Yagate Kimi ni Naru

Love takes shape that the universe may never have a precise answer on. Can we all agree that human emotions can never be truly understood? What does it mean to be in love? Why do people fall for each other? In our world of imperfection, we will never know the truth to this question. Humans are imperfect and we were built that way in the eyes of our creator. The art of anime adaptations is a fascinating subject that takes many forms. I’m very open minded with just about any genre although when it comes to yuri and shoujo-ai, I’m rather indifferent about it. Recent adaptations of the shoujo-ai genre hardly made an impression on me such as Citrus or Netsuzou Trap. Both of those shows let me down big time with their aggressive stance on relationships. I wanted to see a softer side of the shoujo-ai genre without subscribing to sexual same gender relationships that relies on shock service. Thankfully, Yagate Kimi no Naru is the answer. I’m not too familiar with the community related to shoujo-ai works but it’s clear that the manga has popularity. The series was launched in April 2015 from the Monthly Comic Dengeki Daioh and in the present, it has over 500k printing copies and ongoing. However, I was also curious about the anime adaptation after seeing the staff involved. Director Makoto Katou made a rather interesting impression back in 2015 when they directed a mystery light novel adaptation called “Beautiful Bones: Sakurako’s Investigation”. While this series doesn’t contain much mystery, it definitely made me wonder if it has a similar mystique. Indeed, watching Yagate Kimi ni Naru (Bloom Into You) finally gave me a shoujo-ai that I desired. Right off the bat, we meet Yuu Koito, a first-year high school student who has a love for shoujo manga. From her perspective, it’s easy to see what love is on a fictional level. It isn’t until a second-year student named Touko Nanami comes into her life that she really begin to experience what life and love is. Similar to Yuu, Touko also has trouble experiencing love although it’s clear that her mind is set to understand it. As a student, she is very admirable for her dependable personality and someone the freshmen look up to. However, all this seems to be masking her insecurity. The truth is, Touko has many weaknesses underneath her cool persona. It’s shown throughout the series that she feels loneliness due to her past and Yuu becomes the only person that she trusts in. On the other hand, Yuu seems to be more wary about love and wants to experience it. However, her view towards love is not as dedicated as Touko. She wants to experience love but often denies feelings of it. Yuu’s personality is more the opposite of Touko’s as she is indecisive at times, including her own future. So to say the least, how can these two develop a genuine relationship? Honestly, I think the main draw of the show isn’t to see if the main characters can get together as a couple. Rather, it’s about how characters experience love and what love really means to them. Realistically, both characters views love in different ways although it’s clear that they lack experience in it. Touko is the more obvious with her insecure personality where she often isn’t sure what to do to make happy moments with Yuu. On the other hand, Yuu often believes what she experiences to be more of a fantasy than actual love. I guess part of that comes from reading all those shoujo manga although as the series progresses, she begins to grow out of her shell. The storytelling continues to test the two’s relationship on many levels. It’s a show that capitalizes on bringing in drama and thankfully, I can say that it accomplishes that very well. The drama sells with the character personalities, behaviors, dialogues, and realistic feelings. I’m also more pleased to say that everything in the show felt very real. Characters behave like humans do especially for high school students of their age. It’s a time period when young people want to get the best out of their lives and love is often a prominent part of growing up. To me, this show manages to capture the essence of character growing up while discovering what love is about. While Yuu and Touko are the most prominent characters, it’s hard to take eyes off of some of the others. Sayaka Saeki is a good example as someone who used to attend an all-girls school and became a close friend with Touko. The two work together as part of the student council but it’s very clear that Sayaka sees her more than a friend. Love is the easiest way to describe it. It’s also easy to see why she falls for her too considering their similar personalities. Both Sayaka and Touko are hardworking individuals who are willing to help others. However, Sayaka is perhaps less outgoing compared to Touko and thus, not as easily as approachable. The series doesn’t dedicate to their relationship but it’s interesting to see Sayaka’s vision of love. In essence, she hides her feelings and is not someone that’s easy to read on the surface. This is a contrast to both Yuu and Touko as those two tends to say what’s on their mind. On a lesser extent, we also get to see the relationship between Miyako and Riko which is shown to be very healthy in nature. Their relationship is relaxing and almost like a contrast to the drama that we see so often in the story. As for the shoujo-ai genre, I think it’s pretty easy to recognize that pretty much all the main characters are lesbians in one way or another. Some are to a lesser but it’s pretty clear from the start. What were you expecting though? The anime advertised itself as such with the same gender relationships so be prepared to subscribe to that from start to finish. But as a show with a lot of drama, I should say to watch this with a careful focus on the characters. Watch for what they say, how they behave, and their intentions. For me, I find the most complex character to be Yuu since her personality is often sarcastic and believes too much into fictional love. This is true especially in the beginning where it became hard to know what she really wants. The more I watched though, the more I came to accept Yuu for who she is and her quest to discover love. And that’s what I find so entrancing about this show. In perhaps a coincidental timeline, we also get Troyca as the studio. It's the same one that worked on Sakurako’s Investigation with the exact same director. As my first impression, this anime managed look colorful and vibrant with its character designs. There’s a feminine charm for the majority of the cast that really brings the elegance out of the characters. The emotional context are captured with the vivid details of body language and human expressions. The background visual quality is also stellar with a certain degree feeling of photorealism. Some of the scenes during the mid-season episodes like the ones with the bridge stands out the most. Last but not least, I would like to mention that character voice mannerism for the main cast is portrayed with supreme talent. Not only did I feel attached to their personalities, these characters also sounded like they belong in this anime from the beginning. Ah, it’s about damn time. I’ve been indifferent about shoujo-ai shows for a good while but after seeing Yagate Kimi ni Naru, I may change my mind. This show managed to capture the expression of love in ways that exceed my expectations. It seized opportunities to recreate a sensational drama without stepping over the line. Keep your pants on because you’re not going to get sexual shock content all over your face. What you get is a drama done right in the most entrancing way possible. It's almost perfect.

Yagate Kimi ni Naru is an anime that reminds us of the complexity of love. Several philosophers, artists, even you have tried to express that feeling to someone when you fall in love. A close person, a forgotten friend, call it what you want. Maybe someone declared us, and we did not know how to respond. Maybe we have failed, or we have managed to understand the meaning of love. No matter what happened in our life, those feelings are still present. This series uses that feeling, something that we cannot describe and creates a refreshing and pure plot that will fascinate you. On the other hand, some viewers may consider this series boring, absurd and ridiculous. If you do not like romance combined with slice of life, you will agree with them and this anime won't be for you. --Story-- The story is straightforward, and the relationship between the different characters is exquisitely well developed. We have two girls, Yuu and Touko. The first cannot experience the feeling of love. She may know the literal meaning, but she has never "loved" anyone and perhaps never will. The second is a perfect student, president of the school council who cannot accept being loved. All this leads her to reject any proposal of love or avoid any relationship with someone who shows this feeling towards her. The plot develops gradually when Yuu feels the need to reject a declaration of love. Since she cannot ask for help from her friends, she decides to ask Touku, who supports her and helps her reject the declaration. For some viewers, it could be unrealistic, a cliché, I call it destiny or love at first sight, Touku begins to love Yuu. At first, we can think that it will take advantage of Yuu's condition. However, this is the beginning of an innocent relationship in which both girls will try to understand the meaning of love and about themselves. On the other hand, the plot is a combination of heart and self-definition, slice of life and romance. The series uses school life to improve the relationship and create perfect moments where these characters can be together. In addition, it maintains simplicity and is pleasant. It does not need any strange exaggeration to ignite love like other series like Citrus with forced scenes to name one. Another interesting factor is the setting. In general, yuri romance fails because it is set in an unrealistic place where almost the entire cast is lesbian. However, in the beginning, we can appreciate a diverse group of characters that keep the plot alive and realistic. Unfortunately, the plot tends to this unrealistic configuration in some parts, and that can be seen as negative. The author avoids any social consequences, and this could be interpreted as ridiculous by some spectators. Also, that's one of my reasons for not giving the series a perfect score because it's weird and gives you the impression that something is missing. Another reason, the series has an open ending and the most relevant part of the story is in the manga, and it may not be animated (I hope I'm wrong). --Characters— I like the way how the characters evolve with the relationship. The story has two main characters. Yuu Koito. She is an avid reader, cute, friendly and caring. For some reason, she cannot experience love, and she expects to learn about it with Touku. One interesting factor is the way how she can read Touku because this helps to brace the outcome. For me, she is in constant change because her doubts appear more often. Sadly, we cannot explore more of her development for that reason I invite you to read the manga. Touko Nanami. She is a perfect girl for all the persons around her. However, she is a character full of fears and doubts. She hides that face from anyone, but Yuu can look inside her. She dislikes being loved because she hates herself, so she will reject anyone that show any affection towards her. For me, she is a very complex character but in the deep, she is the weakest one. When she is with Yuu, she gets anxious and irradiates a beautiful feeling to the audience. --Art and Sound— The animation is good. However, there are some angles where the character lost some proportion, and they will look a bit pointed. It is weird but does not occur too often. The camera dynamic and movement are excellent, they are smooth and fit the romantic moments. It makes your eyes focus in the details of the scene. Additionally, the animation uses a bright and vivid palette that is pleasant to the eye and makes the characters glow. The soundtrack contributes with the atmosphere of the scenes and helps in the crucial moments. The sound is elegant, soft and perfect. The OP is fantastic, and I love the rhythm and the connection with the lyrics. The ED is average, but it has a pleasant score combination. --Enjoyment— I do not have too many negative complaints about the series. The plot is entertaining, and it arouses curiosity. The relationship between the characters is realistic, cute and pure. I love how Yuu tease her Senpai and how she reacts to that. The relationship is amusing and captivating. Sadly, the manga stills ongoing, so the series is not going to be completed. I certainly will recommend the series because it has a real emotional level with minor plot issues and acceptable pacing. However, if we compare the series with others from the same genre like Citrus or Aoi Hana, it will give you the impression that something is missing. The series is missing the charisma of a complete couple (two characters are needed in a relationship). In this show, Touku has that charisma, but Yuu lacks it because she cannot express the feeling of love and that gives the impression that the show is average or unfinished, but it is part of the plot concept. For that reason. I invite you to read the manga because you will see Yuu’s progression and changes in the source.

A yuri series custom-made to appeal to homophobes and perpetuate homophobic/misogynistic stereotypes. Hunter x Hunter is a long-running Weekly Shonen Jump manga famous for its endless hiatuses. It has a reputation of being a “smart” battle shounen. And the reason it allegedly is smart is that it over-explains in excruciating detail every. Single. Damn. Pointless. Minute. Thing. Which, of course, makes it the exact opposite of smart. Smart stories treat their audience as capable of understanding subtext, implications, and visual storytelling without the need to be spoon-fed everything. But at least HxH can be excused for spoonfeeding the workings of a complicated shounen magic system. What HxH does with magic, YagaKimi does with basic human social interactions, and the result is pure, unadulterated cringe. Like, here’s one of the first dialogues that happen in the show: - Will you please go out with me? - I’m sorry, I won’t go out with you. - I see. It makes sense that we can’t be a couple if we’re not suited for each other. - Don’t worry, someone else will be suited for you. These are the actual dialogue lines straight from subtitles. I’m baffled how a human person could write dialogue this unnatural. The only explanation is that whoever wrote these hasn’t ever talked to another human being in their entire life. Possibly because they are an alien wearing a skin of a person like that cockroach from Men in Black. Or they just really, really, really suck at writing. That’s not an isolated example, this series basically has no real dialogue, every single “dialogue” line is exposition on what everyone is thinking, feeling, and doing at the moment, intended to be spoonfeeding for some weirdo aliens that haven’t ever seen humans before. Every other aspect of the series’ writing is equally abysmal. Characters: One of the main characters is Yuu. Her personality is that she has Madoka-colored hair and has big gay. Another main character is Touko. Her personality is that she has Homura-colored hair and has big gay. And the story is that they have big gay together. That’s it. If writing here was less braindead, I would accuse the series of tokenism - using “gay” characters for some cheap pandering without bothering to give them any personality beyond the fact that they are gay. But no, it’s not that this alien cockroach can’t write gay people, they just can’t write people, period. An average Homura x Madoka doujinshi has better characterization. Story: There is none. This series is tagged as romance - it isn’t that. Romance is people interacting and developing feelings for each other based on how their personalities match (aka romantic chemistry). You can’t have chemistry between two planks of wood. You can’t say that “this character likes this character because they are A, B, C…” when the character in question is empty nothing with no personality traits. The entire foundation of the leads’ “relationship” is that they are often in the same room (because the plot puts them there). And now, regarding homophobia/misogyny. This is a bit complex, so I have to establish two points before reaching the conclusion. One: There is this interview with Hosoda Mamoru about his movie Bell where he talks about how the anime industry has a huge problem with shallow idealized waifubait characters that do not resemble living, breathing women in any way, and exist only to provide fetish appeal to audiences that unironically use the term 3DPD. And, although not saying the name, he puts the blame for this state of affairs on Miyazaki, as he is the one who has popularized and cemented this type of characters with his movies. Personally, I would go further, I’d say that the reason Miyazaki’s films fetishize youth, innocence, purity, and niceness is that Miyazaki is a pedophile - he said on record “What’s wrong with falling in love with a 12-year-old girl?” and on another occasion said that the whole reason he got into making anime was the 1958 film Hakujaden, or rather, the prototypical actually-1000-years-old-loli Bai Niang, whom he treated as a surrogate girlfriend when he was 17. But I digress, for now just put a pin into the “pure waifu” idea. Two: Lesbians in Japan have a political self-identification term, “gachi lezz,” which translates into something like “dead-serious lesbo.” What’s political about being dead-serious? Well, you see, Japan has a long-standing stereotype that yuri romance is a phase that giggling, blushing high school girls go through in order to “rehearse” relationships in a safe environment until they are ready for “real” relationships with men. And if someone is still into girls past high school, they are stunted, infantile, and probably not right in the head. Which makes being a dead-serious lesbo a political statement - no, we’re conscious, mature women that prefer to have sex with other women. Anime and other otaku-pandering media contribute to this stereotype immensely. The so-called yuri anime fits into the framework of Miyazaki’s idealized waifus cum surrogate girlfriends perfectly. According to otaku logic, sex between girls is not real sex, and naturally, yuri waifus don’t have relationships with men either, which makes them ideal virgins that save themselves for the viewer. But you need your yuri waifus to actually act “nice” and “pure” for that to sell. Any attempts by the medium to portray lesbians realistically are met with rabid, psychotic hatred. A good example of that is Citrus - a blatantly gachi lezz series (anyone who has ever talked to a lesbian irl can tell that the author is one and that she used her personal experiences for the story), which attracted an insane amount of vitriol, badmouthing, and false-narrative pushing - and now you know why (you can read the top reviews of its anime adaptation for more details on that subject). I hope you can already tell where I was going with all of that. YagaKimi is everything wrong with this yuri-anime-for-incels genre distilled into a single package. If there is one trait that its protagonists have beyond hair color, it’s being nice and pure. They never want to upset anyone, they’re never mad at anyone, they never masturbate fantasizing about a hot female celebrity - they are not people. Because they are not meant to be people, but surrogate girlfriends for the target audience. Again, I don’t even think this was done intentionally - just criminal incompetence on the writer’s part. Except evil done out of sheer stupidity is still evil. 1/10 for incompetent and immoral filth.

I'm absolutely perplexed and bewildered by the general consensus on this anime, so I would like to provide my two cents, because there's not a single review I can agree with. Art/Sound: Let's get the subjective criteria out of the way first. Art is good, character designs are pleasant to look at, and backgrounds are of high quality aswell. As for the soundtrack, the piano compositions that play at certain scenes are very nice, however I can't say the same about neither OP nor ED, I disliked them both, I'm not going to say that they are bad or anything such, it's just not the kind of music I enjoy. Characters/Plot: The juicy part. What unfolds in this show is a dysfunctional relationship between a person that's mentally disturbed (Touko) and a person that's flawed on the fundamental level, because she is incapable of feeling love and empathy (Yuu). People claim they see a very mellow and realistic relationship between two girls, but I personally fail to see that. There's a lot of opinions that Touko has a genuine affection towards Yuu, but I think that people are mistaking an indulgence for affection. How can you feel genuine affection and love for someone, if you are incapable of loving yourself? She even states outright that she doesn't want Yuu to love or hate her back, and only wants to indulge herself in Yuu's kindness, as that puts her distressed self at ease, a dubious concept at best, since how can a person to whom love and empathy are alien, unknown emotions, can be kind, is beyond me. Touko also quite frequently acts in a mentally disturbed and creepy manner, looking at her family photo and reassuring herself that she'll be exactly as her sister was in her eyes. Because, apparently, if you're a shy and meek child, instead of self-betterment, a much superior choice would be to become a literal copy of your older sister, and then grapple with mental and stress repercussions of your decisions. Not to mention that she low-key contemplates suicide a couple times, once at the crosswalk at the train tracks, and another in the final episode, where she's standing at the train station paltform and takes a step forward, while the train is about to pass the afformentioned station. As I stated earlier, Yuu is flawed on a fundamental level, since she cannot feel love and empathy, yet somehow renowned for her kindness, sure, whatever. In the relationship with Touko, to me personally, she comes off as a Stockholm Syndrom victim, because I cannot sum up a person that puts up with someone who indulges themselves in her, forces her to kiss them, even though she's clearly not in a mood for it, explicitly tells her to not have an affection of any kind towards them, in any other way. The only solace, is that at the end of final episode she's finally had enough of it, as she says: "It's time for us to change trains, senpai". The rest of cast is inconsequential, as they usually have about 5 minutes of screen time, over 12 episodes, total, or are there to fulfill a single role. The only one I will mention, is Maki-kun, a creepy self-admitted voyer, who doesn't want to be in any relationship himself, but rather be a spectator to the relationships of others, that he finds interesting/intriguing. Overall: Personally, I'm revolted by relationship of this kind, I won't elaborate on it here further, as if you're reading this, it's clear as to why I'm displeased. There's nothing else I can add to this. When autumn chart was just released, I dismissed this anime, as I assumed that it will be like just about anything with similiar tags, only to be asked by my friend to join him, cause he saw potential. Now that it ended, he's dissapointed in it, though not as much as I am.

As a fan of Yuri and all things girls love. Bloom Into You left me in a dark state of depression. I dropped the manga a while ago trying to figure out why I never really got into it. But after finishing the anime, I finally figured it out. It's Boring! Starting out with the positive. The presentation is Second to none when it comes to Yuri anime adaptions. Animation is fluid and the attention to detail great. And the Opening has many undertones. But this is where my appreciation ends. The rest of the show is just so boring to watch. The characters are just not very likeable. So Yuu is your typical shoujo manga protagonist. Has never experienced love and wants to know what it is. Unfortunately that's where her development ends. She's still the same person with no romantic feelings at the end of the show. And Touko really started to annoy me half way through the show. and it's mostly because of their romance together. I don't buy it. Their whole relationship together is built around one conversation they had with each other. And it's not a healthy one. I see people praising it for these same reasons, but the idea is that they should develop past that. They could have even fixed this if something ever happened in the show. The show is too slow, and what's worse is that the Play the show has been building up to never happens. I feel like they could have cut a lot of moments out to make it happen. I wanted to like Bloom Into You, I really did. But Bad pacing, a dull romance that goes nowhere, and an incomplete ending left me unsatisfied.

TL;DR at the bottom. I'm not quite sure how to say exactly what YagaKimi is to me. There's so much to say about its portrayal of a unique relationship, how it explores the concept of love and what it makes me feel to watch it as it progresses. If I had to sum it into one word YagaKimi is 'interesting'. Story - 10 The story of YagaKimi is about someone who has never fallen in love before, Yuu, having a 'more than friends, less than lovers' kind of relationship with her senpai, Nanami and how misconceptions about love shape that relationship. It is a rather slow burn and you could complain about nothing really happening but, that is one of the strengths of YagaKimi, after the first episode there is a gradual build-up of emotions that slowly but surely endear you to the characters, thoroughly immerse you into their mindsets until you feel you know them better than they know themselves and never wastes a moment of time, constantly adding or expanding on details. Another strength of YagaKimi is the maturity in which it handles its themes and its refusal to have cheap drama or adhere to cliches. You never get the impression the impression that anything in this isn't genuine. Any drama that exists comes from the natural progression of events and the reasonable response given the personalities. No drama overstays its welcome and is often resolved in the episode it appears in when the characters talk about the problems. There are plenty of ways Nakatani Nio could have extended the drama infinitely or gone over the top like many of her contemporaries but, she refuses. A non-spoiler example is an indirect kiss that is only noticed by Nanami and that she only has a mild reaction to. Character - 10 Romances, particularly shoujo romance, has always held a disconnect for me; an often insurmountable hurdle in the way they present love. They often present it, as Yuu perceives it should be, an overwhelming feeling of happiness just being around a person, that I never understood. This results in the anime having to convince me that this feeling is genuine. YagaKimi overcomes this hurdle by having its main character being in that same situation of longing for that feeling but not being able to grasp it that makes for an instantly relatable character that you get invested in growing as a person as the story goes on. Nanami, on the other hand, becomes one of the most emotionally complex characters in romance anime and seeing her various layers peeled back and explored is truly where my 'interest' in YagaKimi stems from. My personal stance on side characters is too ignore them until they're relevant and let them not waste space or make them interesting. YagaKimi follows the former, the side characters are interesting enough that I'm not bored during the short time that they're the focus while adding little bits of detail to the overall message of the story. Though none of them really stand out. Art - 9 YagaKimi was a decently drawn manga with a penchant for symbolism, visual storytelling and interesting composition. The anime has managed to bring some of the less expressive parts of the manga to life and has so far translated the panels beautifully into animation. Troyca has done an outstanding job with the visuals, making the best looking anime this season. Although other anime is technically better looking, YagaKimi uses its visuals in the best way. Sound - 9 Every piece of music used compliments the scene that it plays under as music should, though nothing about the OST stands out. The OP and ED aren't to my taste, but neither is most Japanese music I've listened to so I can't judge them fairly. The voice acting is on point, perfectly representing the characters and really selling their emotions. Enjoyment - 10 As you can probably tell, I really enjoyed YagaKimi. It is definitely the best shoujo-ai I've seen and among the best romances I've read (all my other favourite romances haven't been adopted yet). The way all the points mentioned above work together to create an anime that I can only call a masterpiece. Watching the anime has made me notice lots of subtle details I missed in the manga, causing me to re-read and gain a better appreciation for it and rewatching the episodes has been rewarding in all the extra subtleties that animation can give. Overall- 10 YagaKimi is an interesting take on an interesting relationship dynamic with mature handling of its themes and a refusal to add cheap melodrama or cliches. It has relatable and emotionally complex characters that are voiced well and animated beautifully. The soundtrack adds to the experience without standing out and the visual storytelling is the best this season. It is definitely worth a watch.

Like a delicate flower, Bloom Into You acts upon its namesake, as the seed of the slept-on dark horse blossoms into one of the most charming shows to blindside me this year. I’m glad, for had I not stumbled upon the glowing reception for this treat, it may have never swept me off my feet. From its mostly charming depictions of lesbian love to its authentic showcasing of friendship, each interaction is filled to the brim with charm and care. Said charm and care also show in a majority of the revelations which make this surprisingly relatable and whimsical cast come to life even more than one could imagine. The revelation for Maki and subplot for Koyomi might be my personal favorites of the show, each bolstering integral portions of the show’s three overarching plotlines. Seeing them intertwine, how each colorful character bounces off them, and how Yuu evolves from them, is simply heartwarming. This show may be repetitive and melodramatic in places, but the monologues and forced wind blowing aren’t enough to smear the beauty on display here. Speaking of display, Makoto Katou’s directing is a major selling point. While it occasionally feels forced like with the focus on scenery in emotional moments, we more often get the most luscious visualizations of each characters’ headspace, along with some mesmerizing and communicative shots that can be hung on a wall. These are the scenes where Makoto and his team at TROYCA shine. Adding onto the visual splendor of this show, the lovely art style and facial expressions translated from the manga do well to accentuate the tender yet lively nature of the characters and their interactions. The fashionable school uniforms and other equally elegant wardrobes only compliment this even further, and the female uniforms look particularly wonderful. While there are certainly flat moments and sparse bits of unsightly CGI, the show rarely fails to remain as pretty as its females. To add to this beauty one last time, there’s the delicate OST Michiru Oshima composed. Several of the emotional tracks do well to complement each scene, adding to the heartfelt and loving nature of the show. My personal favorite example of this is the insert track from episode 9: “Rise” by Riko Azuna, as it is one of my favorite insert tracks of the year. Nothing embodies the pleasant nature of the show more than this one track, not even the fun ending theme by the main leads’ VAs, or the opening theme by the same artist. "Hectopascal” and "Kimi ni Furete” respectively make for good songs in their own right despite the questionable techno in the former and the questionable vocals in the latter, so there’s nary an issue to be had, even here. If there’s a word that encapsulates this delicate beauty, it would be “endearing”. The banter and interactions feel so authentic and lifelike that amidst the lampooning and exhibition of shoujo tropes lies a surprisingly wholesome and equally elegant tale of lesbian romance. For every moment of repetitious interactions and monologue, there’s an impactful revelation, beautiful interaction, or heartwarming moment to counterbalance. There may be lulls and missteps, but this beauty has enough elegance and charm for me to brush that all aside. She’s wonderful, ain’t she? Written and Edited by: CodeBlazeFate Proofread by: Peregrine

Bloom Into You is an embodiment of pleasantness, constructing a wholesome narrative about finding oneself and what lies ahead. This series is best described as a slice-of-life with romance as a primary narrative. While the setting is somewhat like Citrus in terms of character archetypes, Bloom Into You approaches storytelling much differently than most romance stories. The show is far less about dramatic tension between the characters, and instead focuses on evaluating their relationships with one another, whether it’s affection, ambivalence, admiration, or animosity. The story takes form as a series of conventional moments and activities in which characters interact with one another in a practical, level-headed manner. Bloom Into You has a notorious aptitude for presenting these characters in such a way in which they are acting upon their own accord, rather than bending to the will of the narrative. The daily life of Yuu Koito is followed by us as we witness the changes in her everyday routine as well as her own views, watching everything blossom and mature as nature takes its course. The melancholic tone that pervades much of Bloom Into You comes from conflicts within the characters’ own selves, but rarely between characters. Yuu struggles to feel love and ponders about her future, Touko is lonesome and fixated on her duties, and Sayaka is jealous and keeps her feelings bottled within her. These are character arcs that rarely end up in dramatic confrontations, and rather are pursued by their own accord. The cast maintains a positive rapport throughout much of the story, largely shielded from dramatic complications that would negatively affect their relationships. Hostility between characters either occurs very rarely or is short-lived. Viewers who want to steer clear of serious drama will feel right at home with Bloom Into You. But those looking for drama will be somewhat dissatisfied by this aspect. Even as someone who has a strong bias for dramatic, emotionally driven narratives such as Octave, Citrus, and Aoi Hana, all of which are about lesbian romance as well, I can certainly say Bloom Into You has plenty going for it either way. The characters have just enough personality to give life to these situations. They emote, interject, pout, and elicit various other responses true to their character. Even the most mundane of character interactions feel very alive, and due to how likeable everyone is, this really emulates the pleasure of genuine socialization between good friends. The plot itself is largely unaffected by anyone other than Touko, and the cast succumbs to this as they wind up in various moments of recreation, discourse, and determination. In a way, the plot is the cast itself. Yuu is an endearing character to follow in how her internal feelings slowly mature and develop as she interacts more with Touko and ponders over her feelings about her. Her attitude ranges from curious, to longing, to content, to frustrated. Her development, as with everything else in Bloom Into You, is taken slowly, but is done with nuance and purpose. Touko is unfortunately a less engaging character, and dare I say Bloom Into You’s biggest missed opportunity. Her conflict is very sensical, but her background isn’t expounded enough to really make her dilemma feel genuine. Conceptually, she is a sympathetic character. Making decisions that only affect how people see you with no benefit to the self is unhealthy, and Yuu is both wise and respectable in trying to draw somebody away from this line of thinking. So this works well on paper, but Bloom Into You doesn’t fully commit to this. Touko doesn’t appear to be suffering nearly as much as the story wants us to believe. A person with low self-esteem shows symptoms, such as social withdrawal, hostility, and sensitivity to criticism,, hardly any of which is apparent with Touko. Her one quality that's consistent with self-hatred is putting up a facade to impress others and consequently, her attraction to Yuu, who holds nothing against the true self which Touko hides from everyone else. But even then, the difference between these two versions of Touko is almost negligible. Being timid and somewhat pushy are really the only traits of her that we see that aren’t of the ‘perfect’ self she puts on around others. Additionally, we hardly ever see her truly distressed about her whole charade, or just how negatively it affects her. Any sort of behavior she displays around Yuu, apart from her romantic attraction, isn’t symptomatic of being under pressure or constant stress, which are logical effects on someone in her situation. Funnily enough, this is actually commonly declared to be where Bloom Into You succeeds Citrus, which is odd to me since Citrus was far more successful in depicting a mentally broken love interest, by which I mean Mei Aihara. Mei is a truly broken individual, and the story accentuated this by having her act unfavorably in many situations. These scenes were off-putting to many viewers, but you should expect nothing less with this kind of character. Rather than telling us constantly about how broken and misguided she is, Citrus instead showed us what years of neglect and abuse have on someone, to where Mei can truly be believed as the character she was written to be. We’re shown how she doesn’t value her own body and has a horribly distorted perception of relationships. The characterization of Touko is extremely tame in comparison. When I hear a specific quote from Yuu along the lines of “Touko has so many flaws I don’t even know where to begin,” all I can think is “What flaws?” At most, she’s pushy around Yuu and tends to lean on her during emotional hangups. These traits alone aren’t characteristic of a broken person. Bloom Into You teases you constantly about what Touko is really like without her perfect persona, and the most it can offer is having Touko telling the audience about her conflict and history. This isn’t enough because human beings aren’t that simple. If Touko really is suffering so much, why not show how this affects her general behavior and interactions, rather than the constant “I hate myself” or “I love you because you expect nothing of me”? There’s a pretty obvious answer to the question above: it’s because Touko needs to be likeable. Likeable she is, however, it’s hard to get invested in her plight because her character is so artificial. If Touko’s character was explored better, I’d have a reason to believe that she truly is damaging herself or Yuu with her mentality or by trying to become her sister. Her personality would be more than just lip service to the audience and comedic blushes around Yuu. As much as I praise the character of Mei Aihara, I can admit that this sort of approach isn’t for everyone, and there’s certainly a mindset encouraged to take in this story. Mei’s terrible communication skills can be onerous and frustrating to viewers, which is a sentiment I can understand. Theoretically, a heavily flawed love interest with such a troubled background can offer an appeal of her own if not taken to the same extreme as that of Mei; someone like Mei but more morally grounded and accountable to make a love story that is wholesome yet emphasizes the dysfunction and grit we love to see in our messy romance tales. Touko Nanami as a character has the potential of striking that perfect balance, a reconciliation of Mei’s toxicity with the dramatic overlay that Touko offers in her own dialogue. Bloom Into You was Nakatani Nio’s first attempt at writing a story outside of a Touhou doujin, so you can’t expect everything to go perfectly. But apparently, she was so passionate in writing Touko’s character to where she was originally the main character of Bloom Into You until that role was taken by Yuu. If the character of Touko falls short, then the romantic pairing is less captivating as a result. That said, Yuu and Touko have interactions that are comedic and charming, with Tou…

It's unfortunate because this is a manga adaptation that had a lot of potential, but I think there was quite a few things holding it back. Especially because of the unsatisfying ending. Thats not a spoiler though, because this was intended to be 26 episodes and ended because of poor reception (AKA homophobia.) I liked the manga mainly because it was actually substantial on its statements about queerness and self identity, but the anime ended up being inconclusive and unfinished. And even then, some of the characters here are either half-baked or extremely irritating/ trope-y. Especially Sayaka, as much as the fandom for this likes her, on a rewatch I found her mindset towards her friend unrealistic and frustrating. And Yuu for some reason never even fully admits to liking Touko in the show, which suggests some view on queerness that its caused by grooming. That doesnt help with Sayaka's backstory either. It's romantic and longing without any sense of release. It's called bloom into you, but the "love" is never really able to bloom. This show is a very unfortunate failure in my eyes (if you are looking for explicitly romantic GL anime). However if you are able to look into the implications set by the story instead of a concrete reciprocation of feelings with the characters, go ahead. It's still got a lot of genuine romantic tension, and the character study of Touko Nanami is really good. There are many characters that are fleshed out and as much as I personally dislike Sayaka, I can't deny that the show has touched many people. This is seen as a historic moment for Girls Love anime because of how lacking the genre is in terms of stories with endings that aren't breakups or disaster-involved. That's kind of ironic considering this show doesn't even end with a relationship starting. At least there were some really well done make out scenes that give some relief to the neverending romantic tension. There's more making out and kissing in this show than in a lot of GL anime, so that's cool. If you want to see a slow-burn Girls Love without the "yuri-isms" of unresolved, slightly bitter romance, check out other things, like Asegao to Kase san. My criticisms aside, this was the first anime I ever watched (I'm a bisexual and I always have tried to find shows that are positive LGBT rep, anime or not), so it does mean a lot to me. And it has some amazing artwork and moments despite its flaws. If you love the classics of GL, this has a lot in common with them in terms of it being a diamond in the rough, in terms of representation (besides the few that actually contain relationships.). 7/10

The Shoujo Ai genre has seen it's fair share of ups and downs, and has been a letdown in recent times (We're looking at you Citrus), so when this show dropped in this season, I was very flawed at how I understood the taboo that is the Shoujo Ai aspect, but yet this show managed to do an outstanding justice to the genre, and (at this time) is one of (if not the best) shows due to its maturity and how it defines and breaks the convention that has been done before (e.g. moe-fied Yuru Yuri series) and teaches a whole new lesson altogether. Yagate Kimi ni Naru, or Bloom Into You, tells the story of Yuu Koito and Touko Nanami, two individuals clasping for love in the most unusual way. Yuu, having grown up and loves reading shoujo manga, she feels the slightest (if not none) feeling of confessions from the opposite sex. Enter the high school age, and the other party (Touko) also gets the same treatment as Yuu, and immediately rejects the exact same feelings without hesitation. Having never both fallen in (true) love before, the tale of how Yuu and Touko manages to control and share their desires for each other; clear up misunderstands and all that stuff; is an entirely new territory to them. Although the lovey-dovey moments are a slow-but-painful process, the ever-folding drama is what makes the process special not just for the main duo, but the supporting cast as well (which is the Student Council), helping both Yuu and Touko in accidental taboo moments (Maki discovering that Yuu is in love with Touko, while the Sayaka-Touko-Yuu love triangle is present (but thankfully not told) and isn't the crux and problem (unlike Citrus)), discovering what's best and how to support each other. Not to mention that Saeki Sayaka, having come off from the same girls' school as Touko, has the same rivaled feelings when Touko always gives special attention to Yuu, so much that she doesn't let go, but understands her troubles and whatnot, really giving the edge to understand and not to conquer, that's a very bold decision to further drive her character into holding Touko close to her heart but not wanting to impede on her path. Above all, everything about this series is so well done, the writing doesn't feel tacked on and it's mostly ingenious genuity that really pushes every character (be it main or supporting) into simple or complex conflict that raises doubts and questions about each other's true intentions and whatnot. Brilliant work to the writing staff. TROYCA's art and animation is simply unrivaled. Although it is a detracting from their usual work (the Re:Creators style), they don't stop there. The beautiful art and the gripping animation are both works of wonder to draw people into the world that is both sightseeing and emotional-driving, that once you try to take your sights away even for just a moment, you're missing out on something special. Another brilliance of a work here to capture the gaze of the audience, and I have to say, this is a special moment in the world where imagination works wonders. Even more brilliant, is the sweet dope-fresh music. Most particularly, Michiru Oshima's composure of music. The beautiful, fantastic OP by Riko Azuna is really the icing on the cake, one to listen to on repeat, as is with the beautiful and subtle emotional tellings of the trio (Yuu, Touko and Sayaka) as they attempt to mask their true feelings for one another through the lush artwork present and the timely animations that just intensify the emotions all of us have to go through, even in forbidden land. The sweet ED by the main duo Yuu and Touko is OK at best, but not one to slouch either, as they try to walk the fine line through the relationship that has already been established. It's about time we get an absolute masterpiece of the Shoujo Ai genre, and we have reached the pinnacle (or is it?). This is a show not to be skipped, even if the Shoujo Ai tag brings displeasure or disdain to your romance list.

Do not watch this as romance. Do not watch this as yuri. This is a very deep psychological essay about universal questions. What we love when we love? Will the love change when the loved one changes? What defines us, our decisions? Is there such a thing as free will? This is a story about two persons with their issues forming a dysfunctional relationship but somehow (and this part is not in this season, it is meant for season 2) finding joy, through joy finding love, and moving (partially) to the light. If you are into psychology, if you can read classics like Dickens, Dostoevsky and Chekhov without frowning, then you will thoroughly enjoy this story. This anime is not a complete story, it completes half of the manga. The characters just starting to realize how deep they have their heads in their butts. Yuu is a lonely girl who wants to find love but doesn't actually understand what it should look like, chasing unrealistic fantasies. She often does something because she wants to help, not because she wants something for herself. She is hardworking, ethical and sticks to the rules (sometimes self-imposed). She is very calm and does not get excited easily. Touko is a lonely girl with identity problems. She doesn't understand who she is and who she should be, hiding behind masks. She is afraid to be loved because she thinks that if she is loved as she is today, she must not change. Touko sees kind and ethical but disconnected Yuu as an ideal partner that will forgive her, save her and do not put any expectations because she will not “love” her. Yuu sees impulsive and sometimes egotistical Touko as an ideal partner who doesn’t require her to “love”. Also as somebody who can teach her to be more excited (and feel love finally) and as somebody she can save. The whole manga is slowly progressing over a year's story with many back and forth where the characters help each other to do their therapeutic work and find insight into their flaws, discard their fantasies and learn to love. This anime is extremely close to manga, feeling up to maybe 1% of the gaps and rearranging about 3 scenes for better flow. P.S. To argue to the common misconception: there is nothing "asexual" in Yuu. She tells us many times that this is not so. She is interested, it feels good, she wants to touch Touko on many occasions, and so on. Only her ethics, combined with Touko's deep fear to go too far, keep her from going forward. Neither she is "unable to love". She is Mother Theresa and Jesus Christ. She just doesn't understand what love is and this is a cornerstone of her development.

What exactly is love? Is it a feeling of trying to protect someone you treasure, or is it a feeling of gratitude for someone you deeply care about? There’s no exact answer for it, but everyone has their own ideal of how love is, and with this idea adding a sprinkle of yuri, may I introduce you, Yagate Kimi Ni Naru (Bloom Into You), a show focusing on our two female protagonist, Koito Yuu and Nanami Touko, and their journey onto finding what love, truly means. Story / Character -9.5- Within the first few minutes you get greeted by our first protagonist, Koito Yuu, whom is heavily obsessed in shoujo manga, and looks forward to having a heart pumping relationship, in which feels seemingly distant and unreachable for Yuu. Now being a high school student, Yuu was chosen to help out with the Student Council election. While trying to find out where the club is, she stumbled upon our next protagonist, Nanami Touko whom was being confessed by another male student. Having seen Touko rejecting the student, with the ‘excuse’ of not wanting to go out with anyone just yet, Yuu decides to consult her as Yuu herself too, is being bothered by the fact that her best friend confessed to her, and she didn’t feel the ‘spark’ she initially thought she might have. Thinking how Nanami senpai might’ve help her settle her problems, with the turn of the tide, Nanami suddenly confesses to Yuu, leaving Yuu in absolute confusion. What comes next are lovely moments that will surely make you go ‘awww’. Character wise, unlike what you see in most romance anime, the dominant one usually is the older ones, or the male lead (in this case it’s irrelevant). However, Touko albeit being a third year, is constantly showing her weaknesses, lowering her guard when she is around with Yuu, whom is younger than her. Even though as affectionate as Touko is, Yuu has convinced herself that she wouldn’t fall in love with Touko (or is it (͠≖ ͜ʖ͠≖) and in return for Touko’s feelings, Yuu tends to be more kind towards her, and allows her to cling onto her even though Yuu doesn’t plan on returning her feelings. Other character such as Saeki senpai and the teacher adds the depth for the story, making the story not necessarily just about Yuri at its core, but also people finding the true meaning to their life. Quite a simple plot to understand, everything you’d expect from a shoujo ai but with a touch of uniqueness to the dialogues and monologues. Art -9- This is a great adaptation from the original manga series, characters look on point, animations are very fluid. One unexpected part that totally blew me away was the use of camera angles, some scenes were literally breathed life into them, and some made the scene extraordinarily dream-like. All in all, Troyca has done an exceptional job on adapting this manga into anime, and I think it’s very commendable for making this anime such an enjoyable one. Sound -8.5- Most of the voice acting are done pretty well with some rare occasions where I actually found them to be slightly underwhelming, but not average enough to take a point off from the overall voice acting, so nothing to complain about here. The opening and ending are also quite good, I personally prefer the ending more than the opening, as it has a catchier vibe to it, and is sang by the two main protagonists. Soundtrack wise is sort of a mixed feeling (mostly good), what you usually here are ambient sound, like literally life-like ambient sounds, not many fancy soundtracks are going on throughout this anime, but they convey the feelings very well and tend to fit in the scenes. I personally just wished there was more to it, other than mostly being ambient. Overall -9- Bloom into you is a must watch if you’re a big fan of the romance genre, taking the slower, gradual progression for the plot makes you more invested into the characters, and I think that is a great way to catch the audience’s heart. Even though the plot is rather simple, the way it was executed through good directing and writing really makes this anime all the better. The conclusion for the anime isn't necessary what I thought it would've been (in relation to the manga that is), but was still a very wholesome nonetheless. If you want something that can hit you home, look no further and hope onto the feel train, and let the anime Bloom Into You.

I had really high hopes for this one for two reasons, 1. good ratings, and 2. most importantly, Gay. There is a shortage of good gay romances, and I wanted this to actually be one. Not only did it end up not, and not only was it bad, it was insulting. Story: 2 girls start a relationship, despite the main character having doubts about it. The other one becomes really creepy and takes advantage of her. She pulls away, and starts to realize how unhealthy her relationship was, and tries to get the other one to change for the better while she'. Instead of both of them working through their problems, she goes back and decides to love the other girl despite the fact that she's insanely creepy and manipulative and tried to rape her on occasions. The ending effectively undid the character development on both of their parts. Characters Yuu: I cannot get over her decision at the end to go back to Touko and embrace her wholeheartedly. She is unable to fall in love, something known as aromantic/asexual. That was the absolute most out of character thing she can do, considering the relationship never felt right to her and the fact that she was afraid of Touko right before that. In the end, she just enabled her abuser. She deserved better. Touko: She's the most developed character, and one of the better written yanderes. The thing is, she is creepy and manipulative and violent. She stole Yuu's first kiss, and she had made unwanted sexual advances on her. Her relationship was entirely one sided, and never once did she ever think about her partner's feelings. She has a tragic past, and a severe sibling inferiority complex, which leads to her doing everything in her power to follow in her sister's footsteps. I wanted her to redeem herself and work through her problems, independent of Yuu. Other Characters: How tf are y'all ok with this? How can you watch your VP get abused by your President like this and still defend the president. Overall: 2/10. Only time I've ever though of an anime as insulting.

This is the first Yuri anime genre I've seen, not gonna lie, it was a gem. Every scene gave me a fascinating impression of what will occur on the next episode, which made me truly advertised and couldn't hold myself to continue watching. This anime truly changed a ton of my anime aspects and it opened me up to a progressively huge region of new Yuri series. Story : 10/10 Yuu, a teenager female that enjoys reading shoujo manga. She awaits the day that she will get a love confession that sends her heart aflutter. However, when a junior high classmate confesses to her, she feels nothing. Later on, she enters high school still unsure how to respond to her classmate's confession. Until she met a beautiful student council named Nanami. Yuu asked her for help, but then turns out Nanami confesses to her. This is something new to me, but I'm really surprised about the adaptation of the manga to the anime. I've begun reading the manga after I have completed this anime and it was quite comparable. I'd say, the adaptation was great. And the story developments were obliged. Nothing's better than two girls dating each other aye?! Yuu, a young teenager female that appreciates perusing shoujo manga. She anticipates the day that she will get a love confession that sends her heart aflutter. Nonetheless, when a middle school classmate confesses to her, she feels nothing. Later on, she enters high school still uncertain how to respond to her colleague's confession. Until she met a wonderful student council named Nanami. Yuu approached her for assistance, but then things turns around, and Nanami confesses to her. This is something new to me, however I'm truly astonished about the adaptation of the manga to the anime. I've started perusing the manga after I have finished this anime and it was very comparable. I'd state that the adaptation was great. What's more, the story developments were much obliged. ( Nothing's superior than two females dating each other yes?! ) Art : 9/10 To be honest, I was hesitating to watch this anime due to the art style and the trailer. But I was wrong, completely wrong. I judged this anime like a book by its cover and I'm ashamed of myself for doing so. As I made up my mind and begun watching this anime and progressed through the episodes. The arts aren't bad, and I actually really like it. It seems simple yet good. I usually judge an anime by the animation, quality and art. "If the animation, quality and art sucks. Everything else sucks." , this is my standpoint. Which is why I always hesitate to watch anime series like this due to my self awareness. This anime really jebaited me, and I'm glad it did because if it didn't I'd probably given this anime a solid 1/10 already. Sound : 8/10 The ending is very catchy, I even added it into my playlist on Youtube. The opening's not that great, and the background musics are "okay". I don't really have anything to say about this besides the good voice actors and sound effects. Although the sound is great, there's an area of improvement. The ending is very snappy, I even added it into my playlist on Youtube. The opening's not excessively incredible, and the background musics are "alright". I don't generally have anything to say about this other than the great voice actors and sound effects. In spite of the fact that the sound is incredible, there's still some area for improvement. Character : 10/10 First impression,"oh wow". The character development of Yuu is exceeding. However, Nanami's character development wasn't that great in spite that she is also a main character. But hey, I'm not a Yuri nerd or anything so I don't give a shit. As long as the two main characters always develop besides each other most of the time. I'm happy enough to give it full points. First impression,"oh wow". The character development of Yuu is surpassing. However, Nanami's character development wasn't that incredible in resentment that she is likewise a main character. But hey, I'm not a Yuri geek or anything so I don't care the slightest bit. For whatever length of time that the two main characters dependably develop besides each other. I'm happy enough to give it full points. Enjoyment : 10/10 I enjoyed this a lot, and I'm really hoping that there'd be a season 2 for this anime. Overall : 10/10 No doubt. First Yuri genre anime, best. I recommend this to be your first Yuri anime if you're interested in this genre as well.

Bloom Into You is not a romance. Rather, it is a love story about self-realization. The series follows the titular late bloomer, Yuu Koito, a girl who has never felt love before. Since she was young, she dreamed of falling in love, romanticizing the day when it would happen. Expecting to be swept off her feet, eventually. But that day has never come. Even when someone confesses to her, she feels nothing. This has kept her from fully connecting to her friends and peers. They are far more understanding of what they want romantically. She was alone until she met Tokou Nanami. A girl who had also never experienced love until she met Yuu. To Yuu’s surprise, Touko suddenly confesses to her. While she does not reciprocate due to her inability to love, she allows Touko to be in love with her. The one condition Touko sets for Yuu is to never love her back. From here on, the tale of self-discovery begins, as each character learns from the other about who they are. At the start of the show, Yuu seems like your typical blank slate protagonist devoid of the ability to love but look further. You’ll see her personality is surprisingly realistic. Yuu is the type of person who cares for others deeply but masks it beneath a veneer of logic and normalcy. She possesses many of the telltale signs of sexual repression. Her loneliness and lack of romantic feelings are just a few examples. Throughout the show, we see her pushing through boundaries she would have previously avoided, gaining more control of her life, reflecting on who she is, and gaining a better understanding of her own identity. This is why labeling Bloom Into You as a romance would be only half true; while it features people in love, it is more complicated than that. Before Yuu can love, she has to face the realization of what she wants, who she is. Without a doubt, Bloom Into You depicts homosexual youth more realistically than I have seen in any anime before. Highlighting even the most minuscule details that only someone who has experienced firsthand can convey believably. For example, in the first episode, Yuu’s father lets slide a casually homophobic comment about worrying that she isn’t in a relationship with someone of the same sex. After this line comes, the director smash cuts to Yuu in dismay at what he said. The tone sharply changes from moment to moment to great success because of the subtlety to which it is executed. In comparison to Yuu, Touko is rather different because she knows exactly what she wants and would die before she relinquishes her purpose. Touko wants to love Yuu because she can be vulnerable with her. She wants desperately for Yuu to always be there to comfort her. However, she can’t stand the thought of being loved in return by Yuu because of her own insecurities. Throughout the series, we see her personality pulled apart and analyzed thoroughly. She is rather basic upon first impression, but look further, and there is far more to her than meets the eye. If Yuu were to love her, she would be conflicted because, in her mind, she can’t possibly be loved. She endures an upsetting conflict, but it is incredibly effective in engaging anyone who has experienced similar insecurities. Overall, these story beats are delivered with an impressive amount of grace and panache. The dialogue feels natural; Yuu’s interactions with her friends are realistic and believable. Most of all, the supporting characters are consistent. They don’t have random lapses in their personalities, and if anything changes, there’s an explanation for it in their lives. For example, suppose a character is acting awkward towards the suggestion of seeing a romance movie. In that case, it’s because they had their heart broken recently and needed a push to mention it to their friends. There’s a layer of depth to everyone that is far greater than what is expected of girls love and anime in general. This is also the rare explicitly lesbian show that does not fetishize its characters at all. Touko is very clear about her romantic and physical attraction to Yuu; likewise, Yuu is very clear about her lack of ability to love. Both are treated like fully realized people instead of objects. In figuring out themselves and what they mean to each other, they run into a few issues. Nevertheless, their relationship is still built on communication, consent, and respecting boundaries. They’re a likable duo, and it’s easy to get invested in their development. For example, when the first kiss happens non-consensually, it is apologized for immediately, then it never occurs again. The author very deftly avoids, as well as subverts, the Class-S tropes negatively associated with the yuri genre. Class-S usually refers to yuri that does not allow their characters to get into serious relationships. They are in high school and have time to play around before they marry men when they graduate. The author of Bloom Into You have said on a few occasions that this is not yuri. Instead, it is a story about girls and love. Understandably she wants to distance her story from negative connotations associated with the genre. Notably, this anime features a healthy adult lesbian relationship, showcasing that there is more to being homosexual and female outside of the scandalous high school melodrama. We also see a supporting character who faced the issue of her lesbian relationship being nullified under the pretense that ‘it’s just a phase.’ From this, she develops into a wonderfully nuanced character. On the production side, Bloom Into You is magnificent. Beautiful visual storytelling, the storyboards convey characters’ inner emotions in engaging ways. It is very visually interesting. There are occasional breathtaking moments of sakuga, but what impresses more is the director’s keen eye for editing to clue us in onto how a character is feeling at any given moment. If emotions are obscured, it is deliberately so. If they are shown, you have to consider every little detail given to the audience. One of the best moments of visual storytelling in the first episode is when a rush of water divides Yuu from her friends; this shot perfectly conveys how her lack of understanding of herself separates her from the average teenager. Aside from just visual metaphors, how the story plays out represents the internal struggles Yuu and Touko face. The play that Touko desperately wants to enact is a tale of a woman without memories who needs to pick a desirable personality for herself, reflecting her insecurity and desire to better herself. Punctuating each emotional beat are melancholic piano keys loudly implying the turmoils each character is enduring. Each of them is developed consistently enough for the musical accompaniment to feel very deserved. This is contrasted with melodic orchestral pieces to match the upbeat tone of scenes when characters come together and express heartwarming joy. With a talented and experienced composer like Michiru Oshima producing the soundtrack, the show’s audiovisual splendor blends wonderfully with its script. To say that Bloom Into You took me by surprise would be an understatement. At first, its unusually realistic characters blindsided me; Yuu and Touko are superbly nuanced people. They’re lost in the dark, trying to find their way through a first relationship just as real people in their situation would. The many relevant themes this series tackles give the cast such believability and relatability unlike any other anime in this genre; self-loathing, societal expectations, homophobia, and sexual repression, to name a few. Each theme is delivered respectfully and with subtlety. In the first few episodes, the pacing is relatively slow but always purposefully so, and once it gains speed, it becomes enrapturing. Without a doubt, Bloom Into You is the best anime I watched from this season, perhaps even the year. It is a masterfully crafted, unforgettable experience that will leave an impact on me for years to come.

I wouldn't even call this thing shoujou ai, more like shoujou sekuhara if you ask me. I'd probably say this should be rated 18+ because it portraits sick fantasies as cute romance but I cannot stress this enough - if someone did anything even close to these "cute" things in real life they'd be in prison. ** Minor spoilers from here on ** Basically we have a second year high school girl who happens to be the student council president falling in love with a first year more or less asexual girl, Yuu, who ends up also being in the Student Council. Throughout the show Nanami keeps not only harassing Yuu but even sexually assaulting here multiple times (mainly force-kissing her), in some cases also taking advantage of being her superior in the council. Eventually Yuu stops resisting and tells Nanami to just do whatever she wants to her, which Nanami would have done anyway. Yuu never loves Nanami back but eventually they become closes friends, which causes me to realize how twisted this show is - Just keep on sexually exploiting someone and she'll eventually be your BFF. I said this should be rated 18+ because I seriously hope no love-sick teenager ever watches this and thinks this is actually love or romance. The last 3-4 episodes have more depth in them and focus on Nanami's past. These episodes are the reason I didn't give the story the lowest score possible, but this is too little, too late.

Love is completely overexposed and misrepresented in media. For an anime, being a piece of media itself, to make that a plot point, they need to address love as realistically as possible. Bloom into you, pulls that off with a beautiful honesty. Yuu is struggling with the fact that she's never experienced love. Her only understanding of love is what she gleans from romance manga. She then meets the student counsel president, Touko, who immediately falls for Yuu. Because this was nothing like the romance manga, Yuu doesn't really know how to handle this, and eventually agrees to go along with it, more or less because why not? Mind you, Yuu is very upfront on the status of her feelings for Touko throughout the anime. In fact, the entire anime is very honest with the relationships they depict. The fact that this is a homosexual relationship is mentioned, but is not really considered a big deal to anyone. That is refreshing, and quite frankly honest for this day and age. The hiccups our couple do hit in their relationship are more centered around their own faults, misunderstandings, and misconceptions. you know, like every relationship out there. The problems they have are very real ones, and one of the messages one should glean from this anime is to be with someone else, you have to learn to be okay with yourself. Look no further than the cafe owner for an example of that. Another relationship issue our couple has is that their feelings evolve for one another at different rates, and for different reasons. Touko falls hard an fast for Yuu, almost in an instant, while Yuu is no where never that level of emotional involvement throughout most of the show. This to, is commonplace in real relationships. As their relationship grows, so do the young ladies in it. How these two lead one another to better understandings of themselves and those around them is lovely to see. If I could describe the show in one word, it would be honest. Unlike Yuu's romance manga, the relationships in this anime are not magical, or perfect. They are grounded in reality, and that makes it far more beautiful than the vast majority of other romance stories out there.

Bloom into you isn't just an average shoujou ai anime, theres alot more to it it was recommended to me a lot since id read citrus, and i put it off for quite a while until i finally decided to watch it around episode 8 and i can say without any hesitation that it was a good decision i made. the story is about the two main characters yuu who is the kouhai and nanami who is the senpai, both of them struggle to understand the feeling of love until they meet each other. so, basically both of them have been looking for a strong feeling of love which they have never felt before. the story progresses very slowly and beautifully as both the characters slowly develop their love for each other, if you came here looking for an anime with hardcore romance and a lot of drama this isn't that! i watch and read a lot of romance, so the average love story isn't enough to satisfy me anymore because of the same boring endings and story but bloom into you provided me with exactly what i was looking for which was a slow paced romance, great character development and just the perfect amount of drama. the art was absolutely beautiful i couldn't get enough of it! The colors were beautiful and the art style completely suited the story and was extremely calming and detailed, and so was the music it completely matched both the art and the story turning it into an extremely enjoyable experience. i wish there was more but the manga is still ongoing, i was left wanting more and that is why i will gladly wait for another season and read the manga. IT was an overall great experience that left me wanting more 9/10

[ENG] Before I start digging about this amazing anime, this is my first time writting a review and you may notice some imperfections and some grammatical errors (mainly on my english reviews) but I'll do my best. Without further ado, here's my review: Story (8/10) Yagate Kimi ni Naru, or Bloom Into You, is a story aimed to all ages, without "dark" themes or something that can cause some unease to people (if u don't have any prejudice with Shoujo Ai). Never tries to show us something that wasn't its main goal, it has a simple writing but at the same time it give us depth with relatively "clichê" themes, as romance or personal development. Being honest, I don't like Shoujo Ai at all, and until now there was never one that caught my attention, well, not until Yagate, which I'm grateful for giving a chance. With its innocent charm, Yagate managed to give us something that the majority of romance animes fail to do. Art, Direction & Sound (9/10) Studio TROYCA isn't a big name in the industry, but even not being one, I really like their approach of giving quality over quantity, it's something we don't really see that much nowadays. Makoto Katou is such a surprise, his direction just gets better anime after anime, and for me, he's TROYCA's best director. Yagate has a powerful color palette and the way it merges with the environment and the characters it's eye candy in many ways. Those 2D scenarios and character animation are such a treat to watch. Soundtrack and seiyuu acting is mesmorizing, episode 9 insert song "Rise - Riko Azuna" is fantastic and made THAT scene 10x better. I would like to emphasize Kotobuki Minako's perfomance, she's amazing portraying her characters. After her outstanding Asuka (from Hibike) role, she delivered yet again. It's not just about giving life to a character, is feeling that character so much that we can relate and feel what Touko feels. Characters (9/10) When it comes to characters Bloom Into You excels, each character has an unique personality/"motto" which we can relate with our lifes, it feels natural. Touko and Yuu deal with the same problem, they never experienced true love, but even if the problem is the same, it has a different approach and that's what amazes me the most, they way those two girls are so different yet so similiar. I think it's important to tell that Nakatani Nio (author) never tries to write a setting where all the characters have the same sexual orientation, that makes this story credible, avoiding a lot of unnecessary drama and actually portraying how you should write this type of romance. Enjoyment (9.5/10) I won't say much here, only that every week I had the urge to see the next episode and how the plot would unfold, it was for sure an unique experience. It's not usual to me to feel the way I felt watching this anime and I'm grateful that Makoto Kato and his team did this amazing adaptation. Overall (9/10) This was my AOTS and I'm not giving a 10 only because the anime didn't adapt the whole manga, I think that it would be a bit unfair to give 10 to a story without its finale since that helps a lot on how to score it. Also, this was my first time writing a review in english (because I only thought on writting in portuguese but reviews on MAL need to have an english review so I can have the portuguese one). I think I dragged a bit but with a lot of practice I think I'll improve. Thanks to everyone who read it!! [PT] Antes de eu dizer o que sinto sobre este anime fantástico, como esta é a primeira vez, quero apenas informar que as minhas reviews vão ser sempre em português e inglês. Sem mais delongas passando então à review em si: História/Plot (8/10) Yagate Kimi ni Naru, também conhecido como Bloom Into You, é claramente uma história feita para todo o tipo de idades, sem grandes temas pesados ou que causem desconforto a quem assiste (isto é se não houver preconceito com Shoujo Ai). Nunca tenta apresentar algo a que não se comprometeu, tem uma escrita simples mas que ao mesmo tempo consegue passar uma profundidade enorme com temas "clichês" como o romance e o desenvolvimento pessoal através do mesmo. Sendo honesto, não sou o maior fã de animes Shoujo Ai e até agora nunca nenhum me tinha cativado mas Yagate conseguiu fazer isso. Com o seu charme inocente e ao mesmo tempo maduro, transmitiu algo que a maioria dos animes de romance falham em conseguir. Arte, Direção & Sound (9/10) O estúdio TROYCA com certeza não é dos mais influentes na indústria da animação nem nunca apresentou um grande hit que fosse falado por várias pessoas mas mesmo andando sempre nas "sombras" dos grandes nomes, o estúdio tem uma política que eu gosto, poucos animes mas que visualmente costumam ter uma qualidade muito boa principalmente se eles forem dirigidos pelo Makoto, que na minha opinião, é o melhor diretor de lá. Yagate nesse aspeto é muito interessante, todos os cenários e certos cortes de animação corporal têm um tratamento especial, a paleta de cores entra em harmonia com o ambiente e consegue proporcionar cenários que, embora simples, neste contexto elevam-se para um patamar superior. A direção do Katou Makoto tem sofrido ao longo dos anos uma melhoria muito positiva e que cada vez mais te deixa com vontade de assistir algo dirigido por ele. A parte sonora tanto a atuação dos seiyuus quanto a soundtrack é muito boa e encaixa perfeitamente com o clima do anime, de realçar a Kotobuki Minako que consegue elevar qualquer personagem a um nível estonteante com a sua capacidade de passar os sentimentos na hora certa e de forma, às vezes, imprevisível. Personagens (9/10) É neste território que Yagate brilha, cada personagem tem uma individualidade especial mas que ao mesmo tempo é algo que conseguimos relacionar com a nossa vida ou de pessoas próximas. A Touko e a Yuu sofrem do mesmo problema, nunca terem conseguido se apaixonar de verdade, mas o que mais me impressiona é como o mesmo problema consegue criar 2 personagens tão distintas e com abordagens diferentes. Como sempre é muito gratificante ver que no fim de 13 episódios existe uma evolução nas suas maneiras de pensar e até mesmo como aprendem a amar e a superar o problema que no final das contas, as juntou. Acho importante referir que a autora sempre tenta mostrar personagens que não dividem do mesmo tipo de relação das nossas Yuu e Touko, o que torna uma história muito mais credível e não um sítio onde todas se sentem da mesma maneira, mecanismo que apenas serve para criar um drama forçado. Isto tudo ao contrário duma certa obra que acabou por ficar mais famosa, infelizmente. Enjoyment (9.5/10) Não me vou alongar aqui apenas que me diverti todas as semanas e fiquei sempre com vontade de ver o próximo episódio e ver como todo o plot evoluiría. Tudo que disse em cima aplica-se aqui. Overall (9/10) Foi o meu AOTS e que só não dou a minha nota 10 pois a história não é toda adaptada aqui e seria injusto dar uma nota mais alta sem saber como tudo terminaria até porque um final fechado ajuda sempre a avaliar melhor uma obra. Esta foi a minha primeira review, acho que ficou um bocado extensa mas é com o tempo e prática que o ser humano melhora. Obrigado a quem leu até aqui!

I wish I had dropped this show. My boyfriend and I recently slogged through Bloom Into You hoping to find a cute light yuri to watch that had a somewhat realistic depiction of a human relationship. Every episode was a disappointment watching someone who's finally realized who they are fawning over someone who's desperately falling behind on their emotional intelligence. To top it off, there's an extremely non-consensual vibe throughout the entirety of Yu and Touko's "romantic" interactions that are VERY unsettling to watch. This show literally made my skin crawl with the unwarranted sexual advances (however light they may have been), and the weird perceived inability to say "no" that Yu is admittedly struggling with, but selectively. I couldn't give it a one because it is a lovely show to watch and has some great musical choices, especially for that slightly creepy opening. But maybe that should have been my bad omen.