If all your friends told you they have never seen you put “a face like this,” would it be a good or a bad thing? What would it mean for a guy like Rintaro Tsumugi? Episode 2 of The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity gave us more insight about Rintaro’s relationships and internal demons.
The story continues with Rintaro still in shock over his latest discovery: Kaoruko is from Kikyo, the “enemy” school in the other building. If you are as eager as me to see how this love story unfolds, let’s dive into the four key moments of Episode 2!
More than romance: the nakamas we all deserve
Little by little, we’re learning more about Rintaro’s friends. At this point, you may already identify each one’s archetype and personality. Shohei Usami is the lively, impulsive friend who’s quick to stand up against what he considers wrong (including Kikyo students’ attitude towards Chidori). Saku Natsugawa is the silent, yet attentive friend, who, from behind, understands that his dear friend Rintaro is struggling with something new. Ayato Yorito is still a mysterious figure around this time in the story, so let’s just say he has Rintaro in high esteem.
The episode makes it clear that the root of Rintaro’s predicament doesn’t stem from his friends. Yes, it’s true that seeing his friend Shohei in open conflict with Kikyo (which includes Kaoruko) is no good news. Still, Rintaro must know that Shohei means no ill.
Rintaro is ultimately tormented by the fact he can’t accept he is being accepted and recognized for who he is. He has supportive friends, there’s a girl that’s clearly interested in him… but his past experiences don’t let him believe it. He assumed a role imposed on him by others just for his appearance: “a delinquent from Chidori”.
After the incident outside Chidori’s entrance, where Kaoruko was waiting for Rintaro, Saku inevitably points out to Rintaro that he “got a face I’ve never seen before”. A subtle way of telling the audience that Rintaro’s life is changing, and it’s thanks to Kaoruko’s decisive actions.
In any case, the show also tells us that Rintaro’s friends won’t be mere “background characters.” What they do and how they relate to Rintaro will be important to the plot. I always appreciate these moments from The Fragrant Flower.
Romance is fantastic, but having a healthy environment in the form of good friends is important, too.
Let them cook! You can’t escape Kaoruko
Literally, you can’t escape her. After her friends took her away from Chidori, Kaoruko went to Rintaro’s family bakery and waited there for hours. Two times in the same episode she proactively looked for him. I find myself torn between criticizing Rintaro for being so blind, and being understanding toward him. I hope the audience will excuse any moments of whining on my part.
The highlight of this encounter was definitely Rintaro’s public confession that he was happy Kaoruko was waiting for him. Our male protagonist can be dense, but he’s a sincere guy.
Unfortunately, their conversation ends with Kaoruko leaving the bakery looking sad. Rintaro tries to protect Kaoruko from the animosity between their schools, so he’s trying to pushing her away.
We have the best girl… and also the best mom?
In Episode 1 we were aware of Kaoruko’s initiative. What stood out to me as especially original in the episode was Rintaro’s mom, Kyoko. A parent’s presence and involvement in their child’s lives is a pretty rare gem in anime. Even stranger is when they give good advice and proper guidance.
I liked her from the moment she said, “This dense son of mine.” Excellent! She’s conscious of how dense her son can be. The notable part of this mom-son conversation is when she made him realize that Rintaro was judging Kaoruko for being from Kikyo.
This inner conflict in our protagonist involves his inability to accept that Kaoruko doesn’t judge based on his appearance. For her, it’s irrelevant what his school is. And what hurts her is his attempts to push Kaoruko away in order to ‘protect’ her from others’ judgment.
It may be a bit early, but I think she may just be one of the best moms of the season.
Early bird couple
Rintaro finally made amends with Kaoruko. He tells her he admires her straightforward nature, which inspires him to be more sincere and direct as well.
At the beginning of the episode we saw a Rintaro scared and conflicted about Kaoruko’s being from the school across the window. We end the episode with Kaoruko happily jumping and smiling at him from across the same window. Absolute cinema.
If I have to nitpick the episode, it would be that it’s weird that only they were so early at school. Other than that, we got a lot of character development over the course of two episodes.
The romance of these two is developing fast. Moving way too fast? Don’t worry, it’s too soon to claim victory! Stay tuned for the next episode and my next review.
The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity is streaming on Netflix, where all the images are from.
© Saka Mikami / Kodansha / The Fragrant Flower Blooms With Dignity Production Committee
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