Symbolism

Aug 9, 2015 9:35 AM

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Dec 2014

(Spoilers ahead obviously)

So, I was wondering if anyone else was catching the symbolism used in this anime?
E.g. the flower being blown away right after Sara is raped.

More interesting though, is Shu's stick in my opinion.
It is his weapon of choice and accompanies him throughout his journey. When offered a gun he makes clear that he wants to use the stick instead as he despises killing. Obviously, nobody else uses a similar weapon and more denoting it's something he brought from his own world. Also, remember in the end Shu beats up Hamdo, completely crushing the stick.

In my opinion the stick symbolizes Shu's humaneness. He brings it from his own world into another one plagued by terror and sorrow, where humaneness is unknown for the most part. Shu rather sticks to his principles than resort to killing even when facing his own demise. In the end, however, he changes as the cruelties he met clearly make a tremendous impact on him. Shu loses his humaneness (at least temporarily) as he tries to kill Hamdo, thus it's shattered to pieces.

What do you think? Did you catch other symbols (I'm sure there's much more)?

Aug 22, 2017 7:29 AM

uchuushi

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Dec 2014

Just finished rewatching this series once again.

In the last episode when Helliwood gets flooded, the soldier saves the kid soldier who fell into the water and hands him over to Sara. So he literally gives her a child. Undoubtedly, this means that he is the father of her unborn child.

Aug 30, 2017 2:58 PM

BlaizeV

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Aug 2012

508

These are some really interesting takes. I like the last one especially. I mean he did seem to know who Sara was when he sees her in the village.

Nov 6, 2017 5:07 PM

Jaanhelm

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Oct 2017

BlaizeV said:
These are some really interesting takes. I like the last one especially. I mean he did seem to know who Sara was when he sees her in the village.

Of course he does, he raped her.

Mar 2, 2019 8:19 AM

NG_Chloe

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May 2016

1856

just one of the things I love about the series, especially the part with the flower and Sara

Aug 24, 12:54 AM

ramune1234

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Jan 2025

Regarding the stick, I share an opinion similar to yours. I see it not so much as a reflection of humaneness, but rather as a symbol of the peaceful, modern values that Shuu represents. Literally, he never lets go of it throughout the series. Such behavior may have frustrated many viewers, but taking its symbolic significance into account, I believe it was a reasonable storytelling.

As you also pointed out, in the final episode, the moment Shuu strikes Hamd, the staff is effortlessly shattered into pieces. I believe this scene symbolizes just how fundamentally powerless the modern values Shuu upholds are against Hamd, who represents all the human violence depicted throughout the series. In the sense that Shuu’s own convictions are shattered, I might share the same view as yours.In fact, Shuu struggles desperately in various situations throughout the story with the staff in hand, yet he is unable to change anything or save anyone. In other words, the shattering of the staff serves as a symbolic scene that encapsulates the preceding twelve episodes.

So then, what should be done? The answer is portrayed in the scenes that follow.

ramune1234Aug 24, 1:02 AM

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Symbolism

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