Fireworks

Fireworks in anime usually have a meaning. It is not usually for show. The Japanese "fire flower" hanabi appears when someone confesses or when two characters are so close they almost say what they mean. Summer festival episodes are part of an excuse to show characters a colorful night sky, which always works. Hanabi taikai, summer fireworks displays across Japan, are so important to anime culture that just being there can make you feel something.

Fireworks scenes usually look like two things. Wide shot of yukata-clad characters at a railing or riverbank with red, gold, and white sky behind them and faces lit from above. The close crop shows only the person's face, with their eyes reflecting light and expression doing the work. Artists often use fireworks to contrast the chaos above with the calm characters below. Fan artists return to fireworks scenes from Ano Hi Mita Hana, Your Lie in April, and Sword Art Online because they are easy to make.

New Year's and victory celebrations use fireworks, so the tag is not just for matsuri. Summer night has most of the best art. Fireworks art is one of the best ways to get a wallpaper that captures a moment, like warm air, crowd noise, or something unsaid.