Speculation time! Now that I don't have to spoiler bar everything.

This was a nice read, I like your analysis a lot!
I also think the ending will change where Touko's character will realise how she was never truly honest with herself+others and she'll go her own path instead of 1 of 3. Very reflective of herself!

I suddenly have an image in my head of Touko, Yuu, and Sayaka as Hong Kong mobsters.

The world desperately needs more underworld yuri.

last edited at Mar 3, 2017 7:58AM

The world desperately needs more yuri that's not in high-school. But especially underworld yuri, yes.

Ooh, this chapter was the first time (for me) there was any sexual tension and a little risqué
So far we've only had a build-up of kisses (some a lot less innocent than others) so I like the idea that they're getting attracted to the bodies as well. Makes it feel less 'experimental'; being sexually attracted to a body or not is pretty deal breaker for me haha
I'm not a huge fan of Touko because, yes, she's playing a role that's given to her by others, but she has also inadvertently thrown Yuu into a role as well by constantly telling her why she likes such and such part about her, and it feels hypocritical since it's what other people do to her and she turns it around and does it to Yuu instead. I'm probably going to stay disliking Touko unless she gets some spectacular eureka moment and treats Yuu better though with the pace everything's going at, I might be waiting for awhile.

Gudetamago posted:

Speculation time! Now that I don't have to spoiler bar everything.
...
And so, based on what the story has revealed thus far, my new prediction is that the play will end with the MC rebuilding her relationships from 0 while finding her identity in the process, rather than picking any 1 out of the 3. For Touko, this will be her rebirth.

Very convincing. When Yuu brings up a justification for Koyomi's original ending (we don't choose our family or our classmates, but we do choose our lovers), this doesn't fit Touko. She decided to be her sister, and she performs that role in front of her family, but it's mainly for the sake of her classmates, teachers, and friends, who didn't know her before and can't see her true self (or so she thinks). She has been very clear that she doesn't want Yuu's love. Yuu is the one person to whom she shows her true self, but she cannot stand the thought of that self being loved. In that sense, she's already made the choice that is presented to her character in the play, and she will have to undo that decision and make a new one before she change her life and her relationships.

Not sure if this is what the author was going for, but I'm way more interested in the characters' individual psychologies than in their relationships. It's like the relationships are there primarily to enact some effect on the individuals.

last edited at Mar 3, 2017 10:15AM

20: Tries to strip fast and goes to the bath first while trying really hard to convince herself that them seeing each other naked is nothing at all (yes, this is more of her denial attack, but hey, it's still something. Girl just learns to feel feels. Give her time before she starts feeling horny). Consciously wants to touch Touko at night, but can't because Sayaka's there.

Horny Yuu? Thats something i would gladly pay to see ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

You've already seen that in Chapter 16:

http://dynasty-scans.com/chapters/bloom_into_you_ch16#27

This chapter was sooooo good. lol@Yuu's boobs. Touko just admitted that if Sayaka wasn't there she'd be coming onto Yuu.

Best Mangaka Rohan

Now....Ido what will happen. I just want Sayaka to find someone too. Love Triangle yuri always leave a bad taste in mouth like Love Doctor and WTDFS.

Hey, Love Doctor left a bad taste in my mouth too with Su-Ji (and I took a LONG break because of it, came back recently) but it looks like the girl she originally liked is back in the picture and I have high hopes that it'll be better than Cha-Yoon/E-rae because personally speaking, they are becoming the dullest characters in the series.

After her friend and doctor's meeting, I started actually disliking doctor Cuz of how childish and cocky she was acting without any reason. I thought her as a cool and calm person but she is morr like one of those bully bitches.

I too have a strong that E-Rae will suit her friend better. Not to mention that ecchi dream she had ;) I hope Doctor and E-rae breaKs up soon.

This is totally off topic, but that was the friend's dream, so I don't see any reason why E-Rae would have any thoughts about her friend that were beyond friendship. I can totally see her friend finally confessing to her and shocking her, but I don't see it going well. At best I see it going something like what happened with Ice and Donut in "Lily Love" IF E-Ray is angry at Cha-Yoon about something because of the beotch ballerina or something.

Best Mangaka Rohan

Now....Ido what will happen. I just want Sayaka to find someone too. Love Triangle yuri always leave a bad taste in mouth like Love Doctor and WTDFS.

Hey, Love Doctor left a bad taste in my mouth too with Su-Ji (and I took a LONG break because of it, came back recently) but it looks like the girl she originally liked is back in the picture and I have high hopes that it'll be better than Cha-Yoon/E-rae because personally speaking, they are becoming the dullest characters in the series.

After her friend and doctor's meeting, I started actually disliking doctor Cuz of how childish and cocky she was acting without any reason. I thought her as a cool and calm person but she is morr like one of those bully bitches.

I too have a strong that E-Rae will suit her friend better. Not to mention that ecchi dream she had ;) I hope Doctor and E-rae breaKs up soon.

This is totally off topic, but that was the friend's dream, so I don't see any reason why E-Rae would have any thoughts about her friend that were beyond friendship. I can totally see her friend finally confessing to her and shocking her, but I don't see it going well. At best I see it going something like what happened with Ice and Donut in "Lily Love" IF E-Ray is angry at Cha-Yoon about something because of the beotch ballerina or something.

One can have OTP despite the Canon pairing. And the only thing that was making current canon pairing interesting was innocence of E-rae. Doctor is annoying.

I'm the only one who think the Manga need to long for a move? .. More Character strengh would be better.

I agree with the new ending you're suggesting for the play, but I'm not sure things are going to go so smoothly for the actress. I think Touko's bound to have a breakdown before she could have a rebirth.

Everyone will have a breakdown sooner or later, I think. Yuu will definitely have hers, as hinted in the last chap, and I think this will be one of the decisive developments that will shake Touko and cause her to realize for the first time that what's she's doing is hurting the important people in her life. I feel like my predictions are a bit too detailed. I'll spoiler bar this next one just in case there are those who only want a vague speculation that will not ruin their enjoyment of the series' future developments.

After what happens with Yuu, Touko will most likely be thrown into confusion and will be unsure of what to do. she will then have confrontations with Sayaka and also her parents, where they will possibly also share their concerns about her actions and, most importantly, confirm their love and support for Touko as who she is and not as her sister. I realize this is a rather hard development on Touko. Someone who doesn't want to be loved suddenly gets all of the most important people in her life telling her that they love her lol Touko then will be thrown into a psychological turmoil where she will reconsider everything she has been doing up till that point and then the play will be where she makes her decision (or at least where we get to see her making her decision) regarding her identity and relationships.

Actually, now that I think about this possibility, Touko being the one who changes the play's ending right there on stage might be a better development than just having Koyomi do it.

Norainhere

Also, I bet that that guy at the end was Touko's sister's boyfriend - or at least he liked her before she died. I'm pretty sure he won't develop feeling for Touko as some weird replacement thing, though he will bring more sister-related drama. I am looking forward to where this goes, though.

I think that perhaps we are getting all the pieces for who this play is really about: Touko's Sister. Tomoyuki is either friend/boyfriend, Touko is the family member, etc. Touko is trying to become her sister but the truth is she can't be: she only knows one side of her sister. She's trying to be the sister she remembers, but I highly doubt she is going to be the sister that Tomoyuki remembers.

Best Mangaka Rohan

Doctor is annoying.

Yes. That scene with Su-Ji sealed the deal for me too.

Best Mangaka Rohan

Doctor is annoying.

Yes. That scene with Su-Ji sealed the deal for me too.

Nice to see i'm not the only one who don'the like Doctor. In fact surprised seeing mostly agreeing with me.

Best Mangaka Rohan

Doctor is annoying.

Yes. That scene with Su-Ji sealed the deal for me too.

Nice to see i'm not the only one who don'the like Doctor. In fact surprised seeing mostly agreeing with me.

Best Mangaka Rohan

Doctor is annoying.

Yes. That scene with Su-Ji sealed the deal for me too.

Nice to see i'm not the only one who don'the like Doctor. In fact surprised seeing mostly agreeing with me.

I don't agree with you. Snarky characters are not bad people. And she helped Su-Ji when she needed it.

last edited at Mar 3, 2017 3:02PM

Best Mangaka Rohan

Doctor is annoying.

Yes. That scene with Su-Ji sealed the deal for me too.

Nice to see i'm not the only one who don'the like Doctor. In fact surprised seeing mostly agreeing with me.

I don't agree with you. Snarky characters are not bad people. And she helped Su-Ji when she needed it.

Good for her.

Still a bitch in my book.

Everyone see her as they like. I don't like her.

last edited at Mar 3, 2017 3:08PM

Tiger

I think that perhaps we are getting all the pieces for who this play is really about: Touko's Sister. Tomoyuki is either friend/boyfriend, Touko is the family member, etc. Touko is trying to become her sister but the truth is she can't be: she only knows one side of her sister. She's trying to be the sister she remembers, but I highly doubt she is going to be the sister that Tomoyuki remembers.

That's an interesting point. However, the sister's classmates (except Tomoyuki) are not present as they are in the play. It still seems to me like a judgement on Touko's identity. I agree with you there though, that even if she plays the role of her sister well enough in her daily life that her classmates don't question her, Tomoyuki will probably see through it. After all, she's not nearly as effective as she thinks - even people who don't know her family life and never knew her sister, like Sayaka, Koyomi, and Yuu saw through her. Also, it seems increasingly likely that she didn't know that much about her sister in the first place, and that what she's retained has been distorted.

Yes. Her sister probably wasn't as good at playing the role of her sister as she remembers, either. They may actually be more similar than she realizes.
Man, there's been some really thoughtful, smart commentary around here.

last edited at Mar 3, 2017 4:23PM

Man, majere, you're profile image's eyes creep me out.

That's because Chinatsu-chan's TRYING REALLY HARD not to look creepy.

man i always tell myself that I'm going to lay off this manga until a few more chapters have been translated...That's been going on for the past several months.

A friend of mine has a different speculation on how the ending to the play (& to Touko's story) will turn out. It's super plausible & fits with the overall themes and characterizations rather well. I'll share it here since I think this series deserves all the thoughtful discussions out there.

So my friend emphasize that Touko's identity problem is what caused her relationship problems in the first place. This interperation roots Touko's problem in her lack of self-love and self-worth, which is a rather important theme this series seems to be portraying through Touko that I've overlooked in my speculation. Her inability to allow others to love her is because she herself is unable to love who she is and this is what killing Touko's identity. My friend also suggests that the 3 personas are not separate selves/identities, they are one in the same. They are 3 facets of Touko towards her different relationships just like we all act differently in front of different people, depending on their relationships to us. The problem with Touko then is that she separates these three facets too much that they become three different identities. Like, Touko only allows Sayaka/her friend to get close to one side of her, Yuu/her lover to get close to another side of her, & her parents/family to know only of one other side of her. So her relationships are shallow not just because she refuses their love, but also because she puts up too many barriers. With this view on Touko's problems, my friend suggests that she will have to come to term with who she is first by embracing all facets, all 3 identities, of herself before any rebuilding of relationships can follow.

As much as I strongly believe in the idea that relationships are crucial in helping one overcome their problems and help them find who they are, the notion that one can't love others before they first love themself is also relevant, especially when it comes to Touko, someone who believes that she has to be her sister in order to be special and of any worth.

I'll be happy with the play & Touko's story ending either way (a combination of both would be a bliss) as long as it is a cathartic resolution that wraps up the coming-of-age themes nicely.

On a side note, I don't think we have talked much about the meaning behind the title of this series, but "Bloom into You" or "Eventually (no subject) will become you" can be read as "Bloom into who you are" or "Eventually you will become yourself." This can be applied to both characters in the series. Yuu and Touko are both teenagers who are learning things about themselves for the first time in their lives. Yuu is learning about the feeling of love after years of exposing herself to idealistic shoujo romance while Touko is learning about her own identity and relationship problems after years of living as her sister. The title can also be applied to readers as well, ofc.

I'm glad I kept reading because this last chapter has been really good. Certain chapters such as the one in the river were disappointing for me (I felt that they didn't make complete sense), but from now on I think I will really enjoy the story and character development. And, obviously, reading your thoughtful comments helps a lot to enjoy it ^^

last edited at Mar 4, 2017 7:45PM

Just when things seem to be slowing down, this manga throws a curve and picks up the pace again. This chapter was so terribly good

She's trying to be the sister she remembers, but I highly doubt she is going to be the sister that Tomoyuki remembers.

Hadn't thought of that. That was clever. Also, suggests that Tomoyuki will cause a huge impact in Touko and in her plans of becoming her sister (at first I found him irrelevant, should have known better, nothing in this story is irrelevant).

"Eventually (no subject) will become you"

This makes A LOT more sense than "Eventually I will become yours". It's not about Yuu, it's about Touko.

the notion that one can't love others before they first love themself is also relevant

A lot of people say this kind of stuff, it's both wrong and cruel. Some people are simply unable to love themselves - depressed people, suicidal people, people with body issues, or with traumatic experiences they blame on themselves. That doesn't mean they're unable to have meaningful romantic relationships because of that.

Still, that fits this story perfectly.

I'm glad I kept reading because this last chapter has been really good. Certain chapters such as the one in the river were disappointing for me (I felt that they didn't make complete sense), but from now on I think I will really enjoy the story and character development. And, obviously, reading your thoughtful comments helps a lot to enjoy it ^^

Which one in the river? 10 ? I actually think all the chapters move forward either the plot or the character development '-'

Damn it! I really wanted to see Sayaka's underwear the most. :'(

Chap 10 is great. If you read the bad TL of vol 1, that chap probably doesn't make much sense. But, It's basically the turning point of the manga and also where the story actually starts. It's foreshadowed beforehand, shines light on Touko's unusual pursuing approach, and reveals Touko's skewed perspective that serves to turn the relationship dynamic on its head. Also, that confrontation at the river is a gem of visual storytelling. (I don't think I'll ever be able to shut up about the visual storytelling in this manga)

This makes A LOT more sense than "Eventually I will become yours". It's not about Yuu, it's about Touko.

It's about both of them actually, how they both will come to terms with themselves and/or their feelings.

A lot of people say this kind of stuff, it's both wrong and cruel. Some people are simply unable to love themselves - depressed people, suicidal people, people with body issues, or with traumatic experiences they blame on themselves. That doesn't mean they're unable to have meaningful romantic relationships because of that.

It's a generalized statement, sure, but I don't see why it's wrong and cruel. Unless you're saying that it's ok for people to not love themselves? It's not that they can't have meaningful relationships, it just means that it's harder for them to open up completely because of insecurities. Love doesn't always have to mean romantic love, it just stands for relationships in general.