Anemone · review
The word "anemone" comes from the Greek word for “windflower", ánemos, and means "daughter of the wind." It has both a positive and negative meaning; they can represent fading/dying hope and/or a feeling of having been forsaken, but can also symbolize anticipation. I've also read that in Japan it symbolizes "sincerity" but I don't have any evidence to back that up. According to Greek mythology, the anemone sprang from Aphrodite’s tears as she mourned the death of Adonis. They are also thought to bring luck and protect against evil. In the case of this short animation, however, I think they are being given not onlyto protect against evil, but also in anticipation of making a better decision. Right now our nameless protagonist is searching and deciding if she wants to live. This is the part of her that is feeling a loss of hope, as though she were forsaken. Symbolically it is her past or youthful, hopeful self that gives her the seeds that anticipate what the future will bring.
The rabbit is the guide that transports our protagonist out of the gray sea of nameless faces and back to the warmth and comfort of her childhood home.
*Geeky side note: To me, he looks like an Amami rabbit (found in Amami Ōshima), which interestingly are an endangered species.
According to once source, the rabbit denotes "quiet endurance of one's pain." A white rabbit can symbolize the awakening of spirit or a symbol for Easter and resurrection. A prolific rabbit can symbolize the power of the sexual feelings. While I don't see anything like the last option in this anime, the first one actually makes a great deal of sense. If I were to guess, I would presume (possibly incorrectly, but in this case what harm could it do) that many people who attempt or are considering committing suicide usually are quietly enduring some form of pain, whether it is their own or someone elses. If this is the case, the presence of a rabbit would be ideal - particularly if the rabbit also symbolized an awakening of spirit.
I felt the music for this work was fine, but certainly nothing extraordinary. It didn't affect me in anyway and served mostly as pretty background music. As a bit of a snob, I think it could have been better if it had followed more of an effectual path that changed throughout the piece, however it was a short film and I don't begrudge them any for chosing the music they did.
The art style was interesting and effective though. It encourages the message and conveys the feelings of the protagonist exactly. While in cold and faceless world, she is living upside down and watching the world around her pass as she feels lost and honestly probably bored as well.
What really made this interesting for me was the choice of symbolism. It's a nice little anime and it gives a good message.