What is with yuri stories and there being interludes after the big confession. It's like the mangaka goes "ooo! I got 'em hooked, so I can make more money dragging this out a bit without worry!"

What am I saying that's exactly what it is.

Are you reading this? There has been soooooo much evidence that this would eventually happen, it would, in fact, be unrealistic for this to happen any faster and would betray the established characters.

YagaKimi is best binge-read as all of the 'less relevant' chapters act as suitable buildup for future events when reading all at once.

It's not even like it is being dragged out, anyway, in two chapters we have established what Touko thought about the confession, how she feels towards Yuu and what's going on in her life after the confession. We got to see some of Yuu's feelings and now have the setup for Sayaka's next actions.

Though maybe I'm being unfair here. Please respond with how this could have been shortened without betraying the characters or ruining the pacing.

Sayaka will confess. And maybe Touko will accept. This is... oh dear god...
Goddess bless Nakatani Nio.

I don't get how anybody reads this and thinks Touko might accept. I mean, you get that when Sayaka says "I feel like I have a chance", the fact that she feels that way doesn't make it TRUE, right?

Sayaka has picked up on the fact that Touko is moving into a place where she can accept someone's confession, sure. Sayaka's sharp, and she's not wrong about that.

That doesn't mean Touko would accept HERS. I mean, the narrative has been screaming SAYAKA IS OUT IN THE COLD since the start, and we know Touko is desperately pining for Yuu even though she's afraid to give herself over to that. Sayaka does not have a chance, guys. She thinks she does, but that's because she doesn't know the details about how Touko and Yuu feel. She knows something went down between them, but she doesn't know what. (that's contributing to her suspicion that she might have a chance, but again, she doesn't have all the information)

So, yeah. Sayaka is on a track to heartbreak city. Bet on it.

Bloom Into You in a nutshell:

What Is Love
Baby don't hurt me
Don't hurt me
No more

This single comment made me rethink my life choices.

What is with yuri stories and there being interludes after the big confession. It's like the mangaka goes "ooo! I got 'em hooked, so I can make more money dragging this out a bit without worry!"

What am I saying that's exactly what it is.

My favorite is when the girls are constantly about to kiss but they keep getting interrupted so the manga can be delayed further. This has nothing to do with Bloom Into You, just yuri in general.

What is with yuri stories and there being interludes after the big confession. It's like the mangaka goes "ooo! I got 'em hooked, so I can make more money dragging this out a bit without worry!"

What am I saying that's exactly what it is.

My favorite is when the girls are constantly about to kiss but they keep getting interrupted so the manga can be delayed further. This has nothing to do with Bloom Into You, just yuri in general.

This is an actual example of things autos do to unnecessarily elongate a series and the main reason I dislike most romances; where it goes past the point of wanting the couple to get together because that would make me happy and enters the realm of: "GET TOGETHER ALREADY!", because I'm pissed that the mangaka can't think of any better way of keeping the manga going than this.

P.S. this is meant for the first person quoted.

last edited at Nov 7, 2018 5:16AM

Interlude after a big confession is pretty standard narrative practice, though. The confession needs to be climatic, so there's lower tension stuff building up to it and lower tension stuff after it to make it stand out. This is no different from, say, a mystery novel where the protagonist is finally close to catching the antagonist, and then the tension drops for a bit to rebuild for the finale where they are actually caught.

Not saying it's always great, just saying it's not necessary some greed thing ^^;

Alright, okay, let's do a thought experiment. Just a little what-if, entertaining the most unlikely scenario. Let's assume Nakatani Nio loses her mind or some pushy Editor says "We need to stretch this out at all costs, so we can have a second anime season!" or something like that.

A possible way to drag out the plot that is not completely outrageous could be that Sayaka confesses during the school trip, but, now hear me out, Touko is in a pretty confused and depressed state. She can't make head or tails of her situation. If Sayaka confesses and Touko asks since when she has been hiding this and Sayaka says for a while or whatever, then Touko will see it as an echo of how she hurt Yuu. But unlike Yuu, Sayaka is not afraid to face her and even says she will accept a rejection.

Now Touko always appreciated how Sayaka doesn't pressure her and let her keep secrets, but she also realizes that Sayaka actually saw through her. Sayaka knows that Touko is changing and would actively support this. Where Sayaka keeps a strong front and keeps pushing, Yuu retreated out of consideration and denial.

In this scenario there is a possibility that Touko might accept the proposal of going out with Sayaka, to see where she really stands. She is close to Sayaka, but didn't tie her down like she did Yuu. She might not feel romantically for her (yet), but she wants to know if this current her can actually even feel like that anyway. Sayaka's love is passive, but straightforward, unlike Yuu's which has been painful and indecisive.

Now, obviously I am not saying this would lead to a Touko x Sayaka endgame. That is literally impossible for this story and I won't play devil's advocate for that. Still, if they started dating for these improper reasons, it will lead to Touko slowly realizing that it is different from what she feels for Yuu and that the love of a partner is not harmful. Yuu will obviously get hurt in the process from seeing that and has to deal with shutting her feelings down harder than before, but now that she actually knows what love feels like, she also feels heartbreak all the more. Jealousy and all those emotions she never had.

Ultimately it will end with Sayaka giving Touko the push to ask Yuu for forgiveness and mend their relationship, because she is sympathetic like that and doesn't want to live a farce.

I think this kind of arc is not unfeasible, but still highly unlikely.

PS: Don't make fanfiction of this, even Nakatani Nio can barely make this work. lol

Yagakimi is essentially Tamako Love Story at this point. Maybe it was always was. Touko suffered the tragic loss of a family member. Yuu couldn't even confess her feelings to herself, much less Touko. They both had very similar river confession scenes. Touko has been topsy turvy and unable to respond since the confession. Sayaka is basically Midori.

I love it. It's what a great character looks like. Just as mysterious and clear-cut as real humans, as defined by both actions and self/other evaluations. I have noticed that Nakatani's characters always carry this ambiguity that's hard to describe. Like that they are self aware and also aren't? Like they act without thinking but it's also obvious why they made the decisions they did.

Isn't this just what it means to be a well-written character in general? Although, granted, you don't see that much in manga/anime these days anymore, so. :p

Alright, okay, let's do a thought experiment. Just a little what-if, entertaining the most unlikely scenario. Let's assume Nakatani Nio loses her mind or some pushy Editor says "We need to stretch this out at all costs, so we can have a second anime season!" or something like that.

A possible way to drag out the plot that is not completely outrageous could be that Sayaka confesses during the school trip, but, now hear me out, Touko is in a pretty confused and depressed state. She can't make head or tails of her situation. If Sayaka confesses and Touko asks since when she has been hiding this and Sayaka says for a while or whatever, then Touko will see it as an echo of how she hurt Yuu. But unlike Yuu, Sayaka is not afraid to face her and even says she will accept a rejection.

Now Touko always appreciated how Sayaka doesn't pressure her and let her keep secrets, but she also realizes that Sayaka actually saw through her. Sayaka knows that Touko is changing and would actively support this. Where Sayaka keeps a strong front and keeps pushing, Yuu retreated out of consideration and denial.

In this scenario there is a possibility that Touko might accept the proposal of going out with Sayaka, to see where she really stands. She is close to Sayaka, but didn't tie her down like she did Yuu. She might not feel romantically for her (yet), but she wants to know if this current her can actually even feel like that anyway. Sayaka's love is passive, but straightforward, unlike Yuu's which has been painful and indecisive.

Now, obviously I am not saying this would lead to a Touko x Sayaka endgame. That is literally impossible for this story and I won't play devil's advocate for that. Still, if they started dating for these improper reasons, it will lead to Touko slowly realizing that it is different from what she feels for Yuu and that the love of a partner is not harmful. Yuu will obviously get hurt in the process from seeing that and has to deal with shutting her feelings down harder than before, but now that she actually knows what love feels like, she also feels heartbreak all the more. Jealousy and all those emotions she never had.

Ultimately it will end with Sayaka giving Touko the push to ask Yuu for forgiveness and mend their relationship, because she is sympathetic like that and doesn't want to live a farce.

I think this kind of arc is not unfeasible, but still highly unlikely.

PS: Don't make fanfiction of this, even Nakatani Nio can barely make this work. lol

A possible alternative explanation for Touko accepting Sayaka's confession would be Touko feeling that she has to completely abandon her old personality in order to become a new person, that having Yuu in her life will be a crutch that she needs to discard in order to flourish. Even if she doesn't accept Sayaka she can have this attitude and until she becomes that new person she doesn't try to get back with Yuu.

Also maybe Yuu could start thinking 'I didn't start feeling this way with Touko until much later on, so maybe it will be the same with somebody else: maybe I would feel the same for anybody who showed that much interest in me'. And starts dating the guy that confessed to her.

P.S. I don't think any of this will happen nor do I want it to.

A possible alternative explanation for Touko accepting Sayaka's confession would be Touko feeling that she has to completely abandon her old personality in order to become a new person, that having Yuu in her life will be a crutch that she needs to discard in order to flourish. Even if she doesn't accept Sayaka she can have this attitude and until she becomes that new person she doesn't try to get back with Yuu.

The opposite would make more sense, Sayaka representing Touko's old life and Yuu her new one.

I'm confident Sayaka moves on without confessing. She'll be the one who talks sense into Yuu and sets her straight, no pun intended, and Yuu's shippy sister will sort Touko out - they have each other's contact info, remember. That's my prediction for how it plays out.

last edited at Nov 7, 2018 12:50PM

I'm confident Sayaka moves on without confessing. She'll be the one who talks sense into Yuu and sets her straight, no pun intended, and Yuu's shippy sister will sort Touko out - they have each other's contact info, remember. That's my prediction for how it plays out.

That is interesting, because until now Sayaka did not seem to have quite figured out what was really going on between Touko and Yuu. She definitely suspects something, maybe she is only one step away in fact. But I just can't believe she really understands how far those two came. It appears at least as if she only sees that Touko might have feelings for Yuu and that Yuu is extremely perceptive of her (Touko's) true self.

This Sayaka chapter clearly set up for her to at least confront Touko first, not Yuu.

Alright, okay, let's do a thought experiment. Just a little what-if, entertaining the most unlikely scenario. Let's assume Nakatani Nio loses her mind or some pushy Editor says "We need to stretch this out at all costs, so we can have a second anime season!" or something like that.

A possible way to drag out the plot that is not completely outrageous could be that Sayaka confesses during the school trip, but, now hear me out, Touko is in a pretty confused and depressed state. She can't make head or tails of her situation. If Sayaka confesses and Touko asks since when she has been hiding this and Sayaka says for a while or whatever, then Touko will see it as an echo of how she hurt Yuu. But unlike Yuu, Sayaka is not afraid to face her and even says she will accept a rejection.

Now Touko always appreciated how Sayaka doesn't pressure her and let her keep secrets, but she also realizes that Sayaka actually saw through her. Sayaka knows that Touko is changing and would actively support this. Where Sayaka keeps a strong front and keeps pushing, Yuu retreated out of consideration and denial.

In this scenario there is a possibility that Touko might accept the proposal of going out with Sayaka, to see where she really stands. She is close to Sayaka, but didn't tie her down like she did Yuu. She might not feel romantically for her (yet), but she wants to know if this current her can actually even feel like that anyway. Sayaka's love is passive, but straightforward, unlike Yuu's which has been painful and indecisive.

We are finally on the same page :P SayakaxTouko make-out scene, ToukoxYuu and Sayakaxfuture gf as endgame. What else is there not to like?

We are finally on the same page :P SayakaxTouko make-out scene, ToukoxYuu and Sayakaxfuture gf as endgame. What else is there not to like?

Except that page is from my worst possible scenario, resembling a bad fanfic more than anything.
Of course you'd like it. ┐(´∀｀)┌

A possible alternative explanation for Touko accepting Sayaka's confession would be Touko feeling that she has to completely abandon her old personality in order to become a new person, that having Yuu in her life will be a crutch that she needs to discard in order to flourish. Even if she doesn't accept Sayaka she can have this attitude and until she becomes that new person she doesn't try to get back with Yuu.

The opposite would make more sense, Sayaka representing Touko's old life and Yuu her new one.

I'm confident Sayaka moves on without confessing. She'll be the one who talks sense into Yuu and sets her straight, no pun intended, and Yuu's shippy sister will sort Touko out - they have each other's contact info, remember. That's my prediction for how it plays out.

I know it's not going to happen and I don't want it to but, it is within Touko's character (I think) to make an illogical leap like that.

I actually think that Sayaka's more likely to help Touko out with her feelings, though Yuu's sister is next most likely and Yuu getting advice from Maki, its the best opportunity for him to have real relevance.

Now, I now that what I'm about to say is highly debatable (I mean, at the current situation, everything is) but I honestly wouldn't be surprised that, if Rei (Yuu's sister) gets involved, that her boyfriend, Hiro, might at the very least tag along with her on that.

Now, I now that what I'm about to say is highly debatable (I mean, at the current situation, everything is) but I honestly wouldn't be surprised that, if Rei (Yuu's sister) gets involved, that her boyfriend, Hiro, might at the very least tag along with her on that.

He hasn't had any relevance in the story yet and has no real place in that conversation, even Doujima is more likely than Hiro tbh.

WHY?

Now, I now that what I'm about to say is highly debatable (I mean, at the current situation, everything is) but I honestly wouldn't be surprised that, if Rei (Yuu's sister) gets involved, that her boyfriend, Hiro, might at the very least tag along with her on that.

He hasn't had any relevance in the story yet and has no real place in that conversation, even Doujima is more likely than Hiro tbh.

WHY?

I honestly think Doujima is meant to end up with Yuu's friend on the basketball team who had a crush on her senpai on the team that she followed to that school. They have a whole kind of love hate dynamic going and him comforting her when she found out the guys she was crushing on was secretly in a relationship was a real bonding moment for them.

That being his whole place in the series.

last edited at Nov 8, 2018 1:23PM

I just wanna see Rei and Koyomi comforting Yuu ;_; maybe Akari can join Koyomi too

I just wanna see Rei and Koyomi comforting Yuu ;_; maybe Akari can join Koyomi too

First Yuu must realize that she needs comforting. That's the crux on her side right now, she doesn't acknowledge that she is heartbroken.

I just wanna see Rei and Koyomi comforting Yuu ;_; maybe Akari can join Koyomi too

First Yuu must realize that she needs comforting. That's the crux on her side right now, she doesn't acknowledge that she is heartbroken.

True that

I just wanna see Rei and Koyomi comforting Yuu ;_; maybe Akari can join Koyomi too

First Yuu must realize that she needs comforting. That's the crux on her side right now, she doesn't acknowledge that she is heartbroken.

Rei and her friends can approach her first, she looked terrible in chapter 35, I think it would be a matter of time before Rei notices something, especially after Yuu asked her for advice on confessing. And Koyomi already noticed sth was wrong with Yuu. Of course, it may be hard to make Yuu react in her current numb state. I wonder if sth will happen which will make her snap (and what could it be) or if she will remain like this until Touko tells her she wants to be in a formal relationship with her.

last edited at Nov 8, 2018 6:47PM

The anime is explaining things. :)

The anime is explaining things. :)

That being said, we're only mere hours before the next episode.

The anime is explaining things. :)

That being said, we're only mere hours before the next episode.

It's already out in Japanese.