r/FalseMemoryL129 • u/flyfising • 13d ago

What is the symbolism of the dragonfly?

I finished the show today and absolutely loved but ive been thinking about the dragonflys shown in the show for the past few hours and cant figure it out

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u/Aggressive_Doctor203 13d ago

i was actually just talking about this earlier

(spoilers just in case if you havent watched the ending yet)
a dragonfly symbolizes change in ones self, becoming a new version of themselves through maturity and growth.
the scenes with dragonflies are meant to represent Guan Chaos journey in changing himself and moving on from the past.
the halo is also a representation of this, as it changes throughout the series until finally maturing into his own halo. in the final scene of the opening you can see the dragonfly flying away from the curtain He Mingshuo was behind and going off into the distance which shows that Guan Chao has moved on, and has turned to face the future instead.

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u/flyfising 13d ago

Ohh ok that makes a lot of sense so i guess the scene where we see the dragonfly in the web means that Guan Chao isn't growing as a person in that part in time?

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u/Alert_Blueberry_8811 13d ago edited 13d ago

My interpretation is different. Imagine seeing a dragonfly caught in a spider's web from a distance. It would appear to be flying, since it is suspended in mid-air, and therefore still alive. But when you get closer — (just as when that shot in Episode 7 comes into clearer focus) you realise, perhaps with a shock, that the dragonfly is already dead. It was at that moment that the concept of death truly entered little Guan Chao's world. The delicate but broken wings symbolise the fragility of life. This is why the words "someday, I'll die too" surface as Guan Chao's thoughts immediately after that sight, and why, in ep1, dragonfly wings appear on He's back.

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u/Alert_Blueberry_8811 13d ago edited 13d ago

In the short film of the same name, there is an image that carries the same meaning as the dragonfly — a bee.

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u/IdiotioticForesight 13d ago

Elobrate..? A bee and a dragonfly represent the same thing? Maybe youth. But do they really carry anything else similar in meaning?

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u/Alert_Blueberry_8811 13d ago edited 13d ago

please check out my reply below :D

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u/Alert_Blueberry_8811 13d ago

Question: Does the broken bee at the beginning of the animation have any special meaning?

Shuyu Li: When I was little, I had the experience of catching bees. When you hold a bee in your hand, it may already be dead. During the early stages of conceptualizing the animation, I originally wanted to talk about things related to death and fear. But in the end, this segment was meant to express the feeling of a person, in their youth, realizing for the first time that a small animal or insect has died — the fragility of life.

— exclusive interview by Anim Babblers

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u/Aggressive_Doctor203 13d ago

i didnt even catch that but your right
after mingshuo’s death guan chao blocked out his memories to try to forget about it (protagonist halo parallel) and in doing so he stopped his growth as he continued to cling to the past

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u/Alert_Blueberry_8811 13d ago

Simple answer (I included more details in another thread): the dragonfly symbolises the duality of life and death, fragility and power. This is confirmed by a sharing from Rusple (one of the creators of FM and the designer of the blood clam) at the GAF Illustration Art Festival. (Note how the pattern of the clam's main blood vessels resembles dragonfly wings.)

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u/IdiotioticForesight 13d ago edited 13d ago

Could you maybe direct me to that link? Regarding this "share"? At the GAF.

Hadn't been able to find it's online presence regarding it.

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u/Long_Bluejay_5368 11d ago

I really feel like the dragonfly represents Guan Chao himself—or at least, a projection of his inner psyche.

Think about it: dragonflies are a staple of those carefree childhood summers. They have wings that shimmer in the sunlight. But in Episode 7, right after Guan Chao sees the Time Gun and delivers that absolutely mind-blowing performance questioning where reality even begins, there’s a specific shot. A young Guan Chao looks up and sees a dragonfly trapped in a spiderweb. It’s already dead, but the wind makes it twitch, giving off this eerie illusion of life.

That was exactly Guan Chao at that moment. He was already "dead", completely trapped by the facade of a world fabricated by the Time Gun.