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EP. REVIEW: Bloom Into You


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Mugen1style



Joined: 26 Aug 2005
Posts: 281
Location: North of the wall
PostPosted: Mon Nov 05, 2018 9:45 pm Reply with quote
As I have been watching this I can't help but think that Yuu is in denial about her feelings. She has questioned herself several times about why her heart is not racing but she really got flustered when Maki was confronting her about what he had seen. She was totally concerned about how it would affect Nanami and gave no thought to how it could affect her. Also the very last scene in Ep 5 kind of sealed it in my opinion when she was hugging her souvenir before falling asleep. Not to mention her family basically insinuated that Yuu had been gushing about her Beautiful sempai. It's like her subconscious already knows how she feels but her waking mind is still partially in the dark. I know that some here could not stand Citrus and some of the criticisms are certainly valid but the thing I liked about that show was the intensity of emotions. on the one hand it was hard to watch but also left me wanting the next ep right away. I like this show it is sweet and very well done makes me interested in the Manga which is kind of a rarity for me. Looking forward to following the rest of this show.
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Panino Manino



Joined: 28 Jan 2018
Posts: 734
PostPosted: Tue Nov 06, 2018 4:50 am Reply with quote
Mugen1style wrote:
As I have been watching this I can't help but think that Yuu is in denial about her feelings. She has questioned herself several times about why her heart is not racing but she really got flustered when Maki was confronting her about what he had seen. She was totally concerned about how it would affect Nanami and gave no thought to how it could affect her. Also the very last scene in Ep 5 kind of sealed it in my opinion when she was hugging her souvenir before falling asleep. Not to mention her family basically insinuated that Yuu had been gushing about her Beautiful sempai. It's like her subconscious already knows how she feels but her waking mind is still partially in the dark. I know that some here could not stand Citrus and some of the criticisms are certainly valid but the thing I liked about that show was the intensity of emotions. on the one hand it was hard to watch but also left me wanting the next ep right away. I like this show it is sweet and very well done makes me interested in the Manga which is kind of a rarity for me. Looking forward to following the rest of this show.


I could be as much "pressure" than it is "denial", don't you think?
Something so "natural" and easy for others don't happen for her, she feels strange.
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Dosmundos



Joined: 03 Sep 2018
Posts: 41
PostPosted: Tue Nov 06, 2018 7:03 am Reply with quote
I got the impression that Yuu was rather cruelly toying with Touko's feelings when she invited her to her place, brought her to her room and then suddenly moved in closer. It was portrayed as if she didn't quite realize what she was doing there, but she is fully aware of Touko's feelings (the bookseller incident made sure of that), and she is also aware of social conventions, so she shouldn't have misread that moment.
It just makes me wonder what people would have said if Yuu were a boy. I don't think she would have gotten away so easily...
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Panino Manino



Joined: 28 Jan 2018
Posts: 734
PostPosted: Tue Nov 06, 2018 10:40 am Reply with quote
Dosmundos wrote:
I got the impression that Yuu was rather cruelly toying with Touko's feelings when she invited her to her place, brought her to her room and then suddenly moved in closer. It was portrayed as if she didn't quite realize what she was doing there, but she is fully aware of Touko's feelings (the bookseller incident made sure of that), and she is also aware of social conventions, so she shouldn't have misread that moment.
It just makes me wonder what people would have said if Yuu were a boy. I don't think she would have gotten away so easily...


"Finally a MC with attitude!"

What would YOU say? In this case?
Touko was invited.
Touko walked with her own legs.
Touko was the one whom more desired the opportunity and even suggested physical contact.
The day ended with Yuu doing nothing with her.

What would you say if Yuu was a boy?
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Aquasakura



Joined: 01 Jan 2014
Posts: 700
Location: Chesterfield, Virginia, U.S.A
PostPosted: Fri Nov 09, 2018 8:21 am Reply with quote
Panino Manino wrote:

Some people seem to watch everything with tweezers these days searching for predetermined contents and interpretations.
Yeah, you can interpret and project everything in certain ways, but interpretation is not necessary what it is, which may lead the work to be criticized and blamed for stuff you made up.


Alan45 wrote:

Nothing as long as it only involves conversation. However, we have had people in the past get so emotionally involved in their own theory that they get a bit hateful to people who do not agree with them. They also tend to act betrayed if the later episodes of a show go in a different direction.


I see! I have heard of cases in which people have gotten to attach to their own theories (although from my experience I have heard/seen this being an issue when it comes to shipping). Also I can understand that some people do not do such a good job when it comes to interpretations. For my case it's for this reason I typically am not fond of majority of fan theories I hear about despite liking the idea behind fan theories. Some people get so excited for an idea that they immediately share it with everyone without letting it sit for a while and iron the theory out (there is a word for this kind of tendency but I forgot what it's called). As a result it leads to theories that just seem plain out there for me. Thankfully I do not see that being the case with this discussion so far. The theories presented seem plausible enough for me.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Concerning Yuu in last week's episode I did like that in the beginning we got to see her perspective of her friends and their taste of books. It was another side to Yuu that we have yet to have seen up until now. With that said I am with everyone in that I think Yuu already has a personality. When I think of characters who lack personality I think of characters who only show one emotion/behavior and rarely if at all emote. Characters such as Belle Swan from Stephanie Meyes' Twilight Saga as well as Alice from Tim Burton's take on Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland (which I think the reason Alice is like that in the film had to do with Belle but I could be wrong). Another example, and a recent one at that for me, would be Henry from Konami Silent Hill 4: The Room

Yuu does not have those problems as well she does come off as leaning towards beinga quite, introverted person we have seen her express different emotions and behaviors in certain situations as well. I can understand that the reviewer has a different preference for what makes an interesting person, and so I can see that Yuu may not come across as being an interesting person to everyone, but I would not imply she comes close to being so boring to the point it's almost like she has no soul.

Also:

Panino Manino wrote:

Yuu's "manliness" is the best part.


I am curious to know what part of Yuu you see as manly.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Another thing, I am intrigue that Koyomi is pursuing writing novels, but that is because that is something I wanted to do as well. In fact Koyumi has been growing on me for the past few weeks but I can't quite explain it right now.
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Panino Manino



Joined: 28 Jan 2018
Posts: 734
PostPosted: Fri Nov 09, 2018 10:23 am Reply with quote
Aquasakura wrote:

Panino Manino wrote:

Yuu's "manliness" is the best part.


I am curious to know what part of Yuu you see as manly.


I understand that this comment doesn't quite work with other people, because it's mostly me joking to myself.
I had heard about this manga for a long time, so when I decided to watch (and read) I had that image about the characters, about Touko being "the seme" and Yuu "the uke". As we can see its the contrary. Not only that, all the characters are very direct and active.
So "manly" in the sense of "active", not a "shy delicate shoujo flower".

Aquasakura wrote:

Another thing, I am intrigue that Koyomi is pursuing writing novels, but that is because that is something I wanted to do as well. In fact Koyomi has been growing on me for the past few weeks but I can't quite explain it right now.


Koyomi is best girl.
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pharmboy23



Joined: 05 Oct 2018
Posts: 196
PostPosted: Sat Nov 10, 2018 4:31 pm Reply with quote
Ah, I can’t get enough of this series in all its forms. It’ll definitely be going on the shelf when the blu-rays come out.

There’s a lot going on in this episode and it’s all important stuff. We get Saeki starting to worry about Yuu’s involvement with Touko, Koyomi being brought into the main story (she’s another excellent character and surprisingly so), and Yuu figuring out what the deal is with the student council stage show.

I always enjoy these reviews because they’re very articulate and give some excellent food for thought. I do appreciate the consideration of the ‘meet it halfway’ idea of blending Touko and her sister, but the problem is that it’s not how Touko sees it - she’s living up to a legacy and anything that threatens that is problematic, including her own behaviour.

Beyond the romance, I would call that problem the crux the series turns on. At least Yuu knows how important it is now for Touko to her on board, but ‘be careful what you wish for’ is a solid axiom to keep in mind going forward. I really loved the post-credits scene that gave Touko’s POV as well, really touch (although if anything drives me crazy about this series it is that awful shot of Yuu and Touko running off at the end of the credits).
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Hansond Jaysond Lee



Joined: 08 Nov 2015
Posts: 57
PostPosted: Sat Nov 10, 2018 5:52 pm Reply with quote
Was that the last episode? 0_o
I was freaking out, because the way they end the episode was like "Okay, here's what happened at the start, and this is where we are now. Got it? Alright, we're done now. Go buy the manga."
But, if I'm not mistaken, they did announce that it'll be 12 episodes prior to the start of the show, right? So why the big montage at the end?

Anyway, that was (ep. 6) a fantastic episode.
Since a LOT of anime tend to do it, I was afraid that the animation and directing quality will dip since this is the half way point a series, but nope, it's still top notch (even better, I think).
I was kinda whatever with BiY when I first read it (mostly because I wasn't a manga reader at the time), but this part really hit me.
This part of the manga was the catalyst of me loving this series. (I've imported all of Seven Seas's releases up until the recent one and those import fee aren't cheap, yo).

Honestly, BiY is very similar to Citrus in the sense that both of them take their sweet time to get going (but so does EVERY ROMANCE ANIME EVER).
What I mean is that they don't really get to the main course as soon as they can.
Instead they just keep giving us side dishes, that can be good at times, but the more you wait the more you get anxious to taste the main course and the main course is right there, in front of you, it's just that they aren't allowing you to taste it just yet.
BiY is lucky enough that when we do eventually get to taste the main course, it's still warm & delicious. Citrus's main course on the other hand, is cold when it got served because it got served a little too late, but that doesn't mean it can't be tasty or we can't enjoy it.
The best part of Citrus is the stuff past season 1, the material for season 1 was meh to decent, imo. So it took Saburouta 4-5 volumes of manga to finally give us something to sink our teeth into, but unfortunately the adaptation that we got was the mediocre part of Citrus.

I'm glad that BiY is getting the normal romance anime treatment here.
Not the "let's add more lesbian fanservice to please those yuri fans & halfass everything else" treatment like what Citrus got.
So, now I can without a doubt call BiY my favorite romance series (prior to it, was Clannad, but that was more of a drama, than a romance series) since instead of ruining source material, the anime adaptation is actually enhancing the manga and made it even better.
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Atarakay



Joined: 21 Oct 2018
Posts: 2
PostPosted: Sat Nov 10, 2018 9:09 pm Reply with quote
Amazing episode! probably my favourite so far, even from a technical standpoint the music and visual composition just elevates this adaptation. Aoki Ei captured the tension between the characters in that bridge scene exceptionally well, with Yuu's stumbling due to her misjudgment about Touko (believing her support was enough to make Touko abandon her damaged self-perception) and her literal self-reflection at the river bank. Along with Yuu's realization that she needs Touko just as much because of their mutual loneliness and desire to love, which leads her to make more compromises with each step and Touko make bolder requests until they eventually meet in the middle. All of it was beautifully conveyed visually without excessive dialogue, another nice detail was the end credits scene with Touko's monologue mirroring Yuu's monologue in the first episode with the same melancholic track. I'm sure revisiting it I'll find even more masterfully crafted nuanced scenes, it's definitely a major turning point in the story and I'm glad the adaptation does it justice.

To people who were expecting a wholesome love story I'd encourage you to not have those expectations (you'll probably find it more enjoyable), this is a character focused drama that explores what love means and what it means to love. These characters don't have a well formed perceptions about love and so their relationship won't be entirely healthy.
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meiam



Joined: 23 Jun 2013
Posts: 3442
PostPosted: Sat Nov 10, 2018 11:56 pm Reply with quote
I agree that the show is exaggerating the difference between outgoing personality and shy personality with the Nanami sister. I'm unsure if the show is doing it on purpose. These could be well developed when paired with Touko quest for love. Touko as an unrealistic view of love, Nanami has an unrealistic view of "perfect and outgoing" people. The show could use both of these theme together and have Touko learn what love really is while Nanami learn that personality are more malleable than she think (and that her sister had a "weak" side like her). But I fear it's not going to. The more I watch the more I think the show believe Touko is really special in her view of love, which lead me to think the show really believe Nanami sister was some perfect being.

Otherwise, I wish the play thing wasn't in the show. It's such a transparent "we want to have our heroine involved in a play cause every Yuri show has one" (probably will have either Touko and Nanami play lovers or have the other girl play instead of Touko so they can have a "jealousy episode"). There's just no reason for a student council to organize a play (on the day that they are the busiest, I've been involved in student fair like things and there's no way organizer would have time to do something completely unrelated on the side, both to practice before hand and during the day) and the sister project could have easily being something else that was actually student council related.
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zrnzle500



Joined: 04 Oct 2014
Posts: 3767
PostPosted: Sun Nov 11, 2018 12:34 am Reply with quote
meiam wrote:
Otherwise, I wish the play thing wasn't in the show. It's such a transparent "we want to have our heroine involved in a play cause every Yuri show has one" (probably will have either Touko and Nanami play lovers or have the other girl play instead of Touko so they can have a "jealousy episode"). There's just no reason for a student council to organize a play (on the day that they are the busiest, I've been involved in student fair like things and there's no way organizer would have time to do something completely unrelated on the side, both to practice before hand and during the day) and the sister project could have easily being something else that was actually student council related.


Wait what? Where is this idea that all yuri shows have a play coming from? As far as I recall, there weren’t any plays in Citrus - at least none involving the main characters - and I don’t think it would be that hard to find other examples. And even if one just wants to call it hyperbole, plays aren’t specific to yuri anime. They’re common in romance anime of all stripes set in a Japanese high school, and really any other genre set in a Japanese high school, even temporarily (Detective Conan comes to mind). If they are common in yuri anime, it is because it is because school festivals are common in high school anime, and a play is usually a component of such festivals, and not anything specific to yuri.

By the by, Touko is Nanami’s given name. The other main character is Koito Yuu.
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invalidname
Contributor



Joined: 11 Aug 2004
Posts: 2434
Location: Grand Rapids, MI
PostPosted: Sun Nov 11, 2018 7:23 am Reply with quote
Hansond Jaysond Lee wrote:
Was that the last episode? 0_o
I was freaking out, because the way they end the episode was like "Okay, here's what happened at the start, and this is where we are now. Got it? Alright, we're done now. Go buy the manga."
But, if I'm not mistaken, they did announce that it'll be 12 episodes prior to the start of the show, right? So why the big montage at the end?

Between the longer-than-usual end credits (which used a montage of shots from throughout the series mixed with a few bits of the usual ED), and the re-use of shots in Nanami's post-credits monologue, I actually wondered if this was masking production troubles. I sure hope not though; I'd hate to see this show fall apart.
zrnzle500 wrote:
Wait what? Where is this idea that all yuri shows have a play coming from?

"It's an older trope sir, but it checks out."

Producing a school play is a lynchpin of the plot in several classic yuri anime, including Maria Watches Over Us and Strawberry Panic. Then there's the case of Otoboku, which technically has a cross-dressing boy as its main character, but once he puts the dress on, his biological gender isn't mentioned again until the last episode, making it something of a de facto yuri… and oh yeah, that one puts on a play too.
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zrnzle500



Joined: 04 Oct 2014
Posts: 3767
PostPosted: Sun Nov 11, 2018 8:27 am Reply with quote
invalidname wrote:

zrnzle500 wrote:
Wait what? Where is this idea that all yuri shows have a play coming from?

"It's an older trope sir, but it checks out."

Producing a school play is a lynchpin of the plot in several classic yuri anime, including Maria Watches Over Us and Strawberry Panic. Then there's the case of Otoboku, which technically has a cross-dressing boy as its main character, but once he puts the dress on, his biological gender isn't mentioned again until the last episode, making it something of a de facto yuri… and oh yeah, that one puts on a play too.


It seems more like a broader trope to me than just a yuri thing. The final arcs of Masamune-kun’s Revenge and Nisekoi’s first season were about producing a school play, and I’m sure I could find other examples outside yuri if I looked. I still think the inclusion of plays is more a function of their high school setting rather than their being yuri.
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meiam



Joined: 23 Jun 2013
Posts: 3442
PostPosted: Sun Nov 11, 2018 10:57 am Reply with quote
zrnzle500 wrote:

It seems more like a broader trope to me than just a yuri thing. The final arcs of Masamune-kun’s Revenge and Nisekoi’s first season were about producing a school play, and I’m sure I could find other examples outside yuri if I looked. I still think the inclusion of plays is more a function of their high school setting rather than their being yuri.


I mean... either way it doesn't really matters, it's just there because it's a common trope rather than something that makes sense in the story. I'd still wager if you compare Yuri to normal romance anime, Yuri would have a higher instance of it being present (I'd imagine something like 60% of the show have one) but I have no idea how I'd go around gathering that info.
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zrnzle500



Joined: 04 Oct 2014
Posts: 3767
PostPosted: Sun Nov 11, 2018 11:20 am Reply with quote
I don't really agree that it doesn't make sense in the story. Yes it is an activity that goes beyond what a student council normally does and could be challenging to accomplish, but it is emblematic of how Touko is trying to go above and beyond like her overachieving sister. If it were an easier lift, it may still communicate that she is trying to be like her sister, but it would not highlight how problematic that desire is in this case. And of all the projects they could do that would convey that, I'm not sure there is any better fit that a play. If anything, trying to pick a different activity for the sake of being different would make less sense than going with a common component of a common event in Japanese high school life, at least as it is presented in anime.
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