GUYS, WE GOTTA WATCH MORE BLOOM INTO YOU. I’ve been enjoying this show ever since the first episode, and it’s had consistent peaks all along, but HOLY CRAP episode seven. That episode by itself jumped this show from “extremely good character drama” to “turn on the next episode you fuckin’ nitwit,” neatly illustrating both the consequences of oppressive social assumptions, and the counterbalancing necessity of mentors or representational figures that validate your identity. In one neatly composed episode, Bloom Into You demonstrated one of art’s highest callings – weaving an intellectual argument into an emotional narrative, and through doing so making the consequences of some political reality tangible in an immediate, felt sense.

It is one thing to be told “gay people are harmed by a culture that solely embraces limiting, voyeuristic media portrayals of people like them,” and another to see Sayaka living with the consequences of that culture, doubting her own feelings and desperately wishing she were someone different. Most people just aren’t that great at imagining the lived experience of people unlike themselves – through media like this, that lived experience can be made clear, with sympathy hopefully ensuing. Without ever feeling didactic or insincere, Bloom Into You thoughtfully illustrated the close relationship between our media environment, our support structures, and our own sense of self, building Sayaka up as a genuine emotional force in the plot all the while. I can’t wait to see what this terrific show does next!

Episode 8

We open with Sayaka at a train station. She’s fiddling with her hair as she checks her phone, a nervous gesture that I assume means she’s texting with Touko. The show’s portrayal of Sayaka’s physical presence and body language have definitely shifted – initially, she was framed as imposing and unreadable, since we were sitting on Yuu’s shoulder. Having spent the entire last episode in Sayaka’s head, we’re now getting physical gestures that imply her vulnerability

This show is very good about presenting its characters in unreliable, perspective-based fashion without making that itself the point of some situation. We’re always seeing the characters as one or another specific member of the cast see them, but it comes across naturally, since the distance between our perspectives is more incidental to this show’s goals than its main thrust

She randomly runs into the girl she used to date at the station. This is another one of those areas where audiences will forgive a lot of narrative contrivance – “randomly running into the exact right person in a public space” is a rare phenomenon in real life, but it’s become an accepted part of narrative life, and only feels contrived if it’s exploited all the time

“I mean, if you still find yourself attracted to other girls, then that must be because of what I did.” Christ, what a perspective. You can’t “catch” being gay, but if half of the media portrayals of gay people you see involve others being “seduced into the lifestyle,” you’re going to have some pretty messed up opinions on what being gay is like

“At this point, I find it strange that I ever fell for you in the first place, Senpai.” What a goddamn perfect response, ostensibly answering this former contact on her level (“it all feels like a dream now”), while actually implying the opposite (“I can’t believe I ever loved such an asshole”). Sayaka is too good

And then she clings to Touko when she shows up, making her actual intentions clear. PETTY REVENGE HELL YEAH

Touko asks her about holding her hand, but then grabs Sayaka’s hand back, calling it “payback.” Touko clearly knows Sayaka likes her, so this seems pretty cruel. Touko’s insecurities are understandable, but the end result sure is a whole lot of emotionally manipulating her two closest friends

The student council is practicing for the school festival by running relays. “Everyone managed to pass the baton, except for Sayaka and Yuu.” Hurraaay for metaphors. So will this episode focus on Yuu and Sayaka coming to understand each other better?

There are reasons beyond genre convention that so many high school dramas feature sports festivals and plays and whatnot. Character dramas thrive on taking characters out of their comfort zones and forcing them to interact in new contexts, and scheduled school events provide a convenient and universally relatable template for such shakeups

Yuu invites Sayaka out for food, seemingly hoping to clear the air between them

Yuu raises another media cliche – “have you ever gotten fast food like this, Sayaka?” Which Sayaka dismisses, because real-life ojous aren’t actually hermetically separated from the real world

“We haven’t been getting along lately, which is why you’re trying to extend an olive branch, right?” Sayaka is way more perceptive than Yuu, and not smitten like Touko. She might be the most dangerous member of the student council!

“You really like Nanami-senpai, don’t you?” Yuu’s being very aggressive here. She seems to have gained some confidence – she was totally overwhelmed when Sayaka last confronted her

Sayaka has a powerful unimpressed stare

“When it’s over, I wonder if Nanami-senpai will… consider dropping the act she always puts on?” So that explains this meeting. Yuu seems to be looking for a potential ally, someone who can help her push Touko forward

The hydrangeas are a clear motif in this episode, though I’m not yet sure of their purpose

This episode feels more like a pair of chapters than a cohesive statement in its own right – which is fine, it’s just a bit of a shift from the last several. It feels almost like we’re in “Bloom Into You neutral,” circling the show’s central conflicts, but ultimately focusing on dramas that are relatively self-contained

Yuu runs into Maki and the Other Boy at the student council, who still haven’t really contributed to the narrative, but whose continued appearances in incidental moments like this strongly implies they’ll eventually be meaningful

Yuu is planning on sharing Akari’s umbrella, but then they run into the upperclassman Akari has a crush on, and Yuu tells her to go for it

I appreciate the novelty of this slow sequence as Yuu finds herself trapped in the rain storm, but to be honest, Bloom Into You isn’t really a show that can fully lean on a tonally focused sequence like this. The school itself is not really a character in Bloom Into You – this show isn’t about the lived experience of high school in general, it’s about these specific characters and their specific emotional problems. As a result, scenes without multiple characters to bounce off each other, that are simply focused on the tactile experience of an afternoon or whatnot, fall a little flat. This is exacerbated by the show’s backgrounds, which are generally just functional outside of key settings like the path to the student council office, or the train crossing

“I just hope there’s someone who will help pull her along.” Interesting little aside with Yuu’s older sister. She hasn’t been used very much yet, but the two have a pretty realistic sibling bond, it seems

Yuu is ultimately rescued by Touko, who shares her umbrella as they walk home

“This is a little nostalgic.” This chapter really does feel like a table-setting “look how far we’ve come” sort of affair, where we reaffirm the distance the narrative has traveled, confirm the current neutral, and aim the plot in its next direction. This sort of device works reasonably well in manga, but when it’s adapted to just the second half of an episode of a series that’s only one cour, it feels a little awkward

Yuu and Touko walk home under one umbrella, in a sequence that only emphasizes the fragility of their current relationship. The more Yuu comes to actually enjoy these experiences, the less she’ll be able to maintain Sayaka’s perfect distance from Touko. Each of them engages with the insecurity of the other largely to maintain that distance, with their flirting always resolving in one or another crossing a line that shifts them back from romance to friendship

“You’re so good at pampering others, which is why I’m worried I might be… taking advantage of that.” Nice to see Touko directly acknowledging the awkward power balance of this relationship

“I’d say you pamper me a lot more, taking the time to ask questions like that.” GODDAMNIT YUU DON’T YOU START WITH THIS

“You actually saved me today. It made me really happy.” So the counterbalance then is that Touko’s affection seems to actually be helping Yuu come to understand her own romantic feelings – even if Touko refuses to actually be with her, she’s a “safe” choice for the moment, who will accept her as she sorts out her own emotions. But all of this hangs under the threat of Touko pulling away permanently if Yuu gets too close

“I want some of her warmth. But I’m fine for now just like this.” NO YOU ARE NOT YOU DESERVE BETTER YUU GRAAARGH

We unsurprisingly end on that baton pass framing device, with Yuu and Sayaka having ultimately bonded over what a fucking mess it is trying to keep Touko happy

And Done

That was an interesting one! Certainly not a flawless highlight like the last two, with a somewhat unavoidably messy structure. It felt like this episode tried to use consistent motifs like the hydrangeas and the baton pass to essentially hide the fact that it was actually two small narratives sandwiched together, and not a cohesive episode in its own right. The Sayaka-focused half and Yuu-focused half weren’t truly a linked pair, but the episode did its best to give them a sense of congruity both in terms of visual storytelling and general theme (“how do we deal with Touko”).

As far as dealing with Touko goes, it feels like we’re very naturally leading to some kind of breaking point for Yuu. Touko’s behavior hasn’t really changed, but Yuu’s feelings are starting to shift, and the stasis she once found comforting is seeming to no longer satisfy her. Yuu is also becoming a more confident person in basically all regards, and even if she has her disagreements with Sayaka, having someone else she can share Touko stories with seems like it’ll only accelerate that process. Bloom Into You remains a dramatically compelling and emotionally astute production!

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