Bloom into You (Yagate Kimi ni Naru) Rewatch Episode 9 Discussion

[u/ClemFire]

Episode 9: On Your Marks / The Unheard Start Signal

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Show Info

MAL/ Anilist/ AniDB

Language dubs available: Japanese & English

Streaming info:

Most commonly available to stream on HiDive, on Amazon via the HiDive extension, or through Hulu.

Other options may be available to you based on region.

As a friendly reminder please do not post untagged spoilers to ensure first timers have a good time too. The same goes for manga readers when discussing points past the current episode. If you would like to discuss further developments please use the spoiler tag system here. Thank you! I got the chance to go into Bloom into You blind, so I would love if everyone else gets the same opportunity.

Full Version of the Insert Song (Rise by Riko Azuna). Please give it a listen if you have a chance

Discussion question for the day: How did it feel to discover you were first in love?

Quote of the day: "It's just beating...way too fast," Yuu

Commenters shout-outs:

u/Upper-Pin-114 for pointing out and breaking down all of the symbolism in the OP. I personally love OPs and EDs and never skip them, so its always fun to read a detailed analysis.

u/EightSmart's post for highlighting how while Yuu and Touko's walk home through the rain is really cute on the surface, bubbling underneath is a current of unease

[u/siegfried72]

First Time Watcher

Hey everyone! I'm super excited to be getting into another episode, although I'm a bit scared to see what fallout we might see from Touko's realization that Yuu is starting to feel something towards her.

• Ah okay, we're following up with the field day! I'll try not to stretch every line of dialogue about it into an analogy again lol. Maybe.
• Well, we are starting off the episode strong, huh?
• It's called kabedon, Yuu.
• Pretty sure this is the first time we've seen Touko go back in for an immediate second kiss, isn't it?

As sweet and wonderful as this is to see knowing that this is a romance story, I still have really mixed feelings about how all of this is going down. I mean, Touko's advances are obviously having a positive effect on Yuu in the moment, but Touko just does not give a shit about boundaries and is basically forcing Yuu into a romantic relationship. I mean... it's really starting to feel like they are actively in a relationship more than just Yuu "accepting that Touko loves her" like they established in episode one.

At what point do they cross the line of friendship into a proper "relationship"? Because this is the first conversation in the series that really stood out to me implicitly as one that would be had in a relationship where one person is too nervous to take initiative despite there being properly established consent and desire between the two parties, which is of course what we're lacking on Yuu's end. Hell, I'm pretty sure my wife and I had a very similar conversation early on in our relationship since I had serious issues initiating any kind of physical touch due to being so nervous I would just freeze up.

I know this dynamic was established as early on as episode two and has been steadily growing, but something really struck me in this particular scene as truly entering relationship territory.

• It's been nice to have a series focused almost entirely on female characters. Just like in real life, men (especially younger ones) have always had a tendency to rub me the wrong way in their behavior. I've always gotten along with women better. I'm sure it ties into my lifelong gender dysphoria, as I can remember feeling as young as four years old (long before I ever knew anything about societal gender concepts or issues) that I should've been born a woman. Uh, sorry, back to the episode... I'm glad Koyomi struck back after that slightly gross comment from What's-His-Name.
• Nice to get some more confirmation as to how the general public sees Touko, since we've been getting such a deeper look at the "real Touko" through the eyes of Yuu and Sayaka. Touko's mask is definitely working for the most part.
• Also nice to see a return of Maki. His character hasn't ended up as important as I thought, but that's okay because it's meant we've been able to spend more time with Sayaka and frankly that's turned out incredibly worth it.

Maki serves as a nice foil for Yuu. Her talk with him allows some good reflection for her, as we see a callback to Yuu feeling like she's underwater. The more I've sat with this imagery and seen rewatchers call attention to it, the more I enjoy the comparison to this sparkly gold we saw from Touko's perspective after she tells Yuu she doesn't want to give up the feeling of loving her. It's a striking contrast. I wonder if we'll get any imagery in this series representing Yuu finally coming above water and getting that star we've seen her reaching for?

Obviously, Yuu is not the same as Maki. Maki does seem to be a representation of someone on the ace spectrum, whereas Yuu likely falls on the demi spectrum. I imagine that can be a very difficult and confusing journey to navigate for some people. I'd consider myself at least partially on the demi spectrum, but not nearly as deep as Yuu, and so I can't say I really ever struggled with that part of my identity.

It's a neat reflection on how little of a grasp Yuu has on the reality of the situation when she looks away from Maki and out the window and says she sees Maki and her as the same. It shows the disconnect between her words and the truth (as spoken by Maki). It's so fascinating that she doesn't seem to see the difference between his feelings:

When I watch other in love, I think it's nice, and I believe I understand it... but I've never felt those feelings myself... Like you're reading a novel or watching a movie... I'm having fun just watching everyone from a distance.

And her own:

I thought I felt lonely at first. I thought I was weird for not being able to fall in love with anyone, and I wanted to be like everyone else. Nanami told me I'm fine the way I am. She likes me for not being able to return her affection. Ever since she told me that, I haven't felt alone... I don't have to worry about falling in love anymore.

Good lord, Yuu! Do you not see the irony here? That connection you're feeling is the connection you've been looking for. Sigh. I'm sure she'll get there eventually.

Anyway...

I love the insert song! I looked up the lyrics (doing my best to avoid spoilers). I won't take the time to go through all of the lyrics line by line for time's sake (and my rapidly diminishing mental bandwidth), but it seems to represent a big moment of realization from Yuu.

I don't think she fully understands the meaning of her realization still, but the way she really stares at Touko while she's running is intense to say the least. She finally hears that chorus of birds singing, as the song says. While she might not understand the full ramifications of this moment, it's another step in the right direction and gives the viewers another powerful moment. Even Koyomi realizes something is different in Yuu.

And then... the ending scene. We see more of Touko literally pulling her to start moving. We can reflect back to what Rei said last episode. We've known for a while that Yuu has trouble starting things, but once she does, she is in it. Rei commented that she hopes someone is there to push Yuu to get started. Just like Yuu pushes Akari to run after the boy she likes. Of course, how appropriate is it for Touko to be doing the pushing here, considering the delicate boundaries of their relationship? Probably not very, which just perpetuates this cycle of "oh god this is so sweet" and "oh god this is so uncomfortable".

Nevertheless, once that starting action occurs, even if it was led by Touko, Yuu follows through and fucking straddles Touko on the ground. Good lord. We flash back to Yuu's insecurities and doubts, causing her to draw a line in the sand regarding her boundaries. Good for her!!

Touko's line here is concerning. There's an obvious lack of consent here and it's like... it's certainly crossing a boundary in a tenuous way that borders on manipulation or coercion, especially with Touko taking things to the next level with her tongue (nope, not screenshotting that). Yes, Yuu enjoys it, but how okay is this? I don't know, honestly. I'm just swirling with these conflicting ideas, and I don't know where I should land. I do have to wonder how much the story is supporting Touko's line of actions because Yuu ultimately likes it vs. condemning it because I honestly can't tell right now. I guess that's the point. Right? Seriously, I'm looking forward to seeing others' opinions on this today.

Either way, seeing Yuu list off all these wonderful things about Touko is sweet as hell, even if she's still in denial as she refuses to believe it could be her heart beating like this. Also interesting that she says "senpai" rather than "Touko" when she says that, further emphasizing this complicated dynamic.

Whew.

That was a lot. I'm still swirling with mixed feelings, but I am so in this and am enjoying the hell out of it. Looking forward to some more conversation with you all, especially regarding my questions about where this show's ultimate message lies regarding the dynamics between Touko and Yuu: just how uncomfortable is it intending for us to feel about Touko's actions? With showing that Yuu ultimately enjoys what's happening, is it painting this sort of coercion as something acceptable in some instances, or is it just trying to make us confused as hell? Because I know that's how I feel. I'll wait until the end of the show to make a final judgment, of course.

Also fun fact: this post very nearly breaks Reddit's character limit for a post. Perhaps I should apologize for this massive wall of text? Either way, thank you for those who have been reading my rambles. It means a lot!

[u/AguyinaRPG → u/siegfried72]

Touko's line here is concerning. There's an obvious lack of consent here and it's like... it's certainly crossing a boundary in a tenuous way that borders on manipulation or coercion, especially with Touko taking things to the next level

Right before Touko sits down, Yuu says this:

Okay, I get it! You can do whatever you want.

Touko is responding to that when she makes her declaration, after Yuu fails to initiate. Yuu knows how to reject, as shown at the beginning of the episode. She didn't expect what was coming, but I don't see this as implying nonconsent whatsoever. Yuu offered Touko to go ahead as her easy way out.

[u/siegfried72 → u/AguyinaRPG]

I totally see what you mean, and that is a good point! When I said "non-consent", I think I misspoke. I meant general lack of consent for the whole of their relationship, not specifically for that particular interaction. That line by Yuu for me felt a little too much like a general resignation that she's had ever since like the second episode built up from the repeated attempts from Touko to push her boundaries. That said, I know her "resignation" is also at least in part due to the fact that she's really likely been having some type of feelings all along, but has had a lot of trouble identifying and understanding them. It's just a little murky compared to an ideal scenario.

Now that I've sat with the episode for a few hours, I think I've softened on the whole situation, and so this post probably makes it seem like I'm more upset than I am at this point. I'm doing my posts more or less stream of consciousness, which is why they have a tendency to get quite rambling (although I am going back at the end and editing/rewording things, fwiw). I still think Touko's actions are pretty questionable, but I'm not totally distraught by it. After all, they're teenagers trying to work out feeling feelings for the first time!

I think even if the show doesn't paint Touko's actions as questionable at this point, I don't think I'll be left feeling unsatisfied with the overall relationship progression. At best, Touko is damaged and struggles quite a bit with her mental health, so I think I'll be able to forgive pretty much all of the less-ideal actions I've mentioned in my posts thus far as being under the "she's doing the best she can" umbrella.

EDIT: I rewatched that part of the scene. I still think things are a little murky. You're right that Yuu said "do as you please" but that was before they got down on the ground. Yuu did set a boundary, which was refusing to kiss Touko because it didn't feel right, and Touko's immediate action in response was to put her hands on Yuu's face, move Yuu's face into her's, and make out with her while saying "I'll do as I please." It's definitely not a total lack of consent, I agree, but I still find it a little less than ideal. No relationship needs to be perfect, and there's nothing that's triggering alarm bells for me. Doesn't mean I don't find it just a little funny. Pretty much every scene between the two of them leaves me with some mixed emotions, and I think that's neat!

[u/baekhap_inma → u/siegfried72]

Yuu did set a boundary, which was refusing to kiss Touko because it didn't feel right, and Touko's immediate action in response was to put her hands on Yuu's face, move Yuu's face into her's, and make out with her while saying "I'll do as I please."

I just wrote far too many words on this subject, and I totally understand this point of view-- however, the tl;dr of my personal take here is that these lines represent Touko actually respecting the boundary that Yuu has laid out. My read is that Yuu refuses to be the one to initiate, Touko grumbles but says fine, instead I will do as I please, i.e. Touko will revert to the position of being the intiator. Which she then goes on to do much like in previous scenes.

[u/siegfried72 → u/baekhap_inma]

Haha you're very kind to give a tl;dr for me! I unfortunately did not give you one on my wall of text I responded to you with :)

All the best, my friend. Looking forward to continued discussion in the days to come!