Hello folks, and thank you for joining me as we explore another episode of the excellent Bloom Into You! This show has carried itself with confidence all throughout its first half, and as we near its halfway point, I find myself ever more invested in the strange, perpetually unequal relationship between Yuu and Touko. Our two leads definitely don’t have a healthy relationship at the moment, but their bond convincingly reflects each of their identities, and what each of them are looking for.
If Yuu was a confident and well-adjusted person, she’d almost certainly never have agreed to this quasi-relationship with Touko… of course, we know well that Yuu is anything but a confident and well-adjusted person. Yuu is defined by her insecurities and worried that there’s something fundamentally wrong with her, and even though she can’t reciprocate Touko’s feelings, she’s happy just to have a close friend and confidant who both values her presence and can actually listen to her worries. Meanwhile, Touko is too preoccupied with her infatuation to really engage with Yuu’s needs, or respect her boundaries – an issue further complicated by Yuu’s tendency to blur the lines of whether they’re joking or flirting with each other. Their relationship is a mess, in short, but it’s the kind of mess that emphasizes the relatable flaws and fundamental humanity of its occupants. Right now they are each asking the other for something they can’t really provide, and though they certainly care about each other, that’s not enough to create a real relationship. I’m very excited to see where this flaming car of a romance goes, so let’s get right on with exploring the next episode!
