The Fragrant Flower Blooms With Dignity First Impressions

Written by Ross Locksley on 08 Sep 2025

This weekend Netflix launched its latest anime romance, The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity. Essentially a Romeo and Juliet tale, our two potential lovers are the rough and ready Rintaro and the demure and open Kaoruko. Can the two overcome the enmity between their neighbouring schools and find a way to be together?

The series is based on the 2021 manga by Saka Mikami which began serialisation on Kodansha's Manga Pocket website, now adapted by Studio Cloverworks who also adapted My Dress Up Darling, Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai and Darling in the Franxx. No doubt there's plenty of talent on the animation side.

Netflix aired the first two episodes on Sunday, with the series continuing weekly thereafter. Two episodes to hit the ground running was, in my opinion, a smart move as it's a bit of a slow burn in terms of pacing, though no less enjoyable for it. Rintaro is quickly established as an intimidating presence, his tall gait and blonde hair marking him out as distinctly "other" even in a school for delinquents. Kaoruko takes more time to fully understand - seemingly oblivious or uncaring as to the distaste the girls in her school have for the boys next door, she's sweet and earnest almost to a fault. She's so pure that she has characteristic hints of Belldandy from Oh! My Goddess.

It's an enjoyable tale, but so far nothing seems particularly outstanding. We've had plenty of misunderstood "scary" characters in anime and manga before, probably one of the most notable being Takasa Ryuuji from ToraDora, but he's hardly alone. The cake-store setting is as cosey as the rest of the show, but I like seeing cake so that's a bonus of sorts.

However, there's a reason these stereotypes exist and that's because they work. And work they do, as both characters are brought to life in ways that are entertaining - Kaoruko's sweet disposition and earnest feelings toward Rintaro are very endearing, while Rintaro's self doubt and humility make him a guy to root for. The first two episodes show the relationship start to blossom, but honestly I'm not seeing where it really goes from here. Aside from some snooty girls and Rintaro's friends, there's not a lot of conflict developing - when the two leads see each other from their respective class windows and wave to each other across the distance, that could almost be enough to stick a pin in it, the relationship established and the two clearly having feelings for one another.

Rintaro's delinquent friends - more muppets than gangsters

I can only assume upcoming episodes will flesh out the surrounding cast, place obstacles in the way and introduce various dramatic tensions, but honestly I was quite satisfied with where it ended as is.

I'll likely pop back in to the series as it continues, I do like the characters (though Kaoruko's English VA is possibly a tad high pitched to the point that she almost squeaks every line) but I don't feel compelled to see where things go as it ends so peacefully I almost don't want to see any upset.

Should you check it out? If you enjoy a gentle and wholesome romance, absolutely. I found it very enjoyable, but I'm a romantic at heart. It was also nice to have a more peaceful watch than the other series I'm working through this season such as Clevatess and Dan Da Dan. Releasing episodes on a Sunday is perfect for this heartwarming couple as they find their way together.