Here we have another collection of manga stories based on Nakatani Nio’s Bloom into You, mostly focusing on Yuu and Touko. There are thirteen different stories in this anthology, contributed by various artists.
Front cover of the second Bloom into You Anthology, featuring art of Touko Nanami and Yuu Koito by Yutaka Hiiragi
AN EVERBLOOMING LOVE
The second anthology is here and with it, more tales of burgeoning love penned by talented creators with a passion for Bloom into You! Reunite with all of your favourite characters in this beautiful collection, which includes a brand new story by the original creator, Nakatani Nio, written exclusively for this anthology. Fans of the original series won’t want to miss this!
The creators that contributed to this anthology are: Fifu, Yutaka Hiiragi, Kumo Suzume, Suzu Yuuki, Moke Yuzuhara, Arima, Fuka Sunohara, Yodokawa, Canno, sheepD, Sometime, Musshu, Ueshita, and Nakatani Nio.
Much like with other yuri anthologies I’ve read, I’m seeing a collection of both familiar and unfamiliar names here. Much like the first volume, I do like that this one tells you each creator’s most well known works.
The majority of the stories in this anthology focus on Yuu and Touko, but there are a few that let other characters have the chance to shine, such as Koyomi and Maki. It’s nice to see characters besides Yuu, Touko and Sayaka get some appreciation.
All these stories included in this anthology are pretty fluffy. All very light-hearted, with some even using some comedic stylings you would never expect to find in the original Bloom into You manga.
Ask me to pick favourite stories from this anthology, and I’d tell you that they are all pretty good. However, remain insistent about it, and I’d probably point to Yutaka Hiiragi’s The Winds of Change for a start – a brief glimpse into what might’ve been had Bloom into You featured Yuu and Sayaka as its main couple.
Arima’s Riddle Me This, Koyomi-chan! and Fuka Sunohara’s Musical Chairs bring some silly fun along with them, and this anthology ends with Nio Nakatani’s A 45-Day Couple. That one has to be the main highlight of this entire thing, because after all it is new canon content for Bloom into You. Much like the other stories it is just fluff, but considering what Yuu and Touko went through to get to that point, that is absolutely fine.
This is definitely a worthy addition to any fan’s Bloom into You collection. The original manga, and Regarding Saeki Sayaka light novels and these anthologies all make for some pretty great yuri content. Strongly recommended.
Rory Muses 