REVIEW: ‘The Fragrant Flower Blooms With Dignity’ Episode 4 — “Warmth of the Heart”

The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity Episode 4 exemplifies the pure charm of the series in a single interaction. For as wholesome as the series is and despite the fundamentally familiar tropes it handles, it can often find itself wading into melodrama territory. However, the story continually reinvents itself through deceptively simple acts of empathy, which ground the narrative in its humanistic inclination towards compassion. 

The majority of The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity Episode 4 concerns itself with all things sweet. Following their accidental meeting in Episode 3, Rintaro (Yoshinori Nakayama) and Kaoruko (Honoka Inoue) agree to meet up for a makeshift study date (though it’s doubtful either is confident enough to call it as much). 

Kaoruko is determined to help Rintaro achieve a passing grade in his upcoming exams, allowing him to participate in the sports festival with his friends. Through Kaoruko, Rintaro is already showing tremendous growth that expands past his introduction. He’s still soft-spoken and internalizes a lot, but he’s looking forward to something. He wants to try to be better and enjoy the days of youthful abandon afforded him. 

This thematic underlining helps “Warmth of the Heart” maintain a strong forward motion despite being broken up into three sequences, aside from a brief opener. For a good romance to work, we need to care about both parties as individuals and as a couple. While there’s still room for Kaoruko to develop, considering the majority of the story is through Rintaro’s point of view, Rintaro as a character and his dynamic with Kaoruko already excels. They’re cute. 

The Fragrant Flower Blooms With Dignity Episode 4 is sweetly romantic. 

The sweetness is bottled in the confectionery colors and romantic styling. All of the vibrant colors and the character design of Kaoruko lean into a romantic aesthetic. Even the blush that quickly adorns their faces when they lean in too close. The CloverWorks series loves itself some flowery imagery and warm color stories that help build the chemistry between them. 

The study date also emphasizes one of the stronger, yet subtle strengths that has been wonderfully carried over from the manga to the anime: the linework. More specifically, the linework that helps embellish the characters’ expressions. There’s never any doubt just what a character is feeling, even if the character in question is doing their best to withhold the truth. 

In particular, Rintaro is designed with some truly superb expressive animation. Signs of being overwhelmed and flustered, morose, embarrassed, or happy all come forth first in how his eyes and the creases around them are animated. It’s suitable considering how quiet the character is. 

This little detail lends emotional potency to the three most significant interactions in The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity Episode 4. A sign that animation sometimes soars when it remembers the softer details of life to articulate them better visually. 

Rintaro is a fantastically layered protagonist, evident in a crucial scene.

We see it in the date and then, later, when he and Usami receive the news that they’ve passed their tests, to the uproarious and hilarious rejoicing from their peers and teacher. In a striking moment, following the wonderfully severe announcement that Usami’s eyesight was hurt from staring at too many words in preparation, Rintaro, still shocked, confesses that he’s “so happy.” 

It’s striking not just because, up until now, he’s never said as much, but because of how the animation for the character and Yoshinori Nakayama’s voice work combine to create the perfect manifestation of an overwhelmed teenage boy simply trying his best. And, the reaction to what happens when you try your best pays off. 

Rintaro is such a lovable protagonist because, from the moment we meet him, we understand Kaoruko’s bewilderment that other people would see him as anything but kind. The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity Episode 4 drives this home through these small moments. We see it again when the two middle school girls whom he gave his seat up for in Episode 3 run into him on the train and thank him, both realizing he’s a nice person. 

It’s what makes the most significant part of the episode—the confrontation between Rintaro and Subaru Hoshina (Aya Yamane)—work. Because both are coming from good places. Subaru genuinely cares about Kaoruko and wants to protect the friend who has so often protected her. Especially considering Kaoruko’s place at Kiyoko is already so precarious, given that she is a scholarship student. Any wrong move or, in this case, association, could see her status crumbling. 

Only a few minor hiccups tarnish the overall effect.

So Subaru asks Rintaro to stop seeing Kaoruko. And Rintaro, in turn, tells her, “I’m sorry, I can’t do that.” And what makes the sequence work is that both parties are sympathetic and that Rintaro, again through the expressive character design and voice work, appears genuinely apologetic. They’re both trying to do what’s right. 

Despite the sweetness of the romance and the bouts of humor and sincerity, specific issues persist. Primarily, the direction pulls back into long shots during more intimate conversations, and there is an overutilization of reflective surfaces to convey innermost emotions. But the most aggravating remains the abundance of flashbacks for scenes that happened mere moments ago. It reads as padding, which is unnecessary for a story that spans over 150 chapters. 

Regardless, The Fragrant Flower Blooms With Dignity Episode 4 earns its declarative moments and cute dynamics with ease. Anchored still by a charismatic protagonist and a slow-burning romance at its center, the series continues to gain momentum while cementing itself as a must-watch. 

The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity Episode 4 is available now on Netflix. 

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