Bloom into You

First loves are always identical and always different. The audacity of writer and illustrator Nio Nakatani's "Bloom Into You" lies not so much in the fact that it tells the story of a same-sex first love, but rather in its unique and delicate exploration of self-discovery, identity, and the complexities of love between two young girls. While there have been plenty of romances not unlike this, there's never been one told in such an ambitiously immersive manner. The story focuses on Yuu Koito, a first-year student who is convinced to join her school's student council. She runs into Touko Nanami's mid-love confession, turning down the boybecause she has never experienced a feeling of romance as of yet. Yuu discovers that Nanami wants to become the student council president and decides to help her out. But out of the blue comes an awkward sentence straight from Nanami's mouth: "I think I might be falling in love with you." Although Yuu somewhat shuts down Nanami's sudden confession, she nevertheless still joins the student council to help her out with her campaign for student council presidency. As the days go by, the two start to get closer, with Nanami being more in the romantic sense, while Yuu leans toward a deeper friendship. One thing is certain between the two: in one way or another, they both desire to stay by each other's side. Yuu and Nanami's love is the element that makes them grow as individuals and as people. Even though it is a story revolving around Yuu, it is more about Yuu guiding Nanami in finding her true identity—while at the same time grasping for herself what the feeling of love truly is. The struggles of both Yuu and Nanami are very meticulous and complex, but are understandable and relatable. It depicts all kinds of mature feelings so intricately that it translates to readers who have been unsure of their feelings or sexuality at some point in their lives. What makes it a compelling tale is that it is not driven by pure misunderstanding and unnecessary drama. Instead, it delves into the more gradual exploration of both the characters' growth and identity. Bloom Into You is more than just a manga about romance—it’s a sincere coming-of-age about love, vulnerability, and the search for one’s true self. It treats its themes with nuance and emotional honesty, offering a powerful narrative that feels both refreshing and authentic. Whether you are new to the yuri genre or a longtime fan, this story leaves a lasting impact, making it a standout work that deserves both attention and praise.

I'm not a yuri adept. Indeed, it's the first time I've read a yuri. I had watched one yuri named Sakura Trick, which I found cute but limited. After that first experience with yuri, I was hoping to find one which would be something more than just cute. And I've found it with Yagate Kimi ni Naru. STORY : 8 The basis of the story is quite basic and might not be the main asset of Yagate Kimi ni Naru. The main character, Yuu Koito, seems unable to fall in love. She meets a senpai, Nanami Touko, who is very popular but rejects systematically everyone who confesses to her.In spite of this, Nanami gets a crush on Yuu... Unrealistic as it may appear at first, the relationship between Nanami and Yuu slowly evolves into a complex but also a more and more realistic relationship. The story really outstands when it comes to existential questionings like what does it mean to love ; or to identity questions like what difference (or even gap) there can be between how we appear to others and what we are deep in us. The answers to these questions are often doubtful here, but some of them are interesting. What's more, it shows the points of view of the characters, which really makes it realistic. ART : 8 At first sight, the art can seem quite average. There's nothing really original about it. Nevertheless, the kiss scenes are really outstanding with sometimes improbable angles. Moreover, the cutting is excellent. By small gestures, the author manages to vehicle strong emotions. It made me read it in a state where I was in a mood for love. CHARACTER : 8 As I said before, the premises of the story are quite basic, which makes the characters appear to be artificial at first. However, as the story evolves, the characters are doubting their previous convictions and progressively change their way of thinking and of seeing things. Nanami Touko is not the main character but is the center of the story. She's beginning to doubt her actions and even ends up not knowing who she is at some point of the story. ENJOYMENT : 9 This manga is really entertaining for its cuteness and its sweetness. But that's not all. You'll also want to know what will become of Nanami Touko who is losing herself and what will become of her relationship with her kouhai Yuu Koito. OVERALL : 9 What stands out in Yagate Kimi ni Naru is the way love appears really sweet, which contrasts with the existential questions that are pregnant here. As a conclusion, that you are familiar with yuri or not really doesn't matter here. This manga can be read by anyone and can be enjoyable for various reasons regarding your sensibilities.

There is a certain thing I do when I want to be sure I'm judging shoujo-ai or shounen-ai fairly - I think about wheter I would rate it the same if the story was about a heterosexual couple. And by that I mean examining whether the character depth and relationship developement is interesting by itself or whether those are replaced by just being gay and the romance itself is shallow. In other words, it's removing fetishizing of yuri or yaoi from the lenses of judgement - "Is it good because they are the same sex, or is it good because they are actually interesting characters?" DidYagate Kimi ni Naru stand the test of this defluffing method? Not really, no. Well, not like this worked for me even as a shoujo-ai an away. Most of the volumes is padded with annoying "I love you but I don't love you and you love me but you also can't love me" bullshitting. I knew how this was going to end, you knew it, we all knew it and yet you still have to drag through 7 volumes to get to the expected ending. To be fair, the last volume is actually nice. If the filler between the introduction and the finale was removed with more content added after the finale this would have been much better. But there just isn't anything really interesting happening there. Nothing really caught my attention as the story progressed. Nothing when I said to myself "now this is where it gets good". Up until the end I still struggle to understand the overwhelmingly positive reception of this manga, as it doesn't do much outside from what the average shoujo-ai manga does. Actually, the scenario of the theatre play within the story sounded significantly more interesting than the story itself. Just do that as a story instead, please? The characters don't offer anything interesting either. One half of the duo of protagonists is the "I must be like my sister" trope which is definitely nothing new while the personality of the other half is not really more than "being in love with that girl". The art is fine, definitely the best part of this manga but then again that isn't saying much. I really dig those colored page spreads at the start of the volumes. Overall, you could skip most of this manga and your experience would be pretty much unchanged. Or maybe even changed for better, as more compact story might would have been preferable over this.

Never before have I been so captivated by a story. Both the anime and the manga are amazing, but I would say that this is miles above what the anime was able to achieve. This has set the bar so high that I'm actually a little worried that I won't be able to find something like this again. Seeing each character grow and learn to know each other and, most importantly, themselves is a great sight. It doesn't contain any sort of over the top stereotyped characters or anything like that; the characters are actually... normal. That is what you want in this type of story, tobe able to relate to the story that is unfolding before you and understand what they're going through. The artwork and the scenery are fantastic and really allows you to enjoy the small but wholesome moments and some dark and depressing ones too. I paused at some to fully admire it. I didn't find a single character that I didn't like or hated, each one has their own problems and goals that it's hard to come to dislike them. Their problems aren't over the top either, they contain very normal and common problems that people run into. My enjoyment is just off the charts, I HAD to pace myself with this and seeing it end is the definition of "bittersweet". I wish there was more. I don't have enough words for how much I love this, I honestly can't even think of a term that will accurately express my love for this. Please give this a try, even if you may not like the Yuri genre. This manga and the anime that was adapted is the reason why I love the Yuri genre. Just an outstanding piece of art...