Bloom Into You Episode #11-12 Anime Review

Centroid Of The Triangle/Lit Fuse/Suddenly Suffocating

What They Say:

Yuu has always loved shoujo manga and awaits the day she gets a love confession that sends her heart aflutter with bubbles and blushes, and yet when a junior high classmate confesses his feelings to her...she feels nothing. Disappointed and confused, Yuu enters high school still unsure how to respond. That's when Yuu sees the beautiful student council president Nanami turn down a suitor with such maturity that she's inspired to ask her for help. But when the next person to confess to Yuu is Nanami herself. Has her shoujo romance finally begun?

The Review:

Content: (Please note that the content portion of the review will contain spoilers)

First and foremost, I'd like to apologize for the double review. In three years with the site, I think I've only had to do that once before. But now that a plethora of unforeseen health issues are out of the way, I'm ready to get back into the swing of things and spend some more quality time with our favorites lesbians of the season. Well- one lesbian. The other one is still up in the air. But that's another subject for discussion entirely. 

When we last left off, the student council was about to set off on a death march of a training camp in order to perfect a play for the upcoming school festival. With only summer break separating them from this final showdown, tensions are a bit higher than usual, to say the least. That's not stopping Touko from powering through, however, as she inches closer and closer to becoming her sister with each passing moment. Well, at least that's what she thought until an unexpected figure from her past walks back into the picture.

No, I'm not saying her sister comes back from the dead (Despite how crazy that would be). Instead, another member from the same student council her sister spearheaded winds up working as a training-camp instructor at the behest of Riko-sensei. But this seemingly normal coincidence flips everything on its head when he comes out and tells Touko that her sister actually...well, she kind of sucked. Mio was by no means the perfect, organized girl Touko had seen her as. Instead, she was a spastic procrastinator who, very often, pushed her responsibilities onto everyone else. As you can imagine, this shatters Touko's worldview, making everything that she had worked for over the last seven years almost meaningless. If she had been working toward becoming the mirror image of a now false version of her sister, who exactly was she? What was all of that work for?

The question burdens her greatly, just as it would to us if we were the ones in her position. Luckily, she can vent in the form of a conveniently coincidental script that, somehow, manages to retell her exact story up to this point. The play is no longer just her sister's legacy- it is the story of Touko trying, and failing, to become her. The worst part of it all is that the ending is already written. Not knowing what else to do, Touko falls into line and simply believes that she must now choose a new identity to assume, not giving any thought into the possibility of creating one of her own. That is, until Yuu has a say in the matter.

With episode eleven focusing almost entirely on Touko, episode twelve shows us how Yuu perceives the world (Touko) unravelling around her. And with the object of her affection becoming increasingly unstable, Yuu knows that now more than ever, she needs to do something. And while her gut instinct is to wrap her arms around Touko and profess her love, the constant reminder of how she can't do that is nearly beaten into her with every kiss. (Sidenote: there are a lot of kisses in this episode. 10/10). At the end of the day, she finally decides to do something for herself and begs Kano to rewrite the ending. Kano obliges because the ending song has already started playing and, voila, we've got ourselves a new ballgame, ladies and gentlemen. In the coming finale, Touko will likely learn a new route for her life- one that will allow her to achieve happiness through her own ideals, rather than those of a girl who pretty much never existed to begin with.

But will Touko's ending give Yuu the window of opportunity she needs to tie the knot? We'll just have to wait and see.

In Summary: 

While episode eleven does not offer much other than a plot twist and some highlight reel acting from Minako Kotobuki, episode twelve becomes the best one since the halfway point of the series. Filled with emotional intensity and the sudden deterioration of Touko's mental state, Bloom Into You kicks itself into hyperdrive as everything begins to take on a new sense of urgency. And while it pains me to say that we only have one episode left, I do admit that I am incredibly excited for the finale. I'd be fine with watching these two for the rest of my life. I just hope that their ending is one they deserve.

Episode 11 Grade: B

Episode 12 Grade: A

Streamed By: HIDIVE

Bloom Into You Episode #10 Anime Review

The Incomplete Me/Daytime Star/Mirage

What They Say:

Yuu has always loved shoujo manga and awaits the day she gets a love confession that sends her heart aflutter with bubbles and blushes, and yet when a junior high classmate confesses his feelings to her...she feels nothing. Disappointed and confused, Yuu enters high school still unsure how to respond. That's when Yuu sees the beautiful student council president Nanami turn down a suitor with such maturity that she's inspired to ask her for help. But when the next person to confess to Yuu is Nanami herself. Has her shoujo romance finally begun?

The Review:

Content: (Please note that the content portion of the review will contain spoilers)

You know, I hadn't really noticed how close we've been getting to the end of this season until I saw "Episode 10" on HIDIVE this morning when I prepped for this review. With that in mind, my perspective on Bloom Into You may be morphing a little bit over the next week or two. Now, this isn't me saying that I'm going to turn my back on the show and go against everything I've upheld for over two months now, but that I'm simply a lot more worried for its future than I had been previously. This is a very slow moving show in all the best ways possible. And without much hope for a second season, I'm a little afraid that the conclusion Yuu and Touko deserve may be a bit out of reach, to say the least. That aside, there's still plenty to talk about in this week's episode.

Over the last few installments in this sickeningly cute series, we've seen Yuu shift from complete romantic disinterest to a sort of puppy-love for her senpai. This affinity, which had reached its peak at the end of last week's episode, continues on in full force as the young girl tries time and time again to hide it from the girl of her dreams. And while Touko seemed openly opposed to Yuu actually falling for her in weeks past, that begins to sort of fade away this week. I'm not saying that she's gone and changed her mind or anything, but the lack of inner monologues in comparison to her tendencies in the past may wind up signifying that those worries may be dissipating. Of course, this may also just be a result of the student council's play quickly approaching on the horizon. In fact, it's approaching so rapidly that it prompts Touko to propose one of my favorite slice of life trope episodes of all!

That's right, ladies and gentlemen. It's time to get yourselves ready for yet another SUMMER TRAINING CAMP EPISODE. (Insert party noises here). Now, we're going to have to wait another week to actually see this episode, but the fact that it's coming may actually bring the windows of opportunity necessary to reach an ultimately satisfactory ending. I mean, if Yuu is really going to come to terms with her feelings for Touko, being stuck together for two entire nights will give her plenty of time to come out and inform her of those feelings. Hell, we're talking about a girl who realized she was in love during a relay race -- can you even imagine how she'll feel during a stage play that they've worked months on? In addition, there's a sort of precedent for this if we harken back to the speeches Yuu and Touko gave during the presidential campaign. If she was unable to contain her emotions back then, when she was still learning who her senpai was, it's easy to believe that she might slip up again this time now that she's had time to [forgive me for this] bloom into her.

Sure, there are a few obstacles still in the way. Sayaka is going to be playing Touko's love interest in the play, after all. But as far as I'm concerned, Sayaka's character arc has already reached a satisfying ending. I can't foresee her upcoming role doing anything to jeopardize Yuu's future or Touko's feelings. If anything, we'll probably just get to see a few more shots of Sayaka blushing- but that's really it. The biggest obstacle of all, however, is going to be Yuu herself. You know, the same exact obstacle we've been dealing with ever since the race. But there's one scene at the end of the episode that gives us hope for this, and it comes in the form of a lengthy phone conversation between the two girls. If there's anything we've learned from watching this show, it's that love often reaches its peak at times we wouldn't expect. Moments like this, that appear mundane to anyone uninvolved, are oftentimes the ones that go on to predict the future for those who took part in them. If Yuu can provide solace for Touko during moments of vulnerability, it's easy to believe those moments wouldn't be willingly given up. And despite my rulings on this in the past- right now, I don't think Touko would turn her back on Yuu if she were to find out her true feelings.

But, as is the case for many shows of this nature, we'll have to wait until the very last episode or two to find that out.

In Summary:

Yuu's affection for Touko continues to grow as we rapidly approach the end of the series. With both a summer training camp and the student council play on the horizon, the window of opportunity to push this couple together has never been wider. The only downside is, the series will only last long enough to see the end of these two things. So if that opportunity is missed, as it has been in the past, we may just never see a resolution for these two. Either way, Bloom Into You remains as precious and endearing as always, and I will continue to recommend it to anyone interested in shoujo-ai or romance in general.

Episode Grade: B+

Streamed By: HIDIVE

Bloom Into You Episode #09 Anime Review

On Your Marks/The Unheard Start Signal

What They Say:

Yuu has always loved shoujo manga and awaits the day she gets a love confession that sends her heart aflutter with bubbles and blushes, and yet when a junior high classmate confesses his feelings to her...she feels nothing. Disappointed and confused, Yuu enters high school still unsure how to respond. That's when Yuu sees the beautiful student council president Nanami turn down a suitor with such maturity that she's inspired to ask her for help. But when the next person to confess to Yuu is Nanami herself. Has her shoujo romance finally begun?

The Review:

Content: (Please note that the content portion of the review will contain spoilers)

You know how I've been raving about Yuu becoming the antithesis of her former self for the last few episodes? Well, this review is likely going to be a bit more of that, so feel free to skip it if you think you've already heard the gist of my feelings on the matter. But for those of you that elect to stay, allow me to say that one scene of this episode in particular captures the essence of Yuu's 'transformation' better than anything else thus far. In fact, the moment is so flawlessly executed that it goes on to turn an otherwise uneventful ninth episode into one of the most impactful of the series.

In the grand scheme of things, a simple relay race doesn't seem like it would the emotional weight that much of Bloom Into You has endured. But, if there's anything I've learned from 'Sports Day' episodes in my time with anime (Particularly romance) it's that, oftentimes, these sorts of things can surprise you. Just like in reality, cupid's arrow can strike at any given moment. For some people, this happens the second they meet the object of their affection. For others, namely Yuu, this arrow happens to strike in the middle of nowhere in a situation that absolutely no one would ever catch onto should they be spectating. As far as I'm concerned, though, that makes her feelings seem all the more genuine. Backed by a beautiful insert song, Yuu watches Touko run the last leg of the relay race and drowns out everyone else but her. It turns a moment that would not have lasted more than fifteen seconds in reality into a slow-motion, sun-touched scene that immediately melts and reforms her heart. This is the moment where Yuu truly falls in love, and we will be able to look back on that once the series meets its end.

As if that wasn't enough to further solidify her 'blooming,' an earlier conversation with Maki works as an excellent supplementary piece for embellishing on this. We've already been made aware that Maki isn't exactly interested in pursuing romance of his own but would rather watch as those around him partake. Yuu, however, never exactly realized that the reason for this was that he, too, was incapable of feeling those butterflies that she had longed to feel for years. So when she finally opens up to 'someone like her,' it gives us the window to understanding [from someone actually feeling loveless] that Yuu can't possibly be feeling that way as well. But if that's the case, why does she continue to not act on her feelings.

Well, the answer to that question harkens back to just last week when Yuu realized much of Touko's affection comes in the form of not being able to receive any in return. So when Yuu finally has windows of opportunity to act on her feelings and truly indulge in her romantic desires, she must resist or face losing Touko entirely. She's terrified that if she lets her guard down and admits her feelings, she might lose them just seconds later. For a girl who has never felt this way in her life to face something like that is a feeling not many of us will ever be able to empathize with. We can, however, infer that things are going to be remarkably difficult for Yuu until she's comfortable enough to share those new feelings with Touko.

In Summary:

A flawlessly executed relay-race scene sees to the end of Yuu's blooming as she's finally hit with cupid's arrow. But with Nanami pressing down on the gas, Yuu must find a way to fight back her feelings or face losing them entirely. The primary struggle is no longer the battle between a young girl and first love, but a battle between that same girl and herself as she attempts to decipher the proper course of actions moving forward. Yuu's psyche is reaching its peak- there is only so much more weight she can take on before she succumbs to it. With the final 'antagonist; finally out in the open, our gorgeous yuri drama is approaching its final act. And if it's anything like the rest of the series, I can promise that it will be a good one.

Episode Grade: A-

Streamed By: HIDIVE