That last line took me aback. I don't know how Nakatani keeps on doing it, single sentences which convey boundless feelings. Also it says something that Akyuu read enough of Kosuzu's book to be able to criticize it so thoroughly.

Most meta thing I got out of this was noticing the author has a solid head canon for the Human Village and interactions between Akyuu, Keine, Mokou, and others. Fanworks which take on a life of their own really can become capable of rivaling the original.

@Norainhere, there's almost guaranteed to be a couple. https://en.touhouwiki.net/wiki/ZUN%27s_AWA_Q%26A_Panel Based off of this panel, he's come across a few which were good enough to make him jealous.

This doujin makes me think of the parallels between it and the writer-fan parody chapter in Yagate Kimi.

last edited at Dec 16, 2017 1:52AM

Sorry to butt in on a very long and thoughtful conversation which I enjoyed reading a lot.

Don't apologize for adding your opinions. :p New thoughts are always welcome.

I just wanted to add my two cent in regards to Touko's Stubborness, I honestly think her self hatred stems more from the survivors guilt then incompetence.

There was a minor discussion about this a while ago. The end summary of all that amounted to survivor's guilt probably does play a part, but there's no doubt her inferiority complex existed before too, and in terms of how it affects her now, there's no indication direct survivor's guilt is a main motivator. Main evidence against that being true is how her parents literally say she doesn't have to try so hard being like Mio but she brushes them off.

Blastaar's Dec. 6, 2017 post covers the rest.

last edited at Dec 9, 2017 8:08PM

Geez Haniwa really likes Utena. This is the second Utena reference I've seen, after randomly choosing four of their doujins to read. The shadowy girls scene is a bit too on the nose lol.

I liked it though, the entire story. I have not read Inaba of the Moon and Earth, so Reisen's not a character I'm deeply familiar with. It's a story which tries to connect to Imperishable Night though and I think it succeeds.

This same confrontation can have a bit more tension & even act as the climax if Touko's stubbornness causes Yuu to resort to emotional appeal, maybe unintentionally. Like, having Touko tries to dismiss/argue against Yuu's plea which causes Yuu to have the most hurt expression (similar to the one in ch 22) or have a mini breakdown before Touko while giving out the same speech. (...) Anyway, it all boils down to me wanting something more resemblance of a climax, more emotionally intense like ch 10 & 22, before the story wraps up

That sounds a bit more like having tension for the sake of tension and not because Touko would be canonically bull-headedly stubborn. For reasons I'll get to later, I don't see Touko as being stubborn, as if it's just that easy to throw away all your preconceptions of self/lack of self to accept what others tell you. In addition, Touko does try to dismiss Yuu's plea, that's what page 20 is, and we see Yuu's response is to point out something which is undeniably true.

I actually thought this chapter was very emotional. Yuu rehashes a similar argument to one she's used before, but with a clearer and clearer emphasis that other people's feelings and love are directed at Touko herself, not a mask, not a shell, not the figure of a person who Touko has worked to make exist but doesn't believe is hers. Yuu's final appeal is not logical, it is all emotional. "Please... Don't disregard what you've been given" is powerful not because she reasons out why Touko should do this, but because it is Yuu's wish. Pg 21, left panel, Touko, staring at Yuu, mouth slightly parted, sees how important this is to Yuu, even if she doesn't understand why. She sees the intensity with which Yuu means everything she's said. That page gives me chills.

I would say every volume ends with a major change/revelation and in that regard, this volume is no different. Just comparing chapter 10 and 28, it's obvious how much Touko has changed.

Touko still has doubts, she hasn't changed yet, she hasn't accepted people's feelings yet, she hasn't admitted her way of thinking is wrong and she hasn't said "I deserved and want to be loved" yet. (...) Yuu's talk is more like a beginning, is just Touko more open to listen opinions different than hers. (...) On the negative side, if only Yuu's talk was enough to make Touko change, then I will be disappointed, because being realistic, it's needed way more than that to make someone as stubborn as her change. Ofc it's only speculation so far, we'll see how volume 6 turns out to be.

I think this is far more realistic, to have a talk be an opening for her to edge towards the possibility, and the change being initiated by her later. Change on the scale of accepting people's feelings or outright admitting she was 'wrong' indeed haven't come yet, but just the fact that she is unsure is already a big change. It means both her past and the new way of thinking could be true. The practice run-through depicted right after Yuu's wish shows Touko doesn't reject that line "but now I know that was wrong" as she did before, even if she doesn't know how to feel about it.

From the way people have been using 'stubborn' in describing Touko, I always get the impression the implication is Touko rejects the healthy way of thinking because she's being unreasonable. I don't think she rejects it because she's unreasonable, but because she can't see any other way. She can't see how it could be true. This is where Touko being driven by emotions comes in. There's a great big ball of hollowness inside her, a void lacking any substance or worth. Everything about her is detestable. Her emptiness, her insecurity are reasons to hate who she is. If people like her it's just because they don't know what she's really like. If people compliment her they're complimenting who she is on the outside, a facade. Who would compliment an empty shell? A lingering memory of fearful incompetence?

The point of this is not to be depressing or argue Touko would need to be shaken up severely to feel differently. It just illustrates how her view colors the ideas others present to her. Touko doesn't 'stay' this way because she wants to but because she feels she has to. Becoming her sister was that outlet, but she's known for a long time it's a hollow pursuit too. Volume 5 shows Touko being trapped, internally and then externally. She's more confused and frustrated than anything.

Volume 5 also shows Touko and Yuu's relationship developing, courtesy of Yuu, which is a counterweight to Touko's struggle and the lead-up for the volume's conclusion making sense. Touko essentially goes to Yuu for answers and comfort. Of course it's not exactly as she wanted, but it's something.

Except from Rei-chan and her boyfriend, of course. Seriously, she's so cool and straightforward, just like imouto-san. She's lowkey shipping it, too. https://imgur.com/a/BywnH

That collage reminds me, I wonder if Touko will ever get around to making Yuu her cheesecake.

Anyone else get the feeling that this story won't end with the "happy ending" that most people will want? Something tells me that at the end of it all, Yuu will reject Touko.

Yes, all that yuri baiting and those plot twist doujins can make you into one cynical mess... Let's just hope for the best but prepare for the worst

Are you talking about Nakatani? Because her previous stuff doesn't have that type of stuff

Nakatani is the the furthest from yuri baiting or plot twister that you can get.

Nice, pretty interesting results. I'm really interested in the fact that Utena was in top 5 for non-heterosexual women/nonbinary but didn't even register for men. With all of the swords and action and prince stuff, I thought it would be more known/favorited. In the Rose Garden has some really dedicated male fans too. shrug

Surprised to see Flip Flappers on the list for males. I hadn't even thought about it when filling the survey out. Same for Sakura Trick.

I never thought before that heterosexual males made up the majority of the yuri fanbase, I'd always assumed it would be females. I am slightly surprised there's such a low number of heterosexual women, but plurality of demographics being non-straight women with substantial amount of non-binary people was very satisfying to see.

Great results, thank you Zeria for conducting the survey. :) Hope in the future there's a way of eliminating more selection biases.

This mangaka really likes drawing shiny shoes.

In other news,

And when that stranger claimed to be sleeping with Yuunagi and living in her home, he just runs away with his tail between his legs.
Touka is the worst bodyguard ever.

Well I doubt he was thinking of confronting Rin for Yuu's sake. He did say it was her private life, and even while he was prying into it he knew it wasn't any of his business.

Doesn't really make sense, does it? Even for manga parents this is weird. "I'm not leaving a teen entirely alone. So let's come up with an arrangement where afterwards two teens are alone. Brilliant plan."

It makes some mild sense since they've known each other for a while? I thought of it as he got the house when starting high school, so it's less "look after my daughter and you get a place to stay" but "you need to sleep somewhere, so have this house, and while you're at it, look out for Yuu". It's not made clear when/what the arrangement was anyway.

Rin is 90% of the comedy in this manga, I love it. He sort of reminds me of Gintama, in expressions and appearance but with more flirting and less swords.

last edited at Dec 1, 2017 4:29PM

Seems like this series is wrapping, though. I'd say maybe another 5-10 chapters? Unless the author pulls a fast one and extends this to friggin' 50 chapters somehow, but tbh, I kind of don't want that. YagaKimi is one of those few mangas where I wouldn't be upset if it ended in the next 5-10 chapters simply because it's already that good of a story.

I might be wrong but I think there's just one volume left. The Seven Seas website lists five volumes, and we're at the end of the fourth. Bloom was definitely meant to have a finite length.

Chapter 28 marks the end of volume 5. Someone should edit the chapters section on this site. Also, Seven Seas and Amazon list 5 volumes because that's the number so far, they can't put like "10 volumes" since I think not even Nakatani knows how many volumes there will be at the end. So far neither Nakatani, her editor or Dengeki Daioh have said volume 6 (the next one) is the last (hopefully not, there are still things to see, ending it with Touko and Yuu becoming a couple would feel sooo bad). I want to see them dating and see my waifu Yuu as a gf ( I bet she would be cute af).

Oh that's a surprise. I was actually expecting things to end relatively soon after the cultural festival occurred. I'm not sure I want it to continue until every possible plot point has been fully addressed or just to see Touko and Yuu be cute together. With how much this play has been built up, I would be disappointed if it didn't lead to a resolution. The play was introduced first chapter of volume 2. 4/5 of the story so far has revolved around it.

I realized this a while ago, but something I love about YagaKimi is that it makes yuri deeper than it usually is. Not that pure fluff, etc. stories are bad, they're my guilty pleasure, but this grand scale yuri just isn't usually done. Utena is the best example which pops to mind. They draw in so many elements of story telling and character development, powerful themes and relationships which transcend conventional cliches of romance and resonate more powerfully for it.

I want to see that powerful story begin and end as it should, with a clear purpose and idea behind it. Knowing that it exists because two women loved each other only makes the satisfaction sweeter. We've got popular works, shows, songs, poems, classics and epics galore about heterosexual love and the humanness behind it; I want more involving gay people. That really shouldn't be too much to ask for.

Seems like this series is wrapping, though. I'd say maybe another 5-10 chapters? Unless the author pulls a fast one and extends this to friggin' 50 chapters somehow, but tbh, I kind of don't want that. YagaKimi is one of those few mangas where I wouldn't be upset if it ended in the next 5-10 chapters simply because it's already that good of a story.

I might be wrong but I think there's just one volume left. The Seven Seas website lists five volumes, and we're at the end of the fourth. Bloom was definitely meant to have a finite length.

I'm happy with this chapter.

I love that one panel on page 22 where Yuu clasps Touko's hand as if in prayer, in supplication. She closes her eyes too. It conveys so much desire and hope for a wish. On the topic of emotional panels, page 16's "no" has a similar layout to another scene in one of Nakatani's Touhou doujins, Silver Fire.

I like that there's a distinction between trying to be like her sister and actually being her sister's copy. Touko describes herself as a shell while we all see her drive and attempts at perfection as part of who she is. Yuu sums it up; it's not trying to become her sister that's inherently an issue but what it's motivated by - thinking there is nothing else to her worth being. I don't think Touko is stubborn in her rejection of other possibilities, not if you look at it from her end. She genuinely doesn't believe any other way is possible, because of how she's always thought of herself, and that's what Yuu penetrates for the first time in this chapter.

Touko's desires keep evolving: "I want to be my sister" "I want to kiss you" "I want to put on this play" "I want to stay in love with you" and finally "I want to believe in Yuu." This marks the turning point, with Touko being receptive to change. It's her least self-centered desire yet and the only one which shows she'll try to accept others' help. It's sort of interesting seeing things from another person's end, one that's opposite my own. Like I always wanted help but didn't believe I deserved it, while Touko doesn't want help in a way, the love others have given her, because she doesn't believe she deserves it, that it's for her. That's something else which Yuu also breaks down, that "everyone's feelings... all of it is meant for you and you alone."

I think Yuu might have found it hard to say no, if only because she wants that kiss too, but her conviction and straightforward honesty is what I've found most admirable about her. She really turned out different from how I thought she would be based on the first couple chapters. I didn't think she would be this... strong.

Every time I see a new chapter uploaded I go into mild fits of excitement. I'm looking forward to the new Touko. Bloom Into You has become one of my standards for complex characters with "negative" and "positive" traits/moments equally balanced and who make decisions more because of who they are rather than what the plot requires.

This chapter was saaaaaaad. Mostly the last couple pages, with parallel Yuu and Touko frames, looking "away" from each other, left and right respectively. Might have been coincidence, but that captured the mood quite well.

First time I read the last line, I thought Touko wanted Yuu to help her. Second time I read it, it occurred to me she might be accusing Yuu of not helping her. For now I'm leaning towards thinking the former is true, based on the side blurb. Maybe they're both true. It satisfies me that Touko is thinking about this seriously, probably having already re-read the lines tens of times to have already memorized them, and going through them again at the end.

I had some personal experience with the self hatred thing recently, after a friend talked to me about it. o: Thinking about how they felt, I'm thinking Touko can't possibly want to hate herself. It's just that there's no other option. Seems like. Being empty is scary. Being no one, to not exist, of no consequence is scary, if you're aware that there's another possibility. Touko's solution has being to go for that possibility. But we see how much she enjoys being herself too, because maybe that fills the hole more than an imitation. The funny thing is her stubborn determination in erasing herself is another characteristic which is hers alone. So the conflict here is between which "her" she is able to believe in the most. The perfect side or the emerging one, which can't be seen in such black and white terms as weak/perfect.

I said before I thought that her weak side didn't exist anymore, only as a driver for her internal hate. Maybe that's wrong and that is the threshold which she has let no one see. For some reason I don't really think her moments of weakness with Yuu are the deepest they can go. I don't think her hate for herself is the whole story. I really want her to say why she hates herself in her own words. If she were willing to admit it, she definitely would figure it out. She probably already knows.

Quite curious as to why that particular cover was used for this chapter. Touko hiding a weak side / some knowledge buried deep is the only thing I can come up with which makes sense in the context of this chapter.

This gave me chills, and not just because it's getting colder here. These are such complex and realistic emotions. Holding onto someone for who you want them to be, the importance of another despite all the lies and half-truths in the way- I can't even, so much is going on in this doujin. Roughly 250 pages worth of material-! It's a freaking manga book.

I need to reread this to give it the proper time to sink in. The art was gorgeous, the pacing perfect, and I love that all of the characters are so mature without being melodramatic. I'm so glad Yuyuko never wavered in her sense of self even after finding out she technically originated as a shell.

I'm currently at a loss for words and all I know is my heart hurts, but I'm also hopeful for where the three of them are headed. Upon re-examination, the title is spot on and evocative.

This is... it's rare to see doujins which tell a whole story. I've never seen such a bleak depiction of Reimu's role either. Major props for the artistic use of black boxes. When I went through those panels the first time, they gave me a weird feeling, like something wasn't quite right with the scene, but I didn't think there was so much being covered up.

I feel the ending was a tad abrupt and the shift in Reimu desperately trying to cope to accepting help wasn't conveyed well enough. But everything else, it made me really sad for her.

I've been a bit busy, I should release my summary within the next week or so. What I'll say for now is that women made up a plurality and that the majority of people weren't straight.

Sounds good, and not unexpected!

But I have always assumed that, since immediately before that line Yuu mentions her desire to “stay by [Touko’s] side,” it was a foreshadowing of the shift from “I love you even though you don’t love me back” to “I’ll continue to love you only if you don’t love me back,” which is the weird and toxic emotional blackmail that makes this series so fundamentally unsettling.

Yeah, I might just be taking that line out of context and retroactively placing undue significance on it. I always forget the beginning started with a completely different set of expectations. Chapter 10 could have been the fulfillment of that prophecy.

So, in order to be with Touko, Yuu had to give up love.

If that is the case though, if it's an ongoing condition, then what does it mean now that Yuu certainly does love Touko?

I can't shake the feeling it's meant to be a very poignant statement, something cutting to the heart of the story, because it's the only instance I can think of where the flow of linear time is broken for future Yuu to chime in. For that same reason, I would also expect it to apply to the end of the story, since I wouldn't imagine chapter 10 Yuu would stop and think, "5 chapters ago I didn't know I would have to give up something to stay with Touko."

Going back to the question, I would think of two possibilities.

Assuming what she says is meant to have larger implications and that what she had to give up was loving another, because she will almost certainly not give up her love for Touko, she will no longer be by Touko's side by the end.

Second possibility. Maybe the meaning of the statement could change, at first referencing Touko's selfish desire to have Yuu all to herself, and ultimately encapsulating Yuu's (relatively) selfless love. I could imagine a more-broken or simply confused Touko with no idea of where to go next (after the climactic event) still being approached by Yuu and the impact that would have. It would be a really cheesy ending if the moral of the story turned out to be "love conquers all", but I could see something similar happening. If that were the case, then what Yuu hadn't realized yet in chapter 5 would be what love actually is. That to be with someone and love them, you will have to sacrifice, you will have to give up your time and energy, compromise, be willing to dedicate yourself.

I mean the entire launching point of Yagate Kimi ni Naru was Yuu not knowing what love is. She reaches for the projected stars first, then holds the projector itself in her hands, and perhaps soon she'll find the light that is the actual source of those stars.

Touko is an unhealthy mess, and in real life people cannot be saved with love, but often it can be a tipping point. To me at least, this makes thematical and narrative sense.

Third possibility, I'm overthinking this and it was only meant as a dramatic teaser for the second volume. XD

For a couple of updates now, I've been thinking about what Yuu says at the very end of chapter 5: "At that time, I still hadn't realized that I would have to give up something in order to [stay by her side]." Those are actually the most ominous words I can think of in the entire series, because up until this point, I don't believe they have yet to pass. From how I read it, it seems Yuu will be faced with a sacrifice to stay with Touko, which in essence means doing something to prevent Touko from ever reaching a point of no return in regard to her trapped mindset. It also suggests she will make that sacrifice.

The problem is, this plot point is the one that seems to have the least to no foreshadowing. We have seen Yuu have to hold back her feelings in order to not drive Touko away, but those sort of subtle actions don't merit such a blunt and blatantly important statement. As far as I can wrack my brains, nothing else has hinted at this development either.

Anybody have thoughts on this?

Because she hates herself.

But why exactly does she hate herself, and which "self" is it that she hates?

There's what Yuu calls in Chapter 10 "your weak side and your perfect side," which together are what Touko says Yuu accepts: "all of me."

But we actually have:
1) "original Touko": shy, hiding behind her sister.
2) "perfect Touko," which she thought was an imitation of Mio Mk.2, but now has learned is not, at least not entirely.
3) "real Touko": the both sides that Yuu accepts

Interesting point, which I'd never thought about. I always assumed the self she hated was her real self. I don't think "original Touko" exists anymore although she definitely detests who she used to be. And if she hates "perfect Touko", it would be because it's only an extension of her real self.

She just hates everything about herself, you know? Past and present.

Her failing to be her sister, her having no real identity (in her POV), her sister identity is not her own, & the fact she can't escape from her original identity. All these things are the flaws she finds in her existence.

That sums up everything I could have ever wished to say and more that I never thought of. The biggest irony I see about her situation is despite doing everything she can to be flawless, to feel a type of redemption in dedicating her life to becoming Mio, she has never stopped hiding behind another person's shadow.

In fact, she should have died instead.

But in that scene it's clear that the mom asks someone to go to the store, and Touko's scissors beat Mio's paper (in our family we used to flip a coin to decide which kid would run out for milk/bread).

There's definitely guilt there, but there's a subtle but significant difference in degree between "It could have just as easily been me" and "It was supposed to be me, but I refused to go."

I think it doesn't matter if she had won or lost the rock, paper, scissors match, the self-loathing would be the same. Her hatred for herself molds her view of the event, not the other way around. All that matters to her is Mio died when she should have, because her life was/is worthless compared to her sister's.

A note to the uploaders/scanlators, you guys are awesome thanks so much for bringing this wonderful manga to Japanese-illiterate people like me. :D

That's not what she means. The Japanese phrasing is clear: she thinks she'd be pathetic if she were to obstruct Yuu. She thinks what Yuu is doing is good, she wasn't brave enough herself to risk doing something similar, she had a chance to stop Yuu by siding with Touko, but she thinks it would wrong to stop Yuu doing it.

See above. Yeah, it does make a lot more sense, especially if you take her confession to Yuu at the end of the chapter. I thought it was kind of unusual for her to just blurt that out of nowhere. So it was a mistranslation, then?

Mistranslation, her saying "...And who am I to interfere? I wouldn't stoop that low."? Nah, I think it makes the point pretty clear, since right before she's talking about how she was afraid and Yuu stepped in when she didn't. So she's saying she wouldn't be "low" enough, ie. keep supporting Touko's ideal out of her own self-interest in not being rejected, to interfere with Yuu's attempt to change Touko. So yes she was selfish, but she knows it, and she chooses to side with Yuu despite it.

Back in ch 23, I was thinking the same, that the suicide imageries are more just narrative reminder of the weight of Touko's problem and are more symbolic in nature than actually depicting her starting to harbor suicidal thoughts. But my opinion is kinda shifting with this chapter due to the event that happened in it as well as that ominous last page with yet another suicide imagery.

Assuming the translation is accurate, I'm grasping onto the blurb on the last page, since it only says Touko's mind is clouded with "doubt" and not despair. Touko rejecting the changed play was expected from the very beginning, suicidal thoughts or not, since it is true she doesn't see another way out from her self-imposed cage. However, Yuu has already tried two times to tell her not being like her sister is fine and the second time went marginally better than the first. Although now I'm going to provide evidence against my own opinion. I just remembered in chapter 10, Touko says she would rather die than be told people might like her better as herself. As foreshadowing, that would be way too relevant.

I think Yuu currently is the only person who could be a catalyst for Touko. She and anything related to Mio are the only people who have been shown to have any effect on her. But I worry about what something like Yuu breaking down would show. Touko's commandment to not fall in love with her still stands, not to mention it was made explicit Yuu came up with the revised play.

There is symbolism behind Touko's feelings towards Yuu, as stated in the aquarium chapter. They're a reflection of her acceptance of and willingness to hold onto herself, separate from Mio, and her development of her own personality. There is so much tension or drama currently because those feelings and her clinging to her reality have both been increasing. But you know, another theme which has been consistent in this work is that the trajectories our lives have been following don't have be the end all be all and our feelings and actions can always change. Yuu and Touko start that off; Touko doing a 180 to pursue Yuu instead of being pursued, and Yuu never having fallen in love to now being genuinely in love. Then there's Sayaka never rocking the boat to now firmly stand against Touko's wishes. Riko-sensei preferring men, yet dating Miyako. Koyomi being shaken by the revelation her favorite author wasn't who she expected them to be like, but using that to further drive her passion for writing.

In my experience, people look to death when the path they see ahead of them seems unbearable and, more importantly, unchanging, even though that's often not true. If Touko blooming into Mio was her starting trajectory, then I believe enough has changed, enough has happened to her through the course of the "play" for her to make a new decision. Like I already said before, I cannot see a satisfying ending where Touko does not change, for the exact same reason Yuu gave for why Koyomi's original script didn't feel right. It could also be said stories don't have to be satisfying, but well, that's going to be a hard sell to turn out brilliant work for years just so it can crash at the very end.

It's so hard to say, because other people can do everything they want, but in the end it's up to Touko to choose. People can do surprising things, and Nakatani writes people well.

Well, speculation is fun but guess we'll have to wait and see.

If this series doesn't get a good anime adaptation, I am going to cry.

I know right, they've already made a PV and the voice actors were pretty good. Citrus got an anime adaptation for goodness sake, and that has so much less complexity and so much more melodrama compared to Yagate Kimi ni Naru. Well on the other hand maybe that's what other people like. XD To each their own.

last edited at Oct 1, 2017 1:49PM

Thank goodness there was no drama. (Not that it would make sense for Nakatani to add any in.)

I am massively frustrated at how modern internet has perverted the classic literary terms. "Drama" is what this manga is all about -- the best kind of drama in fact, the believable, human, character-driven one. Please don't say that this manga has "no drama" when you, in fact, mean "melodrama" and "poorly written and unnecessary complications".

Haha I'll keep that in mind.

Well, there's one thing that's been on my mind: the possibility of Touko's suicide. I kinda doubt this is the route the story is taking, but damn, her emotional & mental state right now is so unstable, if you just consider her character alone without the whole picture of the story, she honestly is someone who is at the brink of doing it.

I was thinking about this and had the horrifying realization that if Touko died, it would mirror her sister's life perfectly. For a variety of reasons, meta and in-story, I don't believe Touko will actually die, but since suicide has been brought up, one route I could see the story going is Touko attempting suicide and failing. Looking at that possibility positively, it could mean she has completed attempting to be her sister and broken out of that cycle in the most decisive way possible, staying alive when her sister is dead, her life fully her own.

Even so, while there has been death and 'future less train' imagery, I don't see Touko as having that much of a desire to die or a lack of will to live. What Yuu and Koito discuss here, is clearly applicable to not just the play but also this story. If Touko does not "make her decision based on what happens to her throughout the course of this play", if "her life during the timeframe of the play meant nothing", I think that would be a wholly unsatisfying ending.

I am worried about her possibly feeling trapped, because no one supports her twisted ideal now and trapped animals/people tend to be the most desperate. But she is contemplating this turn of events seriously. That could mean she will imagine what it is like to play this new role and maybe she'll find it's not as impossible or undesirable as she feels it is. A trial run potentially.

For Sayaka, I'm very happy I was wrong about her keeping the status quo and going along with what Touko wants. The manner in which she acts is very noble too, admitting she was afraid, she didn't act when she could have, and "who am I to interfere?" I don't see any love rivalry going on with her confession; it's the answer to why she agreed to use the new script and an acknowledgement that Yuu is motivated by the same reason.

Yuu is the best. No more needs be said.

Seriously though, if Bloom into You turns into a tragedy, I am going to cry.

OH MY GODDDDDD, HYPE. This is going to get good.

I respect Sayaka even more now.

Thank goodness there was no drama. (Not that it would make sense for Nakatani to add any in.)

More thoughts after my midterm is finished.

I have no idea how things will end but I'm still hopeful and at this point I completely trust Nakatani to take us on the ride.

Any updates on stats?

https://twitter.com/yagakimi/status/911803737584295936

Well guys, guess who's wearing their strap to school?

Haha oh it's starting.

Really like Reimu's impassive eyes. Shading is quite unique.

Is it really abandoned? I want to see the last part. :( It's such a good, long and well-developed story.

last edited at Sep 12, 2017 9:52PM

"And then, there were none"

I didn't get Flandre's line of reasoning at all, but anyway that quote is gold.