CW: Mentions of abuse

This review contains minor spoilers for the first season

I had never read any manhwa before I read Blooming Sequence. At the time of writing this review, that was three months ago. Since then, I've read a total of eight more. I think it's safe to say that Blooming Sequence got me hooked. It's just that good.

The series is split up into two 'seasons', and each one has a different vibe to it. The first season focuses mostly on the developing relationship between the protagonists Ahn Hayoung and Hyun Seowoo and feels like a nice, fluffy yuri romance. It's enjoyable to read and does a good job at introducing all the different characters and their relationships. If the series ended after the first season, I would have been perfectly fine with that and thought of it as a nice yuri manhwa. But it doesn't. It has a second season. And that second season is what made Blooming Sequence one of my favorite series of all time.

The first season had a few side characters that felt like they were just there to create conflict between Hayoung and Seowoo, most notably Yi-hwa, Hayoung's ex-girlfriend. The way she was portrayed in the first season made me just want her to GTFO and stop bothering the homosexual actions between Hayoung and Seowoo, but the second season did such a good job developing her as a character that she actually became one of my favorites.

Blooming Sequence is the perfect example of how to do side-character development. It never feels like it's taking away time from the main paring when there's a chapter focuses more on one of the side characters, instead it feels like you're getting a better understanding of the overall story and how everyone's relationships are connected. It doesn't come up with some sort of redemption arc, or some reasoning for hurting others that justifies a character's decision. It just shows you the whole picture over time, and let's you decide how you feel about their actions without spoon feeding you. Except for Seowoo's abusive dad. He can go fuck himself.

Another thing that Blooming Sequence does wonderfully is blending comedy and drama together without making it feel out of place. Ga-eun, one of Hayoung's friends who helps out with her club project, could be considered as a sort of comedic relief to some situations with her being the thirstiest character in the entire series, but in the second season her character is explored more and her personality gets fleshed out beyond simply being 'Hayoung's incredibly lesbian friend'.

Of course, the romance between Hayoung and Seowoo is done beautifully. Their relationship isn't perfect by any means, in fact, it's more awkward than it isn't with how inexperienced Seowoo is when it comes to dating. But that awkwardness is probably my favorite part of their relationship. It makes it feel so much more real. (She writes despite never being in a real relationship before) They also have really gay sex which I think is pretty neat!