Bloom Into You is a slow show, but we’re finally moving the plot forward. Episode four introduced us to two new storylines: the Culture Festival and a new Student Council member named Maki.
Take To The Stage
Touko wants to bring back the annual Culture Festival stage show. There’s a problem, however: the council is split on the decision and to make matters worse, there’s historically a lack of people who want to participate. Touko says she wouldn’t mind taking the lead role but Yuu is adamant she won’t be acting.
No points for guessing where this one is going: there’s a 90% chance the show will go ahead, 90% chance it’s a romance story, and 100% chance that Touko and Yuu will play the main characters. This would give the rest of the school a chance to see how they actually feel about each other, although this may happen even sooner than that…
An Interesting Turn of Events
For the most part, Maki is a pretty chill guy. He goes with the flow, and doesn’t like to cause problems for people. However, he also has a somewhat voyeuristic side, and witnesses Touko and Yuu kissing. To be fair, it’s a testament to his character that he doesn’t immediately run off and tell people.
Instead, he asks Yuu to be more careful in future. There’s something a little… off with his mindset, though, as he views the girls as actors in his own personal romance movie instead of real people with real feelings. Watch this space; I think there’s more to Maki than meets the eye.
A Romance Is Blossoming
He makes a good point, though. When her secret is revealed, Yuu’s first thoughts are of the implications it has for Touko’s public image and school career. Despite her over-eagerness (and frankly, pushiness) in this episode, Yuu is starting to really like this girl, whether she admits it to herself or not.
On the other hand, Touko really needs to start respecting boundaries. This is the third time the pair have kissed, despite Yuu’s insistence that she’s not interested. Further, Touko told Yuu that the pair could just be friends, but it seems like that promise has already been forgotten. Put it down to love, lust, or young stupidity if you like, but this is no way for a student council president to act.
These girls do care about each other, that much is obvious. However, merely a month into knowing each other, they’ve already been caught kissing. This is likely to happen again and again due to Touko’s risk-taking nature, and ultimately, she’s destroying her own chances of keeping this relationship a secret. Perhaps that’s what she wanted all along?
