Basic Trope: Falling sakura petals have certain meanings in anime and other Japanese media, depending on the context.
- Straight:
- In the Dating Sim Eien no Troperia, the unnamed protagonist meets the girl of his dreams under a rain of cherry blossoms.
- In the movie Space Samurai Bob, the titular character fights the cyborg army of Emperor Evulz under a rain of cherry blossoms.
- Exaggerated:
- When they meet, the screen is almost entirely covered by sakura petals.
- As more and more of Bob's blood spill to the ground, the cherry blossoms turn from pink to blood red, and then to black.
- Downplayed: Cherry blossoms are found where you would expect them to be.
- Justified:
- It's the legendary sakura tree of the school of the unnamed protagonist; those meeting beneath it will have their love lasts forever.
- These are some genetically-altered sakura trees FROM OUTER SPACE.
- The story takes place in a cherry forest — not having sakura petals would be unusual.
- Inverted:
- The dream girl dumps the unnamed protagonist under a rain of sakura petals.
- As Bob falls, the cherry blossom turns white.
- Subverted:
- It seems to be a sakura tree, but it's actually something else.
- The cherry blossom imagery lead the viewer to believe that Bob will die making his last stand, but he survives.
- This conversation ensues:Alice: Aren't these cherry blossoms beautiful? Love is in the air!
Bob: Bah! Humbug! Anyone who mentions sakura petals should be baked into a black forest cake and buried with cherry pits in their eyes.
Alice: Happy St. Valentine's Day to you too, grumpy.
- Double Subverted:
- ...whose symbolism is almost the same as that of sakura.
- ...and then he dies from his fatal injuries several days later, all the while contemplating the transience of life while watching cherry blossoms.
- Parodied:
- In a Big-Lipped Alligator Moment, the sakura tree actually preaches about the meaning of love to the unnamed protagonist and the dream girl.
- The unnamed protagonist meets his old buddy under the cherry blossoms, or the dream girl meets an Onee-sama under the cherry blossoms.
- Severe cherry injury.
- Petals fall, then Smash Cut to a crashed van from "Shinjuku Cherry Blossom Delivery", which is the source.
- Zig Zagged: ???
- Averted:
- There are no sakura trees in Eien no Troperia.
- Being set in outer space, there are no sakura trees in Space Samurai Bob.
- Enforced: "Regardless of age and era, the viewers will understand the symbolism of sakura petals! Let's make him meet his dream girl under a sakura tree!"
- Lampshaded: "This sakura tree is as beautiful as the you in my dream."
- Invoked: To make sure their love lasts forever, the unnamed protagonist makes a confession to his dream girl under a blossoming cherry tree.
- Exploited: But before the unnamed protagonist can do so, The Rival steals the opportunity to do exactly that.
- Defied: The Rival burns down all sakura trees at the school.
- Discussed: ???
- Conversed: ???
- Deconstructed:
- The girl derives a different meaning from the location of the confession, inferring that the protagonist believes their potential relationship will be short.
- Bob tries to fight Emperor Evulz, but the sakura petals distract him, prevent him from getting a clear shot, are used by Evulz as cover, etc.
- Reconstructed:
- She is willing to settle for short and exciting.
- Bob uses the sakura petals to his advantage, and defeats Evulz.
Back to Cherry Blossoms.
