This series title, Does the flower blossom? (in Japanese "花は咲くか") might remind you of the quite popular metaphore "love is like a flower". But have you ever asked yourself why love is so often likened to a flower? While there can be several answers, I would like you to focus on this one: imagine a tiny study full of brightly coloured flowers and luxuriant plants kept in clean, pretty vases. The atmosphere is still, the leaves are shiny and everything looks full of life. What thoughts would cross your mind seeing something like this? Perhaps you would think that the person who owns the study really loves it and its plants. There is something about cared-for things that automatically reminds us of love. And what is it that needs perfect care? Flowers, of course. In order for them to bloom, you really have to care for them: you have to give them what they need, and the right amount of it, and you can't just forget about them, or they will die. Now that the series title has been explained a little, you might understand what it means for the main character, Sakurai, when it is said in the first page that all the plants he tries to grow end up dying.
"My passion towards the things I thought I would forever love was destined to fade away."There is no love in his life: nor for his coworkers, whom he unwittingly keeps at a distance, nor for his partners, who all left him after realising he did not really care. Even his job as an advertiser is now nothing more than routine.
Then there is Youichi, a young artist who struggles to communicate with others. He keeps painting flowers in his lonely studio, wishing for love even if he does not know it.
The lives of these two lonely people gradually entangle, in one of those slow romances Shoko Hidaka is so good at. Keeping the romance at a slow pace allows the author to introduce other themes: choosing your path in life, learning to express yourself, letting go of the past. These are developed also through a diverse cast of side characters: middle-aged coworkers, troubled teenagers, meddlesome university students... Everyone is well portrayed and feels unique enough, although the reader can feel the lack of an equally nice female character (or, well, of a female character at all...)
These characters' personalities are portrayed at least as well as those of the protagonists: they learn and grow together just like the main duo does. Thanks to this the story feels dynamic and complete, never too fixated on romanticism. Of course romance still is the main focus, but Hidaka-sensei avoids the sadly common "yaoi bubble" trope where there's only love and nothing else. In Does the flower blossom? characters have friends, relatives, a past that shaped them and a future they look forward to. They have jobs, passions and aspirations. The attention given to these details make this manga feel realistic.
The fairly detailed art style adds to this, creating interesting environments that seldom look empty or generic. From Sakurai's busy workplace to Youichi's traditional family house, every place has some character and atmosphere to it.
With a pinch of mystery, a tablespoon or two of real life topics and, well, several cups of unresolved sexual tension, Does the flower blossom? suits the taste of those who want their BL slow and somewhat realistic, but still sweet. Thanks to its five volumes this series can accompany you for a while and it can be reread without much effort whenever you feel like it.