I can tell this is an unpopular opinion, but while Chie x Ai is my favorite couple in this series, Shizuka is my favorite character. She's complicated, and at times not a good person, but that's what makes her so interesting. In my opinion, a character isn't truly human until they do something that makes you hate them.

Despite how hard she's trying to be a good person and a good partner for Mio, she's still struggling to get over someone she loved so dearly in the past. This isn't easy for everyone, and it's clearly taking a huge emotional toll on her and, possibly soon, Mio as well. As much as I want to say she doesn't deserve Mio and that they should break up, I also want to see her talk to Mio about her problems so they can figure out how to work through them together. Given how much they love each other, I feel like they'd both be up to the challenge.

She's really well grounded! It's easy for her to remember the good times with Kaoru, who still clearly likes her. That's always going to be tempting when it feels like a safe fallback. And it's less scary than uncharted territory with Mio, which has already had a rocky start.

That's some hard shit to figure out in high school. Especially when she's gotten herself in a situation where there's no one to talk to about it that isn't one the involved parties.

That is a very perceptive and spot on observation. It is now obvious that Shizuka cannot move on from Koaru and cutting her hair is not going to do it. Every time she spends any time with Koaru, all the past resurfaces. Shizuka needs a good friend she can talk to about the situation, as you suggest.

last edited at Feb 18, 2020 2:44PM

I am expecting a season 2 of this beautiful masterpiece

Gosh and golly, I hope you are right. Want a season 2 anime so badly.

The last two chapters in this story are coming so the anime people will then know what they need to storyboard and animate.

These last chapters could be be somewhat lewd, but I am sure they will be very, very sweet and endearing.

"Bloom into You" is one of the very best romances, that I have had the pleasure to enjoy! Look forward to the ending but sad that it is!

"Bloom into You" is just too cute for words! and with only 2 more chapters to go, this is going to be interesting, to say the least.
But this seems to be the first time for both, so it might take most of the night to find it (CH 44) and the next day to figure out what to do with it! (CH 45) and then the curtain comes down. (All this just to hold hands!)
" "Bloom into You" is a Romance that actually feels romantic!" - IamAsian So very true!

Nakatani you better give sayaka a gf before this ends or so help me-

Feel your pain and share your feelings for Sayaka, but with only 3 chapters to go, I don't think it's going to happen!
No single is in sight except for Koyomi, and she likes them older. But when Touko and Sayaka go off to the University together, who knows?

This chapter I like. I wonder if there will be enough time for addressing issues with parents.

Same here. I had been hoping like many on this blog for a coming out, but with only 3 more chapters, I don't see how
Ms Nakatani could handle the drama that would ensue.

Perhaps some sort of romantic bedroom scene but I wouldn't think it too explicit.

And in any case, this is, after all, a High School romance, and we all know how those survive going away to college, especially should Touko and Sayaka apply to the same university! And room together? Yikes!

"Bloom into You" has been a wonderful story in just about every sense.

There is very little Romance in Hentai. There is a great deal of Romance in Yuri.
If you know the difference, and the distinction, then you know where Ms. Nakatani
appears to be taking her story. Previously she has explored Falling In Love, and
Courtship (The Bloom into You). Ms. Nakatani now looks to be heading into
the subject of what it means to be a Romantic Pair. This is a wonderful
storyteller!

Because of the confusion created about the (Doujima X Koyomi) issue, I
went back and have reread Bloom, and I think I now understand what
has happened.

When on another Yuri blog, someone mentioned the pairing, either
seriously or as a joke. I then went onto Dynasty Scans, and Blastaar
on Mar 1, 2019, 10:21 pm, mentioned in jest, the same pairing.
Well, where there is smoke there must be fire type of thing, so I
assumed that there must be something to it all.

But after rereading Bloom, I realized the nuances of Ms. Nakatani's
writing, and that I had totally failed to pick up on many subtle
relationships going on in this story.

In 15.1 Doujima apparently recruits Akari to supervise the 200 m dash.
In 15.12, Akari reports in, and Doujima thanks her and then both
leave to return to their respective groups. In walking away, Doujima
sees in 15.13 that Akari is going to sit down with Koyomi, and you
can tell the emotions involved by the 4 surprise dots drawn next to
his face. So Doujima goes over to them ostensibly to talk with
Koyomi who he knows. But this is not what is going on at all.
It is clear that Doujima is interested in Akari, not Koyomi. This is
probably where the mix up starts.

Well poor Doujima is kinda jerky, and clueless, so he immediately
makes a sexist remark, which brings the scorn of Koyomi upon his head,
that he is shallow, and Akari just burns a stare into him.

But the mood passes.

Then much later in 27.14, the basketball captain confesses to Akari,
that she and Oogaki-senpai have been going together since Freshman
year. Akari now knows that Oogaki-senpai lied to her when she confessed
to him. She runs out in tears but is stopped by Yuu and Doujima, who
attempt to comfort her. Akari tells them what has happened, and
Doujima gets really angry, and is going to find Oogaki and have it
out with him.

Doujima then says one of the most significant lines in Bloom,
"Telling someone you love them is never wrong!". The dude nailed it!

Akari and Yuu stop him, because Doujima is wrong about Oogaki.
The captain, his girlfriend, did not want to publicize their
relationship. So had Oogaki told the truth to Akari, he would have
broken faith with his girlfriend's wishes. Instead he says, that he
wants to concentrate on Basketball which probably has some truth.

Then Akari thanks Doujima. You need to look at page 27.18 and the
look on Doujima's face drawn with two big lines to the right!
Priceless!

Then in 39.4 Akari tells Yuu she is going bowling with the Basketball
Club, and then later in 39.7 Maki says that Doujima told him that he
was going bowling with the Basketball Club. Humm, the glop thickens!

And Yuu in 39.8 says that she can see (Doujima X Akari).

I realized that I had not been paying close enough attention to
Ms. Nakatani's writing which can get very subtle, just like in real
life. Bloom is really and truly a great piece of Romance, and
Yuu is also right about Doujima; jerky and clueless as he is, Yuu sees
what I did not, that the guy has a solid core of right and wrong.
Doujima is a decent fellow. Mea Culpa for all my harsh words. I take
them all back.

last edited at May 5, 2019 10:55PM

No, I would agree with you, (Renma Hayashi X Koyomi Kanou) would be a wonderful pairing! Its just that I would be sad to lose her.

Have read CH40 five times now, and it just gets better with each reading. It must be made out of solid heavy kawaii metal feels! Ms Nakatani has said that Bloom will end in November. She has been putting out a chapter per month, so perhaps 6 more chapters to the finish. Many loose ends to tie together. Poor Sayaka. While she has Rich Girl syndrome especially in talking down to Yuu, she is a remarkable character, pure, steadfast and true, devoted to her love. I hope Ms Nakatani gives her the happiness that she deserves. Now rumors in Bloom Fandom put (Suguru Doujima X Koyomi Kanou) together. If Doujima so much as puts a little finger on my girl Koyomi, I propose we put together a posse, sit down with Mr. Doujima, and make him an offer he can't refuse.

Eh, the idea of the original idea barely resembling the final strikes pretty close to home, I think. You have an initial idea, and sometimes that can be pretty awful, and then you stick with it and it kinda turns into something.

Well, sure—in the The Lord of the Rings, the character of Strider was originally a hobbit in wooden shoes named Trotter. But the point for our purposes here is that authorial intention can be pretty elusive even when the author is willing to say (which they notoriously rarely are), and sometimes the author is only marginally more qualified to interpret their own work than anybody else.

Exactly right. Sometimes the artist has no idea what his/her art means. Art is not created by formula no matter how hard Hollywood tries.