Riko Hakozaki

Bloom Into You is a romance drama based on a manga by Nio Nakatani. It ran in the magazine Dengeki Daioh from 2015 to 2019 and filled eight books, which sold more than a million copies. The studio Troyca made the 13-episode anime, directed by Makoto Kato. It aired from October to December 2018. It is a yuri story, which means a story about romance between girls or women. Yuu Koito is a first-year high school student with a private worry. She has read many love stories and manga, and she always hoped that falling in love would feel magical, like fireworks. But when a boy she knows tells her he likes her, she feels nothing special at all. She does not know how to answer him. She wonders if something is wrong with her, and if she will ever feel what everyone else seems to feel. While she is thinking about this, she sees an older student, Touko Nanami, gently turn down a boy who confesses to her. Touko is beautiful, smart, popular and good at everything. She is about to become the student council president. Yuu asks her for advice, and the two talk honestly. Then Touko surprises Yuu. She says that she has started to fall for Yuu herself. And strangely, the reason is that Yuu does not seem to fall for anyone. Yuu joins the student council to help Touko. Touko has a big goal: to bring back a school play that the council used to put on, but that ended years ago. The play is tied to Touko's family and her past, and it turns out to mean much more to her than it first seems. As they work together, Yuu learns that the perfect Touko is actually very unsure of herself inside. Other characters add depth to the story. Sayaka Saeki is the vice-president of the council. She has been Touko's friend for years, and she has feelings for Touko that she keeps hidden. There are also adult characters, including a couple who show that love between women can be a normal, happy part of life. What makes the series special is its quiet honesty. It does not rush. It spends time on small moments: a look, a pause, a hand almost held. It treats the question of what love feels like with care. Some readers see Yuu as a person who may not feel romantic attraction in the usual way, and critics have discussed this a lot. The show lets the viewer think about it without giving easy answers. The anime has soft colors, calm music and careful acting, which suit its slow, thoughtful mood. Critics praised it for avoiding many common habits of the genre and for its realistic feelings. It is a good choice for anyone who likes gentle, thoughtful love stories about growing up and figuring out who you are.