Gosh, episode six sure was a mess, wasn’t it? It was one of this production’s crowning achievements so far, but all of its aesthetic beauty and psychological inquiry were in service of buoying up one of the most proudly unhealthy relationships I’ve seen. Framed as a joyous meeting of the minds in the most romantic possible setting, last episode’s climax was perhaps the single strongest scene of Bloom Into You, and also the most harrowing.

What was initially planned to be the moment where Yuu and Touko finally engage honestly, and Yuu actually helps Touko with her emotional hangups, turned instead into an emphatic affirmation of all the lies this relationship is built on. Touko promises to love Yuu, while thinking to herself that if Yuu were to change, she’d discard her in a moment. Yuu promises to respect Touko’s facade, while secretly praying both she and Touko grow out of their current situation. The two seem genuinely codependent at this point, and yet each of them also cannot respect the other’s most deeply held wishes, or respect all aspects of their personality at once. More than anything, they are unified by their dislike for fundamental elements of their own selves, and the fear that if they don’t have each other, they don’t have anyone. But with Touko loving Yuu for the lack of romantic feeling she hopes to outgrow, and Yuu loving Touko for the vulnerability she refuses to embrace, each of them end up reinforcing the very qualities they’re hoping to escape.

Currently, Yuu would be best off if she broke off this relationship entirely – it’s very unequal, she actively wants to change, and Touko is preventing her from embracing that change. Of course, if it were that easy to escape an unhealthy relationship, this drama wouldn’t be so deliciously messy. Having clearly stated just how bad for each other they are, I’m eager to see what tumbles down next. Let’s explore another episode of Bloom Into You!

Episode 7

Looks like we’re getting some Sayaka backstory, opening with a time she was confessed to by a girl at what’s presumably her middle school

Nice use of this fountain as an echo of Sayaka’s emotions, rippling with the confession and then swelling during the relationship

“I’m sorry, but we’re not kids anymore. I don’t think it’s good to keep pretending to date like this.” God, what a cruel way to break it off. This is also perfectly reflective of how many anime properties treat lesbian romance – the “Class S” stuff, where it’s considered okay to emotionally experiment with homosexual relationships as an adolescent, but that that’s ultimately “kid’s stuff” which will eventually be replaced by heterosexual relationships. Though depicting these relationships once served as a needed rebellion against cultural heteronormativity (which, it should be stated, was in large part imported to Japan by the west in the first place), they at this point are more of an albatross, implying that homosexual love is only “okay” when you acknowledge it will end after high school

Not only is Bloom Into You directly challenging that assumption by raising its specter as a cheap way to reject Sayaka, it’s naturally illustrating how toxic media assumptions like that have an immediate real-world impact. If all our media works consistently present homosexuality as a phase, it’s no wonder that people will take that framing at face value, and apply it to their own lives

“I wanted so badly to make myself believe that it really was just a phase.” This is such a wonderfully searing indictment of dishonest media portrayals. Whatever makes you different or unique, if popular media perpetually frames that as either bad or temporary, you will be left to constantly wonder what is wrong with you. That’s part of why positive portrayals of cultural/sexual/etc minorities are so important – they normalize those lives not just for others, but for the people actually living through those experiences. Happy, adult gay characters tell kids that it’s okay to be gay, and a culture whose media entirely lacks some fragment of humanity is making a clear and damning statement

“I had wanted to be chosen as class representative, but so much was on my mind that I let my grades slip.” And having your identity be disenfranchised never just impacts one aspect of your life – it’s a cascading sense of societal rejection, that makes everything else harder to do

Sayaka is determined to surpass Touko until she sees Touko is insanely hot

We jump to Koyomi asking Yuu what Touko is like. Please let Yuu have a friend she can actually talk to! One of the worst parts of high school is that you’re all so wrapped up in your own drama, and so fearful of revealing your insecurities, that people are often unable to honestly connect with others who are feeling basically the same things. Strange how some of the most universal experiences can also feel the most isolating

Koyomi explains she can shape the play to its actors, meaning we’ve actually got some narrative justification for when this play inevitably provides numerous thematic parallels to our actual narrative. Not that we necessarily need that – “the fiction within this world echoes the world’s own narrative” is one of those situations where audiences tend to be most forgiving of obvious contrivance

“Characters who have some sort of flaw are a lot easier to write.” And a lot more fun, too!

Yuu struggles to find a way to humanize Touko without revealing she’s a human train wreck

Sayaka’s life seems exhausting. She’s always with Touko, but the Touko she sees is always performing, always on guard

“Do you not like girls?” And because of her past experiences, Sayaka is incredibly delicate in approaching Touko, meaning this situation naturally and tragically mirrors the “chaste love” cliche you’d expect

“You and Koito are becoming close. I’m a little bit jealous.” The camera focuses on her lips, underlining what a tragic understatement this is. Sayaka has to perform just like Touko

The camera emphasizes the clearly established distance between them from several angles, as Sayaka’s attempt to ask about Touko’s relationship is rebuffed with an obvious lie. I really like this overhead shot

“Touko will never belong to anyone. I just need you to stay that way.” OH GOD WE’VE GOT ANOTHER ONE. Sayaka joins our crew of hopeless anti-romantics, desperately praying the object of their affection never grows as a person, and never challenges their own framing. All three of these girls deserve better, but are too afraid of rejection or isolation to fight for anything but uneasy, dishonest friendship

“As long as I keep playing the perfect role, Sayaka never asks what’s behind it.” And of course Touko know, and interprets Sayaka’s affection as being reflective of how good her mask is. Touko’s words are technically correct, but she’s assigning her own motives to Sayaka, and I’m not sure she realizes that. I’m sure Sayaka herself would prefer more honesty

They run into Hakozaki-sensei, the teacher Akari was arguing with, while meeting with Koyomi. That explains why those two appeared at all in that scene, as it was intended to naturally establish Hakozaki and seed this reunion

Yuu asks what Hakozaki’s relationship with the cafe owner is, and she struggles for a moment with her response. Oh wow, are we going to get a healthy, adult lesbian romance to counterbalance all of this adolescent flailing? That would be fantastic, and something I think all of these characters could really use. As I said, the antidote to limiting or unsympathetic portrayals in media is positive portrayals, and seeing happy, adult gay people in real life is even more encouraging than that. None of us are so strong that we can assert our own reality all the time – the assumptions of our world wear on all of us, and we all need confirmation that it is okay to feel the things we feel

Sayaka seems to notice something the others miss

Touko asks if she can use Yuu’s first name publicly, Yuu responds with the cold-as-ice “as my Senpai, you’re allowed to do whatever you want.” Yuu really enjoys getting Touko to embarrass herself with romantic stuff

“When I see her so unphased, it makes me want to be a bit more aggressive.” And Touko in turn sees Yuu’s lack of affection as a challenge. This would all be adorable if it weren’t so directly reflecting their entirely divergent desires!

“You have no problem pouring your affection on me, but you’re helpless when I show you any.” Yuu states this lovingly, but it’s a reflection of the core problem

We get the reveal that Hakozaki and Miyako actually are dating incidentally, with a sudden cut to their home life. I like how mundane this is, in contrast to the teenagers’ ridiculously melodramatic existence

Okay, maybe the framing of that kiss was not mundane

Touko starts calling Yuu by her first name, and Sayaka plans her counterattack. Even just watching Sayaka live her life is exhausting

Sayaka tries to assure herself that no one will get close to Touko, which feels like a very fragile source of strength. She’s basing her certainty on the fact that she wasn’t able to get close to Touko, meaning if she’s eventually proven wrong, it’ll feel like a direct attack on her as well

Oh shit, Sayaka’s actually going to the cafe for advice! THIS EPISODE IS SO GOOD. This one episode feels like an almost self-contained critique of reductive media portrayals, immediately followed by an equally well-rounded illustration of positive alternatives, and the importance of mentorship when it comes to embracing your identity

“Yep, that’s right. She’s my girlfriend.” It’s a dangerous reveal in a homophobic society, and might even cause Hakozaki some trouble with her work, but Miyako can tell how much Sayaka needs this

“I didn’t expect to get such a frank answer.” Sayaka’s own experience has taught her that relationships like this must be hidden, and never embraced. A lifetime of culturally enforced repression makes Miyako’s honesty feel like a revelation

“Back when I was your age, I also thought I had to keep everything a secret.” And Miyako articulates one of the horrible things about adolescence I was referring to earlier, where we all imagine our feelings are terrible secrets we must forever conceal

Miyako asks Sayaka what she likes about Touko. My god, this is all so wholesome. This is like the first healthy relationship this show has established, and it must be such a weight off Sayaka’s shoulders. There are good people out there!

“Even if I confessed to her, that would just be a source of stress for her. And if that ruins my current relationship with her, then I’d prefer to just stay the course.” This is all true. Poor Sayaka

And Miyako tells her something that she needed to hear from someone else – that regardless of the “purity” of her motives, what she’s currently doing is very selfless and kind

And Done

HOLY SHIT THAT EPISODE WAS SO GOOD! I figured we might get a breather or something after the pyrotechnics of number six, but ultimately, I found this episode even MORE satisfying than that one. While there were no scenes whose visual execution matched the beauty of last episode’s finale, this episode’s consistent focus on Sayaka’s feelings essentially turned it into a coherent and compassionate thesis on the need for support structures in both real life and fiction, and the damage the absence of such support can cause. It framed the overarching struggle for representation in immediately parsable human terms, while also acting as a totally convincing and very sympathetic focus episode for Sayaka herself. This episode wasn’t just great in terms of its execution, it felt genuinely important, and a new high for this series. This show is fantastic!

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