But sorry, no, Yuu is clearly in charge in bed. Touko is consistently hesitant to act but REALLY seems to enjoy it when Yuu takes charge, while Yuu seems perfectly happy to be the initiator of affection. This plays out in their relationship all over the manga. ;p

This actually sheds a whole new light on that crucial equipment shed kiss scene (and its pre-play rooftop echo). While it might seem as if Touko was just being aggressive and Yuu was being shy or reticent about sexual intimacy, the only problem for Yuu actually was the then-current definition of their relationship. If you look at the situation from Touko's POV, her desire for Yuu to initiate the kiss (while it certainly was about getting a sign of reciprocal desire from Yuu, as it seemed to be at the time) can also be seen as a move to have Yuu take charge in a sexual way more generally. If so, issue now resolved.

Great analysis, I totally agree. Touko was always trying to lure Yuu into taking charge and now she definitely got what she wanted.

Sooo is it safe to say Touko's a power bottom LOL

I always had the impression, before this chapter, that Touko would be the one initiating the obligatory lovemaking in this Yuri story. There's one funny credit page where Suguru caught Touko surfing the net for how do two girls have sex. Sorry I forgot which end chapter credit that was

Not that I'm complaining. YuuTop is smokin' hot.

It's a stupid question bUt I felt this need to ask... How on earth did Yuu get so good with the "deed"???

Grand-daughter of a bookshop owner, so she read a lot :-)

It's a stupid question bUt I felt this need to ask... How on earth did Yuu get so good with the "deed"???

Yuu has been secretly training under the grand-masters of the lovemaking arts all this time
Plus she's been listening to nothing but the sexiest classic and contemporary love making music

last edited at Aug 29, 2019 12:23AM

I don't know why the new chapter didn't release here yet, but I literally died of screaming.
I could'nt even sleep. I'm so fucking happy.

What's a self indulgent thing y'all want to see in the final chapter, like something you would love but isnt neccesarily important? For me, I want one last interaction between Yuu and Rei, because I love Rei, she's always great. If you do answer, remember to tag anything that may contain a spoiler ;)

Post-coital morning-wake-up Yuu is the hottest Yuu.

More like post-Koito Yuu, amirite?!

I'll show myself out.

last edited at Aug 29, 2019 2:47AM

Post-coital morning-wake-up Yuu is the hottest Yuu.

More like post-Koito Yuu, amirite?!

Not gonna lie, that's one of the best puns I've seen in a while.

What's a self indulgent thing y'all want to see in the final chapter, like something you would love but isn't necessarily important? For me, I want one last interaction between Yuu and Rei, because I love Rei, she's always great. If you do answer, remember to tag anything that may contain a spoiler ;)

I'd love to see Yuu's friends get flatfooted by the revelation of her relationship with Touko. I'm considering drawing it myself if it doesn't happen. Akari is just flummoxed, Natsuki is a little lonely about it, Koyomi already suspected but is still caught off guard that she was right.

I'd also like to see Sayaka get a girlfriend, natch. Further on that, I'd kinda like to see Miyako witness Sayaka getting a girlfriend, so she can have a proud mama bird moment, like Sayaka has come to manage Miyako's second store location, and there's a girl that keeps coming to see her, and Miyako can totally see the writing on the wall...

More Rei is always awesome. On the subject of family, maybe Touko's dad being accepting of their relationship but also pouty when he realizes he should have been more suspicious when Yuu stayed over while they were out of town. Maybe a scene where Yuu somehow communicates to Mio that she's going to take care of Touko. Maybe a visit to the gravestone, or a dream.

Doujima and Akari getting together.

(Thinks) Maki and Yuu continuing to be friends? I like their dynamic.

I'd also like to see Sayaka get a girlfriend, natch. Further on that, I'd kinda like to see Miyako witness Sayaka getting a girlfriend, so she can have a proud mama bird moment, like Sayaka has come to manage Miyako's second store location, and there's a girl that keeps coming to see her, and Miyako can totally see the writing on the wall...

Oh, yeah, i definitely want some more Miyako and Sayaka interaction, if not here then at least in the Sayaka novels, or even an extra, hopefully involving a girlfriend.

Doujima and Akari getting together.

Akari fell in love with the wrong basketball senpai. I know, this is an "enlightened" manga so not everyone can be a lesbian, blah, blah, blah, but that other person asked for a self-indulgent wish, so I'll indulge, damnit!

last edited at Aug 29, 2019 4:07AM

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

breathes

It happened!

last edited at Aug 29, 2019 6:53AM

Folks have come up with some fine indulgence-wishes. Sayaka and the cafe women would be great, but a little distracting for a final chapter, especially when Sayaka’s getting plenty of space in the spinoff.

And I agree that Rei is a world-class onee-chan who deserves a nice curtain call.

But if invited to be truly selfish, I’d have to say: Koyomi and Renma-sensei.

(What can I say—I’m a sucker for the bookish ones.)

I REALLY like the moment when Yuu was about to switch roles and move down, but Touko held her and allowed (insistently) Yuu to be on top.
This night does not answer the question of who in their relations will be top and who bottom. I am sure in their pair there is no top and bottom. They will change 50/50, because both want to love (to be on top). It was just that on their first night, Touko ceded this role to Yuu, thereby showing that her love is no longer selfish and that she thinks about Yuu's desires. She perfectly understands that Yuu wanted this. The point is not that Yuu is in principle top, but that on this particular night she's top. It is symbolic. She wanted to love at the beginning of the manga and now loves in every sense - including physically.
But Yuu loves Touko so much and will allow her to be on top as many times as Touko wants, and Touko’s love is now not selfish and she will allow you to be on top of Yuu like that first night. They both want to be top, but also love each other very much, they will concede to each other.
I am completely over 50/50.

This is a wonderful chapter. Nakatani showed real passion between lovers. Bravo.

P.S. Sorry my bad english.

last edited at Aug 29, 2019 12:11PM

Folks have come up with some fine indulgence-wishes. Sayaka and the cafe women would be great, but a little distracting for a final chapter, especially when Sayaka’s getting plenty of space in the spinoff.

And I agree that Rei is a world-class onee-chan who deserves a nice curtain call.

But if invited to be truly selfish, I’d have to say: Koyomi and Renma-sensei.

(What can I say—I’m a sucker for the bookish ones.)

It depends on how the finale is structured. I could see a time skip to college where we hop scenes a bit and catch up with everybody, or even just a few panels of where everybody ends up, or she could just focus on Yuu and Touko. (but we know Yuu stays friends with Sayaka through college, so even if that's the case, we could still get an update of some kind.) There's tons of ways the finale could be handled.

I also feel like we're still likely to get a bonus chapter with the tank, though, so that might be where we get an epilogue of some sort. Sayaka feels like too big a part of the story to just leave out entirely, tho.

last edited at Aug 29, 2019 2:26PM

I REALLY like the moment when Yuu was about to switch roles and move down, but Touko held her and allowed (insistently) Yuu to be on top.
This night does not answer the question of who in their relations will be top and who bottom. I am sure in their pair there is no top and bottom. They will change 50/50, because both want to love (to be on top). It was just that on their first night, Touko ceded this role to Yuu, thereby showing that her love is no longer selfish and that she thinks about Yuu's desires. She perfectly understands that Yuu wanted this. The point is not that Yuu is in principle top, but that on this particular night she's top. It is symbolic. She wanted to love at the beginning of the manga and now loves in every sense - including physically.
But Yuu loves Touko so much and will allow her to be on top as many times as Touko wants, and Touko’s love is now not selfish and she will allow you to be on top of Yuu like that first night. They both want to be top, but also love each other very much, they will concede to each other.
I am completely over 50/50.

This is a wonderful chapter. Nakatani showed real passion between lovers. Bravo.

P.S. Sorry my bad english.

I never understand the obsession with tops and bottoms, in fictional characters no less. Maybe I live in a Switch Universe, where roles are not a thing. Or something.

last edited at Aug 29, 2019 4:07PM

I never understand the obsession with tops and bottoms, in fictional characters no less. Maybe I live in a Switch Universe, where roles are not a thing. Or something.

I usually DGAF much about it, aside from maybe discussing it randomly with other fans just for the sheer hell of it--or if what is seen to happen in a story that includes sexytimes for the first time just completely throws me for a loop and I have to Tell The Internet About How I Feel About It (like if a character is usually super domineering and aggressive but turns into a pillow princess when the time comes, lol).

But I guess I can see why folks like to discuss it, because we all have our notions about who a character is and how they "should" behave, and we all want to be right, right?

One of main reasons I like yuri is that there are no rigid roles in relationship as well as in bed. That's why I'm always annoyed about the whole top/bottom thing, because to me it's just forcing het stereotypes where they're not needed. And sure you can have more passive and aggressive characters, but (hot) lesbian sex to me was always about both girls pleasing each other.

And here I just like it because I'm a giant flaming lesbo.

The top/bottom thing can sometimes be a deal-breaker IRL lesbian relationships. While, ideally, if you're in a relationship with someone who has the same preferences as you, you can both come to a compromise, there are some who just cannot do that.

I've been in both straight and lesbian relationships, and the "top/bottom thing" isn't forcing het stereotypes into les relationships. Being ignorant and asking a ladycouple "so who's the guy in bed"? THAT'S using stereotypes, as well as being a nosy douche canoe. Having a preference for being the more "giving"/top versus the more "receiving"/bottom is just about comfort level, personality, and what you happen to like.

Isn't the top/bottom/switch thing a yaoi thing that people just kinda started using for het and yuri stories too? Despite not fully reflecting the reality of any of these?

One of main reasons I like yuri is that there are no rigid roles in relationship as well as in bed. That's why I'm always annoyed about the whole top/bottom thing, because to me it's just forcing het stereotypes where they're not needed. And sure you can have more passive and aggressive characters, but (hot) lesbian sex to me was always about both girls pleasing each other.

They aren't "het stereotypes", and suggesting that they are is actually a -sexist- stereotype. "Top" and "bottom" have nothing to do with male and female. I know plenty of heterosexual females who are dominant and males who are submissive and vice versa. It's just an aspect of the character's personalities, and fans are interested in understanding those things because they're fans. They argue about it because they argue about every aspect of the character's personality, because, again, they're fans.

If you're a switch, that's fine, that's who you are and what you like. Not everybody is the same.

Isn't the top/bottom/switch thing a yaoi thing that people just kinda started using for het and yuri stories too? Despite not fully reflecting the reality of any of these?

Not really. I mean, it's definitely an actual thing, like Shadesofgreymoon said. It's a bigger deal in the yaoi fandom because it's about who's pitching and who's catching, if you catch my drift. But everybody falls on a preference spectrum, ranging from "I need to be dominant"----->"I prefer being dominant"----->"I can go either way"----->"I prefer being submissive"----->"I need to be submissive".

People all the way at the ends are outliers, but they exist. Many people just kind of prefer one or the other, and some people literally just DGAF or even prefer going back and forth. It's all valid.

Soooooooooooooooooooo...
(looooooong post)
After lurking in the forum since the anime adaptation of the first half finished, and avidly reading every released chapter at least twice in various release formats and buying all the releases our gracious overlords at the publishing house in question have put forward...
I've finally decided to chip in on the conversation and created an account, because there's just so, so much I would like to say about this series, and I don't want my wife to be the only one to whom I can drone on about it.

Also, those were two horribly long sentences, but I really felt like doing that. I think it captures my current mood. I feel talkative. All my points are to be regarded as my own opinions, based on my limited knowledge of the respective subjects and genres. Please don't burn me at the stake. I also Won't be talking much yuri, because it's not something I focus on.

Bloom into You has been one hell of a ride for me. I saw great potential from the very first episode. Yeah, I'm from the anime side of things and don't usually read manga. To commit one more sin, I almost universally prefer English dubs, but then again, I'm German, so it's not my native language either and even the worst current English dubs are still leagues above most German dubs.
Once the season was over, YagaKimi instantly became my favourite anime of all time, despite being far from a completed story at the time. It did what I like best in anime, and did it better than pretty much any other show I've watched. Interpersonal relationships, displayed in a realistic manner, with no unnecessary and over-the-top drama.

Blastaar has repeatedly voiced my thoughts to perfection: What would happen next was usually rather predictable, because Nakatani was very thorough, methodical and consequent in her storytelling. All actors in the story behaved in a genuine fashion, consistent with their characterization, no one was unnecessarily duplicitous or capricious.

Most importantly I absolutely loved how directly points of conflict were addressed in a timely fashion. The characters didn't drag the lingering conflicts out, but did the smart thing and talked about their problems. They tried to understand the other by talking to them about the issues rather than letting it explode eventually.. WHAT A F*CKING NOVEL CONCEPT, RIGHT? (at least in anime at large, probably also novel in manga)

I have to slightly caveat my assessment of this not being a thing in anime: I confess that I've neither watched Clannad (and After Story) nor KareKano, so I am probably missing two milestones in that regard.

The next thing I absolutely loved was that they outright skipped the chase. It's been done to death, and until some show does it better than Toradora I'll be only moderately interested in it. Chapter/Episode one, boom, confession scene.
Chapter two, boom, first kiss. Sure, "it's complicated", but at least the "will they won't they" doesn't drag out as usual, with the characters being weirdly unaware of their feelings.
In YagaKimi it makes sense that they're unsure about their feelings, because the insecurities are strictly and plausibly based in their characters. Watching Touko and Yuu explore their feelings and what they really are to one another was truly marvelous.

The probably most important point that captured me was Yuu's confusion and realizarion what love meant for her. Simply because it wasn't all that different for me. Sure, I'd had crushes before I met my wife, but on her, I never had a crush . Like Yuu, I wanted a relationship, and was open to trying it with her. I've ben choosing to stay with her for over eleven years now. To me, it is kind of a religious thing in the original sense, if we assume the re-eligere - choosing repeatedly - etymology. Thus I found myself with the widest of grins whenever Yuu was unsure what she was feeling, because I was absolutely sure this was how she experienced love.

My wife and I don't ever use the word "love" for what we have, referring to each other kinda like "this one is mine, and I like that one". I'm making an exception to explain my personal connection to this series. It's nice to see a parallel here as well, although for us it's mostly that we found the phrase to have been overused so we no longer put much stock in the word.

Another thing that amazed me about Bloom into You is how the fact that romance always has a physical component: simple contact, kisses, cuddling and more. It was not ignored, and repeatedly touched on in the series. This latest chapter took it to its logical, and well deserved, conclusion, with passionate, loving sex.
I'm always baffled at the inane treatment of physicality in romantic media. It's either fanservice for comic relief, which can be fine occasionally, treated as too taboo to seriously engage with, or just played up for a cheap sex scene. Emphasis on the cheap. What we got was pretty darn amazing, because it can also be done right, and if the author pulls it off, it's marvelous.

I'll commit another sin here and say that this was probably the best thing about Sword Art Online, the mere fact that the main couple got together by the halfway point and actually got to be intimate with one another. I mean, they friggin CUDDLED! IN BED! PROBABLY IN THEIR BIRTHDAY SUITS! Say what you will about SAO as a whole, but the scenes in the house at the lake, save for Yui IMO, were amazing. I've also seen it done to near perfection in Anne Bishop's "Black Jewels" series of fantasy novels, which were a lot heavier on the sexual and erotic side of things, while never neglecting the emotional aspect of romance. That series is also probably my favourite piece of fiction ever.

Bloom into You isn't far off that mark, and given its context as a high school romance, it's pretty much as good as it can be without being hentai. To me, the most important ingredient to an amazing sex scene is the relationship of the characters. It can be expressed as internal monologue, as done here, or in the way they interact during sex. Communication is key, after all. Honestly I'd probably preferred if we'd gotten to partake in more of their interaction during their first time, but I don't think that could have been done within the confines of published manga that isn't "adults only". That rating probably varies a lot depending on what country you're in, though. "Futari Ecchi" is 16+ in Germany, after all, despite really being almost more than softcore hentai with an educational twist. (I just realized that it's listed as an ongoing series since 1997... sweet Jesus...) There's also the issue of limited time and space to tell the story, and I think the pages we had in #44 were used exceptionally well.

Chipping in on the old issue of Yuu top and Touko Powerbottom: I agree with the notion that, while fun, it's silly to assign roles to the characters based on our outside knowledge.
I'd like to differentiate the roles according to my perception. I'm normally top. That's just the way it is. My wife rarely actively takes charge. Part of that is because I'm the man, and I need to do most of the moving. But it's also because, while she gets utterly carried away in bed, I could probably solve complex linguistic problems during sex because I stay present and clear-minded. Thus I have the awareness and self-control to use my empathy to provide as much pleasure as possible to my partner. I love doing that, reading her reactions and doing exactly what's most effective, given the current state. Sure, it's nice if she takes charge once in a blue moon, but I mostly take pride in being able to really please her in all the right ways.
Thus I'd say that being "top" can also be a form of submission. Your partner's pleasure is the focus, you're not too worried about getting what you want yourself, that'll come naturally. What's important is providing the best possible experience for the partner, and that is your job as a top.

Have I mentioned how much I love this series?

I've recently started working as a translator/editor (English-German), and I've made it a personal project to create my own English edit of YagaKimi, more closely aligned with what Marissa Lenti did to the script of the English anime dub. I omit honorifics and rephrase several things from existing translations to be the way I'd want it to be. It's a matter of preference, and I happen to like it that way.

last edited at Aug 29, 2019 6:11PM

Isn't the top/bottom/switch thing a yaoi thing that people just kinda started using for het and yuri stories too? Despite not fully reflecting the reality of any of these?

Not really. I mean, it's definitely an actual thing, like Shadesofgreymoon said. It's a bigger deal in the yaoi fandom because it's about who's pitching and who's catching, if you catch my drift. But everybody falls on a preference spectrum, ranging from "I need to be dominant"----->"I prefer being dominant"----->"I can go either way"----->"I prefer being submissive"----->"I need to be submissive".

People all the way at the ends are outliers, but they exist. Many people just kind of prefer one or the other, and some people literally just DGAF or even prefer going back and forth. It's all valid.

I feel like pointing out that top/bottom and dom/sub are different concepts although they often intersect, i.e. tops are more likely to be dominant and bottoms are more likely to be submissive. But you can also have submissive tops and dominant bottoms. Top/bottom is just referring to who's doing the sexual act upon whom, while dom/sub is about who's controlling the scenario and pace.

This doesn't take away from your point that the top/bottom concept is not exclusive to heterosexual relationships. It's a way to describe sexual dynamics in all relationship types regardless of the genders involved.

The worst conversations on Dynasty are the ones consisting of generalizations about human behavior/culture. Those often deteriorate into hostility.

The best ones are the ones that make their points in terms of specific elements of the series that is the topic of discussion.

That doesn’t absolutely prevent the conversation from going wrong. But it helps.

The best ones are the ones that make their points in terms of specific elements of the series that is the topic of discussion.

This is true. I don't particularly care much for labeling characters as top/bottom or dom/sub or anything else. Although they are very much concepts that apply in real life to people of any gender and help a lot of LGBT folks communicate about their sexual preferences, I personally find the lexicon not useful.

I like that Yuu and Touko have struck a positive balance in their relationship after much personal growth, and whatever sexual life they go on to explore with each other I would hope they continue to foster that balance.