Forum - View topic

EP. REVIEW: Bloom Into You

The following isn't really a "spoiler" per se, but I'm talking about the manga so I figured I'll do this out of courtesy.

spoiler[There's an interlude scene in the manga that technically happens later but would have fit in this episode quite well (the scene where Touko gets a recipe and sleeping picture of Yuu from Yuu's sister also happened later in the manga, so there's already precedent). While I would have liked to see it animated (and it might just happen later), at first I was thinking it was cute, but not really all that important. However, after reading this review, it might actually have been more important than I was giving it credit for, which makes it a bit of a shame that it was (probably) not animated. I'll describe it under the next spoiler.]

spoiler[Sayaka is waiting for Touko at the train station when she bumps into that old senpai of hers. Senpai tries to apologize for making Sayaka not "normal." This prompts a pretty dirty look from Sayaka. Touko arrives and Sayaka grabs her arm all couple-like, basically to give off the impression in a pretty smug manner that she does, in fact, still like girls. (This is just a quick summary, of course, there's more to the scene than this)]

Love this series, loving these weekly reviews. Keep it up!

Bloom Into You has been slow and meandering in its build-up, in keeping with the title. That's made it hard to get into sometimes, since Yuu and Touko just don't have the burning passion between them that makes other fictional couples pull at your heartstrings. They're getting there though, from the new first-name basis to Yuu's gentle teasing this week.

I really hope this isn't the last we see of Miyako the Lesbian Mentor, because these girls need her.

The following isn't really a "spoiler" per se, but I'm talking about the manga so I figured I'll do this out of courtesy.

spoiler[There's an interlude scene in the manga that technically happens later but would have fit in this episode quite well (the scene where Touko gets a recipe and sleeping picture of Yuu from Yuu's sister also happened later in the manga, so there's already precedent). While I would have liked to see it animated (and it might just happen later), at first I was thinking it was cute, but not really all that important. However, after reading this review, it might actually have been more important than I was giving it credit for, which makes it a bit of a shame that it was (probably) not animated. I'll describe it under the next spoiler.]

spoiler[Sayaka is waiting for Touko at the train station when she bumps into that old senpai of hers. Senpai tries to apologize for making Sayaka not "normal." This prompts a pretty dirty look from Sayaka. Touko arrives and Sayaka grabs her arm all couple-like, basically to give off the impression in a pretty smug manner that she does, in fact, still like girls. (This is just a quick summary, of course, there's more to the scene than this)]

Love this series, loving these weekly reviews. Keep it up!

So Yuu decides to be the one to reach out by inviting Sayaka to get food with her at "Y'Donald's," which might be the weirdest anime variation on "McDonald's" I've seen yet.

Sigh, only five episodes to go? I’m going to miss this series... until I can buy it on blu-Ray and watch it again.

Sayaka—likely emboldened by her new friendship with Miyako—does what every self-respecting lesbian should do in this situation and rub it in her old girlfriend's face. As Touko rounds the corner, Sayaka grabs her and pretends that they're together. Normally, I'd be skeeved out by this deception, but I think Sayaka's doing it for a good cause.

So Yuu decides to be the one to reach out by inviting Sayaka to get food with her at "Y'Donald's," which might be the weirdest anime variation on "McDonald's"

But what sells the scene most is Michiru Oshima's score, which was already playing at the top of its game throughout the show. Bloom Into You uses music so masterfully because it also uses the score sparingly. The only time the music plays much this week is during the scenes focusing on relationships, whether they're platonic (Sayaka's with the main two) or romantic (between Yuu and Touko). It tells us things the script can't without being too obvious, like the playful melody during the Yuu-Sayaka scene showing that they're finally getting along. In Yuu and Touko's scenes, the swell of the notes underlines their budding romance.

I've said in the past that I had trouble emotionally connecting to Yuu and Touko's romance, but I think this episode finally fixed that problem. It was hard during their rainy day scene not to feel your heart beat along with the romantic music, straining for those two to touch more every time the camera panned to their hands. As Yuu's feelings get more and more obvious, I'm finally as invested as Bloom Into You wants me to be.

Did they move that Maki conversation? It leans more into his asexuality than the voyeurism side of things, which was nice, but I feel like it showed up somewhere else in the manga.