Bloom Into You | Review | Pinnedupink.com

Bloom Into You

The year is 2021 and the world is almost fully accepting of various romantic preferences. As such, Boys Love and Girls Love genres are no strangers to Anime, with each having their own ample share of titles. In a realm that was previously dominated by Straight romances, these two genres proved time and time again that the love existing between similar genders is just as beautiful. While these Anime might not be everyone’s cup of tea, as everyone has their own orientations and outlooks, the choices are diverse for those who are open to them.

“Bloom Into You”, also known as “Yagate Kimi ni Naru”, “YagaKimi” or “Eventually, I Will Become You” is a 13 episode TV anime series that aired from the 5th of October until the 28th of December in Fall 2018. It was produced by AT-X, Sony Music Communications, Docomo Anime Store, Kadokawa Media House and Kadokawa, licensed by Sentai Filmworks and brought to life by Studio TROYCA.

The main staff behind it are Katou Makoto as Director, Episode Director and on Storyboard, Morita Geisei as Episode Director, Aketagawa Jin as Sound Director and Takada Masatoyo also as Episode Director. The anime features the genres of Drama, Girls Love and Romance, and a School theme. It is rated PG-13 for teenagers 13 years or older.

Bloom Into You is based on the Source Manga of the same title. Serialized in Dengeki Daioh, this series was the work of Author and Artist Nakatani Nio. It spanned across 8 Volumes and was published from the 27th of April 2015 until the 27th of September 2019. It has been published in English by Seven Seas Entertainment since the 3rd of January 2017 and in Polish by Studio JG since January 2019.

The story looks at protagonist Yuu Koito, a young girl who had always been entranced with Shoujo manga of the Romance genre and the captivating lyrics of love songs. Just like many girls her age, she patiently awaits the fateful moment at which the wings of love will sprout for her as well, sending her heart weightlessly aflutter. She believes this miracle would happen on the ever-important day of receiving her first confession.

These thoughts are avid in her mind until graduation when her classmate from Junior High School finally declares his love for her. Strangely enough, following this ever anticipated confession, she feels unexpectedly hollow. At this moment, a critical realization occurred to her; she understands the concept of romance and fantasizes about it, but she is still incapable of experiencing this complex emotion first-hand. Time passes, and Yuu eventually enrolls in High School but still feels disconcerted and dispirited about love.

On that note, she is still ruminating over how to respond to her classmate appropriately. Fate takes a turn as she happens to meet the seemingly flawless Student Council President, Touko Nanami, as a First year. She happens upon Touko maturely rejecting a confession of her own and becomes entranced by Touko's elegant mannerisms.

Yuu then approaches her for advice on her love life, only to be completely bewildered when the President confesses to her instead. Life would never be the same again for Yuu, as she quickly finds herself in the very palm of Touko's hand. But what she doesn't realize is that she had now set herself down a path to find the deep emotion that had eluded her for so long, despite how much she dreamed of it.

The Story is pretty straightforward and mainly focuses on the complex relationships between the various characters. These relationships show impressive development throughout the series as well. While Yuu cannot seem to experience love herself, Touko is a model student who cannot accept love and rejects all relationships coming her way.

Together, these two girls support each other and grow. The downside is that the story is unrealistic and cliché, as Touku begins to love Yuu at first sight as if determined by destiny. It almost comes across as one character taking advantage of another’s complicated circumstances. Still, in reality, it is executed as a very innocent relationship, where both girls learn about themselves and love. Whatever first impressions viewers get, this series is about self-discovery and self-definition, a Slice of Life anime with a side of Romance.

The plot uses the School theme to nurture the relationship and create intimate moments that are too perfect. The setting is well established with character diversity and realism, despite a few unrealistic moments here and there and the complete negation of social consequences. Because of this, it just comes across as odd overall, and the ending is left open, which is terrible for Anime only viewers. On the other hand, it flows with simplicity and amiability and does not feel forced.

The Characters have this nice trait where they develop along with their relationships. Yuu is an avid reader who is both friendly and caring but is having difficulty experiencing love. She possesses an uncanny ability to read Touko and is constantly changing throughout the series. Touko is seemingly perfect to everyone around her, but in reality, is full of worries and doubts. Her hidden self is only visible to Yuu, and she rejects love due to her inability to love herself.

Touko is the more complex character, hiding great weakness within, but is pleasurable to watch when interacting with Yuu, showing apparent anxiety. The remaining cast isn’t explored nearly as much but is given decent development. Sayaka Saeki shows a unique version of love while Miyako and Riko portray a happy, healthy relationship devoid of drama.

The Art and Animation are pretty good except for a few hutches here and there. Some odd camera angles throw characters out of proportion, but luckily, these are not as frequent. The camera movements are otherwise great, both smooth and fitting. The Art is detailed, and the camera dynamic enhances this, applying to both characters and backgrounds. The color palette features bright and vivid colors, pleasing to the eye and bringing out the best in the characters.

The Sounds of Music are superb. The OSTs enhance and contribute so much to the atmospheres and crucial moments consistently, being both fitting additions and pleasing on the ears. The Sounds are all pretty elegant, soothing, soft, and do their parts well.

The Opening theme is "Kimi ni Furete" by Riko Azuna, a brilliant fit with a nice rhythm and matching lyrics. The ending theme is "hectopascal" by Yuu Koito (Yuuki Takada), Touko Nanami (Minako Kotobuki), which is pretty decent with a pleasing score combination. The Ending theme for the final episode is "Suki, Igai no Kotoba de" by Yuu Koito (Yuuki Takada), Touko Nanami (Minako Kotobuki).

Overall, the plot is pleasing and intriguing, while the character relationships are realistic and pure. Watching Yuu tease her “perfect” senpai is soothing to watch, and their interactions are nothing short of amusing and captivating. Emotions are well portrayed, and the pacing is decent, albeit a few minor plot issues here and there. Its most significant issue would be the absence of a complete and fulfilled couple.

Even though Touku is full of charisma, Yuu’s inability to express love makes the series feel a bit hollow, albeit it is a plot concept. This Anime is recommended to fans of the featured genres and theme, but not so much to others. While it has its charms, the lack of fulfillment hits hard by the end and may leave a hollow impression if you don’t move on to the Manga. But if you enjoy Girls Love series of this sort, do not hesitate to give it a try!