The Fragrant Flower Blooms With Dignity 11

薫る花は凛と咲く [Kaoru Hana wa Rin to Saku] #11

by Saka Mikami

While Kaoruko formally introduces herself as Rintaro's girlfriend to his parents, the Chidori boys, Subaru, and Madoka enjoy a day out together at the arcade-a vision of friendship beyond schools. The seasons change, and with cooler temperatures comes a highly-anticipated school the overnight field trip! Chidori and Kikyo may be visiting different places, but is that enough to stop Kaoruko and Rintaro from sharing new experiences with each other?

Genres: Manga, Romance, Slice Of Life, Comics, Coming Of Age, Shojo, Japanese Literature

Kindle Edition

First published January 9, 2024

Reviews

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve been a little hard on this for being a tad too pure and innocent at times - legitimately it might take twenty volumes before Rintaro and Kaoruko actually miss - but this time out brings a new issue: predictability.

Several things get added to this volume and I would debate whether any of them ever needed to be considered. This once more survives because it’s wholesome nature is so annoyingly satisfying, but this might be one of my least favourite volumes yet.

The class trip is a big excuse to extol the virtues of Okinawa and Kyoto, but this has been done to death so much that I’m looking for a fresh take, no matter how adorable it is to see Kaoruko attacked by deer.

It’s not a shock that Rintaro had never gone on any of his other trips, so this mini-arc of him not caring and then suddenly being invested isn’t especially interesting. Now, the way our leads get a lot of photos from one another is cute and definitely the best part of it all, but that’s small potatoes (clever way to sneak in another yukata moment, I give you that).

Similarly, have we ever heard of this brother of Rintaro’s before? It’s like he manifested in the middle of the story and his arc, well, it’s also pretty predictable. This series has the friction of a greasy gopher and no problem can’t be solved by doing your best.

I mean, I was pleased that he was following his dreams of being a hairdresser, sure, but that turns into the origin story of Rintaro’s haircut. Yes, he was super important in the past, but why are we only hearing about this now?

And then we get the girl who secretly crushed on Rintaro in middle school. What is the point of this storyline? She was too concerned what others might think to do anything about this, but still talked to him. Yes, it is illustrative of how strong Kaoruko has been, but we’ve seen that in so many other ways.

This feels wonky. Besides the fact that a rival story has no chance of any traction in a series like this, it flies directly against Rintaro’s own depiction of his middle school years. Even if he had a bad time, somebody was talking to him.

It’s too bad - I could see her story being incredibly well-done (and maybe it will surprise me) - but it feels out of place in this one. A wrinkle added where none truly needed to exist. Combined with how it feels paradoxical to previous facts, it definitely sticks out in the wrong ways.

This has been a litany of complaints, but it’s because the core remains so tight and satisfying. Even with all this, the kind and wholesome nature shines through. And it’s not like Kaoruko and Rintaro are bad characters - probably my favourite moment involves something as simple as calling somebody cute.

If you’re not looking at this half as critically, you’ll probably be fine. That’s not a bad thing - what makes this great still makes it great, but it really felt like it overstuffed itself with out-of-nowhere characters to make this volume’s storylines.

3.5 stars - yes, it’s just inescapable that this feels like a lesser volume overall. It’ll still be good, I have no doubt, but I hope this isn’t sliding down towards a lower baseline than we’re used to seeing.

[Paula ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 ✨ stars

I can't give it more bc gd don't allow it

[Estefany · Rating 3 out of 5]

Este tomo se sintió mas un tipo de relleno, sí avanza la relación de Tsumugi y Kaoruko, pero ya no hay muchas cosas nuevas. Lo único destacado es la presentación del hermano mayor de Tsugumi, Soutarou.

[Pripri · Rating 3 out of 5]

No no no. Atras gata rompehogares...jajajaja

[jana ☆]

so cutieful

[Hisgirl85 · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/5 stars: I love this so much. The parents are done so well and the brothers, too.

Edit 2026: I love the big brother. And, the school trip in the beginning was cute.

[Bawy{•_•} · Rating 4 out of 5]

*** 3.75✨ ***

[charly · Rating 5 out of 5]

BEAUTIFUL JUST BEAUTIFUL. AGAIN LOVED THIS VOLUME. The school trips were so cute. Like actually so wholesome. But the fact it was Rintaros first one made me so sad😭. Thank God his first omen was with the gang. I loved her kaoru and Rintaro sent photos back and forth and the same to the group. I LOVE THEIR LITTLE GROUP SO MUCH.
Sotaro is such a kind character like Rintaro. Their parents raised them right fr. I loved how Sotaro protected and stayed by Rintaro in his childhood days. He made sure to always never make him feel alone😭. “Even if you have given up, I haven’t” I CANNOT. TOO WHOLESOME 😭😭😭. Also love that hes a beautician. The thing about Rintaro being his first customer again too cute😭.
The whole date of Kaoru and Rintaro again was so so so adorable. Rintaro being nervous to call her cute, to actually doing it in the most poetic, romance coded way, to her reaction to it. TOO MUCH FOR MY LITTLE HEART😭. I truly love their relationship and how refreshing and wholesome it is like I JUST LOVE IT
I dont know about this new character from Rintaros past. Im not worried she’ll steal him from Kaoru but like why not move on from your crush on him? It’s been years and he didnt even recognise her. I just don’t know how to feel about her.
5 stars again for the most romantic piece of media ive ever read. 😍🥰

[RN_Hpesoj · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was probably the most "slice of life" volume so far. It's definitely a feel-good, warm series. I really liked Rintaro's brother, Sotaro! He did so much for Rintaro that Rintaro doesn't even realize, such as the family outing when Rintaro saw the baker with the blonde hair and pierced ears, and suggesting Rintaro style his bangs up. These are pivotal moments!! I also liked the exploration of maintaining a person's passion through Sotaro's hairstyling and Rintaro's dad's baking cakes. Also, a new character is introduced at the end that seems to have a thing for Rintaro. I really don't see this series moving towards a cliché love triangle, but it's also because Rintaro only cares for Kaoruko, so we'll see where it goes in volume 12! Just gotta wait until April 7th 2026 for it to come out...

[cio · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was pure sweetness from start to finish. I loved seeing both groups out on their trip, showing off their dynamics and sending each other those silly, adorable photos. What really stood out, though, was how much love surrounds Rintaro at home. His kindness makes perfect sense once you see how his parents and especially Sotaro care for him. And let’s be real, Sotaro totally stole the show. He’s stylish, caring, and ridiculously handsome, plus the way he supports Rintaro with dating advice was so heart-melting. That advice led to the cutest date moment between Rintaro and Kaoruko and her reaction was everything. This volume perfectly balanced group fun, family warmth and that sweet, fluttery romance that makes the series so special.

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

rintaro's family is healing me. they're so supportive of each other and they care for each other so much. the parents really did well in raising their kids <3

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Questo manga è un gioiellino ❤️

[edy · Rating 4 out of 5]

rintaro's parents and brother are so supportive !!!! god i love this family so much

[Juju ♡ ～('▽^人) · Rating 4 out of 5]

adorable !!!!! adorable, adorable, adorable!!

[kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

no miscommunication no stupid problems, los amo demasiado, además la confesión de Rintaro fue lindisima, los dos son increíbles, and the friendship between them is absolutely cute, todos son lindossss <33

[bea &#x1fab4;]

sotaro 🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️ god i love rin’s family so much

[ang໒꒱ ⋆ﾟ⊹ · Rating 4 out of 5]

If this manga could stop making me tear up every chapter, that would be great.

[Hang Nguyen · Rating 5 out of 5]

this manga is so emotional.it made me cry so many happy tears

[tam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rintaro’s brother so nice 🥲

[K · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've just realized that this cover is meant to be a direct parallel to the first volume, with Rintaro not only being comfortable in his own skin now (with his natural hair color), but a lot more ready to genuinely laugh with friends and loved ones. That's a cute touch.

Still a little ultra-sugary in places, but I liked the introduction of new characters, including Rintaro's older brother, a 20 year old hairdresser named Sotaro, and a middle school classmate who'd developed a crush on Rintaro but didn't have Kaoruko's straightforward nature.

Sotaro gets a few chapters while he's home for a couple days, taking some much-needed time off work to eat a home-cooked meal and watch scary movies with his little brother. He and his dad also have a heart-to-heart (while baking cakes), because Sotaro's a year into the workplace and is struggling with his skill level. It's normal to make mistakes when you're new, his dad reminds him. And anyway, jobs never stop having rough points; it's on you to decide what you love and whether to pursue it wholeheartedly.

Sotaro and his dad are similar in that way: they throw themselves so hard into their work that they pretty much forget to take care of themselves. But they do care about other people - in fact, a major reason they enjoy their careers is because the end result is to watch their customers' happy smiles as they walk away satisfied (with a cake and a haircut). And Sotaro is, unsurprisingly for a series this optimistic, a wonderful older brother.

Loved all the little moments of him trying to distract his sad, shy little brother with baseball and movies and family holidays when he didn't want to go on school trips with a bunch of people who avoided him. And it's a fun twist that while Rintaro's the one who decided to go blond, Sotaro's the one who gave him a new hairstyle that pulled his hair out of his face and made him a bit more approachable.

What's interesting is that for most shoujo series (and a lot of BL), Rintaro would be the most desirable character - the tall, good-looking, aloof guy who the guys would want to be like and the girls would giggle over. That makes it feel a bit weird that we're 11 volumes into a story about how a kind, gentle, handsome guy who's literally never caused harm to anyone would be so ostracized at school.

But then I remembered my own time in middle school...and the reality of what the world is like outside of shoujo and fiction...and yeah, actually, it does make sense that someone just the smallest bit different would struggle so much to find a social group.

In my experience, it's harder when (a) you're new, because everyone bands together to shut you out (b) you stand out in some way (he's tall and has a scary resting face; mine was that I was much too studious for my classmates) (c) enough time passes without you forming friends, so it gets harder and harder to break out of the box you've been shoved into.

For me, it took the entry of a couple new classmates the next year - whom I promptly befriended - to get out of the isolation zone. Rintaro got so wrapped up into truly believing that everything was his fault, and that he deserved to be shunned, that it made it nearly impossible for him to make friends.

Thank goodness for all those goofy boys at his new school. Yeah, Kaoruko did a lot to change him, but steady, judgement-free friendship was the foundation that let him take those steps into romance. It's nice that their school trips remained separate (but linked by group chats and photos and phone calls), because it gave Rintaro more space to really be grateful for his friends - another set of brothers who are as kind as his own big brother.

I do find the middle school classmate intriguing, and the middle school flashbacks had a really nice ache to them that a lot of this series kind of lacks. I hope that when they finally get to speak again - I assume this is going to be a story arc - it doesn't turn into another couple-long speech about friendship and understanding. I'm getting very tired of that story structure, but I still like the characters and would like Rintaro to realize that even when he was younger, there were people who did like him and want to get to know him better.

One final note: maybe this was just me being tired and distracted while reading today, but I was so confused by the study session with Rintaro and Kaoruko in glasses. She looked so much like her friend Madoka that I thought Rintaro was just...studying with her for some reason...? It made me really confused when Rintaro thought she was cute. Sometimes the art's a little wobbly like that - there were a few panels where it was hard to recognize Rintaro now that he's got dark hair, and blends more easily into some of the other characters.

[sophie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m not sure if I’m happy about this middle-school classmate arc or not.
I don’t expect a love triangle or anything because it’s not like Rintaro would ever choose Satsuki over Kaoruko.

I am glad that we get to see some more of Rintaro when he was younger! And they’re just confirming his character
traits and proving that he was still the same person back then as he is now.

But it sort of defeats the purpose that “nobody even dared to make eye contact with him”because a girl fell in love with him, y’know? I would prefer it if it was that everyone stayed away from him but Kaoruko was the only one who saw what kind of a person he really was. If Kaoruko was the only one who saw how gentle of a soul he was.

Although, Kaoruko WAS the only one who had the strength to acknowledge him and defend him to others.
Someone said that “She’s the ‘what if’ version of Kaoruko who cared about how others perceived her actions” which is an interesting way to look at it.

And… of course Rintaro doesn’t remember her- he has the memory of a rock.

It only proves Usami’s statement that Rintaro’s so kind and does things for other people without even thinking.

I also love his brother and I want a new series featuring him 🙏🙏

[Susanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great volume. It starts with both schools going on field trips, boys to Okinawa and girls to Kyoto, and for the first time ever, Rintaro attends too, because now he has friends to enjoy it with. The two groups share photos on group chat and it’s lovely and wholesome.

Most of the volume is about Rintaro’s older brother Sotaro coming home for a visit. There are chapters from his point of view where he reflects on Rintaro’s childhood and is happy that Rintaro is happy. But he doesn’t get to meet Kaoruko yet.

The volume ends with a chapter where a girl from Rintaro’s old school shows up. Rintaro doesn’t remember her, but she hasn’t forgotten him, because she actually had a crush on him. We’ll see where that leads.

This was a lovely change of pace. Looking forward to reading what happens next.

[maria cecília · Rating 5 out of 5]

Apenas perfeito, tem a junção de várias tropes de mangás shoujos, mas continua super legal. Primeiro a viagem escola, que mostra a aproximação entre o grupo de amigos das duas escolas e acho muito fofo ver como eles se aproximaram, apesar das diferenças. Segundo, uma festa de aniversário (da Subaru) que é uma personagem com muitas camadas e foi simplesmente muito fofo ver a evolução dela começar a se abrir mais pras pessoas e se permitir ter a experiência de novas coisas. E por último o surgimento do irmão do Rintarou, ele era uma incógnita, mas foi bom conhecer ele.

[Emilia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Started reading and I could not stop!

This was so wholesome OMGG, I recommend this sooo much it had me smiling, giggling, laughing and what else😜

The characters have all depth and a trademark which makes it really entertaining to follow the growth of their personalities. They are so relatable furthermore the way they handle difficulties with the help of their friends is amazing.
(I was literally cheering for everyone the whole time)

And the art style is sooo sweet💋
Loved it very much🙂‍↕️

PS: The hight difference of the main couple… iiaahahahahha SO GOOD😩😁

[IRV · Rating 5 out of 5]

Es que los adoro a todos, como pueden ser tan sumamente monos 😭😭💗 El hermano mayor lo he adorado cada segundo, osea, necesito más de él, LA INTERACCIÓN DE SUBARU Y NATSUSAWA han sido migajas pero poco a poco tenemos el pan completo gente, y solo voy a decir QUE LA GATA ROMOE HOGARES NO SE ACERQUE si es en plan chill ser amigos sí, sino que se aleje, hay mucha felicidad como para que lo arruinen, y esta es mi dopamina mensual, no me la pueden amargar. En fin, otro 5 estrellas, si es que este manga nunca va a dejar de ser 5 estrellas 🥲💗

[ℂ ✧ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vaig seguint la sèrie i mantinc l'opinió: és un slice of life entretingut, molt cuqui i tendre, amb uns personatges ideals poc versemblants al meu parer, però adorables i que ens mostra un moment vital ple de dubtes i incerteses que es van resolent a poc a poc. Les relacions entre els personatges són el punt fort, encara que de vegades l'slow burn sigui bastant agònic o hi hagi poca sensació de progrés.

[Camila López · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this volume so much, especially the school trip part, it felt so wholesome.

another part I like too much is seeing rintaro's brother and how he treats his younger brother. this family is so cute.

AND I CAN'T STOP SHIPPING SAKU WITH SUBARU!!! they are so cute. saku being the one that chose subaru's present, this made me smile so much that hurt my cheeks. and also was heartwarming how Subaru also got a surprised birthday party 💗💗

[Rafmuaf · Rating 4 out of 5]

This whole volume is super sweet 🥹 Starts with a fun, wholesome school trip that really shows how close the Chidori & Kikyo friend groups are. Then Rintaro’s big brother appears, such a supportive sibling. Rintaro is seriously lucky to grow up in the Tsumugi family, always encouraging him to choose his own path. Ends with an unexpected reunion with his middle school friend. Such a warm volume, can’t wait for the next one!

[jasmine :) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the mini school trip arc and seeing everyone have so much fun with each other ☺️ Also, Rintaro’s family is just so beautiful both visually and emotionally. They are all so incredibly encouraging and supportive of one another - also really loved getting to see Rintaro’s brother for the first time, he was so sweet 🥰

[Belén · Rating 4 out of 5]

El cumpleaños de Subaru y el regalo de los chicos. Rintaro le agarró el gustito y ahora hace pastel para los cumpleaños de sus amigos👌🏻

Por fin apareció el hermano mayor de Rintaro, Soutaro. Amo que toda la familia se dejó cortar el cabello por él🤭

Rintaro queriendo decirle "linda" a Kaoruko y avergonzándose por eso😊, es tan lindooo