kiznaiver ending analysis - Noriko & Chidori
There is something about the ending I’ve always loved, and knowing Noriko was meant to be holding roses all along confirmed my initial impression!
Noriko’s bouquet looked like carnations at first because the roses were withered. It isn’t until the children (aka, Katsuhira, and herself) run by her for a second time that her roses bloom. Which goes to show the shots in the ending are meant to show some kind of progression!
That sent my mind into overdrive, so I wound up taking a closer look at the ending but focusing on one girl at a time. By the end, I was blown away by how much may be hidden in plain sight. And this episode just confirmed it, because it fit Honoka’s sequence down to a T!
I already shared my analysis of Honoka’s sequence HERE. So here are Chidori’s and Noriko’s, together because I’m pretty sure they are meant to parallel each other (plus Noriko’s is the most complex one out of the bunch).
Before starting though, I’m taking the flowers not only as a foreshadowing of each of their character arcs but also as the feelings they hold close to their hearts.
On we go!
Wait, another thing! I’m interpreting all this based on my personal take of each character and of what I think maybe in store for them. I (luckily!!) got Honoka’s right because it was very straightforward, but there’s going to be way more guessing (and personal bias, probably) involved this time lol
★ Noriko
Noriko’s is quite probably the richest sequence when it comes to foreshadowing and sheer symbolism, IMO!
We start with a sad-looking Noriko, who… looks sadder by the minute. The first interesting thing to notice here though is that, unlike the rest of the girls, Noriko’s flowers aren’t immediately revealed to us. Noriko is actually holding her bouquet away from her, and in more than one shot she’s looking at it with sadness.
Then we’re shown a melancholic, reminiscing Noriko. She remembers Katsuhira reaching out to her, but the shot is blurry. It’s in the past, a moment (or bond) she can’t go back to. A lost chance, even. So Noriko closes her eyes and sighs.
In the next shot, Noriko is sprawled out on the ground and her flowers are still out of view. Then Noriko turns towards the camera for the first time.
Then comes the first wind.
(And this is going to be important for Chidori’s too, so we have to keep in mind just when those random gushes of wind happen!)
I believe it’s right here that we enter the symbolism for the Episode 6 - 12 arc. After this first gush of wind, the next time we pan to Noriko, her flowers are finally revealed to us.
A bouquet of withered roses. Noriko’s eyes are hidden from view, but she looks forlorn for a moment before smiling.
The construction of the shot makes Noriko look very lonely, IMO. And it’s no wonder why when Noriko’s once again reminiscing about her past with Katsuhira.
An energetic Katsuhira runs past the lonely, grown-up Noriko, and he’s obviously calling out to someone behind her. Probably egging them on to catch-up.
But he keeps running and leaves the frame. It’s only then that young! Noriko runs past, too, trying to catch up to Katsuhira but falling behind.
And that right there is the key to Noriko’s sequence to me!
We then see current Noriko standing alone, holding her withered flowers and clenching her fist. It’s like Noriko wishes she could catch up, wishes she wouldn’t be left behind, but she is most likely resigned to it. She is enduring it.
And didn’t we actually start to see that this very episode? Noriko is told that feelings can change. And what does she remember? Katsuhira saying he is disappointed in her. Then she takes a wistful look at her old picture with Katsuhira (featuring Katsuhira holding her hand, out of all things!!) and then turns it face-down.
But then, our resigned Noriko seems to hear something, because she looks up and parts her lips in surprise.
And what do we have here?
Katsuhira reaching out to Noriko again.
But unlike that first shot at the beginning of the ending, this one right here isn’t blurred at all. It’s in full-focus, most likely meaning that it isn’t only a memory anymore. It’s something that’s actually happening (though symbolically, of course!).
That frame is followed by a single yellow rose-petal beginning to fall…
Right between two children running at the same pace. Noriko is no longer running behind Katsuhira and trying to catch up. She is running right beside him.
The petal lands cleanly on the ground as a shocked Noriko watches. Again, the petal looks more yellow than orange to me, but it’s a toss-up. In either case: yellow roses symbolize friendship and orange one's bonds (Kizuna). So the symbolism is pretty clear!
And of course, in the end, we have Noriko holding a bouquet of full-bloomed roses. What’s more, she is holding them close to her chest, for the first time throughout the entire ending!
Interpretation:
I’m seriously relieved the ending seems to give her storyline a hopeful note! To me, Noriko holding her flowers off-camera reflects Noriko hiding her heart, while all along she is actually in pain and perhaps even resigned to be left behind, which is something I feel her withered flowers symbolize. Plus, we are only shown her bouquet as Katsuhira runs past her the first time, which is very fitting! After all, it was because of Katsuhira’s “I’m disappointed in you, Nori-chan.” that we got our first clear glimpse at Noriko’s feelings.
When Noriko simply smiles and clenches her fist, I think she is longing for a connection that she is taking for lost. And then she is shown surprised as the very hand she couldn’t take before reaches out to her again. And this time her withered flowers (her heart, her feelings) bloom again.
I take that as foreshadowing that Noriko is going to get another chance. More specifically, her bond with Katsuhira will “bloom” again, so to speak. After all, what do her flowers symbolize? Purity, hope, friendship/bonds, and “I’m worthy of you.”
More importantly, this time around, Katsuhira and Noriko will be walking “at the same pace.” Which hints that whatever development Katsuhira gets, Noriko should be getting, too. IMO, of course! So if say, the withered roses symbolize that Noriko’s emotions are also “numbed”, the blooming bouquet should mean they’ll awaken again.
Also, something I find pretty interesting about the ending is that it’s sung from the perspective of a boy. But it does talk about trying to catch up to someone, about trying to reach out to them, and about that that someone “turning back”. So I think the feeling goes hand in hand with Noriko’s sequence, IMO!
And that actually takes us to Chidori’s, because I think the end of her sequence foreshadows the opposite outcome from Noriko’s.
★Chidori
So as I’ve said before, I’m in the camp that thinks Chidori’s being set-up to let Katsuhira go. I guess it’s no surprise that that’s exactly how I read her ending sequence, haha but really, I do feel it’s a very clear hint of it happening?
Let’s break it down!
Just like with Nico, we first see Chidori looking surprised; these two are very open with their emotions. But then we see Chidori arranging her hairpin, which I feel draws a parallel to Honoka. I think it could illustrate that just like Honoka, Chidori tries to hide her pain, too.
(This episode delivered a great quote about that!)
Moreover, notice she isn’t holding her flowers? I think that a very quick shot of Chidori on her feet and flower-less may represent her past attempts to let go of her feelings for Katsuhira.
But she is soon back where she started, sitting down and holding her flowers. Something very interesting about it all, IMO, is that while Chidori’s flowers are always in plain sight (except for the shot of her hair, of course!), she holds them at varying distances from herself.
And isn’t that way too fitting for her approach to her feelings for Katsuhira? She is in a constant battle with herself over them, sometimes denying them and other times embracing them.
As things are now in the series though, she has most definitely embraced them.
Which fits perfectly with the shot that comes next:
Chidori is finally holding the flowers to her lips (something only Honoka does, and those flowers represent Honoka’s feelings for Ruru!), but she looks sad and then sighs. And the telling thing IMO is that this sequence happens right between Noriko’s withered flowers being revealed and Katsuhira running past her.
I think the arrangement is a deliberate way to show a common point between them. Aka, their own feelings for Katsuhira.
Then, something even more important happens. Remember the wind?
Chidori looks at the camera in surprise, and then a gush of wind blows by. Hers and Noriko’s are the only sequences that feature wind in any way, shape, or form, so I think that further shows there’s a connection between both.
Back to Chidori’s! So the gush of wind blows by, and Chidori looks sad for an instant before putting up a smile.
Chidori isn’t actually happy here (those upturned eyebrows!!). She is just accepting, putting up a strong front when she’s actually sad.
That broken smile up there says it all. And what’s the last thing we see?
Chidori holding her flowers behind her. Moreover, she is no longer holding them up, but upside-down.
It’s a pretty direct contrast to Noriko’s, IMO.
Especially because Chidori is the only girl that isn’t holding her flowers close to herself by the end
It’s like she’s putting past her what they’re meant to represent.
Interpretation:
To me, those last bits of Chidori’s sequence symbolize Chidori letting go of her feelings for Katsuhira. The wind, in particular, the fact that we’re shown a gush of wind blowing by Chidori before she smiles sadly at us, and then we’re immediately shown Noriko being reached by Katsuhira, seems to foreshadow that may be the direction where the show’s headed, IMO.
Though of course, the biggest hint to me is that Chidori is holding her flowers behind her back at the end, and upside-down. White china asters symbolize “Victory of love” and purple ones “My love is deeper than yours”. So to me, it’s like Chidori has essentially put behind her any jealously or enviousness regarding Katsuhira and Noriko, and is ready to move on. Which again, would be pretty fitting considering china asters, in general, can also mean “change”.
This was a lot of fun to write, thank you if you read this far!
Other ending analyses:
- Official Flowers and their Hana Kotoba meaning
- Honoka’s sequence (+Ruru)
- Nico’s sequence (+ Honoka/Tenga)
