(L) Yagate Kimi ni Naru (Bloom Into You)

[Requiem-x]

No, Yuu, I'm pretty sure that qualifies as "very kind".

Oh, so I wasn't imagining it, there really was a mistake there. Yeah, it did sound like Yuu was talking about Touko rather than herself. Pity, because otherwise, this episode was absolutely beautiful; looked great (props for continuing to use first person perspective without it looking awful or plain weird), got to know more about both Yuu and Touko, especially the latter, and that little talk between the two at the end was absolutely fantastic. Such a beautiful moment between the two of them. I'm 100% in and looking forward to see where this goes.

[Last Sinner]

Having already read some of the translated manga already, I had a bit of an idea how it started. But I have to say the third episode really helps to ramp up being invested in this title. Flipping usual dynamics so that the senpai is the more vulnerable one compared to the kouhai is definitely refreshing.

But there are two things that concern me.

1. This scenario of Yuu not knowing what she's feeling or what love is meant to feel like can only go so far.

Compared to some of the more emotionally young yet mature romance protagonists like Sawako from Kimi ni Todoke or Mei from Say I Love You, Yuu isn't as fragile and vain to the world in general. To love, yes. But to people/trusting others/friends, she has those networks. Characters like Sawako and Mei were endearing because they needed to grow in so many aspects in a very big way. Empathy came relatively easy because wanting them to find their way along with the perks of their specific oddball traits. Yuu has established friends and isn't so naive about the world in general. And she is rather balanced in comparison. Empathy isn't so forthcoming. Relatability, though, is what comes easier. But it doesn't hold as much weight.

This scenario between Yuu and Touko is something I've seen before. A few years ago, Milk Morinaga, one of the most well known yuri authors, wrote The Secret Princess, where one cutesy but somewhat fragile girl asked the school's charismatic, popular tomboy girl to act as a trial for her being ready to fall in love with 'her prince' that her mother always said she would be destined for. All was resolved within a single volume. (Pity that Milk Morinaga titles will stay confined to manga, though. She never would be one to let her work be ridiculed. Not that Girl Friends would ever be adapted properly, anyway.)

The setup in Bloom Into You feels fairly similar, except this time the younger girl is the one that is the more emotionally calm one.

Spoiler for Episode 3 thoughts in regards to the big picture:

On reflection, perhaps the parts of Episode 3 where Touko explained how she didn't like being so plain/average in the past and feels she needs to be special/to stand out is meant to spark something in Yuu. Yuu is certainly capable of achieving something - the fact she was able to spontaneously prop up Touko and get everyone's attention shows that when she does commit to something, she is capable. Maybe part of Yuu getting to the point of feeling love is that she has to actually strive for something in other aspects of life first. Once the zest to achieve something on other fronts is activated, Yuu may feel more emotionally open and then feel love. So there is a form of reciprocation. I almost wonder whether Touko is holding out hope that what led her own heart to be vulnerable can be invoked in Yuu by gently directing Yuu to venture into the unknown in the hope of Touko's love being accepted eventually.

But that can only go so long. Touko is already fairly taken with Yuu. Eventually, something more than words has to come from Yuu. Heck, the speed at which things have progressed makes the usual pace of other lighter romances look like turtle speed in comparison. How this title will be regarded is so very reliant on how Yuu eventually reacts/develops. I feel this has gone way past a simple rejection/letdown being acceptable. And I do feel that at some point, Touko won't be able to handle the imbalance of the magnitude of how they regard each other because Yuu won't progress to the pace that Touko hoped she would. Did they even become friends in a proper sense before things got onto this path? Yuu got into this groove because she felt Touko was utterly with her on the 'I can't feel love' aspect but that got flipped rather quickly. That said, Touko hasn't forced Yuu to go along with it in the stricter sense but with Touko being taken that quickly and then giving Yuu that time-stop kiss in Episode 2, things accelerated so quickly. Hey, I was down with that kiss, but so many romance titles take nearly a full series to get to the first kiss. I think there is only so far Touko can go without getting some significant reciprocation for it to be believable.

Spoiler for Yuu's family in Episode 3:

2. Will familial aspects get in the way? Yuu definitely seems to have a balanced family that gets along across several generations via the bookstore. But would they really accept her being with Touko? Rei seems like she'd be fine with it but the father making that remark of 'I don't think my heart could handle that' seems rather foreboding. Usually, family is kept well out of things in yuri titles. That Yuu is that close with her family just makes me wonder whether any significant issues will come from that. I definitely get the feeling Rei is going to catch onto things before the rest of them do. I hold out hope that Yuu's parents are open-minded. But even in 2018, the specter of what society expects females to do long-term still hangs over it all.

Tl;dr - It's sweet. It's got a bit of a unique feeling after Episode 3. But things can't stay this innocent and one-sided for long.

[Marina2]

Interview with Nakatani Nio (manga author). There are spoilers so you might want to avoid if you didn't read manga version.
https://mellyisbored.wordpress.com/2...ios-interview/

[Mars Terra]

Originally Posted by Last Sinner

Spoiler for Yuu's family in Episode 3:

2. Will familial aspects get in the way? Yuu definitely seems to have a balanced family that gets along across several generations via the bookstore. But would they really accept her being with Touko? Rei seems like she'd be fine with it but the father making that remark of 'I don't think my heart could handle that' seems rather foreboding. Usually, family is kept well out of things in yuri titles. That Yuu is that close with her family just makes me wonder whether any significant issues will come from that. I definitely get the feeling Rei is going to catch onto things before the rest of them do. I hold out hope that Yuu's parents are open-minded. But even in 2018, the specter of what society expects females to do long-term still hangs over it all.

Spoiler:

I don't know, the impression that I got from her father is one of a very spineless man.

Spoiler for Episode 3:

In the previous episode, Nanami was being unfair towards Yuu with her passive aggressive pursue of her. So it's kind of well earned that Yuu would act coldly towards her in this episode.
Or so I was thinking during the beginning of the episode, but after seeing the scene where Yuu drags Nanami outside, I thought that Nanami's behavior is simply her struggling to do things she have not done before and coming off as awkward as a result, in this case she is trying to figure out how to handle romance. Although she often puts on a brave face, deep down she is scared and she tries to hide that part of her away from everyone. Keeping up such a facade is tiring and Yuu is a opportunity to release the stress that has been building up inside of her.

When I read the first volume of the manga I had thought Nanami to be my favorite character, but experiencing the first volume again in motion has made me realize that Nanami, while coming off as kind, is actually unintentionally mean in a way. I find Yuu a bit more interesting now as well, she is a kind person but she also has a lot more depth to her character than just that. I didn't like the voice they chose for her at first but now its grown on me.

It seems that one volume will be covered with every 3 episode, since this is where the first volume ended.

[Kanon]

Somebody on the student council already found out about Touko and Yuu's relationship. He seems like a trustworthy guy, thankfully. He's also pretty sharp, he immediately noticed Yuu worried about Touko before herself. He's kind of an interesting guy himself, enjoying being the spectator of romance but not wanting to get involved in one.

I'm starting to think Random Wanderer is right about Yuu after this ep.

[serenade_beta]

Spoiler for ep4:

Holy moly. I thought we had a relatively peaceful normal maybe-School Days yuri anime, and it turns out one of the more normal looking guys in this show is actually this psychopathic Yuri mania.
The fact he looks so normal just makes him so much scarier.

[kari-no-sugata II]

Normally when I like an anime based on a manga I'll go read the manga but I've held off this time as I'm enjoying the anime a lot.

The following are some preliminary analogies in my head. I've no idea how accurate they really are currently, or whether they'll be of any use in future...

Yuu - "a watched pot never boils". As a "shoujo manga reader" she wanted to experience a love as depicted there. But she never felt anything. She never felt a sense of progress. In a way, she hamstrung herself by her expectations. Perhaps she didn't read/enjoy the sort of shoujo manga where a character slowly falls in love over time? Or perhaps she was focused on the "destination" rather than the "journey"? She wants Disney children's film levels of simplicity it feels like but that's not what's she's getting. Anyway, she's a bit like a large pot of water under slow heat - the temperature is rising slowly but she herself isn't aware of the changes.

Touko is the opposite in many ways. It seems she had no expectations of love and kept herself at a bit of a distance. But she experienced a "love at first sight" type of situation. In comparison to Yuu she's a bit like a kettle under strong heat - she boils over very quickly and pretty much literally has to let off steam (make out with Yuu) so that she can cool down. She herself doesn't seem to have any more experience than Yuu but her feelings were so strong and sudden that she couldn't ignore them and is pretty much going through a crash coarse in love.

Our focus character this episode is similar to Yuu in that he has enjoyed reading/observing but unlike her (at least currently) has no interest in participating. I dunno if he'll serve more as an advisor/commentator type role for Yuu or if he'll become a bit too invested in the "stage set for him" that he wants to hurry the plot along or something. There's already clear signs of danger in that he might well ask too many questions and/or be too nosey - though given the end of the episode, maybe he'll be satisfied and cool down for now.

[Last Sinner]

Well at least there's a tolerant observer but...what if they decide to try and trigger something? Can't deny that I am concerned. Or that it will lead to melodrama in a scenario that is not suited for it.

Also, that everything in this episode happened within school and almost all of it within the council shack bugged me. Episode 3 having more locations gave it some much needed depth. There's only so much that shack can pull off for atmosphere/progression. Also concerned things will get a bit cliche once the mention of a stage play happened.

Also....does anyone else find it weird there were only five people on the student council? Seems rather light. Or is class specific representation only present within meetings tied to major school events within the Japanese school system?

I really hope something bigger happens next episode. 4 was an episode where I can't say anything was wrong but that it lacked upside. It is nice to have a yuri title that hasn't gone for the melodramatic/juiced up path. But it gets too light at times.

[Kanon]

Originally Posted by Last Sinner

Also....does anyone else find it weird there were only five people on the student council? Seems rather light. Or is class specific representation only present within meetings tied to major school events within the Japanese school system?

Seems about right to me. Student councils in manga/anime typically have a president, a vice president, a treasurer, a secretary and I think one more position I'm forgetting. And yes, class reps only get involved during major events, they're not actually part of the student council.

[Last Sinner]

Originally Posted by Kanon

Seems about right to me. Student councils in manga/anime typically have a president, a vice president, a treasurer, a secretary and I think one more position I'm forgetting. And yes, class reps only get involved during major events, they're not actually part of the student council.

Fair enough. Just that when I was in high school, class reps were part of every meeting. Putting that much onto just five people for the majority of the year seems rather harsh.

[Kanon]

Originally Posted by Last Sinner

Fair enough. Just that when I was in high school, class reps were part of every meeting. Putting that much onto just five people for the majority of the year seems rather harsh.

They can get more help if they need to, assuming there are more people willing to join. I don't recall seeing a student council with more than 10 members though. I don't know if there's a limit or if most students just aren't interested.

[Requiem-x]

Seems like this will be the show that makes me say "Look, another great episode" this season.

This has to be one of the most expressive shows of the year as well, because there were so many little expresions and motions with meaning this week, especially Yuu's and poor Sayaka's, the latter's anger was especially showing this week. Good thing it was Maki and not her who caught them in the act. Speaking of that, what a beautiful scene, in every sense. My opinion of the first kiss scene wasn't as strong as Triple R's (it really all depends whether can bring yourself to believe such a teenager can exist for real, and besides, some yuri stories tend to emphasize the emotional aspect of romance far above the physical), but I do appreciate the extra emotion in this one, and oerall, I love how Yuu is the cool one in the relationship so far.

Of course, that scene near the end where we clearly see Yuu puts Touko's wellbeing above her own before Maki says anything was really good as well.

Originally Posted by Kanon

Somebody on the student council already found out about Touko and Yuu's relationship. He seems like a trustworthy guy, thankfully. He's also pretty sharp, he immediately noticed Yuu worried about Touko before herself. He's kind of an interesting guy himself, enjoying being the spectator of romance but not wanting to get involved in one.

I'm starting to think Random Wanderer is right about Yuu after this ep.

That Yuu just doesn't know how love works? Yeah, that last scene seems to prove that she already has all that it takes to feel love but she a) expects way too much too soon and b) isn't quite there just yet.

Originally Posted by serenade_beta

Spoiler for ep4:

Holy moly. I thought we had a relatively peaceful normal maybe-School Days yuri anime, and it turns out one of the more normal looking guys in this show is actually this psychopathic Yuri mania.
The fact he looks so normal just makes him so much scarier.

Yeah, that sequence was kind of creepy, but on second thought, he kinda resembles Yuu, looking at love from a distance, only he isn't interested in knowing how it feels like.

[Marina2]

I really like the use of 1st person perspective to show audience how thing look like from Yuu's viewpoint. The scene where she was walking to student council building in ep.1 and the scene where she was walking up to the podium in ep.3 were really cool.

Oh, Maki is basically one of us.

YouTube

https://youtu.be/_SxZlftRNdo

Sorry; dynamic content not loaded. Reload?

[Triple_R]

Originally Posted by Last Sinner

Also....does anyone else find it weird there were only five people on the student council?

Yes, I did. In fact, the smallness of this student council was my main problem with Episode 4 (on the positive side, that means I found Episode 4 pretty good overall).

This does seem like an awful lot of burden to put on just 5 kids. I do in fact feel a bit sorry for all 5 of them when it comes to this.

All of the above being said, this isn't a critical issue for me. And there are many things I liked about Episodes 3 and 4.

I like how Touko is projecting strength and calm, poise and confidence, but she's enduring much inner weakness. Simply as a character study, she's very interesting and nicely nuanced.

Koito's speech in Episode 3 was really well-handled, and sweet.

And now in Episode 4, I like how we have male characters of significance. I'm glad that this show didn't go with a co-ed school just to be different from similar all-girls/yuri shows. I'm glad that the co-ed setting will sensibly result in some significant male characters.

The romance of this show, strictly speaking, is still not exactly working for me. But the characters are very interesting, and the overall situation is pretty interesting. It's clear that Koito cares a lot about Touko, and so there is some sweetness there even if the overall relationship isn't exactly what I would have liked.


What I'm most curious about for the immediate future - It's not hard at all to imagine that Touko wants to put on a play where she and Koito would be romantic leads (think Romeo and Juliet, though it could be a different play than that exact one of course). That may well be part of Touko's motivation here. I'm interested to see if this is where the show will decide to go next. I don't necessarily have a preference either way, but whether the show goes for this or not could say a lot about the show.

[erneiz_hyde]

Btw, just an aside, I used to see scans translating the title as "Eventually [I] will become yours" before the "Bloom into you" subtitle came out. That is wrong translation and it should be "Eventually [I] will become you" which is more of a literal translation than the better stylized "bloom into you". Basically, the title means someone trying to be someone else.

[Kanon]

Touko was so cute in this episode. You can tell she's in love. She expressed concerns with Yuu's attitude and I think they're not unfounded. She indulges Touko because she needs her, and would do the same for anybody. Or so she has convinced herself at least.

I'm interested in the Koyomi plotline. When Yuu put the manuscript in her desk and left the classroom, I thought it would get stolen/lost/whatever, but I guess this series won't go for such cheap drama.

[Nachtwandler]

Originally Posted by Kanon

Touko was so cute in this episode. You can tell she's in love. She expressed concerns with Yuu's attitude and I think they're not unfounded. She indulges Touko because she needs her, and would do the same for anybody. Or so she has convinced herself at least.

I'm interested in the Koyomi plotline. When Yuu put the manuscript in her desk and left the classroom, I thought it would get stolen/lost/whatever, but I guess this series won't go for such cheap drama.

There will be an episode dedicated to Koyomi (if they do not cut it) and she will play a role in ther main arc of the sesaon.

[Last Sinner]

Easily the best episode so far.

Some actual time on other characters.
Majority of the episode away from school.
Subtle yet impactful moments.
The not-so-subtle moments.

May this continue.

[kari-no-sugata II]

Yuu's thought to herself right at the end was interesting. Feels to me like she was saying that she'd be perfectly fine with it if she did fall in love with Touko...

Very happy with how this show conveys the more subtle moments. It's not all "events" and "drama". These quiet moments are just as important and tragically under-used.

LOL at Touko buying a "raunchy" lesbian novel unknowingly... and Yuu thought it was simply so that Touko could get a rise out of her

Originally Posted by Nachtwandler

There will be an episode dedicated to Koyomi (if they do not cut it) and she will play a role in ther main arc of the sesaon.

Totally guessing here: Yuu reads the manuscript and loves it. Touko finds out about this and suggests that they create a play out of it. This makes it hard for Yuu to refuse to participate.

[Rnzlr]

Yuu reads the manuscript: "God damn it, another isekai trash"