The anime adaptation of The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity has concluded in Japan, while here in the West, Netflix has begun releasing it on a weekly schedule. But if you can’t wait to see more of Rintaro and Kaoruko’s story, then luckily for you, Kodansha have continued to publish the original manga on a bi-monthly schedule.

Volume 3 of the series took the focus away from our main duo and instead explored the feelings of Subaru and Rintaro’s group of friends. As we reunite with the group in Volume 4, we find them spending time together without worrying about the animosity between their two schools (although they are still keeping it a secret from their classmates). And now they’re even thinking about hanging out together over the Summer break, but first it’s end-of-term exam time! Rintaro isn’t too worried, but his friends are often forced to take make-up classes over the break due to their poor scores.

Luckily, Subaru and Kaoruko offer to help tutor the boys, and they manage to get a passing mark, ensuring they can spend the whole Summer without worrying about school. Now it’s time to plan, but Rintaro quickly finds himself with new problems when Usami asks if he’s dating Kaoruko. Up until now, he’s been so content with their friendship that he never imagined going further than that, but what would every day be like if they were a couple…?

Rintaro is left to ponder this question as we move into Volume 5, where he’s dedicating himself to making a birthday cake for Kaoruko. For someone who loves desserts so much and especially those of his family’s store, Rintaro can think of no better gift. And maybe in the process, he will even gain a newfound appreciation for the work his father puts into creating new cakes for the store.

Like the volumes that have come before, these two do a fantastic job of dividing the focus between Rintaro, Kaoruko and the extensive side cast. There’s a lot of story to be told here, especially for Subaru, who still holds a lot of insecurities about hanging out with the Chidori group. Slowly, but surely, mangaka Saka Mikami is carefully developing the story in a rounded way. I especially appreciate that Rintaro has been put on the path to exploring his feelings for Kaoruko, rather than letting things linger as they are, considering it’s obvious to the rest of the cast and us readers that they clearly like one another romantically.

So many other series like this will drag out the ‘will they, won’t they’ in unnatural ways, but at least The Fragrant Flower has been progressing their relationship in a way that feels natural for the two of them. And maybe that is one of the biggest compliments you can give this manga, the fact that it approaches everything realistically and naturally.

There are no ham-fisted misunderstandings between the cast or extensive drama. The most you can complain about there is the rivalry between the two schools, but since that’s merely a background detail at this point, it’s not really posing a problem. The cast are teenagers and act in ways befitting that, but they’re also comfortable in themselves and face the future with confidence. Of course, this is all brought to life wonderfully through Mikami’s art, which continues to be eye-catching and conveys the emotional moments extremely well. Readers coming from the delightful CloverWorks anime adaptation will certainly find themselves just as enamoured with the original work.

As mentioned, The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity Volumes 4 and 5 come to the West thanks to Kodansha. They’ve both been translated by Fabian Kraft with lettering by Madeleine Jose (George Bao credited for digital), and both read well with no issues. There’s a page of translation notes included at the end of #4 and a special illustration at the back of #5, but otherwise no extras to speak of.

The series is still ongoing in Japan with 19 volumes currently published. Here in English, Volume 9 is set for a release in early October, with #10 through #13 pencilled in to continue on the bimonthly schedule we’ve been enjoying so far. The series is also available to read on K Manga with simulpub releases.

Overall, these new instalments of The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity continue to offer a charming read. The relationship between our two leads may still be moving slowly, but all the same, meaningful progress is being made as we watch over the cast.

Our review copy from Kodansha was supplied by Diamond Book Distributors UK.