The all-girls Kikyo Private Academy and Chidori Public High School are polar opposites. With its prestigious history, Kikyo is attended by noble young ladies from distinguished families, while Chidori is infamously full of simple-minded delinquents. It is no surprise that their students clash with their differences.
Having a tall stature and fierce appearance, Chidori student Rintarou Tsumugi is often avoided by others despite his gentle heart. One day, while helping out at his family's patisserie, he meets a customer who, after a brief moment, runs away from him. The next day, the customer returns to apologize to Rintarou, introducing herself as the cheerful Kaoruko Waguri.
After spending time with Kaoruko, Rintarou appreciates that she does not judge him based on his appearance and looks forward to when they will meet again. However, when Rintarou discovers Kaoruko attends Kikyo, their relationship will challenge the social expectations and dynamics around them.
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
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Comentários
Ionliosite2
Even before the anime premiered, I came to know this series because of its massive score in absolutely every aggregator site, the consensus about it seemed to be extremely positive, to the point of being called one of the best romance manga of all time. I always thought that that must be an exaggeration, after all, I know I don’t agree with what most people say a lot of the time, but there surely must be a tangible reason as to why this series gets such praise, right? So, when I sat down to read the series, I noticed how it was a failure evengoing by the basic premise. I’m not even disappointed by it, as I never expected it was going to blow my mind, but seeing that it’s just another stupid Romeo & Juliet-esque setting, I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. I mean, can I really take your show seriously when it’s just Romeo & Juliet but with an even stupider plot because the school conflict looks and feel so fabricated that it hurts? It was pretty easy to come to the conclusion that Kaoru Hana wa Rin to Saku wasn’t just overrated, but that it is shit.
The praise from this series feels like I’m living in a different dimension, it seems to be because of the fact that this series is the safest shit you’ve ever seen, to the point that the dialogue is extremely artificial, like, have you seen how much they apologize and thank for every minor detail? I know that if I call it unrealistic (and it is) people will say that a series doesn’t have to be realistic, and I can see their point, but this dialogue is not something that will keep you interested, they feel like robots programmed to not say anything bad to each other and if they do they’ll bow down and apologize 10 times in a row, some conversations will go as far as saying “I’m sorry x3” and then the other person will say “you don’t need to apologize, I’m the one who is sorry for worrying you”, it’s exhausting seeing how much they apologize. In fact, just for my satisfaction, I decided to count every time they apologized
-Episode 1: 9 times
-Episode 2: 13 times
-Episode 3: 12 times
-Episode 4: 7 times
-Episode 5: 6 times
-Episode 6: 19 times
-Episode 7: 13 times
-Episode 8: 9 times
-Episode 9: 6 times
-Episode 10: 9 times
-Episode 11: 5 times
-Episode 12: 10 times
-Episode 13: 6 times
As you can see, they apologize a whole fucking lot, it got a little better in the second half, but it’s still stupid, I know the Japanese are known for apologizing a lot, but this is a ridiculous level, at some point I realized that I should also have counted the amount of times they thank others, but I leave that work to someone else. Some seasons ago, I thought that Ao no Hako was boring, as it seemed to be an extremely safe romance show (because it is), but this show makes Ao no Hako look like White Album 2. Thinking that just because there aren’t love triangles or not relying on tropes makes a show more believable is simply not true, this series is painful in a unique way, as the author and the fans seem to think that mature and realistic communication is done by apologizing about everything, series that rely on a whole lot of misunderstandings and stubborn people are more believable than this, just because a series is le wholesome chungus doesn’t mean that it isn’t bad. I have seen people say that there is subtlety in this series, which is a blatant lie, nothing in this series is subtle, this isn’t something exclusive to this series, most romance series will tell you everything the characters feel, and this one is not an exception. The funny thing is that, as time went on, more people seemed to notice these cracks in their dialogue and grow tired of it too, while there’s still a lot of praise coming from people who only watched the anime, you could see how the apologizing became annoying to more and more people.
The setting isn’t believable at all either, the girls from Kikyo treat the boys from Chidori as if they were the scum of Earth, but when you look at them, you will see that they behave like these cute little kids who also can’t do no wrong, there aren’t conflicts even inside the school, you don’t see them behaving badly or like delinquents, they are pretty normal if stupid. You can say that there’s preconceptions about how Kikyo girls perceive Chidori guys, but there’s no reason for these to exist and if there are the series doesn’t say anything about them. The protagonist Rintaro is scawy-looking and has blonde hair, but actually he’s a gentle giant, he may be awkward but he has no mean intentions towards anyone at any point in time, he thinks he has no friends yet he spends all his time with 3 other guys. Speaking of these other guys, you can tell the author is a woman because of how they behave with each other, at no point they have a portrayal of male friendship that makes sense, even less with the given setting, they keep praising each other, getting embarrassed, saying how glad they are to be friends, they can sometimes tease each other but then they will say a hundred of different praises too, as if teasing your friend was this horrible thing to do and you have to ask for forgiveness… the more you see and pay attention to the setting, it only becomes more nonsensical.
Nothing in this works, the characters aren’t even believable to their own setting, and the praise just confuses me, do I really have to believe this is one of the best romance anime ever made? The answer is a no, given CloverWorks’ track record this season, deciding to vomit 3 anime at the same time and even putting them in the same promotions means that you have to expect something of the quality of the other two, and in fact, that’s exactly what you get, but unlike Sono Bisque Doll that had a nice first season and Bunny Girl Senpai that while it started awful it actually got a little better with time, you have this thing right here, which was easily the worst of the three. The story wants to have its cake and eat it too, the source of all the drama is the opposite of what we see on our screens, and the only thing that could “stop” their romance is a conflict that makes no sense. There’s nothing here that makes me want to support this romance, because everything here feels fake, manufactured, illogical and unbelievable, it’s the opposite of realistic in every possible way.
Thank you for reading.
Mcsuper
Sometimes, looking at the anime I have watched, I wonder to myself, why do I gravitate to the romance genre so much? What is it about two people falling in love that strikes a chord with me? To me, I find the idea of becoming a better person along with someone you love to be a beautiful thing. The pursuit of a light that guides you along the way of all the trials and tribulations in life is interesting, and seeing even fictional characters sometimes gives me new perspectives on how people interact, how people think, and through romance stories, they give me the relatablemoments, as well as some inspirational moments sometimes. The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity is probably one of the most normal stories to exist, but in an excellent way. The romance is earnest, heartfelt, and cute, the characters are supportive and understanding, and people TALK TO EACH OTHER.
The story starts with a classic Romeo & Juliet setup with the male protagonist, Rintarou Tsumugi, a tall student at Chidori High School, a school regarded as low in prestige and its students being delinquents, and the female protagonist, Kaoruko Waguri, being a student at Kikyo High School, next door to Chidori, is regarded as high class. The two schools have a history of hatred, and therefore, the students at their respective schools also hate the opposing school and its students. In keeping with the vibe of the school, whenever someone looks at Rintarou, they are intimidated due to his stature, but Kaoruko, when they met, treated him no differently than any other person she would meet, judging someone based on their actions, and not by their looks. I have to admit, based on this setup, it felt rather generic.
However, the way that this anime broke through the poison of misunderstandings and conflicts was quite admirable. No conflict gets solved without communication, and this anime tackles conflict with elegance, like it itself was from Kikyo. In both their actions and how they speak, it is clear that the characters from both schools care about their own very deeply. Certainly, there was initial conflict between Rintaro’s friends, and Kaoruko’s friend, Subaru, due to prejudice and past experiences, but this anime depicted how clear and calm communication can bridge the gap between parties, whether it relates to romance or not. The author seems to not like to drag on misunderstandings, conflicts, or drama, but rather handles them quickly, which is a breath of fresh air and something that is sorely needed sometimes. There is a reason romance anime such as His and Her Circumstances and Mysterious Girlfriend X are among my favourites in the genre, and that is because the main couple, as well as the other characters, TALK to one another about their problems. It is as simple as that.
Certainly, the romance in this anime is cute and made me smile a lot, but the main appeal of this anime to me is the cast as a whole. The first thing Reira Ushio, the singer of the ending theme for the anime, noticed about "Kaoru Hana" was that there were no negative feelings coming from the characters. She said, in an interview, “Aren't most works filled with unpleasant characters? Sometimes the presence of a villain can make the story more exciting. But this work doesn't have those elements, and yet I thought it was amazing how it was such an interesting story that you could keep reading.” With how kind and supportive both Rintarou and Kaoruko’s friends are, it also brings me to the discussion of realism. I do not know at what point did thoughts around media started revolving around how realistic it was. Perhaps a reason would be that grounded characters can resonate with people, but even if everyone is super nice, or polite in the way that they talk, does that mean the story is not grounded in other ways? The characters may apologize a lot, and yes, many people do not talk like that in real life, but even in doing so, some of the characters felt more real than a lot of shows out there. Yes, seeing everyone be so kind to one another might be an idealistic view on human interactions, but rather than seeing a dose of reality in my anime, here, I would rather see a fantasy or exaggeration of reality, because reality exists outside of the screen. If I wanted to see some drama, I could literally go outside, and chances are, at some point in the day, someone would be mean and crass to someone else. Why would I not want to watch something pleasant or saccharine? It’s not like a lot of shows are like that these days.
The existence of parents in romance anime feels like a rarity, but when they appear, and especially if they are not used as a dramatic device, they almost always add to the charm of the cast. One of my favourite things in media is seeing parents treat their kids with love and care. I have definitely been in Rintarou’s shoes, not asking his parents for things, in fear of inconveniencing them and holding them back. There were a number of episodes in particular that got me very emotional, but one of them definitely took the cake. I have not really felt this way watching something since I watched *Liz and the Blue Bird*, which to this date is still my favourite anime of all time because how much I related to the notion of holding people back, whether it be friends, family, or anyone close to me. I've always been a bit selfless, not putting myself first, so I could really relate to Rintarou's empathy and kindness. When I saw Rintarou’s mother being so proud of his son for even trivial things such as bringing his friends over to his house, I could not help but feel that in my soul. I could also see the effect that Rintarou’s parents had on his own personal values, and that screams good parenting.
When friendship, romance, and good vibes coalesce, that was what the cast in this anime turned out to be. From hating Kikyo High, to embracing Kaoruko and Subaru as part of the group, Rintarou and his friends came a long way, and it all got sparked from the winds of change that came from the unlikely duo of Rintarou and Kaoruko. The constant stream of communication, airing out the past dirty laundry, to spilling out whatever it was on their mind, everyone in the friend group was the biggest of green flags as you could imagine. Furthermore, Rintarou’s parents acted as an excellent support system for their son, which fostered the growth of himself, as well as many people who interacted with him. Therefore, I could see how much each character complimented each other.
This anime aired at the same time as two other shows from the same studio (CloverWorks), which were two other romance juggernauts in My Dress-Up Darling Season 2, and Rascal Does Not Dream of Santa Claus, and while it was not the best looking out of the three, it did not need to have the snappy pace as the directing of My Dress-Up Darling, for example. The animation was still very solid throughout, and I was particularly impressed by the bright colours that matched the emotions of the characters, as I mentioned earlier. The pace was slow, sometimes adapting only a single chapter in an episode, and with that, us as viewers got more time to see the characters grow, and have their personalities get more layered, due to the way conflicts are quickly resolved. Considering this was the first full manga work (outside of one-shots) done by author Saka Mikami, the writing for both the manga, and now the adaptation, worked well in their respective mediums.
Out of all the romance anime I have watched, this anime might have my favourite cast as a whole. The characters grow together, support each other, and change each other for the better. The story pushes past its Romeo & Juliet setup and became something special, and all it took was everyone being nice, supportive, and understanding of one another. It is these earnest stories that really make my day, and as much as I like spicy stories and drama like the next guy, sometimes, I do need to have some water, or maybe, something sweet like a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Interestingly enough, this scoop of vanilla warmed my soul.
Velificatio
This anime made me realise that there must be two very distinct audiences when it comes to romance - those that want a lot of nuance, subtlety and character driven tension (with release further along down the narrative) and those that want comfort, sweetness and regular emotional catharsis. All romance anime stand somewhere on this imaginary tension-comfort binary. This anime is in the very, very extreme of the latter. If this is you - you'll love this excellent Cloverworks adaptation of this sweet and feel good story. If you're more about the former though, like myself, you will watch this and say "Why is thisrated so highly? This is trash."
Oculiquetzal
Without a doubt, one of the romance anime of the decade. Not a good one! Just one of them. If anyone wants to discuss how creepy it is that we're meant to treat it as wholesome that someone stalks someone else's place of employment for several months just to talk to them, or how weird it is that the main male character thinks the main female character is a child initially while the main female character thinks the main male character is an adult initially, and tell me that I'm just supposed to enjoy it for being "wholesome" and "cute", feel free, but until then, Iassure you, the only reason this gets anything above a 1 is because the animation was really pretty and that saved this from being some of the best fucking sleep-aid since my insomnia medication.
Haven't been this disappointed in a seasonal anime since Frieren.
Harsh0takes
A story which could have been a brilliant fairytale romance ended up being just another basic attempt at the genre. This show ends up playing it so safe just because the author wanted to present a mature take at the genre that it completely backfires on the fact that these are just teenagers and there is no possible way that everyone can be this polite , humble , responsible , formal and polished. Don't get me wrong , I am not trying to say that every series has to be realistic and full of conflicts , but there is a certain line of believability which thisone crosses that it makes me roll my eyes.
Just small mistakes , hesitants and misunderstandings could help for such a fulfilling iyashikei.
Let's imagine a situation -
Rintaro ends up hurting kaoruko unintentionally and that makes her cry. Just a very normal thing to happen in teenage romance , right? And then this leads up to him making a sincere apology for his mistake.
Can you imagine how earned the apology will feel in this scenario? , the entire apology argument which everyone keeps bringing up would be completely gone because instead of using the word for every trivial thing , we have a proper situation backing it up. The word itself will not lose it's value if used when required. Same can be said about "thank you".
The characters while having decent writing, don't have enough pull to make me completely invested in their life and that's because they overreact over the most basic moments that aren't even that serious.
Let's take subaru's situation in account -
We get a very brushed over flashback to her childhood which barely lasted like 4 mins and then we see her calling herself a "devious and horrible person" ...like the way these scenes were presented itself makes you feel that the character might be going through depression or something horrible but if we are being honest to ourselves , was thier enough backing by it's backstory to make it feel earned? I personally do not think so. It's a very common example of "show , don't tell" .
Now about the portrayal of friendship between rintarou & his friends and kaoruko & subaru -
Everything is treated with so much formalness that it's hard for me to find anything relatable in it. It's not really a big deal for friends to tease each other , make fun of them etc..
Not everything needs to be treated like it will be a huge problem if a character just said anything slightly offensive. And if they do say something irresponsible unintentionally then it will just make THE APOLOGY MORE EARNED.
The constant praising of each other over the most common qualities like "being nice" feels so unnatural.
Ig that's enough yapping of the shows flaws , because if anything , I also disagree with those who completely brush off the series from it's merits too. There was some brilliant direction , storyboarding and score composition in certain episodes which people didn't notice and let's be real , the whole healthy dynamic of rintarou and his supportive parents was done really well. The love confession moment of rintarou to kaoruko was also very genuine and wholesome.
Decent but not something I would call one of the best new gen romances either. A show needs to do more than just being a fluffy one time watch to leave a lasting impression on me.
_Akali_
The quality and production are fairly decent, but there’s nothing here we haven’t already seen a thousand times before. The animation is serviceable, the color palette is pleasant enough, and the soundtrack does its job, but none of it stands out in any meaningful way. The characters, dialogues, and setting are all painfully cliché and shallow. You can predict every emotional beat long before it happens. Character reactions to events are often exaggerated to the point of parody, which makes it difficult to take any of the supposed drama seriously. The story tries to build tension and sentimentality, but it comes across as forced, almostlike the show is desperately trying to convince the viewer to care, without giving them a real reason to.
It’s just another predictable romantic story that ticks all the familiar boxes: the awkward yet “relatable” protagonist, the overly perfect love interest, and the recycled misunderstandings that drive the plot forward.
I decided to give it a try because it was hyped everywhere, but honestly, I can’t understand why. Maybe it appeals to viewers who just want something cute and easy to watch, but for anyone looking for originality or depth, this series offers very little. The only somewhat redeeming aspect is the main seiyuu’s voice, which is undeniably charming; but a nice voice alone isn’t enough to carry an otherwise forgettable show.
Marinate1016
Kaoruhana was arguably the most anticipated romance manga adaptation in years and it completely exceeded mine and most other people’s wildest expectations. This was truly a stroke of genius by Cloverworks, who had 3 shows this season, each oozing with its own unique flair. The simple yet effective romance, the loveable characters, the butterflies every Kaoruko smile made me have, this was such a cute and relaxing watch and I can’t thank Cloverworks enough for doing this story justice. Is it the best romance story ever like you might be seeing it portrayed as online? No, but its simplicity is what makes it special andhow every character feels like a real person complete with their own personality and quirks. This is the gold standard of modern fluff romance.
The old expression “you can’t judge a book by its cover” is essentially the foundation of the Kaoruhana story. People consistently looking down on, or placing others on a pedestal simply because of the school they go to. Now, I’ll be honest, I think the Kikyou/Chidori rivalry is extremely overdramatic, but it’s used to teach a life lesson and warn about the dangers of having preconceived notions about others. If everyone just gave people a chance, talked to and got to know them, the world would be a much better place. Unfortunately, people tend to stay in their own bubbles and believe stereotypes about those outside of their social sphere. While the real world isn’t as over the top as this story is with it, I think we can all relate to a time or two we’ve been guilty of making assumptions about people. One of my favourite parts of this story is seeing people tear down the self imposed barriers that exist between us and getting to know each other, becoming friends and in the case of Rintaro and Kaoruko, much more than that. Their relationship develops a bit fast I won’t lie, but it’s so cute, wholesome and pure that I can’t complain. They both compliment each other so well, the tall scary looking Rintaro, who everyone thinks is a delinquent, and the prim and proper looking Kaoruko who everyone treats as an angel. They both are so much more than that and I enjoyed seeing them fleshed out throughout the season. Now, as someone who reads the manga, I know certain things that anime onlies do not as it relates to Kaoruko falling for Rintaro so quickly and Kaoruko’s life not being as perfect as it seems, I don’t want to spoil those because they’re some of the best parts of the manga. What I will say is this, please go into this with an open mind and don’t be upset if not all your issues are addressed immediately in this first season. It’s just the beginning. Enjoy this first season for what it is, an introduction to the world and characters with a positive message about treating others with respect. For right now, think of it as a fluff romance that doesn’t require too much thought and you’ll have a great time.
While Kaoruko and Rintaro are awesome and have no shortage of cute moments, I actually prefer the side characters in Kaoruhana, particularly Subaru and Rintaro’s mom in this season. Subaru is a fan favourite for a reason. The way her arc unfolds and how we learn about her history with Kaoruko is brilliant. I think the climax of her arc is still the best episode of this series. Such an emotional moment that left me in tears. The way she has always looked up to Kaoruko and is so protective of her is very admirable, she’s one of my favourite recent female characters and I think those that watch this show will see why she’s so beloved by the fanbase. On Rintaro’s side, his mom is truly a contender for mother of the year. She is the sort of parent everyone would love to have, supportive, encouraging and would do anything to see her baby boy happy. The main ship may get most of the attention, but these two+ Rintaro’s male friends who look up to him really make the story special. There’s just something about this cast, the way everyone is supportive and kind and they all have these great personalities too that really endears them to the audience.
I could ramble on and on about why this show is so great for hours, but suffice to say it is the gold standard for modern fluff romance animanga. No fanservice, no sexualization of minors, no unnecessary drama, good communication between characters, a relatively simple story and an extremely cute main ship. Again, it’s not the greatest manga ever and I do think people overhype Kaoruko a bit, but there’s a reason so many people rate this highly. Diabetes in anime form.
Kaoruhana gets 9 out of 10.
HERMIT_PAIMON
Bromance and Romance This is what people need for healing, removing social anxieties and solving out issues with loved ones . TFFBWD story flows smoothly and has everything that you expect from a high school romance , presented in a tight sincere and passionate way . Main positive points that I liked very much ÷ 1) supportive family dynamics 2) no love triangle 3) well written characters 4) No cringe fan service 5) side couples that you rootDon't let negative comments affect you e.g crazy height difference b/w MC and girl , forced dialogues, Romeo Juliet trope .
For me it's a king of character development. Leaving your anxieties behind , changing your introvert personality just to be with your dream girl isn't a easy task . Looking forward for a promising season 2
wilsonthegoat
I just exploring MyAnimeList and looking for interesting anime, then i found new anime with 8.7 rating, what's on my mind is "oh wow, this must be groundbreaking anime" "this must be the new meta romance anime" "this anime definitely bring some fresh story to the industry" but its not, i just got scammed, yes, Kaoru Hana is a fraudster, totally shit show. Kaoru Hana is just ordinary romance anime, nothing new, everything inside is just very similiar to other romance anime, there's no way this shit have 8.7 rating, i mean really, this is very corrupted, oh god. You know K-pop fandom that will immediatelygive a 10 rating with a lot dummy accounts to their idol movie debut, even the movie is trash, but the movie still have high rating because their favorite idol is in it, yes, Kaoru Hana fandom is just same like them, they are completely blind, already blinded with that black-haired girl smiles + slow motion + camera zoom + wind blowing + mirage color grading + rosy cheeks 24 hours + 140cm.
-Yellow-haired boy always said "what is this feeling?" like a thousand times and i already sick of it.
-Romantic feelings > mute background music > change color grading > camera zoom > WIND BLOWS. Its fine if they do it occasionally, but they do this about 10 times per episode, like wtf is this, they really need sponsorship from God to show romantic feelings, is this a hair shampoo ads or what?.
At this point, i just see this visual narrative as a comedy, i laugh every time the wind suddenly blows to them, i always predict whenever wind will blows or not, and its actually kinda fun, atleast they can entertain me from that shit.
-Yellow-haired boy "dad, can you teach me how to make cakes?".
Dad "what do you want to convey with the cake? what do you want them to feel when they eat the cake? whats important to you?.
Jesus christ, this dialogue is too forced to be melodramatic, he literally just want to make a fkin cakes, and his dad suddenly respond with cringe ass dialogue like its a michelin-star interview, out of an grown ass mouth, oh god.
-Literally black-haired girl just read a book, and they exaggerate it with some cinematic colorgrading camera movement type shit "so that's the expression she has when she's focus" holyshit bro can you fkin chill, its not that deep.
Kaoru Hana is should have 7.5 rating, should be where it should be, period.
nvat
I have stopped watching anime years ago. Even if I still do, I'd never touch a romance anime. As I'm approaching my adulthood, I graduated and stepped into the working society. And I just kept thinking to myself, when will I find love? So, while questions hovering in my head, I actually met my first romantic partner. This relationship started not from the premise of love, of interest, of understanding. It was about regret, about "what if I missed this shot?", "I've been missing out on the youth of my life", and "everyone's in love, everyone's has boyfriends and girlfriends, everyone's in a relationship", thus "Iwant to do this", "I want to have this". Alas, relationship was born from envy and fear, pity and afraid of being left behind. It started quite hastily, and, it ended not long after. How did it end? With disappointment. After that, I shut myself in. Whenever someone asked me about love, I said I'm not interested in romance at the moment. And it's true, I just don't feel like it's worth anything anymore. Especially now, that I need to focus on work, I need to make money, I have so much to improve upon. And yeah, I gave up on love, until..
..one day, this anime came at my doorstep (more specifically my Netflix). It's just there. The title was the one that pulled me in. The name was so genius, it made me questioned about the anime, I just kind of clicked it and watched it. And let me tell you, the anime is absolutely amazing.
- Was it cheesy? Some parts of it, yeah.
- Was it cringey? If you are really nitpicking, just a few small bits of it.
But if you take a standpoint of adolescence, you kind of get the feel that this is natural.
What I tried to say is, this anime restore hope in me. It returned me back to that state of "youth is only beginning". And now, after my first failed attempt at romance, after watching the anime, I realized love is not about having someone to call your boyfriend/girlfriend, to be in a relationship, and to boast about it, and to feel like you are equal to all the people who are out there having fun.
It's a process of understanding that person, "choosing the right one" would be the term that most people use. To understand a person, you have to really care about them. And it's not just that you tell yourself, "I have to care about this person." You simply just can't do that. You just suddenly realize that you want to care about the person. And this anime illustrates that process so gently.
The art was beautiful. The animation was amazing. I always felt happy for them whenever they met and interacted. I was deeply cared about their characters.
Was the anime an original idea? Nope, it was not an original idea. Boys from different societies, girls from different societies, they overcome the difficulty, and they realized the other person was who they are after - the specific individuals, not the groups.
- "So, what about XYZ stereotype?"
- "Fuck stereotypes, I want to know you! 🫵"
Which is such a strong statement coming from the Ms. Waguri herself. And I'm just amazed that she can do that as young as she is in the anime. It sure took my whole youth to realize that.
dreamingcat
I'm surprised this got rated so highly. But the f protagonist is literally the epitome of a male-gaze fantasy and I really wish she had more personality than being socially awkward to the max but obsessed enough with the m protagonist that it shows a little. They don't seem like high school kids at ALL - if rintaro was really afraid of being "scary" why'd he lean into it? He's dressed more like a stereotypical hot tall boy than a delinquent. None of the characters have any substance to them and im thoroughly disappointed by the lack of story depth. Here's some notes for AI: - unique,no
- will others enjoy it: if you like romance stories and you're starved then sure, youll be able to stomach it
- not well rounded at all, just empty
pbbuiter
A heartwarming story about two people falling in love with both each other and the people around them. Unfortunately it's held back by poor dialogue. When two characters in this show have a conversation on screen, all they'll be doing is apologising, thanking each other, praising each other, or talking about food. There are no nuanced conversations here at all. Everything is too fluffy and uninteresting as a result. An anime this reminded me of a lot is The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten. This is a romcom that aired like a year ago, which largely has the same issues for me. I likethe Romeo and Juliet esque storytelling, where the protagonists are from schools that absolutely can't stand each other. What I don't like is how underdeveloped this part of the story is. There's no reason for these schools to have such strong aversion for one another and the pure hatred that the characters from Kikyo talk with just makes absolutely no sense.
Rintarou is presented to us the audience as someone who's been misunderstood his entire life. He's tall and has blonde hair, so everyone around him thought he was scary. The idea of him finally meeting people who understand him is admittedly comforting. But then why make him look like a goddamn super model lol? The plausability of his character is pretty rough. He's strikingly handsome, tall, athletic and well spoken. You're expecting me to believe this guy would be shunned? A guy like this would have to choose between being a model, or NBA player. There's no way he'd be socially isolated because he was tall.
With that being said, the production is quite nice. Waguiri's design is eye catching and it really feels like you're looking at her through the eyes of Rintarou when watching the anime. Again though, my issue with her is that she lacks any real flaws.
Overall, I'd say watch it if you want an easily consumable romance anime that you can turn your brain off for. Just don't expect too much out of the story, because it's not all that.
kiyo_seibah
PEAK ABSOLUTE PEAK I can say this is on the same level as fruits basket! Story was very amazing, i loooooove the friendship as they're very wholesome and touching. Romance too are building up nicely and finished with such a statement! I also love how all characters are well written both MC and side characters. The drama wasn't too heavy or too light, it's just perfect. Gosh i just love how well written the main couple are. They're both very aware of their feelings and not a wishy washy or annoying. Production wise also very impressive with stunning graphics and scenery, good directing, and beautiful andvery well fitted scoring too!!
It's definitely one of the best romance out there and in the same level as fruits basket imo. Definitely top contender for anime of the season besides takopi
Doungcunho
Kaoru Hana to Saku is a romantic anime that tells a sweet love story between two people from very different backgrounds. Although the premise isn’t entirely new, the way the story develops is really well done. I wouldn’t say it’s the best romance anime ever, since that depends a lot on each viewer’s personal taste, preferences, and style. But for me — someone who has watched quite a lot of romance anime and enjoys gentle, heartwarming, and peaceful stories — it’s truly a wonderful series. The anime has beautiful art, eye-catching visuals, and lovely music. It tells the story of Kaoruko Waguri and Tsumugi, and how theyovercome the barriers between their two schools to be together. The story focuses on everyday life and healing moments rather than heavy drama, which makes it calm and soothing. The way the main characters fall in love feels very natural — not forced at all. Their relationship is built on mutual respect and understanding, which makes it even more touching.
What I love the most is that there’s no fan service at all. Every character has a distinct personality and well-developed thoughts and emotions. Misunderstandings and conflicts are resolved in reasonable, believable ways. The humor and cute moments often made me smile throughout the show.
Some people say there are too many “thank you” and “sorry” moments, but personally, I didn’t find it annoying at all. It actually felt natural to me — maybe those people are just overanalyzing it. Others might think the anime is a bit cheesy, and that’s true to some extent, but only slightly.
In short, this anime is perfect for anyone looking for a slow-paced, healing, and heartwarming story to relax with after a long day of studying or working. However, it might not suit those who prefer fast-paced plots, heavy drama, or loud comedy — or those who simply aren’t into this kind of gentle romance.
Zeno_Artaxerxes
A boy that had a lot of issues in his childhood relating to how he looks, being ostracized by his peers for it, ultimately ending up giving up on a lot of things, meets a girl that changes everything for him. It is a nice and sweet romance story, with the MC finding again happiness in his life by interacting with the FMC. The FMC is a sweet girl that just makes everything shine when she smiles, literally. You just cannot not smile when looking at both of them interacting. But for how high the mark on mal and other websites is, I expected a masterpiece,but what I've got was not that unfortunately...
A few issues that really started to get annoying because they just wouldn't stop doing them over and over again:
- "sorry" or "thank you", please for the love of God, stop apologizing or thanking so much, at this point it lost all its meaning to me
- almost every scene had to have or lead to a high emotional moment, as in either trauma dumping, a life changing realization, or a moment in which someone has some extreme emotional reaction. I just want to see them interact normally as well, not everything needs to lead to serious and important moments... And when you should actually get to see them finally having normal moments, it ends up being a montage or something and you don't see anything
- cringe, a bit too many cringe moments where it felt so awkward and unnatural to how the action/story part was presented and progressed...
- also characters acting awkward, unnatural, barely being able to make up sentences. Too many moments like that... I understand you want to show that they are flustered and such, but at some point it becomes so weird to see them still acting like that... where is the progress?? why are they still talking so weird to each other? It did not feel natural to me at all a lot of times... Feels like every emotion needs to be highly expressed and shown, everything ending up feeling over dramatic...
Albeit it has quite a few issues for me, it still made me smile quite a bit, but also yawn, because a lot of times you knew what would happen next, and this story is a bit of a slow burner, it goes really slow with its scenes, and likes to do a lot of long drawn out moments, so once you knew where it would go, you would have to sit quite a bit through the scenes. At least one good thing is that the story actually progresses. So you won't be disappointed on that part.
The story also progresses the side characters as well, and you see some of them start growing and getting over their problems. Mad respect to the parents of the MC. They are great parents, and I liked seeing them and finding out more about them. All the side characters that are revolving around the MC and FMC are some of the kindest people I have ever seen, each in their own way of showing it. The MC and FMC are also the same. A bit too kind I would say...
Story: 7 -- Cute sweet romance story, but the presentation has a lot of downsides that makes it a bit unbearable at times and boring
Art: 9 -- The art is very lovely. Especially the moments in which the FMC smiles and such. High quality I would say.
Music: 9 -- The music was top notch.
Characters: 7 -- Characters and interactions felt overall too unnatural to me...
Enjoyment: 8 -- It was an okay watch to me.
Overall: 8
Right now it has 8.70 from 107.909 votes Ranked #68 Popularity #857 Members 317,290 as of 13/10/2025.
I recommend this anime to those that want to watch a nice romance story, but be aware that it might have quite a few elements that can make you annoyed or bored of pretty fast, especially because it seems like they just keep on going with those kind of elements over and over again...
JamesHo
Oh my sweet, sugary friends! I've got a review so wholesome and pure, you'll need an insulin shot just to finish watching it! We're talking about Kaoru Hana wa Rin to Saku (or The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity), and lemme tell you, this show isn't just a romance anime it's an injection for your soul! Forget your gritty, conflict ridden dramas; this is the no BS, green flag romance we've been begging for. It's a straight up 10/10 experience that makes you smile at the end of every episode and sometimes... just sometimes... hits you right in the feels. A Love Story That's Pure Gold (andZero Misunderstandings!)
When I first saw the premise a tall, "delinquent-looking" Rintarou from the low prestige school and sweet Kaoruko from the fancy academy. I thought, "Oh no, not another Romeo & Juliet setup." But what this show does with that setup is nothing short of admirable. It breaks through the "poison of misunderstandings" with the elegance of Kaoruko herself!
The secret? They TALK TO EACH OTHER! Gasp! I know, right? In a world of anime where problems are dragged out for 12 episodes because someone forgot to say one simple sentence, Rintarou and Kaoruko are a breath of fresh air. They communicate like actual mature human beings, and it's magnificently refreshing. The way Kaoruko sees past Rintarou's intimidating stature and treats him like any other person. It's a beautiful moment that sparks a massive wave of personal growth in him. She's the light that guides him out of his shell, and you just want to hug them both!
Their bond is so sincere and they deal with things so maturely that you'll be internally screaming, "JUST GET TOGETHER ALREADY, YOU CUTE BEANS!" Their dynamic is a perfect blend of genuine affection and pure, unadulterated sweetness.
The Cast: A Galaxy of Green Flags
If the romance gives you a sugar rush, the rest of the cast is the gentle, warm tea that soothes your insides. Honestly, this show might have my favorite cast as a whole in the entire romance genre.
You know how in some shows the secondary characters are more interesting than the leads? Not here! Every single character: main and secondary are unique and well-written. Rintarou's friends, Kaoruko's friend Subaru... they all start with a bit of prejudice, but guess what? Clear and calm communication bridges the gap. The author has crafted a world where there are no negative feelings and no villains, and yet the story is utterly captivating. It's an idealistic fantasy of human connection, and you know what? After seeing enough real life drama, I'd rather watch this wholesome sweetness any day of the week!
And don't even get me started on the parents! Rintarou's mom, Kyoko, is a gem. Seeing her so proud of her son for even trivial things; it got me emotional! It reminds you of the warm feeling when you make your own folks smile. The parents here aren't a dramatic device. They're an excellent support system that just adds a ridiculous amount of charm to the whole story.
Visuals and Feels: A Soul Purifying Experience
While it might not be the flashiest anime out there (looking at you, Dress-Up Darling), the animation is really good and at times amazing and perfectly serves the story. The bright colors used throughout aren't just for show; they depict the depth of the emotions and the togetherness of the friend group. It’s a real feast for the eyes with detailed character designs and settings.
And the music! Both the opening, "Manazashi wa Hikari," and the ending, "Hare no Hi ni," are true gems that perfectly capture the romantic and emotional tone. The entire directing team clearly knew exactly what they were doing.
The slow, measured pace allows you to truly see the characters grow and become more layered. This isn't just an anime to be watched; it's an experience to be felt. It invites you to contemplate the beauty in small things and recognize the strength that lies in vulnerability.
The Final Verdict
Kaoru Hana wa Rin to Saku is an unforgettable experience that purifies the soul. It starts with a simple setup, but with a cast full of green flags and a commitment to earnest, heartfelt romance, it becomes something truly special. It’s the scoop of vanilla ice cream that somehow warms your soul.
Go watch it! Seriously. The Earth is 4.5 billion years old, and you're lucky enough to be born in the era where this gem was animated. Don't miss out on this precious cinnamon roll of an anime!
botagas
I'm surprised some reviewers complain about the amount of gratitude or apology expressed by the characters throughout the show. I couldn't find it strange at any point, but that's from my own perspective. I very (VERY) rarely watch romance shows and I can tell you, we thoroughly enjoyed this show with my partner, with us being a duo of an avid Japanese culture enjoyer and someone who never batted an eye to such media in the past. From the get go, it was truly exciting watching the story develop, most of the time it being somewhere in between the sweet and stressful boundaries, balancing out mostof the time. I would feel excited when the episode progressed, but not TOO excited to be annoyed when the episode finished. It was the healthy kind of excitement that I didn't expect to find here.
This greatly contributed to us having a great time and me enjoying the experience. Characters were relatively mature despite their age. The male protagonist is a good-mannered, well-behaved person that has a kind personality. The reactions from both main characters weren't overly exaggerated, I didn't feel "cringe" that can often resurface in shows that try to play on the overused cliches and the oversaturated embarrassment scenes that the characters are portrayed to face. Once again, it felt the healthy kind of embarrassment, friendship, fun, pressure and stress. It felt comforting because it resembled the everyday life, where you are actually living, void of facing tragedies, issues that prevent you from enjoying these little moments that you are supposed to enjoy. It reminds you that you have to take that first step, you need to build up the courage, but be patient, and last but not least - be honest with yourself. It also felt great to me personally as it allowed me to reminisce about my own high school years. It shows that with the right people you can be yourself, improve mentally and "fight your inner demons", as the true friends will see for who you are, and not what others portray you to be.
If I had to describe it in a few simple words for potential viewers, I'd say this: it is a nostalgic and quite a mature experience of a healthy, patient and "take it at your own pace" relationship that has started developing. The uno-reverse flashback at the end of the show was the icing on the cake, which delivered the final blow and wrapped up the show nicely, although some could find it underwhelming. Overall, it's a great piece of art to indulge yourself in to change up the pace and think of what is really important, and that is being honest with yourself and finding the courage to take the initiative and step forward.
Chuy_diazz
If you liked the anime, that's fine, but don't take this personally. For this review, I want to get a little more personal than from an objective perspective. The manga of this work could easily be my favorite of all time. I have enormous affection for it, and I wanted to see the anime reflect everything that the manga made me feel at the time. I wasn't asking for the same quality of art as the manga because I know it's extremely difficult to translate art from a static medium into an animated one. I wasn't asking for sub-artistic quality; I was asking that they takethe time to understand the characters and convey each one's feelings. Now, the review will be divided into two parts:
Assessment as an anime only:
It's a good anime, it's a good romance. It's a romance that works, and it's one we've seen many times before. A boy who goes through hardships meets a girl, and his world changes. Cloverworks didn't exactly take the time to try to do something different here either. They did just enough to make this a commercial success. It has beautiful animation, good character design, and the script is generally good. One of the biggest problems is the participation of Honoka Inoue as Waguri, not because she did poorly but because she couldn't separate herself from her character of Anne Shirley. In many of Waguri's dialogues, the character of Anne Shirley constantly came across, and this prevented her from connecting with the female lead. On the other hand, the character design doesn't help either, because you can't believe what the story is telling you. Rintaro's design is very average, I'd say, and there's no way to believe his appearance is fearsome. The characters' expressions are generally very softened, and you don't understand why so much drama is made over something you can't see. Despite that, commercially, this is a good product, and I understand the people who genuinely liked it because the story is good. Chapters 6 and 9 seem to me to be the best of the anime. Although the credit should go to the story, not the production, because Cloverworks did a poor job on the adaptation side.
Which is where we enter the second part, the adaptation work:
I'm perfectly aware that an anime doesn't have to be a copy-paste of the manga and that certain liberties can be taken to ensure the story can be told fluidly in an animated format. So far, so good, and I had that in mind before even watching episode 1. The problem arose when I started noticing everything Cloverworks was doing with this work. First of all, and what always bothered me from the start, was the infantilization of Waguri Kaoruko. In the manga, Waguri does have her tender facets and scenes with a chibi model, but she also has rigid expressions, with a steely temper because she's a strong woman. I feel that's the main difference between the two Waguris: the one in the anime is a girl, while the one in the manga is a woman. The fact that they gave her such a childish voice and a permanent blush makes her range of expression extremely limited. You can't see her serious moments that way because she's always blushing. It's a minor detail, but it greatly changes the character's narrative.
Another important aspect is that the anime has a Waguri-centric vision. If you pay attention, you can see that the animation quality in Waguri's scenes is always at its highest level, while it declines when another character takes the spotlight. Even Rintaro is affected by these decisions because his scenes don't have the impact they should. Saku, Yorita, and Usami are also affected because they are the least important to the production. Subaru is the one who benefits the most, but even so, she, despite having the harshest expressions, ends up being softened. The rest of the cast is sacrificed in order to highlight the female lead, although this isn't surprising because Cloverworks always does this in its romance anime.
Expressions are the important and even central part of manga. What they can't convey with words, they convey with expressions. Anime opted for shots far away from the characters' faces to avoid focusing on this aspect. If they didn't want to focus on this aspect, then an animated production has more resources. If they couldn't draw a good expression, they compensate with voice acting, the soundtrack, the lighting, and the camera work. I refuse to believe that a production with so many resources could only think of moving the camera away from the characters' faces.
Kaoru Hana is a story that thrives on small details. If you end up ignoring or glossing over them because they're small, the story will end up losing its impact in the long run.
Deepfried_yag
Good production quality. Probably the best I've seen from a pure slice of life romance anime. The voice actors all did a great job and the facial expressions go along with those really well. All of the frames look beautiful. However that is generally where it ends for me again because I don't like the substance. The whole interactions between all of the characters literally goes like this: - I am really sorry for what I did. + No, I am sorry for making you say sorry! - No, I am more sorry than you! + Thank you for feeling sorry for me. Pretty much nearly every line of important dialogueis literally a different way of saying sorry or thank you. A similar criticism of mine is that every character is waaaay to honest with their feelings. Nobody tells any serious lies or tries to deceive or has genuinely bad intentions. Everything is too pure and because of this no conflict takes longer than maybe 2 episodes. Most problems are solved in tiny, micro arcs later in the episode. This would've been very good for some (also in terms of pacing) but the fact that this is caused by the aforementioned things makes it unrealistic and boring for me. The writing simply isn't good. People are once again captivated by pretty animation and visuals and overrate this anime to the sky.
