Bloom Into You is one of the absolute best the genre has to offer thus far. This is coming from someone whos read a bunch of yuri stuff Im talking dozens of manga and hundreds of oneshots and watched quite a few yurifocused anime. But this show shines like a beacon amongst all of those. This is due to a couple of factors which a lot of stories in the shoujoai and yuri genre get wrong. To start with this show has a strong focus on the characters. In a lot of yuri stories it seems the focus is on the novelty of the relationship. That is they focus on the fact that its a lesbian relationship and it becomes less about the characters but more of the fact that they are both girls. Its like the author is saying look Theyre both girls They then proceed to have the storys main drama being about the fact the characters are unsure about whether two girls can be in a relationship or not with the but were both girls line being a common appearance in these stories. Its fine if done right but NOT fine if it stretches half the damn series. The characters cannot stand out this way and its frankly boring as hell. This show was different though. It focused on the characters insecurities and mindset which made for a far more interesting story. Touko and Yuus conflict with their identity made the relationship more complex and intriguing. This in turn helps viewers to understand the characters and empathize with them where with stories that focus on novelty you end up getting frustrated at the story. This isnt exclusive to yuri as many romance shows with straight couples suffer from clich drama too. But its worth mentioning due to how prevalent it is from a majority of the yuri content Ive seen. Im also glad they didnt do any creepy stuff as well. Shows like Citrus and NTR just have a lot of nasty content. Even if its a good show in Citrus case in my opinion it isnt pleasant to watch and the drama makes you want to gouge your eyes out. So while this show has some serious internal conflict with its characters there isnt any bullshit wrenches being thrown in from the outside by the author just to stir up more drama. The drama in Bloom Into You is natural and makes sense. Talking about characters all the side characters are fantastic too. As a romantic rival Sayaka is a pretty swell girl who gets quite a bit of development herself. The contrast between Yuu and Sayakas relationship with Touko and how differently they try to help her further strengthened the intrigue of the story and Toukos character arc. Characters like Maki and Koyomi arent a focus but they all play a role in the story and are great characters in their own right. The relationship with Riko and Miyako is also a very fun side addition. One thing I do have to mention is Studio TROYCA. I really loved Re:Creators and Im so glad they adapted this. They were not only loyal to the source but they added their own twists to the animation which was gorgeous most of the time. The cinematography was topnotch as was the sound direction too. Topped with some A+ voice acting it really added so much more to an already great show. Really the only problem I have is with the inconclusive ending. Im praying for a second season because the story does feel incomplete. This is a problem with a lot of yuri shows eg. Aoi Hana Sasameki Koto but Im hoping the popularity of this one will give it the conclusive ending it deserves with TROYCAs amazing direction. But for now youll need to read the manga for more which sucks. If you wish to hold out for a second season you could read Octave in the mean time Im 100 sure this is never going to get adapted unfortunately which is my favorite yuri manga of all time and has a lot of great character drama too Its a bit less wholesome though. Despite that this show is definitely my anime of the season for Fall 2018 without a doubt.