Sep 27, 2019
Bloom Into You is not like other works in the world of shoujo-ai. It is the closest to perfection when you compare it with other works in the same genre. Shoujo-ai/yuri tends to be under a shadow, known for mediocre works that are filled with lots of unnecessary fanservice, melodrama, and a lot of other negative traits. These kinds of stories can be enjoyed, but usually, they depict same-sex relationships in a very unhealthy way that turns a lot of people away.
This manga is by far, the one that comes closest to depicting a relationship between two girls in such a real way. It
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is not built upon sudden sexual advances or sexual harassment. It is built upon the tricky way both of Yagakimi's main characters' minds work and how they connect the dots and figure out what love is to them. The question of what love exactly is and what it means to fall in love is something that Yuu tries to figure out throughout the manga. Love has always seemed like something distant for both Touko and Yuu, both with their own reasons as to why that is, and even as the story unfolds and both are growing a stronger bond, that insecurity of what love exactly remains. Both have different views on love and how it should feel. The concept of love is quickly shown to be the complete opposite of a fairytale filled with absolute happiness and mutual feelings, and that's what I think makes Bloom Into You such an interesting read. It lightly makes fun of those cliche tropes found in so many other romance series outside of shoujo-ai from the very start. It is clear that the message is that love is far more messy and complicated than what a person sees in a typical romance manga.
Yagakimi does an excellent job at developing such an interesting cast of characters. I'd say that this story is not mainly about the romance present in the story, but it's about the character development and seeing not just the main characters, but seeing the side characters grow as well. The story makes use of the side characters instead of casting them off to the side or to fill a gap. They contribute to the story and help the main characters progress forward into their distant future. Every character isn't perfect, they all have their insecurities and issues, and that's what makes them so great in the first place. I love how they handle situations with such maturity and how they act in different scenarios. Some of the settings that they are put in, looking back, was such a brilliant way to develop the characters in a way that feels so natural and in place. Nothing, if not barely anything, feels out of place.
The art was one of the main things that drew me into this series in the first place. I really loved the manga's aesthetic. Though there were sometimes when the art would seem off, though this is a pretty rare sight to see. The drawing improvement is noticeable if you compare the first chapter with the last one. It's nice to see development in not just the story, but in Nakatani's art style. If there is something that the art has always done an excellent job at doing, it is at conveying the emotions of each character. None of the expressions were stiff, though there were sometimes that body poses would look a bit off.
When it comes to enjoyment, Bloom Into You definitely provided a whole lot of it. Usually, I take my time reading a new manga, especially when it has quite a few chapters out. This manga got me hooked right on the first chapter. There were points in the story that wasn't all that entertaining, though it did serve a purpose in developing the story even further. No chapter was pointless to the storyline. Everything fit in nicely. It was interesting seeing the behind the scenes battle of the characters versus their own minds. This story was refreshing in so many ways. It was new and exciting to see a manga tackle on same-sex relationships with this kind of special treatment.
This manga is definitely not a masterpiece. It does have flaws just like any other manga. But the positive certainly outweighs the negative by a lot. This is the best shoujo-ai manga I've ever come across so far, and the impact that it has left on me will remain for a really long time. All stories come to an end, but they will surely never be forgotten.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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