薫る花は凛と咲く 8 [Kaoru Hana wa Rin to Saku 8]

薫る花は凛と咲く [Kaoru Hana wa Rin to Saku] #8

by Saka Mikami, 三香見サカ

底辺男子校・千鳥高校に通う紬 凛太郎と、お嬢様校・桔梗女子の和栗薫
子。付き合うことになった思い出の夏休みも終わりが近づき、凛太郎は
、薫子へ夏休みを頑張った“ご褒美”のケーキを渡す約束をする。こうして
夏休み最後のデートに待ち合わせた凛太郎だったが、思いもよらぬきっ
かけで薫子の家にお邪魔することに…!?　そして薫子の母に、凛太郎が
伝える言葉とは───。

Genres: Manga, Romance, Contemporary, Comics, Japanese Literature, Shojo, Shonen

192 pages, Paperback

First published May 9, 2023

Reviews

[Diana H. · Rating 5 out of 5]

The side ship is going to happen I swear Natsusawa and Subaru are absolutely cooking I see this from a mile away perhaps I am crazy today but tomorrow you will realize I was right all along (I am very sleep deprived)

[rory (jess' version) · Rating 4 out of 5]

i'm glad we get to see and know kaoruko's family situation because it just situate the fact how reliable and good person kaoruko is. anw, THE PLOT THICKENS i wonder what is the backstory about the aversion of kikyo's students to chidori's. well i just hope the meeting between the two friend groups would not go wrong or else my precious babies will suffer the consequences

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

I truly enjoy this series, but it is a little too earnest for my cynical heart. Once you stare into the treacle too long, the treacle stares back into you. And at my age I need to watch my blood sugar.

Still, this has a simpler, kinder idea that no situation is so bad that a little conversation and an attempt at understanding can’t overcome it. Given that we’d probably all be better off if that was the case, I can’t fault it too hard.

If you like it sweet, this remains sweet, but I would put this at a four star series for me, naive and innocent as it may be. I was already pretty jaded by the time I hit high school, so this is probably where the manga and I diverge.

There’s a lot of meeting the family this time, as Rintaro and Kaoruko’s lunch date bumps up against a wily kid brother and an understanding mother. This fills in a little backstory on Kaoruko’s home life and lets Rintaro become an effective big brother for a little bit.

It’s not bad; watching Rintaro go super formal to introduce himself and seeing Kaoruko get monumentally flustered is a good time. Plus, this leads to some very sweet first name talk later on. Mom being nice and accepting is an acceptable change from most manga parents.

The real meat on this bone, however, starts when a gaggle of girls from Kaoruko’s class spot our two lovebirds and the reputation of Rintaro’s school precedes him so completely that it looks like all those prejudices are about to make life a headache for Kaoruko.

Despite my previously stated beliefs about the series, this segment really landed with me for a number of reasons. It ends up being a strong treatise on preconceptions and the notion that prejudice starts with adults and trickles down to children via the formers’ actions.

One, it lets Subaru come through as an amazing friend and ally, using her previous experiences as a way to start crumbling the walls of the other girls at the school (although the death blow will be delivered by somebody else, I love Subaru here). Second, the depiction of said crumbling is really well done and surprisingly arty for this series.

But, look, I am no more complicated than the next man and give me a good character and I’m set. Enter the fantastic force of nature that is Madoka Yuzuhara, who runs away with this volume with aplomb.

Yuzuhara is part of that girl group, but it’s obvious right away that she feels very differently towards Kaoruko and Rintaro, offering a friendly and supportive wave as the other girls shuffle off with her in tow.

For as warm as this series has been, I would not call it especially vibrant until now. Yuzuhara has the energy of every other cast member combined and the vibe when she’s on the page is absolutely different and, in fact, much better.

The way Yuzuhara dismantles the silly bias of the other girls while also diving into her own backstory a little bit is just fantastic. She seems one way, but is actually far different than you’d expect. You can tell the mangaka loves writing her even before reading the afterword.

I, too, love characters like this and rest assured my rating is entirely based on how much life she brought to something that was already very good, if a little sentimental. I would read a series starring her in a heartbeat and I dearly hope she’s in this more going forward.

5 stars - 4 stars for the usual stuff and all its inherent belief that it’ll all work out in the end. And then an extra point for such a strong new character out of nowhere.

[nibha ⋆˚꩜｡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

i lowkey miss the blonde hair 😭 kaoruko's family AWWWWWW

[Juju ♡ ～('▽^人) · Rating 4 out of 5]

i actually thought that kaoru's family would have a problem?? but turns out theyre frickin amazing. everybody is so kind man!!!!

[charly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This volume was so full of emotions. The first half was so wholesome and the second half was so angsty.
I loved how Rintaro met and greeted Kaorus mom and brother. Kaorus mom had some points. She ate with that line about them being on equal footing in their relationship. Just the whole interaction was too adorable. Especially when Rintaor and Kousuke played videos games together and walked to the train station together. The whole letting Kaoru be vulnerable with Rintaro was too much for me to handle. Then more was served with Kaorus reaction to Rintaro calling her by her first name. Too cute.
The way Rintaro sensed something wrong with Kaoru on their date. The standard. His expression asking her to tell him what was wrong😭. Their relationship is just so healthy and I love it. It’s so refreshing. The whole interaction was ruined when her friends from kikyo showed up and were being total bitches towards Rintaro. His greeting was so kind too😭. Madoka though, love her. Her whole speech about not judging people based off appearances and also being too busy worrying about herself to worry about others. ATE. My new favourite girl. The others though… I get they were looking out for Kaoru and Subaru but asking Kaoru to break up with Rintaro was too much. Like hello? It isn’t your decision or your right to ask that of her. Loved the parallel towards Kaoru and Rintaro where they would not stop getting to know each other or break up. THE STANDARD. Can’t wait to see the meeting between kikyo and Chidori.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

I feel very much the same about this volume as I did about Volume 7. Some of the interactions just have a weird, inauthentic energy to them that takes away from the good character work. I'm not asking for an exact reflection of reality, but I wish the characters behaved/spoke more like actual people.

But I'm glad we are again getting more Kaoruko, this time meeting her mom and her little brother. Even if they are acting a little weird and not in a deliberate way.

I think the real good stuff in this volume comes from the last few chapters, when the Kikyo girls spot Rintaro and Kaoruko together and the issue with the schools becomes relevant and is challenged.

[shiori no nikki · Rating 5 out of 5]

MADOKA LA RAGAZZA CON LE TRECCE È LA MIA FIDANZATA

[Cristina García · Rating 5 out of 5]

En este tomo tenemos bastantes avances interesantes en la trama (y han presentado a un personaje que me encanta!!) Con muchas ganas de seguir leyendo ☺️

[IRV · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amigas de mierda, la única que sirve de ahí es la chica de las gafas y trenzas, ella si es simpática, y una vez más, es que este manga es una cura para el corazoncito 🥲

[maya ☆ (is starting uni!) · Rating 3 out of 5]

NOO HE DYED IT BLACK AGAIN I MEAN I GET IT BUT I LIKED HIS BLOND HAIR SO MUCH AND THE PARENTS DIDNT SEEM TO MIND TOO SO WHY

+ my subaru-saku ship will sail, they dont have a choice

[Yui · Rating 5 out of 5]

So viel Liebe! 🥰

[Rachel]

I LOVE MADOKA I CANT WAIT FOR MORE MADOKA

[dora♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

i love madoka so much! i hope she will appear more in the future >.<

[edy · Rating 4 out of 5]

awww i love kaoruko's family so much !! and rintaro is such a softie, i adore him. lastly, madoka, here queen you dropped your crown

[Yunebooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Al fin conocemos más sobre la vida de Kaoruko y el número de personajes secundarios aumenta. Necesito el tomo 9 por que se queda en un punto interesante.

De este tomo me quedo con como juega con se juega con las apariencias con uno de los personajes. Una escena muy divertida

[Afifahcookie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another favourite volume of mine. Loved how Rintaro met Kaoruko's family and introduced himself. Her mother thought that he was going to ask for Kaoruko's hand in marriage. Hehehe. Unfortunately, Kaoruko's schoolmates bumped into them. Rintaro tried his best to salvage the situation by reaching out to Subaru. It was nice to see one of the classmates being completely non-judgemental. I hope she joins the group chat!!

Story & Plot: 5 ⭐
Characters: 5⭐
Writing: 5 ⭐
Enjoyability: 5 ⭐

[bea &#x1fab4;]

rintaro is literally perfect

[K · Rating 4 out of 5]

Still really loving this series. Is it weird to say though that I'm surprised there's basically zero drama to it?

I liked that things with Hoshina and the Chidori guys were resolved pretty smoothly, and I absolutely loved how welcoming Kaoruko's mom and younger brother were when they met Rintaro. It makes sense: she was raised in an open, non-judgmental family, which explains the way she is.

But Kaoruko's Kikyo friends agreeing to meet and probably get along with the Chidori delinquents they hate so much seems...a little too easy? I really liked the cheerful, glasses-wearing girl who didn't particularly care about all the drama and just wanted to hear the love story. But I was expecting the other girls to ice Kaoruko out for longer.

They still have to all meet up, so we'll see.

The weirdest thing to me is the Kikyo teachers' attitudes towards the other school. Is that a real thing? For adults to be so petty and intolerant that they'd tank a scholarship student's education just because she's dating a guy who goes to a lower-ranking school? I guess maybe that'll actually be shown now that the news is spreading more.

I guess the whole Romeo & Juliet thing is feeling like a little bit of a stretch at this point, because there aren't particularly logical things in place to make the two schools hate each other so much.

The good stuff, though, continued to be wonderful. I adore their relationship. Like I said, I loved Rintaro meeting the family - it happened sooner than I'd thought - I'd been assuming it was going to be a pre-planned event where he dyed his hair back first - but it was so nicely handled. Another good sibling dynamic between Kaoruko and her brother, too, with Rintaro immediately fitting in super well as Kosuke's new older brother. That was so cute. I loved seeing them talking about more serious things and Rintaro showing how mature and kind he is.

I also really liked Rintaro trying his best to be there for Kaoruko, letting her know that she can be vulnerable around him. She's been taking care of her family and projecting a strong front for so long that she doesn't really know how to just break down and cry. It feels bad to say I want to see that...but I do hope (and expect) that there will be a scene where she does cry on Rintaro's shoulder, letting him comfort her for once.

Loved her mother, too, and how gentle she was with Rintaro, and how Rintaro thought back to her words when he was confronted by Kaoruko's angry friends. At the end of the day, he doesn't need to be validated by anyone else. He's a good person, and he's worthy of being with Kaoruko as long as she wants to be with him. The two of them are the only ones who truly matter.

But their friends still have to sort some things out...

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

Das war wieder ein richtig guter Band! Rin und Kaoruko sind sich erneut näher gekommen, er hat ihren Bruder und Mutter kennengelernt und Kaoruko hat ihn gefragt, ob er sie beim Vornamen nennen kann. Ihr Bruder ist wirklich ein süßer, der um seine ältere Schwester besorgt ist. Wir erfahren auch, dass in Kaorukos Familie wohl einiges vorgefallen ist, und ich hoffe, wir und Rintaro werden das auch nochmal von ihr erfahren. Und dann … ja, dann ist es gekommen, wie es sein musste: Freundinnen aus der Schule haben die beiden gesehen. Deren Reaktion war echt nicht cool, und hat auch Kaoru zugesetzt. Rintaro weiß, dass er ihr nicht helfen kann, außer bei ihr zu sein und ein Ohr für sie offen zu haben. Als sie dann in der Schule darüber sprechen, bin ich Subaru so dankbar. Sie hat auch so viel Entwicklung hinter sich, dass selbst diese Freundinnen es nicht verstehen können. Das, was die Lehrer der Kikyo den Mädchen einimpfen, hat auf jeden Fall funktioniert, denn man sieht, wie sehr die drei mit den Dingen, die Kaoru und Subaru ihnen erzählen, Probleme haben, weil das nicht ihren Weltbild entspricht. Madoka ist wiederum richtig cool, und ihre Einstellung ist genau die richtige. Sie hilft daher auch, dass es sich nicht zu sehr zuspitzt. Kaoru steht zu Rintaro, was auch Subaru Stolz macht. Und Subarus Vorschlag finde ich gut und es ist schön, dass die anderen aufgrund ihrer Freundschaft zustimmen. Bin sehr gespannt, wie sich das nun lösen wird und ich hoffe sehr, dass die Jungs nicht in etwas reingeritten werden. Klasse Band, mit etwas mehr Drama als üblich, aber weiterhin eine meiner liebsten laufenden Reihen.

[Susanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great volume. Rintaro is invited to Kaoruko’s home and he gets to meet her mother and little brother. He tries to make sure they don’t think badly of him for being from the school for delinquents, but her mother assures him that anyone who can bake such delicious cakes is a nice person. Her little brother especially takes a liking to him.

And then the worst happens: Kaoruko’s friends learn about her and Rintaro. They can’t understand at all why she would date a boy like him, but the girls have a good conversation and they agree to meet Rintaro’s friends to learn what kind of people they truly are. That’ll will happen in the next volume.

This was as feel-good as other volumes. Rintaro and Kaoruko are more comfortable with each other and aren’t afraid or embarrassed to admit they’re dating. It’s lovely to see. And Kaoruko’s little brother has a special request for Rintaro: to be the person she can go to with her troubles that she hides behind her cheerful smiles. Rintaro takes the request seriously, so it’ll be lovely to see how he’ll handle that. Looking forward to reading more.

[Heather’s Reading Bubble · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series just keeps getting better and better. I have a very close relationship with my siblings so that could be why the scenes of Kaorukos brother with Rintaro were so beautiful to me. I love plots of sibling relationships and learning more about the family dynamics of characters. I also continue to find the relationship between Kaoruko and Rintaro to be absolutely adorable. I was briefly annoyed by how Kaorukos classmates were reacting to her relationship with Rintaro when they don’t even know him and were just being ridiculous but the introduction of Madoka more than made up for that as she said a lot of things I was thinking and also made me snicker a few times. If you’re looking for a cute romance series this would be a manga to pick up in my opinion.

[Bee C · Rating 5 out of 5]

😭😭😭😭 why do the parents get me teary eyed?! This time it was Kaoruko’s mom letting Rintaro know that he doesn’t have to be someone he’s not for others to see the good in him. 😭😭😭😭 These moments with the adults are really getting me emotional! 😭😭😭😭 and then Kaoruko’s brother got to me too! This volume is just so good. We end with Kikyo girls catching Kaoruko and Rintaro on a date! Subaru steps in at the end for an intervention for the girls to clear up any misconceptions they have of the Chidori boys with what could only be the anticipation of the the series, let them all meet! Woohoo! Ready for volume 9!

[cio · Rating 4 out of 5]

We finally got the family meet and greet and oh my god, Rintaro is just the ultimate respectful, steady, perfect-boyfriend material. Kaoruko’s brother definitely stole a piece of my heart too. The way he’s protective without being intimidating and how you could feel how much they love each other as siblings aaaaa it made me so soft.

And then the Kikyo girls find out about the relationship and I was bracing myself for chaos but thank the romance gods Subaru was there. She handled it so smoothly, like the ultimate chill mediator and it made the whole thing feel like a turning point where people are starting to actually get it.

[jasmine :) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved that we got to see Kaoruko’s family and understand what her situation and life is like beyond what we normally see, her mum and little brother were both so sweet when meeting Rintaro 🥰

Also, how is it that the characters in this story - who are in high school - have way more emotional intelligence and communication skills in comparison to fully grown adults in other stories 😂 the conversations are so refreshing, especially when it comes to misunderstandings or just someone expressing their thoughts and feelings.

This series is just getting more and more enjoyable with each volume ☺️

[maria cecília · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sinceramente, Kaoruko e Rintarou são o primeiro casal do mundo. Nada é rushado nesse mangá e as sutilizas entre os dois são bem desenvolvidas. É muito fofo como toda interação entre eles tem um significado importante, dá pra ver como eles se importam um com o outro e gostam de sempre se comunicarem sobre o que estão sentindo, pra não causar nenhum mal entendido. Mesmo demorando pra eles falerem algumas coisas, eles dão tempo um ao outro e permitem a construção de uma confiança muito boa entre eles.

[Cyndi (hiatus) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series is so earnest that it should trigger my gag reflexes, yet it somehow works for me? Where so many authors/mangakas rely on a lack of communication to propel plot, this mangaka decided to show how much of a difference it makes when people talk about their feelings openly and honestly. If I had to pick one word to describe this series as a whole, it would be "refreshing". I can't wait until the anime gets out of Netflix jail in the US so I can see these sweet, wholesome characters come to life.

Also, I love glasses girl, Madoka. More of her please!

[ℂ ✧ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Si no vaig equivocada amb els capítols, aquest volum se centra en fer caure els prejudicis d'algunes de les noies de l'escola Chidori. És un viatge molt maco perquè a través dels diàlegs descobrim el passat i les inseguretats de personatges secundaris de tots dos bàndols. Ara bé, és inevitable pensar que li falta versemblança perquè són massa madurs, formals i gentils entre ells i la trama es fa un pèl repetitiva i previsible amb tanta diplomàcia per fer-se tots amics...

[Renee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Still a glucose tolerance test in the form of manga. Rintaro meets Kaoruko’s family in this one and the interaction between him and her younger brother was adorable.

Also it was announced that this is getting an anime adaptation in 2025 by Cloverworks! Hurray! People aren’t ready for this level of communication and sweetness 🤣

[Mithun Sarker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, this volume has some really good plot development.

It was nice seeing Waguri's family and how similar they are. The meeting between Rintaro and them was simply magnificent.

The second part is most exciting. The high-school rivalry is next. Tbh, this always seems weird to be, almost a class/caste type of divide, but anyway, it's good to see misunderstanding to break off.