Progressive Complications: "Sweet Blue Flowers" by Takako Shimura (Part 2)

Part Two: Chapter 2 - “Stand By Me”

Today I will continue the story breakdown (with a focus on progressive complications) of Sweet Blue Flowers by Takako Shimura. If you have not read the first part, you can find it here. 

From last time:

At the end of Chapter 1 we are left with the following complications unresolved:

• Complication #1: Why is Fumi prone to crying? 

• Complication #2: Will they join the same club? Will Fumi manage to avoid being in a club forever?

• Complication #3: What’s up with this weird intimacy with Fumi and her cousin?

And, of course, the series Crisis question: Will Fumi and Akira end up together!?

In Chapter Two, we return again to Fumi and Akira - two childhood friends who were separated and went to different schools until! they both ended up at Matsuoka Girl's High School in year 1. Reunited, we join Akira and Fumi at a cafe after school. Akira insists, now that they have a connection again, they meet before and after school to travel together. Fumi’s mom invites Akira over for dinner and asks Fumi what her friend likes, which serves as a small aside for a childhood memory: Akira eats the food Fumi doesn’t want to. At school, it’s time for the Club push again and Fumi somehow manages to sidestep the drama club for the second time. Realizing she will eventually have to submit to joining, she notices a sign for Literature Club and realizes that might be the best escape. But as she opens the door, a tall and handsome Third Year student is on the other side! She compliments Fumi on her height and asks, “Do you want to join my club?” Swooned by this mysterious older student, and in a haze of attraction, Fumi immediately agrees (which both closes the loop on Complication #2, and begins Complication #4 and #5 in a brilliant meet-cute shift).

Later, at Fumi’s house for dinner, Fumi’s cousin and new fiance suddenly arrive. Fumi’s mom is surprised they made it, but happy to see them. But Fumi’s tone shifts from casually chatting about her chance encounter and joining Literature Club, to all the attention being showered on her cousin. This pushes Fumi to tears again saying: “Chizu (Fumi’s cousin)’s so mean!”

After dinner, Akira and Fumi are getting ready for bed. Fumi asks if Akira can sleep in the bigger bed with her and continue to comfort her after the emotional dinner (which we didn’t see). This is not played romantically, but as a friend needing someone close. But as Akira climbs into bed with Fumi, Fumi has a memory of a shadowed figure (implied to be Chizu, her cousin) asking “Is this alright?” and “Are you scared?” as she puts naked Fumi’s fingers in her mouth. “Fumi, you’re so cute,” the shadowed figure says. In current time again, Fumi begins to cry. This feeds into Complication #1 (why does Fumi cry?), but that may not be the whole answer yet. It also answers part of Complication #3 (What’s up with the intimacy between Fumi and her cousin?). Akira teases Fumi for crying in a way that makes her laugh and the scene ends with a voiceover from Fumi that says: “Night is for sleeping. But I won’t sleep tonight because I have so much to talk about,” which implies she will tell Akira about her cousin’s advances (but this is not clear by the end of Volume 1, from what I could tell).

Back at school the next day, Fumi goes to the Literature Club for the first time, but discovers the girl she is looking for isn’t there! What gives? Well, as it turns out, the girl is the leader of the Basketball Club, which Fumi is now a member of! (ending Complication #4 - she joined the wrong club! - and seeding Complication #5 - will she follow through to meet the girl?).

This ends Chapter 2, “Stand By Me.”

Let’s run through the story elements:

Chapter 1:

• Inciting incident: Fumi and Akira reunite, but Akira doesn’t remember their childhood connection.

• Complication #1: Fumi is prone to crying

• Complication #2: Fumi is avoiding joining a club, but has to at some point

• Complication #3: There’s something weird happening with Fumi and her Cousin

• Turning Point Complication / Crisis: Will Akira remember Fumi, and when she does, will their connection be reignited?

• Climax: Yes, she does remember her (with some help from her mom)

• Resolution: The connection is back! Instant friends. Akira shows consideration for Fumi.

Chapter 2:

• Inciting incident: Fumi gives in and joins the literature club! Akira visits Fumi at home.

• Complication #4: Fumi joins the basketball club by mistake

• Complication #5: Fumi meets a dashing Third Year lady while joining the club, who she is swooned by immediately, which she admits to Akira at dinner and askes “is it okay to admire a girl like that?” and Akira responds: “Why not! Girls are the only ones here.”

• Complication #6: Is Akira open to a lesbian relationship at all?

• Turning Point Complication / Crisis: While Akira is over for a dinner/sleep-over at Fumi’s house, Chizu (Fumi’s cousin) shows up with her new fiance and Fumi breaks down. Why is Fumi crying (Complication #1) and why now?

• Climax: Fumi tells the audience (and maybe Akira) that she was taken advantage of by her cousin Chizu (implied not explicit) when she was younger - which was also possibly her first lesbian experience and has a lot of baggage.

• Resolution: Akira and Fumi become closer.

The complications in this story feel earned and progressive. At every turn there is an escalation of emotional and character development that feels exactly right for the characters you are slowly getting inside the heads of. Takako manages to slowly seed these moments in chapters throughout Volume 1 by pushing characters together in natural, realistic encounters that feel pulled from the everyday experience of young friendships and romances. Hidden feelings and histories drive the characters towards each other and away again in the waves of casual life. Reading through Chapter One and Two a second time brought out more subtle shifts in character depiction. During my third reading, I found myself focused on the scenic panels without dialogue or characters and how they set the mood and break up actions.

Volume 1 of Sweet Blue Flowers is the first seven chapters (165 pages), and a really solid read. This set of articles was specifically about the story beats and the progressive complications and not a review of the wonderful style and emotional depiction of the characters. It was a real pleasure to read Takako’s work this week and I am eager to start volume 2 next week. Even Though We’re Adults Volume 2 will be out in June.

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