What’s the show? Bloom Into You, Episode 7.
So how’s this episode? It’d be a hard task to top the previous episode which was just achingly beautiful in so many ways–and they didn’t, but they weren’t trying to. Instead they gave us a story about a different character, Touko’s best friend and student council vice president Sayaka. There have been hints for a while that Sayaka was “interested” in Touko and that she was none-too pleased about her new ~relationship~ with Yuu, but here we get the full story. And…
And…? I feel really sorry for Sayaka, like to the point where I’m almost shipping Touko and Sayaka. I mean, she deserves love too, doesn’t she?!
Probably. So what’s so good about Sayaka? Well I mean I don’t really think she’s all that interesting to be honest but she clearly cares a great deal for Touko and I just don’t want to see her get hurt. But so is the way of things when a love triangle forms, someone’s bound to get hurt eventually. I’ll say this much about the episode though, hooray for presenting a (relatively) normal same-sex relationship that isn’t fraught with (too many) complications–that relationship being between the literature teacher Riko Hakozaki and the owner of a quaint cafe Miyako Kodama.
What’s with the (relatively) and (too many) modifiers to that sentence? Well I mean it’s still Japan so I guess the teacher doesn’t want it known to her students that she’s a lesbian–shame really, she should be able to be open and happy about her relationship!
Uh-huh so is this confirmed “love triangle” going to add to the drama of the situation? I honestly don’t know, turns out I only read the first two volumes of the manga which more or less cover the previous 6 episodes so I’m going in blind from here on out. I do own the rest of the series that’s been published in English but I kind of prefered the feeling of not knowing what was going to happen so I’ll be like the rest of the non-manga readers going forward! I wouldn’t be opposed to a bit of drama, I mean heavy emotions are involved, but do I think this is going to turn into a catty Citrus-esque scenario? Of course not, this isn’t that type of series–I think.
So overall thoughts on the episode? Changing the focus to a side character, and doing so for almost the whole episode is a risky play but I think it paid off. It also helped expand the world a little, what with the introduction of the teacher and her girlfriend–honestly I’d like to see more of them in the show but I’m not sure exactly how they’d tie it in to the main narrative. And even though we got no real relationship progress on Yuu and Touko’s front aside from the both of them agreeing to call each other by their first names, I really enjoyed this episode! It felt different, but in a good way, or maybe that’s just because it’s all new material to me.
Previous Bloom Into You Reviews:
Love Takes Time – Episode 1 Review
The Flower Blooms Alone – Episode 2 Review
Strength In Vulnerability – Episode 3 Review
The Ever Watchful Gardener – Episode 4 Review
Study Buddies – Episode 5 Review
Scenic Roots – Episode 6 Review
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Anime QandA 
I really enjoyed this episode and loved how they directed the scenes with Touko reflecting on how Sayaka sees her. It was just very well done, though the whole episode was really well done.
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Agreed. This show is masterful in its narrative restraint and contemplative pacing.
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They’re doing really well in showing the difference between how Sayaka and Yuu see Touko, and how Touko reacts to them. Sayaka is the stand-in for everyone else, putting Touko on that pedestal, calling her “special”, keeping her apart. The things that Touko tries to reject in her relationship with Yuu. And as the audience, seeing that, we know the reasons that Touko will never return Sayaka’s feelings, because she wants to reject those shackles. I think the ordering of the story here has been great, these last two episodes.
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Yeah as much as I’d like Sayaka to find love it’s clear that Touko needs a person like Yuu right now in her life.
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