REVIEW: ‘The Fragrant Flower Blooms With Dignity’ Episode 1 – “Rintaro and Kaoruko”

Based on the popular manga written and illustrated by Saka Mikami and published by Kodansha, The Fragrant Flower Blooms With Dignity Episode 1 is a solid and well-executed premiere that captures pieces of the magic of the source material. A coming-of-age story with romance central to the plot, it’s a wholesome, introspective series where the strength lies in the characterization and the constant growth they undergo as they face the many challenges of growing up. “Rintaro and Kaoruko” is merely a setup, but the effect is immediate due to the gorgeous animation from CloverWorks. 

The Fragrant Flower Blooms With Dignity Episode 1 introduces the world and its two main characters with detailed visuals and a lush color palette evoking the days of youth gone by. It’s a gorgeously rendered adaptation that makes only minor tweaks to character designs in an effort to bring them to greater life. And while some of the manga’s details are missed, it’s made up for by the overall cinematic effect of the color designs and background work. 

Rintaro Tsumugi (Yoshinori Nakayama) is an introverted teenager hounded by a debilitating lack of self-esteem. Due to his appearance and staggering height, people around him assume that he’s a delinquent—an assumption he doesn’t try to correct. The school he attends, Chidori Public High School, doesn’t help. Assumed to be a school for students with nowhere else to go or, as Rintaro self-deprecatingly puts it, for “idiots,” the school has a bad public perception despite being relatively normal. 

The premiere sets up an opposites attract narrative.

That negative reputation is further exacerbated by its neighboring school, the Kikyo Private Academy for girls, which is where Kaoruko Waguri (Honoka Inoue) attends.  There’s a palpable hostility between the schools, with Chidori finding Kikyo to be a bunch of elitists while Kikyo, in turn, thinks Chidori is full of aimless delinquents. Their rivalry is one of those elements in the series that viewers need to accept early because, at face value, it always feels a touch overblown and melodramatic despite being the original primary source of narrative friction. 

What helps is that everything always seems bigger and more important as a teenager when hormones are the ruling focus of our cognitive abilities. It’s the same with how everyone sees Rintaro and his own self-image. Sure, he dyes his hair and has piercings, but there’s nothing overtly threatening about his appearance and how he’s drawn. It’s more about his inability to open up that drives his search for truth and growth. 

But for now, The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity Episode 1 sticks with those hard lines in the sand about who can interact and why; the charm comes through in the characters’ interactions as Rintaro and Kaoruko get to know one another through the latter’s visit to the former’s family bakery.

Rintaro and Kaoruko are immediately lovable. 

Due to her diminutive size, he first believes Kaoruko is a middle schooler and is intimidated by his appearance. But despite an awkward first meeting, she returns and quickly reassures him that she wasn’t frightened by him at all. 

There’s a sweetness to their dynamic that’s apparent immediately, with his hulking figure being so readily consoled by her sweet disposition. All of which shines a light on the truth of the story and the heart at its center, revealing that appearances are just that.

They’re surface level, but as teenagers, it’s hard – impossible even – to look at ourselves objectively and without social expectations or the confounding and ever-changing boxes people like to place others in. Rintaro may seem imposing, but he, too, like Kaoruko, is gentle and kindhearted, and that’s what draws them together. 

The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity Episode 1 thrives on small details. 

It’s why it works when Rintaro comes to her rescue when two other boys corner her. Because it doesn’t rely on overused tropes, and he doesn’t domineer or try to highlight his strength. He gains a head injury not from being hit but by running so fast his face bounces off the wall he Kaoruko stands against. His first instinct is to shield her, rather than attack her assailants. 

These small details are what make the series feel refreshing despite evident influences and the familiar nature of coming-of-age stories. Yes, we’ve seen versions of these characters before, but their actions and perspective on the world offer a fresh point of view. 

The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity Episode 1 ends with the major reveal that Kaoruko is a high schooler attending Kiyoko. Stunned, Rintaro pulls the blinds back to hide as he grapples with this news. It’s a fun cliffhanger that promises more from the protagonists as they now have more than just his insecurities to deal with while developing their dynamic. 

CloverWorks delivers a charismatic start.

While on the whole, the premiere is a wholesome adaptation that honors the spirit of the source material, not everything works. There are some character animations and background motion that appear stiff or overly glossed over, to the point where the characters don’t blend with the scenery, creating an uncanny effect. And despite being a solid start, the story certainly becomes more interesting over time as we learn more about the ensemble as a whole.

The only other notable issue is the dub. English dubs can be as good as the original and preferred to certain viewers. Everything from Solo Leveling, Delicious and Dungeon, to DanDaDan in recent years has highlighted as much. However, Karouko’s is a definite, distracting stumble. It’s unfortunate because it feels like better guidance would have helped the performance make better decisions. 

All in all, though, The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity Episode 1 is a charismatic start that allows us to immediately invest in the characters and their burgeoning relationship. Strong animation and a wholesome story make it easy to fall for, and this is all set up for a story that blossoms with greater confidence with each passing chapter. 

The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity Episode 1 premieres on Netflix September 7th.