If Bloom Into You were a movie, this would be the part of the movie where, instead of hastening towards the climax, as American movies do, the characters would spend the next half hour moping, then run halfway across town to finally see each other, but Bloom Into You isn’t a movie, so while Touko and Yuu do exactly as described above, there is a different person for us to follow while they mope.
In Bloom Into You, Volume 7, Sayaka confronts her final boss, the fear inside herself. Happily, she doesn’t do it alone, because Sayaka has an adult role model to speak to, happy day! Miyako takes Sayaka on a reconnaissance mission and for the first time, Sayaka gets to talk to someone like her, and see what life can become. Fortified by the knowledge that she is choosing to do what she wants to for herself, so she can grow from it, Sayaka finally confesses her feelings to Touko.
…And the movie resumes, with Yuu and Touko running across town to see each other and finally have their own moment.
I’ve never been terribly invested in Yuu and Touko as a couple, not because I don’t like them, or because they shouldn’t be together, but just because this story was always presented to us as a Yuri romance. Yuu and Touko were fait accompli from the beginning. But Sayaka was a delightful – and meaningful – addition to the story.
Ratings:
Art – 9
Story – 8 The Sayaka parts are a 9
Characters – 9 They’ve developed into people now
Service – 1 Really not this volume, but we’ll talk again in V8.
Yuri – 7
Lesbian – 9
Overall – 9
As always, the technical for this are fabulous, Jenny McKeon’s translation does something specific I don’t want to spoil, but that I really liked in the climactic moment between Touko and Sayaka. Adaption, editing and lettering are all top notch, which means you’ll never notice them, but kudos to Jenn Grunigen, Julie Davis and CK Russell and I’m thrilled to see a proofreader, Danielle King. Do take a look at the credits for this volume, because IMHO, this is best of breed. You as a reader get to how many people it takes to get this book to you. I think it’s important that you understand that every book is a village.
I would love a side story about Touko and Yuu learning that Riko-sensei was gay all along. In the meantime Volume 8 is up for pre-order, with an August release date and Volume 3 of Bloom Into You Regarding Saeki Sayaka will be headed our way in the autumn. I can’t wait for you to read it!
Sayaka and Miyako’s friendship is one of the best things about the series for me, just so much respect between them. I wish we got to see Riko approach Sayaka too know that she knows that Sayaka knows (and that Sayaka knows that Riko knows @_@).
Really no surprise that Sayaka got her own book, she’s easily the best thing about YagaKimi.
Oh you already said that about Riko T_T
I agree. It feels like a friendship that will build over time.
Great blog and had a small question. I’ve heard that yuri genre has themes on purity and innocence. I was wondering, does this purity and innocence in general ala childike innocence/purity or a specific kind like romantic/sexual?
This is a pretty complicated question and WP keeps eating my answer, so I’m going to invite you to come to the online Yuri panel on May 31 (link pending) and I’ll try to answer in more detail.
There is a historical reason why the religious ideal of purity exists in Yuri, and I wrote about it here: http://okazu.yuricon.com/2018/12/16/why-is-it-always-catholic-schoolgirls/. Some stories mirror those early “S” stories and use reference to purity as an indication that school is old-fashioned, like Maria Watches Over Us,” or are parodies of “S” like Strawberry Panic!. There’s also that creeptastic thing some men do where they infantilize women and insist on “purity” as a measure of sexual worth which is and, it also has a deeply pedophilic component to it.
As always, the answer is yes, no and it depends. ^_^
Ah, so when you mean yes, no, depends, you mean in regards to whether or not yuri has themes of purity?
Second, I’ll be brief, so generally, when purity is a theme, its like chastitiy? That is the religous ideal, correct?
As I stated, this is a fery complicated question. When that is a theme, it is a theme, and when it is not, it is not.
Are there manga that fetishize virginity? Yep.
Please do NOT make yourself look foolish by asking me where you can get that kind of manga. I want desperately to give you the benefit of the doubt, but if you ask me what stories like this are out there, you will remove all doubt as to your fetish and I find that grotesque.
Go look up some combination of porn words on google and good luck.
Oh no, no no. I’m not into that kind of stuff,don’t worry. I was only asking cuz I read Verena’ Maser Yuri phd thesis and she mentioned that yuri has themes of purity and innocence and was wondering what she meant by that exactly
Yes, Verena focuses on the “S” influence of same-sex schools and its relics in Yuri.
The purity is a religious purity in those cases. girls being “unsullied” by not being part of the world. No marriages, no sex, no children. Remember, in the sex-segregated religious schools, girls only have the option to be either madonna or whore and whore is acceptable only within marriage as “mother”. Every other choice makes a woman “unpure” which is why I loathe the concept of purity as a value of a woman’s worth that is still prevalent in this world.
Oh man, I can’t wait to get this one!
Also, props to you for the props given to the team ^_^
I’ve been giving props to them since the early years.
You have me wondering what specific thing you mean about the translation (though I have my suspicions — there’s a moment that I think captures Sayaka’s voice perfectly).
I note that Jenny McKeon did the adaptation of *Regarding Saeki Sayaka* as well.
Still, watching Sayaka tripping down the steps with joy after the scene in the viewing area made me very happy. Thanks for giving me the excuse to re-read that section of the manga.