The student council’s rehearsal continues in episodes twelve of Bloom Into You, as their practice camp comes to an end.
Touko gives an emotional reading during rehearsal
The last day of the student council’s practice camp begins, and they are doing a read through of the script. There has been some improvement, though Touko gives a particularly emotional reading that just sends the whole room into silence.
Sayaka calls for a break there, and decides to go and pick up some refreshments. Yuu accompanies her.
Sayaka tells Yuu not to worry about Touko
During their shopping trip, Yuu asks Sayaka what exactly was going on with Touko. Touoko dodges the question at first, but ultimately tells Yuu that she has no need to worry about it.
Yuu asks Koyomim if she is sure about the ending of the play
Once Yuu and Sayaka have picked up some refreshments, they return and get back to rehearsing. Touko doesn’t seem to be able to muster up the same emotion as earlier.
Yuu asks Koyomi about the ending, but Koyomi just says that it is fine the way it is for now.
Touko & Sayaka rehearse their part of the play on stage
Just before the practice camp comes to an end, Ichigaya has the student council rehearse on stage. This scene is not present in the manga – well, at least the chapter this episode is adapting.
Yuu insists that Touko goes over to her place
With the camp all wrapped up, everyone starts heading home. Yuu decides to walk home with Touko, and ultimately decides to invite her round to her place. Touko is reluctant at first, but Yuu is able to persuade her. Touko does warn Yuu that she will indulge herself with her.
Not quite what Yuu thought Touko meant when she said ‘indulging’
Touko goes over to Yuu’s place, and waits in her bedroom whilst Yuu grabs a couple of ice lollies. When she returns, Touko simply wants to rest her head in her lap. Touko asks if Yuu was having lewd thoughts when she said that, which Yuu of course denies. As it turns out, however, Touko certainly was having lewd thoughts.
This is more what Touko had in mind when she said she would be indulging herself
Touko tells Yuu what Ichigaya said about her sister
Touko says that Yuu can’t fall in love with her
Whilst in Yuu’s bedroom, Touko talks about her sister and the different impressions she gave different people. She whats to know who she should become, whilst Yuu simply tells her that she doesn’t have to become anyone.
Touko doesn’t want Yuu to fall in love with her, because Touko hates herself. How could she be in love with someone who loves something that she hates?
Yuu is frustrated after hearing what Touko said
Following that, Touko leaves. Yuu accompanies her a short distance, and once Touko is out of sight Yuu has some frustration she wants to get out. Funnily enough, her sentiment is very similar to Touko, about hating something that Yuu likes. This does give Yuu an idea, though.
Yuu decides to have Koyomi rewrite the ending of the play
Yuu contacts Koyomi, and asks her if the play can end with their central protagonist not choosing one of three people. Yuu goes over to Koyomi’s place so they can discuss the ending even more, and it turns out that Koyomi has not been satisfied with the original ending she wrote.
Koyomi is a little mad that she couldn’t figure out why by herself. She does ask Yuu about suddenly wanting to change the play – Yuu manages to come up with a fairly persuasive answer based on the protagonist the audience knows rather than the one from somebody’s memories.
However, her real desire for the change is one that she keeps to herself. She wants Touko to learn to stop hating herself.
This episode of Bloom Into You adapted chapter 22 and a small part of chapter 23 from the manga, whilst also providing a couple of additional scenes. The student council rehearing on stage was not in the manga, and the same goes for the scene where Yuu and Touko were waiting for the train to pass.
Those scenes pretty much just expand on what we already have anyway, so this adaptation is remaining faithful – even up to its penultimate episode.
I guess you could say Touko is in the middle of an identity crisis, and hearing a completely different impression of her late sister from her own certainly didn’t help. Touko’s role in the student council play suits her perfectly – funny how that worked out.
Then we have Yuu and Touko being intimate again. It seems that Yuu is actually accepting her feelings for Touko; she’s more willing to reciprocate during intimate moments. There’s not really any hesitation on her part.
We also have the fact that Yuu gets frustrated at Touko hating herself, and that has Yuu wanting to change Touko.
Yuu intends to do this with the new ending for the play, though viewers only really know that Yuu wants to the play to end without the main protagonist choosing one of the three other characters.
I’ve read the manga so I know how it will be changed, but I shall keep quiet about that for now.
Talking of the manga, this episode adapted part of a chapter that appears in volume 5; and that is the most recent English release of the manga. It is anyone’s guess as to how the Bloom Into You anime will end – will it remain a faithful adaptation, or will we get an anime original ending? I’m actually looking forward to finding out.
No matter how it ends, this was yet another superb episode. Bloom Into You has consistently been an excellent viewing experience.
Rory Muses 