Wow... just... wow. I started this show with something like "probably gonna be just another generic, cheesy and silly girly love drama", but boy was I in for a ride. This series does not take long to show its outstanding strengths which I'll try to list without spoilers:
+ The characters are seriously deep, every one being portrayed in a distinctive way, down to earth, with very relatable personality traits and flaws. Even the side characters are very well fleshed out and enthrall you with their own struggles and stories.
+ It is captivating without being overly dramatic at any point.
+ It is fun and humorous without being silly
+ The animation style is calm and very detailed.
+ The soundtrack is very well selected and perfectly applied.
+ The story is way more than 'girls dancing around each other' or the mandatory love triangle. It focuses a lot on one's individual perception and experience of romance. For some people it's easier than for others, some people cannot relate to it at all. And this is fine. It never seems to be displayed as a kind of 'disability' in this show.
+ The fact that the main story revolves around two girls discovering each other seems rather coincidential. It's never about "our secret/forbidden love, fighting against the odds of a society that shuns us" kind of thing. This is indeed rare, as "Bloom into you" is often compared to other Yuri dramas like "Citrus". I believe this is incredibly misleading. Yes, homosexuality is a part of "Bloom into you"'s story. But it's far from being its unique selling point. I'd go as far as saying it would work just as well if either of the main characters was a boy instead.
In terms of criticism, honestly not very much comes to mind.
- Some of the 'zoning out moments' seem to be set up just a tiny bit over the top (i.e. The dramatic train-passage pauses). Not so much that it hurts, but it is notable.
- The show does not capture the entirety of the manga. The anime series aired sometime end of 2018 whereas the manga was only finished in 2020. The anime does by no means have a bad ending, but still feels incomplete as of the time of this review. I have revisited this show many times already and still can't forgive the studio for not finishing the story properly. With four additional mangas as well as three light novels revolving around the somewhat tragic character of Sayaka Saeki there would be more than enough material.
Never in my life have I bought mangas before, but watching this show enticed me to buy the entire series of eight books and the additional three light novels, which give the characters a way better (and well-deserved) closure. And I'm pretty sure that I do not even belong to the target audience of this anime. Manga author Nio Nakatani created nothing short of a masterpiece while the anime interpretation stays very close and honest to the written foundation, enriching it with beautiful animation, emotional (Japanese) voiceover and a soundtrack to remember.
Long story short: Definite recommendation! This is one of the best and down-to-earth series I have ever watched. For people that have been struggling with either love or romantic feelings in general, it might even have therapeutic character. Watch it!
