Despite having preconceptions about the series from the very first episode, Sweet Blue Flowers was a satisfying endeavor and rather easy to experience in marathon. As one of the various yuri-toned series of the year, Blue Flowers sets itself apart with a captivating water-colored palette and a sincere presentation I grew fond of.
My primary concern with the series comes with the minimal development of Fumi, the main character. She is sketched as a very passive, delicate, and dependent girl whose largest weakness is a lack of assurance. What I hoped for was noticeable growth on her part, and while I do feel Fumi grew through the events, it was minimal and she hardly differs from start to finish.
Secondly, I was patiently waiting to see progress which would bring Fumi and Akira (A-chan) together, but this too, was minimal resolve, and slightly corny with Fumi’s sweet realization in the end. Nevertheless, I would welcome a second season if such a thing ever comes to fruition.
The brilliance of Blue Flowers comes with it’s legitimacy. Never excessive, uncalled for, or overdone, Blue Flowers feels genuinely grounded. Perhaps this can be attributed to the moderate under-baking or subtleness of character developments and plot points. Regardless, I partially attribute my level of satisfaction to these details.
In most cases, the lack of expected resolve would have left me annoyed or impartial, but I was greatly satisfied largely because every aspect of the provided experience was appreciated, fulfilling, and never disagreeable. Satisfied, with a slight desire for more.
Sweet Blue Flowers held a sweetness I never found tiring.
Liveblogged on Melative.
I think if they had gone with more resolve, there would have been more growth in Fumi. Even with that fact, I really liked the open ending, which I tend to usually dislike. The Opening animation hints at much more, but we’re left with much less in the end.
If anything, even if the characters grow very little, I like that the friendship of the two takes the forefront and in the end, I do think we see that clearly at the least.
Very true, but even before the OP I just thought something [romantic] would develop between the main girls. I’m totally great with the outcome anyway… so sweet and lifting.
I was also somewhat unsatisfied with the underdeveloped and abrupt conclusion of the relationship between Fumi and Akira. A good and relaxing series nevertheless.
I’ll take that as a “second season pls” (jk) /sigh, so true things, but still great for mah heart.
…while I do feel Fumi grew through the events, it was minimal and she hardly differs from start to finish.
Based on Fumi’s rejection (in episode ten), I believe she grew a
pair-of-ballslot.Too bad the art-style failed to accurately portray the scene. Fumi supposedly looks scary/mature (due to height), so imagine her finally with a suiting personality.
Secondly, I was patiently waiting to see progress which would bring Fumi and Akira (A-chan) together…
The opening-sequence is very misleading; I understand disappointed people. Aoi Hana is about a lesbian protagonist, not a yuri relationship.
Wrong series if you want steamy lesbian action.Amusingly, Aoi Hana deserves the yuri tag more than Maria-sama ga Miteru. (I face-palm at yuri tags on the latter.)
She grew lots of balls… that is a good point, and I thought about it. Her defining moment of change was when she was able to state herself like a real woman. In the end I still felt she wasn’t fully transformed, still wavering, but she did change…. my quip is that it was like 4-5 episodes of her being so easily mused by Sugimoto. :< She seems too easily submissive to her interests; her cousin was the likely driver in that relationship, just as Sugimoto was.
That won’t work with A-chan, and I kinda doubt that intimacy would manifest… I still wanna know XD
Well, yuri and shoujo-ai and then … お姉さまコン perhaps
Well said. Aoi Hana was easily my favourite show of the summer, and it fits my inner criteria of what shoujo-ai should be. Marimite was good, but this show really captures the subtle, modest, and ultimately believable feelings of a good yuri.
Good yuri is kinda awesome! Also, I never watched Marimite, although like what aurabolt mentioned, maybe I should watch it and not expect yuri. O.o
I found that the non-Fumi X Akira romance quite fresh actually. I’m quite used to main leads being the one-true-pairings after all. I hope that if there were a second season A-chan won’t go all-yuri on us. I’d like to see Fumi X Akira remain the more-than-friends-never-yuri-lovers pair.
I wouldn’t watch A-chan to get very yuri either, but if there was some progression in that direction I wouldn’t mind… it would likely be a pretty large development, and that is something which can be screwed up rather easily by poor writing.
I am glad you enjoyed this anime
Director and art director were very good 
Me too
the presentation and composure was one of the best aspects too.
So this is actually very good?
I really didn’t like Marimite, so I’m sorry for my skepticism.
It is very good. For reference, I haven’t seen MariMite, but this series has a very good, and genuine feel to it. Modest and lovely.