You know what folks, we’re watching more Bloom Into You. I have been absolutely loving this show’s thoughtful, incredibly sympathetic drama, and its characters have only gotten more rich and human as the show progresses. That goes doubly so for Touko, who just received an unexpected dash of sympathy from outside the show proper. Though I mentioned in the last two writeups that bad subtitles sabotaged Touko’s characterization, I originally watched through those episodes before I knew that – this writeup right here is the first time I’ve been actively aware that Touko’s confession was more “I’m afraid that if I accept my true self, no one will care for me,” and less “if you ever change, I’ll abandon you.” That puts Touko perfectly in line with both of our other leads, afraid that any expression of their true selves will get them cast aside. Though she still has more power in this relationship than Yuu, she’s nearly as vulnerable, and as Yuu begins to embrace her own feelings, I’m guessing that balance will continue to shift.

Speaking of which, holy crap, Yuu’s in love! Or lust, or infatuation, or something – regardless of their specific substance, Yuu is now clearly feeling physical, romantic feelings towards Touko. Though it would have been very interesting to have a genuinely asexual character as a romantic drama lead, it turns out Yuu’s issue was something also quite common to teenagers – it just took her a little longer to feel these feelings than others, and she assumed that meant there was something wrong with her. With Yuu now both intellectually and emotionally invested in moving beyond her current position, I’m guessing her current relationship will definitely run into some friction. Let’s see where this wonderful drama takes us next!

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Alright everyone, it’s time to dive right back in to Bloom Into You. With the series over halfway over at this point, we’ve gained a solid understanding of Yuu, Touko, and even Sayaka’s feelings, as each of them grapple with shifting desires and an inability to fully embrace their own identities. “I have to perform an artificial self in order to maintain my status in high school” is a very common sentiment, but it’s taken a different form for each of these girls. For Touko, denying her identity is something she does willingly, or even gladly – she’s happier acting as her sister’s replacement than being herself, and afraid of being rejected for performing anything less than perfection. For Yuu, what was initially a comforting relationship with Touko has begun to feel significantly less so, as her own desires grow beyond what Touko is willing to accept from her. And for Sayaka, the overarching social prejudice against same-sex relationships weighs down heavily, making her question if there’s something fundamentally wrong with her.

Though I initially felt more sympathetic to Yuu and Sayaka’s narratives than Touko’s, I’ve since learned that Sentai royally screwed up the translation of episode six’s big confession scene – Touko wasn’t threatening Yuu, she was expressing her own fear of being rejected if she embraced herself. Knowing that, I feel much better about the manipulation and backbiting and general angst all three of these girls are throwing at each other, as they all work to present a self they think the others could love. Teens just do shitty stuff to each other, it’s a fact – they’re not monsters for that, and growing out of the insecurity that causes you to be cruel is a big part of adolescence. Let’s see what our mixed-up kids do next in another episode of Bloom Into You!

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