential fatty acids that our bodies can’t make on their own. They’re necessary for our survival. This could be a way of saying that non-heteronormative sexuality (or just difference in general) is necessary for humanity to thrive. We’re not all the same, and we shouldn’t all be the same. Safflower plants have previously been used in transgenics experiments to produce insulin to help satisfy the growing global need for it in the wake of increasing global diabetes. This could further underscore the necessity of non-heteronormative sexuality (or difference, more generally) for humanity. Transgenesis introduces exogenous genes (genes that have been added to the genetic code) into living organisms so that those organisms will newly exhibit the trait coded for by the genes and pass it on to its offspring. This could very heavily imply that, through her actions, Kureha will cause a big change to the human world. It could also hint at things involving (what happened to) her mother.
