History Main / HanahakiDisease

-->-- From ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/26110129 Hanafunki]]''.

[[folder:Live-Action Film]]

* Played with in ''Recap/TorchwoodS1E5SmallWorlds'', where a man dies from what appears to be this (complete with VomitIndiscretionShot) but it later turns out to be [[spoiler: TheFairFolk [[MurderIsTheBestSolution protecting]] a child from the ''[[PaedoHunt unsavoury]]'' [[AssholeVictim character]].]] The feelings are obviously unrequited, but in this case that's definitely a ''good'' thing.

[[folder:Live-Actiom Film]]

This trope is popular because it has a lot of melodramatic angst-potential, while also being pretty. Death by Hanahaki Disease is tragic but beautiful. The victim is killed from within by something as beautiful as flowers. Haunted by their unrequited love, the person usually [[SecretlyDying tries to cover up]] their illness. They'll leave behind trails of bloody flowers, which are both horrific and aesthetically pleasing. FlowerMotifs are often used, which adds to the symbolism. The flowers are frequently associated with their unrequited love interest: it could be their favorite flower, their favorite color, [[FloralThemeNaming a flower they're named after]], or something along those lines. (So, for example, if Bob is in love with Sakura, he might cough up cherry blossoms.)

Despite how deadly Hanahaki Disease is, it can be instantly cured if it turns out the other person likes the dying person back. It can also be cured by surgery, but this cure often means that the person will lose their feelings for the person they love (a double-edged sword which amps up the drama). Alternatively, the person being operated on will lose all memory of the person. If, for some reason, it can't be cured, it sometimes can be managed with medication (though this is not seen ''too'' often), but it never fully goes away.

* The ''Franchise/{{Danganronpa}}'' fanfic ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/29865705/chapters/73491375 Silver Bloom]]'' has this as the main plot as [[VisualNovel/DanganronpaV3KillingHarmony Kirumi Tojo]] is hired by Shuichi Saihara's family as a maid and ends up falling for the detective, despite her belief that maids should not hold emotional attachment to their masters, thus catching the Hanahaki disease. As such, she does try and hide it to keep working, even willing to undergo a procedure that could render her unable to feel emotions ever again. Eventually, [[spoiler:it is revealed that Shuichi had the disease as well. Thankfully, the two are finally able to confess to one another and become an OfficialCouple, overcoming the disease and surviving.]]
** The fic does also work to try DoingInTheWizard by giving a scientific explanation for how the disease occurs, and gives a grim prognosis. The starting point of the disease is a strange imbalance in the brain, and suppressing emotions increases the likelihood that someone catches it. It also explains that the disease is far more dangerous, as flowers within the body will cause problems in breathing, digestion, and liver and kidney function. Additionally, there are ways to reduce the symptoms, namely by introducing microbes and larva that eat the flowers to keep the symptoms at bay.

* The ''WebVideo/CriticalRole'' fanfiction ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/33102445 The Mind and The Malady]]'' explains the affliction to be the result of pent-up magical energies manifesting physically, only seen in powerful mages who find themselves suffering from unrequited love. The disease is terminal if left untreated, though "confession and reciprocity" can cure it (as can a spell that will erase the sufferer's affections). The fic follows one such afflicted mage, Essek Thelyss, as he charts the progression of his illness and attempts to manages the symptoms, all while trying to keep the subject of his pining in the dark and helping the Mighty Nein save the world.

* ''Webcomic/{{Wonderlab}}'': There is an Abnormality based on this concept, known as the "Staining Rose". The rose desires only one specific person that satisfies the conditions to manage it to "resonate" with it. If anyone besides that person manages it, or if that person neglects it for a certain period of time, the rose will inflict those outside of its Containment Unit with a contagious disease that makes the infected cough up red rose petals until they die. WordOfGod states that Staining Rose is ''not'' based off of Hanahaki Disease, but the side effects from managing it improperly resemble this trope.

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]

* ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/12746277 Petals]]'', a ''Franchise/DanganRonpa'' twoshot, is about Mukuro having hanahaki disease from being in love with Sayaka. [[spoiler: The disease ends up killing her instead of the Spears of Gungnir.]]

* The ''Franchise/{{Danganronpa}}'' fanfic ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/29865705/chapters/73491375 Silver Bloom]]'' has this as the main plot as [[VisualNovel/DanganronpaV3KillingHarmony Kirumi Tojo]] is hired by Shuichi Saihara's family as a maid and ends up falling for the detective, despite her belief that maids should not hold emotional attachment to their masters, thus catching the Hanahaki disease. As such, she does try and hide it to keep working, even willing to undergo a procedure that could render her unable to feel emotions ever again. Eventually, [[spoiler: it is revealed that Shuichi had the disease as well. Thankfully, the two are finally able to confess to one another and become an OfficialCouple, overcoming the disease and surviving.]]

* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsZYjDo-ky0 reverse fanfiction tropes]] by WebVideo/{{ColeyDoesThings}} [[InvertedTrope inverts]] this trope, along with many others, as the title would suggest. The new inverted disease [[spoiler: causes people who are experiencing requited love to ''eat'' rose petals.]]

->A few hours later he’d started hacking up what felt like half a lung alone in his room. Katsuki stared down at the thing he’d just coughed up, and wiped the side of his mouth with one hand as it stared back. It was a flower. A fucking flower.

->A few hours later he’d started hacking up what felt like half a lung alone in his room. [[Franchise/MyHeroAcademia Katsuki]] stared down at the thing he’d just coughed up, and wiped the side of his mouth with one hand as it stared back. It was a flower. A [[PrecisionFStrike fucking]] flower.

->A few hours later he’d started hacking up what felt like half a lung alone in his room. [[Anime/MyHeroAcademia Katsuki]] stared down at the thing he’d just coughed up, and wiped the side of his mouth with one hand as it stared back. It was a flower. A [[PrecisionFStrike fucking]] flower.

-->-- From "[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/26110129 Hanafunki]]"

[[caption-width-right:350:[[https://www.instagram.com/p/BdymYq3BOvJ/ From Hakukaze on Instagram.]]]]

* In the ''Literature/WarriorCats'' fic ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/15784401/chapters/36725706 Bluebells]]'', Leafpool gets the disease because of Mothwing. She initially thinks it's greencough/pneumonia, but she begins coughing up flowers alongside blood. Eventually Leafpool begins [[BodyHorror sprouting flowers out her chest]]. Right before she dies, she confesses to Mothwing, who says that she likes her back. This cures Leafpool of her Hanahaki Disease. There is also a MultiAnimatorProject [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IOYyGe2nVg based off of the fic]].

* The ''VideoGame/{{Splatoon}}'' oneshot ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/19144327 i'm so full of love i can hardly breathe]]'' is about Pearl suffering with the disease because of her feelings for her best friend Marina.

The trope carries some UnfortunateImplications, as the person being pined for is either forced to return the victim's feelings (something no one should feel obligated to do under any circumstances) or be responsible for their death. Alternate versions of the trope have been proposed to avoid these implications, either by making the disease an inconvenience rather than life-threatening or by shifting the disease's trigger to the victim not confessing their feelings without regard to whether the other person returns their feelings or not.

The trope carries some UnfortunateImplications, as the person being pined for is either forced to return the victim's feelings (something no one should feel obligated to do under any circumstances) or be responsible for their death. Alternate versions of the trope have been proposed to avoid these implications, either by making the disease an inconvenience rather than life-threatning or by shifting the disease's trigger to the victim not confessing their feelings without regard to whether the other person returns their feelings or not.

[[folder: Web Original]]

* The Vocaloid fanfic Rotting Camellias turns it on its head, having the infected slowly turn into petals as they become more depressed and in despair.

Despite how deadly Hanahaki Disease is, it can be instantly cured if it turns out the other person likes the dying person back. It can also be cured by surgery, but this cure often means that the person will lose their feelings for the person they love (a double-edged sword which amps up the drama). If, for some reason, it can't be cured, it sometimes can be managed with medication (though this is not seen ''too'' often), but it never fully goes away.

* ''Webcomic/{{Wonderlab}}'': There is an Abnormality based on this concept, known as the "Staining Rose". The rose desires only one specific person that satisfies the conditions to manage it to "resonate" with it. If anyone besides that person manages it, or if that person neglects it for a certain period of time, the rose will inflict those outside of its Containment Unit with a contagious disease that makes the infected cough up red rose petals until they die.

* The Vocaloid fanfic Rotting Camellias turns it on its head, having the infected slowly turn into petals as they become more depressed and in despair.