If there’s anything that’s forbidden, or even looked down on with shame and disgust, it’s being gay. Or a sexual attraction to someone of the same gender.

This is the main theme in Bloom Into You. It’s the one thing that makes the life lessons so meaningful and relatable.

And that’s true even if you don’t swing that way yourself.

The main character: Yuu also has lessons to learn from, since she struggles to find an attraction to most people.

Let’s get started.

Bloom Into You Life Lessons:

1. The braver the face, the deeper the insecurities

Touko Nanami is the student council president.

Not to mention a “beautiful” student council president in the eyes of her classmates and associates.

Everything Touko does is perfect. Grades, exams, the way she communicates and talks to others… It’s almost as if watching Touko in action, is a reflection of what “perfection” is supposed to look like.

Or as they call it: “poetry in motion”.

But only those closest to Touko, like Yuu, know the truth of the matter.

Touko’s brave face and strong leadership skills is a facade that hides her deep insecurities.

The kind of insecurities that never show up because of how brave, jolly and colorful her personality is in general. Not to mention her bright, non-judgmental attitude towards others.

Relevant: 16 Anime Characters Who Are So Gentle It’s “Soothing”

2. You can’t help who or what you’re sexually attracted to

There’s this belief that if you’re gay or lesbian, you just woke up one day and decided to be gay.

Most people can’t wrap their head around it because ironically, the same people judging aren’t sexually attracted to the same gender. So of course they can’t understand.

Touko Nanami knows this better than anyone in the anime: Bloom Into You.

One day she falls for Yu, and that’s the end of it.

She discovers she’s “into girls” and there’s nothing she can do about it. While knowing the world outside of herself won’t see it that way, if they were to discover her secret.

That leads me to my next point…

3. We live in a closed-minded society

The truth is – “in general”, your average joe is closed-minded and ignorant to the world and how it works.

Most people aren’t accepting of things that are “different”, compared to things they’re used to seeing and experiencing.

This is true in the realm of love, romance and relationships as well. More so than other areas.

There’s no way most parents would accept their own child IF they knew they were “Lesbians”.

In fact – most parents would disown you and claim you’re “cursed” or some other bullsh**.

Touko Nanami, and a few older women in Bloom Into You know this. You can see it in the way they live their lives. Keeping their “gay” relationships on the down-low, being careful to make sure nobody notices.

All 12 episodes of Bloom Into You highlights this truth in a subtle, but undeniable way.

Related: 5 Unforgettable Life Lessons To Be Learned From Shimoneta

4. Love makes you selfish

When you’re in love with someone, you become selfish. You convince yourself that everything is about the person you love, but the reality is: everything is about YOU.

Your love for someone else drives you to do things that will satisfy your own desires and needs. Not necessarily the needs of the person you love.

You get to see a little of this between Touko Nanami and Yuu, as Touko selfishly makes demands of Yuu. Like “don’t fall in love with me, stay the way you are”.

Love doesn’t know how to tame itself once it blooms and takes over your rational. So asking someone to stay the way they are, while they bathe in the love they have for you sexually, is almost impossible.

Because feelings aren’t logical.

We see proof of this as Yuu starts to develop feelings for Touko Nanami in the second half of Bloom Into You.

5. The more “taboo” your interests are, the more you’ll care about what people think

This isn’t always true.

There are people who learn to NOT give a F either way. But let’s be honest: most people break under the pressure. Especially if your interests are out of the ordinary.

That’s not an individuals fault, it’s society’s fault for being closed-minded and choosing to NOT be empathetic and understanding.

Touko Nanami puts on a brave face but her insecurities run deeper than the river Nile.

And even though she doesn’t make it obvious to the everyday teenager or adult, she cares deeply about what other people will think of her. If they were to discover her “taboo” secret of being gay.

Among other things.

That’s true in life as well. It’s an inescapable fact.

6. It’s hard to find friends who will “accept” you when you’re different

This goes back to point #3 about closed-minded people in society. And even point #5 about having unusual interests.

How likely is it you’ll find a friend you can trust if you’re lesbian or gay? People’s natural reaction is to behave like sheep, and point fingers at the “black sheep” who stands out among the crowd.

And that’s regardless of what your relationship with them is or was beforehand.

Other than Yuu, Touko Nanami has nobody to turn to about her gay sexual desires. She can’t tell her parents, family, friends or associates.

This puts her in a tricky situation, because unsurprisingly, even if her friends knew, almost none of them would “stick” by her side in spite of it.

The anime doesn’t make this point obvious, but it’s a subtle truth portrayed throughout the plot of Bloom Into You.

Related: 11 Anime Characters Who Take “Being Eccentric” To A Whole New Level

7. Most people have secrets that “few” people will ever know about

Going back to point #5, the more taboo your interests are, the less likely you’ll tell someone about it. And that goes with point #7 – it’ll end up becoming a secret you’ll never share with anyone.

Or at the least: 1 or 2 people who you absolutely trust will know about it. But no more than that.

In the anime, Touko Nanami shares her secret with Yuu, but the reason is obvious… It’s because Touko is in love with Yuu. So it’s only natural she’d know.

If it wasn’t for that reason, nobody else would know about it.

A better example of this is Sayaka. Touko’s friend and vice president of the student council.

We come to find out she’s in love with Touko Nanami. But unlike Touko who’s willing to come out the closet with the person she loves, Sayaka stays quiet.

She chooses to “love” Touko from a distance, never saying or indicating anything to Touko. Or even sharing her secret with anyone close to Touko, not even Yuu.

Sayaka is the only person in the world who knows about her secret. So she’s lonely, forced to struggle with it all by herself with no one else to share it with.

And it makes sense: few people will share a secret knowing they’ll be judged and criticized for it.

Especially if it has the potential to ruin a friendship.

Bloom Into You Life Lessons:

The braver the face, the deeper the insecurities.

You can’t help who or what you’re sexually attracted to.

We live in a closed-minded society.

Love makes you selfish.

The more “taboo” your interests are, the more you’ll care about what people think.

It’s hard to find friends who will “accept” you when you’re different.

Most people have secrets that few people will ever know about.

What did you take from the anime series: Bloom Into You?

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