Aku no Hana (The Flower of Evil) is an anime that garnered a lot of controversies when it first aired in 2013. It would seem most people have forgotten about it over the years and that is a shame. Aku No Hana is one of the most unique, interesting, and best Anime I have ever seen, and I have seen a lot in my time.
Aku No Hana is about a boy named Takao Kasuga. He is a real edge lord, he reads this dark book called Aku No Hana. His internal monologue is about how much he hates life and his classmates, he constantly thinks of himself as better than his peers.
Kasuga has a crush on a girl in his class named Saeki, who he views as an angelic figure. He refers to her as her muse and every time he talks to her he starts to blush.
One day when is alone in the classroom after everyone else has gone home he spots Saeki’s gym clothes. In a fit of insanity, he decides to steal them.
This little somewhat innocent act has major consequences for Kasuga. His classmate Sawa Nakamura sees him, and she starts to blackmail him. She gets him to do a lot of fucked up things under the threat of telling everybody that he was the one who stole the gym cloth.
Kasuga didn’t do anything that bad, he is not using the cloth for anything he has too much guilt over taking it. The rest of the class is convinced that some weird creepy deviant stole Saeki’s gym cloth and suddenly the weight of his actions has gotten so heavy that it starts to slowly mentally crush him.
What makes Aku No Hana such a great show is the relationship between Kasuga and the two girls. One is the angel and the other the devil. Let’s start with the angel.
Saeki and Kasuga start dating despite Nakamura’s constant attempts to prevent it. What’s interesting is that Kasuga sees Saeki as this angelic figure, so when she starts dating her and sees the real her, he loses interest.
Saeki is nothing but supportive, even after she finds out he was the one who stole her clothes. She doesn’t dump him, she doesn’t judge him, and she is, by all means, a nice and loving person.
Nakamura is the MVP of this series. She serves as the antagonist, she is the source of endless torment toward Kasuga. It is not clear why exactly she is tormenting him at the beginning. She keeps saying she wants to break down the walls around his heart and show how much of a devient he is.
Nakamura is introduced when everyone in the class is getting graded. She has the lowest score due to her having not answered a single question. She tells the teacher to shut the fuck up. The teacher is furious and tries to strike her. Nakamura gives him this cold look that makes him scared and he drops his hand.
Nakamura has no filter at all; she says exactly what she thinks at any given time. She has only contentment for the little town they all live in, she sees all the people as these fake people who don’t live their life; they merely exist in it, with no passion or authentic thought. This is why she speaks her mind in such a blunt way, she sees all the rules of society and human nature and she recognizes them as totally arbitrary.
Nakamura believes Kasuga is just like her, this is why she keeps pushing him mentally and physically over the edge. She wants to break down these societal conventions and norms. She wants a companion in life, for she is probably lowly.
Nakamura is such an interesting character she is hands down the MVP of the series. She acts in a very intriguing way. One moment she can be cold and manipulated speaking in a monotone voice to an angry girl who yells and screams with rage. She can change from one to another in seconds. She makes it hard to predict, she brings a chaotic element to the series.
At some point in the series, Kasuga and Nakamura run away from home. They try to go beyond the hills to see the rest of the world. It all culminates with Kasuga, Nakamura, and Saeki on top of a hill in the rain where Kasuga is forced to pick between the 2 girls.
The scene on the hill is my favorite part of the series, it ties together a lot of thematic strings along with resolving some character tensions.
One would think the choice would be easy. You have one girl who cherries him and supports him no matter how much he fucks up, she is loving and kind and as a bonus, she is the prettiest girl at school. The other girl is cold, manipulative, and straight-up abusive. The choice seems clear-cut, yet Kasuga cant make up his mind and says he is not worthy of being with any of them.
Kasuga is starting to develop a crush on Nakamura, he sees her wet cloth and starts to blush, he linkers at her. He is drawn to her. I thought it was a kind of Stockholm syndrome at first, but I think that’s the wrong interpretation. I think he likes the idea of Saeki in his head, but not the real her. Whereas I think he likes Nakamura in real life because she is authentic and intriguing to him.
This dynamic was super interesting to watch, complexity between characters and character relations like this is rare to see these days. Kasuga is forced to choose either the angel or the devil and he ends up choosing neither, disappointing them both.
Ako no Hana has a fantastic atmosphere and tone. The show is made by the same people who did Mushihi and boy does it feel like it. Every scene is slow and methodical; the whole show is drenched in this ominous atmosphere and the tension is through the roof.
The show is very slow, but it is slow throughout. Sometimes you see a character walk for like 10 minutes straight without dialog.
Okay, it’s finally time to talk about what makes Aku No Hana so controversial, it’s time to talk about the visuals, specifically the rotoscoping. Rotoscoping is a technique where you act out a scene with real actors and then you animate over it. It’s not very common in anime. The other example I can think of is the movie Hana to Alice: Satsujin Jiken.
Aku No Hana´s Rotoscoping can be a bit off-putting if you are not used to it, it looks very different from other shows. HOWEVER, I think it adds an element of realism to the show. The characters talk, act and move like real people, further enhancing the experience. The story feels more visceral and uncomfortable which is the point. I don’t think the show would be as good if it had a more normal anime style.
The cinematography is amazing as well, every shot looks interesting. There are beautiful shots sprinkled throughout the show, these shots are often in scenes where nobody talks giving the viewer time to absorb everything.
Wow, is there nothing bad about this show? Well, there is something
The ending of Aku No Hana is terrible. The ending of the show is recognized as a “read the manga ending”, where you have to read the manga to see where it ends. These endings are always terrible and frustrating. The reason this occurs is that the show doesn’t get picked up for a second season and thus it ends in this limbo state, it’s something anime fans are used to at this point.
There are ways to mitigate this kind of ending. In HunterxHunter 2011 the ending is perfectly placed. It ends in a way where you feel satisfied and if you wish to continue the story you can in manga form.
The problem with Aku No Hana´s ending is that it ends mid-scene, right in the middle of an action. It feels like the creators gambled everything and were convinced they would get a season two. A cliffhanger ending is not worth it if you have to switch mediums to find the answer.
The ending is what took this show down a notch which is sad, for Aku No Hana is easily one of the best shows I have seen. The character dynamic, interesting visuals, tension-filled atmosphere, and amazing cinematography all make for an overall fantastic show, it’s just a shame so many people (including me) did not give it a show when it came out. Well, it’s never too late to experience something good and Aku No Hana is definitely a Diamond in the rough.