Flowers of Evil
Aku no Hana
惡の華
Synopsis
Takao Kasuga, a high school student deeply devoted to poetry, holds Charles Baudelaire in such high esteem that he keeps the poet's portrait in his room. One day, Takao leaves his copy of "The Flowers of Evil" in the classroom. When he returns to retrieve it, he impulsively takes Nanako Saeki's gym clothes. Nanako, a model student who serves as Takao's muse and a femme fatale, remains unaware of the theft. Overwhelmed by guilt and aware that his actions are both sinful and criminal, Takao is stunned to learn that Sawa Nakamura, a socially ostracized classmate, witnessed the incident. Sawa uses this knowledge to manipulate Takao into fulfilling her dark fantasies, threatening to expose his secret if he refuses. As Takao becomes ensnared in increasingly harrowing scenarios orchestrated by Sawa, they must struggle to break free from her control and find a path toward atonement.
Background
Aku no Hana is considered to be the first anime to extensively use rotoscoping. The anime adapts the first 20 chapters of the manga. The series was released on Blu-ray and DVD in Japan from August 21, 2013, to December 25, 2013, and in North America by Sentai Filmworks on July 8, 2014.
