Yagate Kimi ni Naru Saeki Sayaka ni Tsuite (やがて君になる 佐伯沙弥香について) has radically changed my opinion of this whole series. For the better. But it was a radical change.
When we begin this book – presuming we have read the Yagate Kimi ni Naru / Bloom Into You manga or have seen the anime – we already know most of this story. Sayaka has told us most of what will happen. So none of it will come as much surprise. The narrative follows Saeki Sayaka from elementary school through high school.
In the first section of the book, we learn about a girl she went to swimming lessons with who was – clearly, from our point of view, much less clearly from hers – infatuated with her.
This is followed by a more detailed retelling of her first relationship with her sempai from choir, an upperclassman who asks her out and later breaks up with her after leaving for high school.
These two sections are marked by some brilliant tone of voice. I’ve said that I don’t much care for Iruma’s writing (I recently finished another novel by them and will not be reviewing it here, unless I get desperate,) but Nakatani-sensei’s touch in Sayaka’s voice and the illustrations by her makes me think she was intimately involved in this work. The Sayaka we know (and whose narrative voice we are familiar with) from the manga is captured perfectly in the exploration of human relationships by an interested, but mostly uninvolved, outsider….a tone that I am 10000% sure I will not be alone in recognizing as similar to my own internal thoughts as a young person. Sayaka can see that someone else is interested in her; she is equally interested in and confounded by this. Her internal monologue seeks to make sense of the feelings she receives and those she does – and does not – feel in return.
The volume ends when she enters a new high school and meets Nanami Touko and utterly, completely, falls for her.
So, since we knew all this, how did it radically change my perception of the series? Let’s begin with the title. In Japanese the title is “Yagate Kimi ni Naru,” which I, as a typical American, translated from the first person – “In the end, I will become you.” The transliteration “Bloom Into You” is not much of a help, since again, as a westerner, I presumed a first person subject.
I was wrong. As I read this novel, I realized how wrong I was. The subject is not first person…it is second person. “In the end, you will become you(rself).” And with that realization, I saw what I had never seen before – there is only one plot in the manga, but that plot applies equally to every character. Every character is in the process of becoming themselves. In retrospect that seems kind of “duh” for this series, but when you realize how it all is being handled by Nakatani Nio-sensei, it suddenly becomes really rather extraordinary. We are of course watching these children become themselves, but holy shit we are watching an intentional narrative of these children becoming who they are and learning to verbalize and accept themselves and…wow. The same plot applies as much to Sayaka as it does for Touko and Yuu. And Maki. And Miyako. And everyone else.
I said from early on in the series, that I was giving Nakatani-sensei the benefit of the doubt. I have no doubts left; whatever happens from this point on, this novel has proved to me that she deserves my trust.
Ratings:
Art – 10 well, since the creator of the original did the illustrations, that stands to reason
Story – In and of itself, not riveting, but since Sayaka is the reason I follow the series…8
Character – 10
Service – 3 bathing suits and changing rooms
Yuri – Well, now…this is hard. I’m calling it a 5 because it’s so complictated
Overall – 9
I’m being asked if this will be licensed. A few years ago I would have rolled my eyes and said no way. Nothing happens, But, depending on how well Bloom Into You is doing for Seven Seas, they might want to consider it. These days, all I can say is “I guess we’ll have to wait and see.” I will say that this was an easy read and much less plodding than Iruma’s original works I have read.
