Do you need a tissue?

Bota Bota's premise is far from peculiar, entailing a 29 year-old single woman's failing romantic endeavors, only offset by Paru's eccentric love for blood.

Our heroine, Mako, possesses a bizarre medical condition. Even briefly coming into contact with dirty objects triggers ridiculous spurts of nosebleeds that'd put any ecchi harem protagonist to shame. As a result, it prevents her from forming any kind of intimate relationship as her suitors run off in bewilderment and fear. However, Mako's desire becomes anything but listless, and continues to seek out her fated partner.

As the story progresses, though, it becomes evidenced that Mako's condition is more emotional than medical. Her occasional flashbacks show that her mother had an unhealthy obsession with filth, caused by her husband's affairs, that extended not only to objects, but men and intimacy. Thus, Mako's nosebleeds are suggested to be a defense mechanism against her subconscious, molded fear of the latter two.

Pinch your nose and hold your head up

Bota Bota isn't about others understanding Mako's condition and loving her, however. Rather, it's about how others unintentionally help Mako understand herself.

Each failed encounter, while providing an amusing nosebleed end of rejection, also provides Mako another bitter self-reminder about her condition. However, Mako never blames it or has self-hatred despite it causing all her relationships to collapse. Her reactions at her failed romances range from apathetic and slight exasperation, but never anger. Mako has been so far desensitized by the hindrances caused by her condition that she views them as merely a tedious part of her daily life akin to cleaning the house. For the majority of the story, Mako simply sighs and shrugs her shoulders with a slight smirk in the face of her failed romances.

However, one of her failed romances finally breaks her lethargic attitude towards them and opens her eyes to its ugliness. Despite finally meeting someone who isn't fazed by her condition, said individual rejects Bota's love, leaving her despaired and heartbroken. While drinking her sorrows away, though, she immediately encounters one more such "fated partner" who accepts Mako's condition and reciprocates her love. However, this time her nosebleeds stop. Again, Mako has another epiphany. Though she's had an atypical attitude towards it up until now, Mako frets over the silence of her nostrils. Her nosebleeds have "protected" her from men and conversely "lead" her to her fated partner, and she now shes them as an essential part of herself. However, as her newest suitor manages to overwhelm her fear with his smooth love lines, Bota steadily places trust in him instead of her nose. This'd be where the credits cue as the couple kiss in the sunset, right?

Well, Paru fans know not to expect orthodoxy from her when it comes to romance. After her latest partner reveals to be no different from Mako's father, if not worse, at the altar, Mako explodes. Literally and figuratively. She explodes in emotional ecstasy upon realizing the fallacy of her "filth" beliefs. Filth isn't limited to sex, kissing and the physical, but the inside, as well. While this'd normally be more of an upsetting truth, Mako finds joy in realizing that the nose that she had unconditionally believed to find her fated partner, was fooled. Now, she doesn't feel the need to obsess over filth and her nosebleeds, and simply live her life.

Romantic, huh?

Did it stop?

Being used to Paru's love for anthropomorphism, the human cast of characters was moderately off-putting at first. However, Paru's artistic styles and subtleties still remained at large.

I've always found Paru's anatomical sense a bit peculiar (something she has common with her father), mostly due to the different species in Beastars. In Bota Bota, there's only humans but remnants of that offbeat sense still exist, especially in the frequent nude scenes. There's many other striking Paru-isms in the character designs, such as the bulbous and luminous or simple black-dotted eyes and suggestive and amusing facial expressions. Paru serves to reminds that humans are just another animal species, as she draws them up similarly and just as well as her other characters of differing species.

Another striking Paru-ism is her synthesis of love and blood. Only this time, it's to a much more comedic and lighthearted effect, as literal waves of bloods infest the panels and drown Mako in blood from head to toe as she smiles ecstatically.

Overall, while I was initially wary of Paru's transition to human designs, they became enjoyable to look at as Paru's peculiar and distinct art style was still strong.

Conclusion

Understanding and accepting is a challenge in any relationship, especially romantic. Health conditions and past trauma are common issues in these processes that takes their toll on both parties. Paru Itakagi sets up a premise surrounding this interpersonal hurdle, but with an unusual narrative and theme befitting her peculiarity.

Rather than finding love in spite of one's own conditions, Paru writes out her heroine's brief, whimsical journey of failed romances and realization, all dyed in crimson red and smelling of iron.