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Aku No Hana is a study of three early adolescents enduring puberty and trying to discover themselves, whether they want to or not. There are three principal characters.

The first of the three is the protagonist, Kasuga Takaro an introverted and widely read third year middle school student. He lives at home with both parents. His mother is a typical housewife, usually cooking dinner. Kasuga’s father is also a bookworm and passes along reading suggestions including the eponymous “Aku no Hana,” a collection of poems by the mid-Nineteenth Century French author, Baudelaire.

The book, “Aku no Hana” has a profound ... effect on Kasuga, although he confesses that he doesn’t understand the text completely. While there are no direct quotes from the work, the anime suggests that “Aku no Hana” has an existential quality, one that has a greatly affect young readers who are dealing with self-identity.

The quest for self-identity develops in a depressing setting. Kasuga describes his isolated town as “rust, gaming parlors, and weeds.” It is surrounded by mountains which act as both a natural and figurative “fence” to be crossed. Striking down barriers and fences is the mission of the second principal character, Nakaumra Sawa, another introverted and troubled classmate of Kasuga’s. She defies authority and the “system,” showing blatant disrespect to her teachers and refusal to participate in exams, turning in blank pieces of paper. She is very intelligent and insightful with a strong judge of character, but is greatly troubled. Her search for a kindred spirit leads her to Kasuga.
The third character is the class star, straight A student, popular, bright, brilliant and beautiful Nanako Saeki. Kasuga is smitten and while his male classmates make fun of his attraction to Saeki, fate twists a triangle of angst and attraction that bring all three together.

Kasuga, while going home realizes that he has left a book in his desk. He returns to an empty classroom, gets the book, but notices Saeki’s used gym clothes that have fallen out of her locker. He sniffs the gym clothes and in a moment of indiscretion, steals the clothes. Kasuga believes that he is alone, but Nakamura has seen him.
Kasuga encounters Nakamura on a bike path. They talk, and she climbs on to the back of his bike, saying, take me to the other side of that mountain pointing to a distant hill. She has discovered another “hentai” such as she describes herself. She threatens to expose him as a pervert if he doesn’t do what she asks.

In the following days in class, Nakamura is falsely accused of stealing lunch money. Kasuga defends her, saying that she did not, and that the accusations are groundless. Saeki is impressed with Kasuga’s courage to stand up for what’s right. Later they meet and Saeki discovers that there is a lot more to Kasuga than what first impressions tell. They date and begin a romantic relationship.
Thus the triangle is formed. Kasuga has moments of courage, but more often than not, his cowardly side wins out and he runs away. Saeki is hurt by his actions, but as the story unfolds, she begins to understand that she has no real identity. Everything she has done, study, cram school, piano lessons, etc .have all been imposed by her parents and teachers.

Nakamura continues to have a profound effect on Kasuga as well as Saeki. She says that she is determined to break down the walls that they have built around themselves. Three young teenagers, each with character defects placed in an isolated setting and being influenced by Baudelaire’s esoteric poetry sets the tree on a path to disaster.

I was drawn into the story and followed it intently, not being sure where things would lead, but having a strong hunch.

You will have to watch the remainder of the anime to see how things turn out. There’s a lot more in store for the three.