__WHAT HAPPENS BEFORE? (INTRO)__

When people watch romance anime, they're mostly inclined to feel the heartstrings tingle in their chests as these main characters fight in the battle of love. The adrenaline feeling of being close yet so far away from obtaining the one thing the character desires, specifically an intimate relationship with someone they like, and starting to make moves to obtain that certain goal. Every episode of your typical romance anime follows the same formula: it's a conflict between effort and chance. The most recent (as of Summer 2023), "The Girl I Like Forgot Her Glasses," offers your typical straight-forward romance anime with the guy pursuing the girl. In a few episodes, your involvement and intrigue as you observe both of these characters get closer to one another feels awesome.

However, despite the issues I have with most romance series of this type, particularly with my recent reviews of "The Girl I Like Forgot Her Glasses" and "Kubo Won't Let Me Be Invisible," I gave them a more negative than positive rating because, from a show narrative perspective, the series is simply unsustainable for the general audience. However, I do know people who can find this quirk mundanely amusing, including me. There is a certain charm in watching characters live their lives in their own little worlds as they experience the small but significant adventures that mean the world to them. This includes both the calming sensation of knowing even the smallest mistakes could spell the end of the world and the satisfying sensation of witnessing them receive a thoughtful gesture that they will remember and be excited about for the rest of the weekend.

With that kind of adventure in the romance genre, we all feel good just watching these characters bloom, and as little boys in the field play with their gundam toys, we all wanted to feel that certain feeling we see in these romance animes, just that careless teen who discovers a potential partner, denying their feelings until eventually realizing they love the person, making small moves, daydreaming about someone, and as the relationship between them grows closer until that sweet moment of revealing each other's feelings, it would be a gamble if they ever want to go out or not. It's those kinds of moments you personally want to experience in your life too.

In that turn, we seek romance in our daily lives, where if we simply turn on one street and take straight chances, we might be able to accidentally run into someone, get in touch with them, learn about their interests, and ultimately develop a close relationship with them. However, some people who have gone through these situations choose to ignore them and carry on with their lives as if nothing had occurred. People can refuse to show affection because they either don't know how to handle it or the emotion simply doesn't hit them when they are confronted. This could be due to a variety of factors, such as family, mental, or status concerns.

Up until the day I came across the intriguing Yuri anime Bloom Into You while looking for new romantic anime on Netflix, I decided to give the story a try because it appeared straightforward yet a little more intriguing than the previous ones I had seen. I had no idea that four hours later, I would be experiencing what had been lacking and an essential component of romance: the process of coming to terms with those feelings. The most enjoyable and likely most accurate representation of young romance, particularly for those who have experienced romance but are unsure of their feelings, got me captivated and made me desire to read more of the manga. And as the months go by, I merely want to briefly reflect on some of the topics that the anime and manga portray. ***

__CHAPTER 1 DEFINE LOVE__

In the series, we follow Koito, a young high schooler who has no plan for whatever she wants to do with her high school life until she meets Nanami. She has grown interested in Nanami when she finds out that she may have the answer to why her heart wouldn't raise when a boy confesses to her. What Koito didn't know is that she would take a long time to get that answer while experiencing love during her journey with Nanami. Although, throughout the series, we see Koito confused by what's happening around her, specifically her weirdly unique yet amusing relationship with Nanami, But in the end, the times that she spent with Nanami had grown close and intimate, until she finally called it "love". But let's start right at the beginning. At the time before she met Nanami, she started to ask that one certain question, "What is love?"

It's always the question that, depending on who you ask, might signify a lot of different things or nothing at all. It is a phrase that most people find melancholic and that some find repulsive. Some people hate the idea, while others think fondly of it. Most people are happy when they think of love, yet it may also be painful. On paper, that idea alone is the height of absurdity. If you were a blossoming teen, you may wonder why you would ever take a chance when the likelihood of success is impossibly low and the risk of satisfaction is absurdly high. We still look for love occasionally, despite the fact that we may easily choose to be content with ourselves after reading that definition.

People reject love for a variety of reasons, likely spilling plenty of blood in the process. The most certain of them all, which addresses the series' central issue, may be a reaction to their painful responses from their previous relationships, the stories they heard with people, and how much we reach for individuals but ultimately wouldn't obtain them. All of these explanations contribute to explaining why people are cautious about falling in love. Love will be like sailing a wooden ship through storm surges; the journey will always be difficult, and you'll need to grab onto something and work extra hard to get through the enormous challenges you'll encounter. Some people will give up halfway through because the going will be too difficult for them, only to pick themselves back up and try again.

The promise of calm waves, sunny days, and cold winds on the shore always motivated people to challenge themselves and cross the enormous waves. But the majority of individuals who desired love genuinely desired to find that particular peace within, and it was always challenging for them because they were too preoccupied with seeing that lovely beach without making any effort to move in that direction. Every voyage requires a compass, but love lacks the specific kind of compass where everyone can see their own compasses pointing in the same direction. Each person has their own internal compass for navigating the turbulent waters of love; all you have to do is trust your compass and follow it. To put it another way, if you trust yourself with what you want and what you can provide, love will find you.

In the series, Koito has navigated the biggest waves, pushing herself to do things because she wants love. or how she felt when her senpai Nanami was truly in love with her, or how she noticed when she needed love in her life. She would deny that they were in love if she knew it, but as we see throughout their relationship, Koito took a slow look at her compass. indicating that she should be aware of what she wants for both her significant partner and herself. The strength and fortitude to cling on from the turbulence ahead, the selfish urge to want and need someone, breaching the boundaries of what it means in a relationship, and once there, preserving and securing the beauty of that shore

And if your compass points in the direction of something you're first uncomfortable with or finding difficult to accept (e.g., sexual orientation), all you need to do is take another look at your compass and decide whether or not to believe it. Who knows? It might or might not work. If you follow your compass, you might find something within yourself that you were unaware of, or you might be surprised to find that you have the capacity to love and be loved by someone. Of course, what I've just said isn't the exact definition of what love is for other people, but you got it right: love will always be challenging and difficult, and there will inevitably be waves—some of them bigger than others—but what matters is that if you have the willpower to persevere and hold on from the perilous waves, you'll come out on top. ***

__CHAPTER 2 MY GENDER__

Being an anime about a girl's love is one of the key elements that set this series apart from the competition. And because of recent changes in how people identify their sexual orientation, being in love with someone of the same sex is now socially acceptable. A person may even ignore such feelings and try to force things out of their own notion of what is socially acceptable if they find the process of discovering themselves as something that is not in line with society's standards to be completely overwhelming. For some people, their experiences always begin in childhood. When she refers to her family and society as feminine, they appear to question their own preferences and wonder why they choose playing with action figures or dressing in boys' clothing.

But most people become aware of their sexual preferences around the time they reach adolescence. They observe that their preferences for romantic relationships begin to veer toward their own sex, where every facial expression, manner, and other characteristic begins to light up in their eyes. At first, they would fight against that idea and try a variety of things to make that strange feeling go away, such as engaging in dating with someone else of the opposite sex. This causes people to go in one of two directions: either they will tell themselves they are what they are not, or they will be utterly dissatisfied with their current relationship and yearn for something that is out of their reach.

However, it is always within reach; if your internal compass indicates that you are moving in a different direction, then you are. There is no set of requirements for someone you can and cannot love, not even gender. As a straight male, I obviously don't have much to say about same-sex relationships or having that particular experience. But I can assure you that, regardless of sexual orientation, choosing something different from what today's society has deemed to be desirable won't limit your ability to love and be loved.

Even though the show rarely addressed the difficulties of being a same-sex couple, it nonetheless had a greater purpose since it gave the sense that what impressionists saw was acceptable by normalizing the concept of same-sex couples and placing them in scenarios found in everyday life. When Koito comes out as being something she's proud to be, it might be able to assist those who are having a hard time coming out of their shell because they feel as though the world is unfriendly. People don't want to watch a show where dating a same-sex pair involves navigating difficult terrain while upholding their identity as different; it would deter them from taking action. Offering a show that accepts same-sex relationships as a common occurrence in their society will empower them to follow their moral compass without hesitation. ***

__CHAPTER 3 ACCEPTANCE__

Going back to the ocean analogy from Chapter 1, it can seem that everyone must cross a choppy ocean to get their own version of happiness. However, there are other situations where people would choose not to travel the perilous waters because they do not care for the gorgeous beach at the other end. Some others arrived at the great beach only to discover they were unable to love it when others departed the beach and followed their own routes in the water. These are those who are unable to experience love. That one individual who finds it challenging to respond in a relationship when they are in one and finds it challenging to be in an intimate relationship with someone. They don't have butterflies in the pit of their stomach or their own unique romantic struggles. Since the switch at the back of their heads fails to work, they are stuck in limbo and watch as others find love while they are left behind.

One of Bloom Into You's supporting characters is Maki. He primarily spends his time acting like a typical high school student, doing typical high school things in typical settings. Although he can still communicate with them, he prefers to watch from a respectful distance as individuals slowly figure themselves out, notably Yuu, who is slowly discovering love. Who knows what he's really feeling? He may feel alone and find it unpleasant to see others live their lives the way he might want to but is unable to, or he may be upbeat if he imagines himself in the audience of a play cheering on the main heroine as she makes her path to fulfillment. Maki made the decision to be this way; he felt what he needed to feel and did it. Maki realized he could never discover the mythical island, and even if he did, he might never be satisfied with his existing circumstances.

Before she fell in love with Nanami, Koito experienced this. She used to be aware of the idea of romance since Koito reads romance novels and hears romance tales from others. Until someone asked her for a hand in romance, Koito wanted to feel the sparkling sensation of having an intimate partner; however, she soon discovered that all this time she had never experienced the tingling, sparking sensation that people refer to as love. She answered "no" and convinced herself over and over again that she was unable to fall in love. But in a sudden turn of events, Nanami is there to show Koito that she is mistaken and that she can, in fact, fall in love. She can feel the butterflies and sparkly eyes of holding someone's hand while shivering, and hearts can race as faces get closer until insecurities vanish and they are overcome by the euphoric feeling (in an odd way, considering Nanami's was preventing Koito from falling for her)

The dilemma is a slow but deadly burn since Koito has always been capable of falling for Nanami, but she refuses to admit these feelings due to a lack of communication with her inner self. Koito always directs the energy away from what she is feeling internally as her inner self begins to fall in love with Nanami. Worse yet, she gaslights herself into believing that she is not in love and that it is something else. Koito eventually needs to confront those emotions once more, not just for herself but also for the person who has become involved in the current relationship. If someone actually gave their heart to you, you can't just run away from that feeling and neglect them; you have to acknowledge it, whether it's a hard yes or no. In either case, if you are deceiving yourself in that situation, the only person who truly lost in love was you. Throughout the entire series, Koito had a tough mentality, and it took him a long time to understand how she was truly feeling.

Dealing with emotions in the real world is never easy, especially when they are as complicated and erratic as love. However, in this situation, you must eventually determine with whom you will be identifying yourself going forward. All it takes to get you hooked on a journey of denial or tenacity is for someone to lightly splash some bloom on your face. You must decide whether to accept or reject the feelings you have in order to carry out the action. However, since the bleeding heart is pleading for a patch, you should apply one. There are various types of patches you may apply to your heart that have different therapy sessions but the same goal; just make sure you choose the appropriate one to conceal and heal a bleeding heart. ***

__CHAPTER 4 LETTING GO__

They usually say before getting into a relationship, "You won't be able to love others if you never loved yourself." However, this adage has rarely proven accurate or useful for a great number of individuals. Each person will feel love in their own particular way, which will result in their own set of circumstances. The majority of these situations include hiding oneself since the person finds it difficult to accept oneself. It might be a physical characteristic of someone that they find repulsive. Most often, they are bullied or teased about their unattractive characteristics, which makes them hate themselves even more and make them wonder why they are different from what society expects of them. In these situations, people are compelled to put on a mask in order to be loved and able to love themselves.

All throughout her life, Nanami has had to deal with this. It's no wonder people find it difficult to love themselves when other people will convince them that they are no more worthy than a dead clam, and as those words break down, an opportunity comes, and people like Nanami finally wore a mask... one where no one would ever try to look behind it to see who was wearing it. She adopted her sister's characteristics and believed that if she continued to put on her sister's persona, she would eventually become so flawless that everyone would — and did — adore her. She became the most well-liked person in the area all of a sudden; even strangers would profess their love for her, but as Nanami is aware, they simply admired the person she had to become and not the person she truly was. Whether she realizes it or not, she is gradually accepting the fact that her former self has actually vanished.

The situation Nanami is in raises the question, "Is the mask she wore now her new "self"?" She has impressed others with her mask to the point that it completely conceals who she truly is. Or was it possible that she had lost her "self" for good? Fair enough; how could she possibly refuse her mask? Everyone enjoys it. Everyone strives to be the mask she wore, and in particular, because of this mask, people have truly come to value and recognize her. The mask that everyone uses and adores is something that Nanami was craving, even though she had never had it before. Although she may not initially notice it or acknowledge it, the heavy feeling inside her chest has been growing ever since. It is that one simple question that Nanami has never been able to find an answer to. "Are you satisfied?"

"Nanami" was adored by everyone, although Nanami was never in love. She claimed she could not fall in love till a Kouhai appeared next to her with a special quality. Yes, love is what it is. If this aromantic person is blind enough to be given love and has no expectations of who Nanami can be, then why not as well take off her mask when she's with her, take a rest, and experience the things she's always wanted? Because even though people adored the mask she wore, it never pierced through her true self. To love oneself. Perhaps Nanami pleaded with Touko not to fall in love with her for fear that she might be abandoned once she realizes how unremarkable she is. Naturally, as the series has progressed and as a result of their journey together, Nanami has finally learned to love herself.

People will always find it difficult to shed a mask. When the character they deal with is so tightly bound that it may be too painful to handle on one's own and may leave behind copious scars that may lead to further injuries, people become stuck in their personal relationships. When someone genuinely cares about you, looks past your facade, and takes the time to understand your true self without any intent to harm or shame, even the smallest act of kindness, like soothing your wounds with affectionate gestures, can hold immense significance. Often, love doesn't begin with self-love but is nurtured by the love others share with you. They patiently stand by your side until the moment you can confidently say, "I am satisfied". ***

__CHAPTER 5 NO RESPONSE__

Let's share a tale. Imagine that you are at your middle school and that in the distance, your attention is drawn to a person who has long, wavy, silky hair, a slender build, a mesmerizing smile a complexion that makes the word shame blush, and who is very gifted in both administration and the arts. You have seen someone, so perhaps you are falling in love for the first time? Since the monotonously bland classrooms are slowly disappearing and cherry blossom petals are falling all around you, your heart is beating very quickly, and it hurts too much and won't go away. unless you turn away from that person, and in some situations, you have to run away. You have examined yourself repeatedly to determine why your body reacts in this manner whenever they are nearby and, worse, even when you are conversing with them. It's impossible, right? Finally, you admit it to yourself: "I think I'm in love."

When you realize that your current problem might be caused by love, your next goal would be to find and tie the knot with the person you love. You begin to assess your abilities and come to the conclusion that you are in no way capable of competing with the person you love. Even though it was a sobering reality check, you are still motivated to start a self-improvement program so that you can stand on an equal footing with someone. Before you realized your loved one had been acting strangely recently. It's possible that they are dissatisfied with the exam results; after all, it seems that they did not perform well in science class, despite the fact that it is their most favorite subject. You also observe the manner in which fidgets around with other individuals, as if a ghost has been stalking them the entire time.

Until one afternoon, when you watched your loved one gazing at a stunning sunset from the balcony, it appeared that it wasn't their cup of tea because we observed tears welling up in its sad eye. You went up to your loved one, struck up a conversation, and continued talking until they finally opened up and admitted that it was difficult to maintain masks on people but that they had no option because no one would ever appreciate them without them. Even yet, after months of watching your love, you realized something wasn't right, but it didn't dawn on you until now that they're nothing different from you—a person who put too much pressure on themselves to be the best. Even while the motivations may differ, you still have the chance to show the person you love an incredible level of courage that they will never forget—and this was memorable.

The support you give this person and the unconscious support this person gives you were given with mutual understanding. However, as the months went by and you watched from afar, the person you loved fell in love with someone else. "It wasn't fair," you protest. If not, the other person your loved one dated was slightly less desirable than you in terms of those attributes. Compared to someone you've fought with once a month, you've known your partner for far longer. They behave in the same manner as you do, express love in the same ways you do, offer support, and are aware of every detail of your affection. I was the first, therefore it wasn't fair. It was unjust. The first was you… it was only you…

Before that, I apologize for the hurried and disorganized nature of the preceding story before I get to my point. But with so many people falling in love, the majority of relationships would not last—not for lack of communication, not because you have characteristics that your partner finds intolerable, nor even as a couple. Because they are never the one, a person may or may not reject them even before the relationship even begins. Even if you express your feelings to the person you love, you won't ever obtain a satisfactory response from them. There will always be someone who loses in love because it is a game of chance and is washed away by the perilous shoreline at the end of the day.

Sayaka in the series feels like this. Sayaka is a character that grows on you and has a universal appeal. Just to be able to grasp the person you're interested in slipping and falling, you found love, followed the appropriate path, and eventually improved yourself. It's unrequited love at its finest, but as with all unrequited loves, the person you want to keep safe will eventually find true love. If the person you love decided to fall in love with you, that would be fortunate, but this rarely happens. The person you have an unrequited love for will at some point meet someone and fall in love. You have certainly improved and achieved excellent results with your ways, and there is nothing wrong with you; it's just that the person you love hasn't picked you.

It is, in fact, demotivating. Unfortunately, falling in love might take you in the opposite direction of the quiet beaches and into even bigger waves. But never lose sight of the abilities you pick up. At this stage, love might hurt and you might feel like giving up on life, but keep in mind that you've come this far because you've created something healthy and sustainable for yourself, like working out. Don't, though, let your efforts go to waste. Finding someone who will grow into you will take some trial and error, and rejection will always be a part of dating. So keep your head up and try again against the dangerous seas; who knows, one day you might actually find someone you can call your true love. ***

__WHAT HAPPENS AFTER? (OUTRO)__

Once you've managed to persevere through the worst, you eventually arrive at an island with the whitest sand, the calmest sea, and everything else that can be enough for you and your partner after navigating through the severity of the hostile waves. However, your relationship won't be complete after this, and you may live for many years without ever seeing the end of your release, which is a good thing in and of itself. You and your partner must construct a fort strong enough to protect your shared interests, possessions, and the entire blooming, beautiful island because more dangerous waves will try to destroy that island home.

On the other hand, there may be times when you and your partner have unresolved disputes inside your gorgeous island, which could cause the plants to decay and dry out. But as long as both parties are aware of this, refocus your motivations for being on this island, pick up the passionate pursuits you both shared in times past, and most importantly, sit down with your partner and discuss how you want to chart an essential route together. Being able to communicate well in a relationship will give you access to a hose so you can water the garden till it blooms once again.

Hey, there might be instances when the flowers simply stop blooming, and some of them never even began. To limit the damage to the island that is set apart for another, if you are thinking of ending that kind of relationship, you should do so as gently, quickly, and amicably as possible with your partner. You can leave the island whenever you want, but never forget your experiences there, whether they were good or bad, as you wave goodbye to someone you once thought of as a partner.

There may even be instances where the other person's flower you try your best to bloom but never does. Even with the obvious signs, you still continue paying attention to the flowers every day in the hopes that they may eventually bloom, even though this is unlikely to happen in most cases. It will be a hard and unpleasant process, particularly if you invested too much time and energy in someone who unfortunately didn't choose you. Nevertheless, there may be no choice but to move on. Although it might hurt at first, but as you keep looking forward to new things or even take on new endeavors, those memories will begin to mold your own bittersweet event to look back on.

Bloom into You explores many facets of what it means to fall in love, including the journeys our characters take, the lessons they learn along the way, and a profound self-reflection on how they behave in the midst of love. It faces challenging issues; our characters must emerge from stagnation. It still holds true today, especially in a world where finding love has become too difficult. For those who have succeeded in building a lovely garden, may your flowers continue to bloom for eternity. And for those of us who are still exploring, keep trying. For those of you who are still unsure of where you stand in love, take a deep breath and put off the pressure from society to behave in a certain way. Where you decide to bloom is what matters. ***