#Koito Yū

[subaru10]

It’s a bit selfish but I don’t know why..... I just find it so cute that she only show her real self to Yuu. (*≧▽≦)

#Bloom into you #yuri #やがて君になる #Yuu Koito #Touko Nanami #小糸 侑 #Koito Yū #七海 燈子 #Nanami Tōko #shoujo ai

[jjr1971]

Finally sat down to binge Ep.1-8 of the English dub of Bloom Into You, which is all the currently available English dub episodes for now.  I really enjoyed this story and big props to Luci Christian as Touko Nanami (七海 燈子 Nanami Tōko) and Tia Ballard as Yuu Koito (小糸 侑 Koito Yū) in the lead roles.  Honorable mention goes to Shanae’a Moore voicing Student Council Vice President Sayaka Saeki (佐伯 沙弥香 Saeki Sayaka), pictured below the main couple above.

***Mild spoilers follow***.

The series is gorgeously animated.  The story is a bit of a slow burn, but it kept me engaged such that I always wanted to see what happened next. Brief Summary: Timid Yuu Koito is a first year student who has a few friends but has never been in love.  A boy asked her out the last day of Middle School but she never felt any reciprocal feelings for him and she declined him by phone later.  She is pressured by her friends to join some sort of club or maybe even Student Council.  On her way to the Student Council clubhouse she runs into Student Council member Touko Nanami, who has just gently rejected a boy wanting to date her.  Touko explains it’s not him, it’s just she has no intention of dating anyone until after high school.  Touko is ambitious and academically at the top of her class.  She is the favored front-runner for becoming the next Student Council President.  Her best friend and academic rival, the equally popular Sayaka Saeki is strongly expected to become the next Student Council Vice President. Yuu just wants to help out behind the scenes with the Student Council, getting their paperwork in order, etc.  But Touko can see Yuu is emotionally troubled.  Yuu explains about the boy who asked her out the last day of Middle School and how she hasn’t given him an answer but that she’s never been in love...all the manga and novels she’s read have lead her to believe she will feel something akin to fireworks when the love is real.  And she just doesn’t feel that way about this boy, or anyone.  Touko gives Yuu the courage to accept the boy’s phone call and politely reject him, reminding her that her feelings are valid and matter also.  The more Touko interacts with Yuu, the more her own emotions begin to stir.  Touko admits that she also has never been in love, never felt fireworks either....but as she takes Yuu’s hand in hers, her heart starts racing.  For Touko at least, this is love at first sight.  Yuu doesn’t know how to respond, the moment passes, and Touko regains her composure. Later, walking home together, Yuu casually brings up the incident and inquires as to its meaning.  She intends to give Touko a socially acceptable “out”, that perhaps she was just being impulsive, etc.  Touko is having none of it.  WIth the train rushing by, Touko affirms her feelings are real and she knew what she was doing.  Touko kisses Yuu firmly on the lips.  Yuu is surprised but doesn’t feel upset at Touko for “stealing” her first kiss. Unfortunately for them both, Yuu is still listless and in limbo.  She doesn’t feel “fireworks” for Touko either.  She doesn’t feel anything.  She likes Touko well enough, but she’s not madly head over heels for her the way Touko so obviously is about her. Touko taps Yuu to become her campaign manager for her Presidential run, drawing the ire of Sayaka Saeki, her best friend, who just assumed she would be campaign manager.  She’s annoyed at the upstart first year student and upset at Touko for not valuing their friendship enough.  It’s unclear in the beginning (or at least it was to me) if Sayaka is merely a straight platonic friend or if her feelings for Touko run deeper than that, though her jealously toward Yuu seems particularly strong. We learn via flashback that Sayaka is indeed a lesbian and had a girlfriend in Middle School who dumped her once they got to High School. My favorite scene so far (2nd pic above) is when Sayaka runs into her Middle School Ex at the train station.  The Ex awkwardly apologies to Sayaka for “corrupting” her and hopes she’s gone back to being a “normal” (read: straight) girl.  Making casual chit chat, Sayaka’s Ex asks if she’s waiting for someone, which Sayaka affirms.  Touko arrives and Sayaka rushes over and grabs her by the arm in a romantically suggestive way.  “Here she is”, Sayaka says, with a broad shit eating grin that totally communicates a middle finger and effectively saying without words:  “Yep, I’m still GAY, Bitch!”; and even though I support Yuu in this rivalry, this was Sayaka’s moment and I’m glad she got it.  Touko is clueless as to what just happened and is a little surprised by Sayaka’s forwardness but doesn’t seem to mind it, either.  Sayaka deeply loves Touko but that love goes unrecognized and unrequited.  She values their friendship and doesn’t want to potentially lose it by confessing her real feelings to Touko, which is a universal risk and fear for all friendships that transition to the romantic track...it’s a point of no return and there’s usually no way back. The central conflict revolves (as I see it) around Touko’s troubled past, having lost an elder sister at a very young age 8 years ago...Touko is now the same age as her deceased sister when she died in a tragic auto accident her senior year.  Touko has striven to emulate (and probably surpass) her sister in every respect.  Yuu tries to convince her she doesn’t need to do that, that she has nothing to prove, but Touko says flatly she would rather die than hear Yuu repeat those things ever again.  Touko comes to appreciate the lopsided stasis that her relationship with Yuu is currently in.  Touko loves Yuu, even says it out loud.  Yuu lets her be affectionate and admits to herself “I don’t hate it.”; Touko want to hold hands, steal a kiss every now and then, etc.  Yuu is warm and kind and Touko feels able to drop her “little miss perfect facade” around Yuu and be vulnerable in her presence.  But Yuu herself remains indecisive, unsure of her real feelings.  Indeed, Touko begins to want Yuu to just stay how she is; she fears Yuu changing and begins to say to herself (and communicate indirectly to Yuu) that she doesn’t want Yuu to fall in love with her....which to my ears is just heartbreaking.  I think Yuu is (slowly) falling for Touko.  And Touko blushes when Yuu (at Touko’s request) calls her pet names and uses little terms of endearment.  Yuu rather enjoys provoking Touko in this way. These pull at Touko’s heart strings and she chides Yuu be more respectful of her feelings and not to tease her so.  The secondary conflict is of course the unspoken love triangle between Touko, Yuu and Sayaka.  Sayaka is very passive-aggressive in her dealings with Yuu and treats her with frosty contempt.  She doesn’t see what Touko sees in her.  But the heart wants what it wants, and Touko wants Yuu and doesn’t even recognize that Sayaka is into girls, much less that she has feelings for HER.  Sayaka “outs” one of her teachers, confronting her cafe owner girlfriend who, far from being secretive or taken aback is actually very open about their relationship.  The older woman picks up that Sayaka must also be gay and offers up her wisdom in romantic matters.  Sayaka admits out loud to this mentor figure her honest feelings for Touko, probably the only time she’s ever admitted them out loud to another person.  The cafe owner sympathizes and assures Sayaka that her feelings are valid, too, and offers up words of encouragement. There are other interesting supporting characters, and I probably most identify with Clint Bickham’s character Maki, one who is often more an observer of other people’s romances than an active participant in one myself.  He happens to catch sight of Yuu and Touko kissing and cautions Yuu to be more discrete, but swears himself to secrecy.  Yuu is terrified by the revelation but fears more for how Touko’s reputation might suffer if word got out about their relationship.  Maki points out how Yuu always thinks about Touko first and this must mean she cares deeply about her.  Yuu is skeptical but listens. I’ve really enjoyed everything about Bloom into You and it is for me on par with Aoi Hana and Sakura Trick which are also favorites of mine...the former a romance drama and the latter a slapstick romantic comedy.  Whereas Citrus is more intentionally melodramatic and trashy, Bloom into You feels more sincere, more down to earth and wholesome.  Bloom into You doesn’t have nearly as many problems with consent, etc, that Citrus suffers from.  Apart from her initial hand holding and kiss that Touko forces on Yuu against her will, all of Touko’s subsequent acts of affection with Yuu are always with Yuu’s affirmative consent.  She asks Yuu for kisses, she asks to hold Yuu’s hand, etc. I look forward to continuing this series once the next English language dub episodes are made public this season.

#hidive #bloom into you #anime #sentai filmworks #yuri #shonen ai #girls love #lgbt #lesbians #high school girls #shoujo ai

[bongaboi]

BoBA ISML 2020 Predictions: Topaz Match Day 6

ARENA 1 [[Tokisaki Kurumi - 7]] [[Yukinoshita Yukino - 5]] [[Shinomiya Kaguya - 2]] [[Misaka Mikoto - 1]] [[Shiina Mashiro - 3]] [[Fujiwara Chika - 8]] [[Sakurajima Mai - 4]] [[Yuigahama Yui - 6]]

Over/Under: 50000 Over

ARENA 2 [[Shirogane Miyuki - 2]] [[Ishigami Yū - 8]] [[Kamijō Tōma - 1]] [[Ayanokōji Kiyotaka - 6]] [[Tachibana Taki - 5]] [[Gilgamesh - 7]] [[Okazaki Tomoya - 3]] [[Levi - 4]]

Over/Under: 70000 Under

ARENA 3 [[Isshiki Iroha - 3]] [[Sawamura Spencer Eriri - 5]] [[Miyamizu Mitsuha - 7]] [[Schwi Dola - 1]] [[Nishimiya Shōko - 6]] [[Hayasaka Ai - 2]] [[Kitashirakawa Tamako - 8]] [[Kasumigaoka Utaha - 4]]

Over/Under: 49000 Over

ARENA 4 [[Kanda Sorata - 2]] [[Natsume Takashi - 1]] [[Saitama - 6]] [[Natsuki Subaru - 5]] [[Emiya Shirō - 3]] [[Takasu Ryūji - 7]] [[Edward Elric - 8]] [[Eugeo - 4]]

Over/Under: 60000 Under

ARENA 5 [[Chitanda Eru]] [[Katō Megumi]] [[Tachibana Kanade]] [[Violet Evergarden]]

Over/Under: 50000 Over

ARENA 6 [[Hikigaya Hachiman]] [[Oreki Hōtarō]]

Over/Under: 60000 Under

ARENA 7 Iwanaga Kotoko [[Shirogane Kei]]

by <=400 Over/Under: 9000 Over

ARENA 8 [[Honjō Kaede(Maple) - 1]] [[Shiramine Risa(Sally) - 3]] [[Priestess - 4]] [[Himeragi Yukina - 2]]

Over/Under: 60000 Over

ARENA 9 [[Iino Miko - 1]] [[Kyaru - 2]] [[Kokkoro - 3]] [[Pecorine - 4]]

Over/Under: 60000 Over

ARENA 10 [[Kochō Shinobu]] [[Alice Zuberg]] Furukawa Nagisa Tobiichi Origami [[Nakano Nino]] [[Akemi Homura]] [[Matō Sakura]] [[Yatogami Tōka]] [[Yoshino]] Kirisu Mafuyu Sora Ginko Nakano Yotsuba Ereshkigal Tōma Kazusa [[Hoto Kokoa]] Holo Enterprise Koito Yū Yoshida Yūko Hoshino Hinata Shiina Mayuri Yoroizuka Mizore Reines El-Melloi Archisorte Rachel Gardner

ARENA 11 [[Satoshi]] [[Ōji Mochizō]] [[Doma Taihei]] [[Kanbara Akihito]] Bell Cranel Iwatani Naofumi [[Aki Tomoya]] [[Kuzuryū Yaichi]] [[Ōma Shū]] [[Sakamaki Izayoi]] Karna Norman Ishigami Senkū Hiro Giorno Giovanna Ryūgūin Seiya Sesshōmaru Tsukamoto Shūichi Uesugi Fūtarō Kurogane Ikki Hashibira Inosuke Kageyama Shigeo Nanase Haruka Li Syaoran

ARENA 12 [[Oshino Shinobu]] Kirisaki Chitoge [[Senjōgahara Hitagi]] Onodera Kosaki

by >=400 Over/Under: 50000 Over

Voter Id: 2d5920af-56b1-5ae5-9a5a-e31a4f4cafd5

#2020 #isml #international saimoe league