The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity - Kaoru & Rin Vol. 11

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

by Saka Mikami

Rintaro Tsumugi, murid SMA Chidori, tempat berkumpulnya cowok berandalan, berkenalan dengan Kaoruko Waguri, siswi Akademi Kikyo, sekolah para gadis kaya-raya. Beberapa bulan berlalu sejak musim panas mereka mulai berpacaran, Kaoruko bertandang ke rumah Rintaro untuk memperkenalkan diri sebagai kekasihnya. Usai mengungkapkan rasa terima kasih kepada kedua orangtua Rintaro, mereka meninggalkan toko kue ditemani pandangan hangat keduanya.

Genres: Manga, Romance, Contemporary, Young Adult, Graphic Novels, Slice Of Life, Coming Of Age

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 9, 2024

About the author

三香見サカ

Reviews

[Mark]

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 ♡]

5 ✨ stars

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

[Estefany]

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.

[livie]

just get married

[Pripri]

No no no. Atras gata rompehogares...jajajaja

[jana ☆]

so cutieful

[Hisgirl85]

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.

[Jess | jadecanread]

I can't help but bawl everytime the scene of baby Rintaro saying he wants to give up on everything comes up. IT HURTS SO MUCH.

ALSO HOW ARE ALL THE TSUGUMIS SO FINE.

Recap: school field trip, the girls and guys send pics of their trips in the group chat, meeting up and surprising Subaru for her birthday, gift exchange, Sotaro returns home, he's struggling with his stylist work, Daddy Tsugumi helps him through it, we learn that Sotaro helped Rintaro growing up, finding out about Kaoru, Rintaro calls her cute and she gets so shy it's cute, ending with Rintaro being stopped by a middle school classmate who will prob confess?

[Bawy{•_•}]

*** 3.75✨ ***

[Isabel M]

4.75 stars. My heart is gonna burst🥹🥹🥹

[charly]

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]

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]

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)]

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]

Questo manga è un gioiellino ❤️

[edy]

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

[Kelli]

this series heals generational trauma

[mella]

why are they all so cute, I want to be a part of the tsumugi fam and just cuddle them all

[Abigail]

Very cuteeee im glad we got to meet his brother, that was sweet

[Shawnyece]

They are so cute ! I’m glad we finally got to see Rintaros brother finally! Can’t wait for the next volume!

[Paula Molina Carrillo]

Pero porque son tan lindos?! 🥹🥹

[Ilaria Massariol]

E io come te lo spiego che Rintaro è perfetto? ❤️🥹

[Heather’s Reading Bubble]

A feel good series for me. I always end up with a smile on my face while reading it because all of these kids are too cute. I really liked the introduction of Rintaros brother as I am always a sucker for strong sibling bond stories and scenes in all forms of media. Part of me was annoyed but the end introduction of Nabata because I find it unnecessary to have another character in this story as well as once with a crush on Rintaro but another part of me liked it because it was an extremely realistic depiction of an unrequited crush. Whenever I need a quick pick me up I know I can come to this series to smile and be happy.

[kim]

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⊹]

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

[Hang Nguyen]

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

[tam]

Rintaro’s brother so nice 🥲

[Tachan]

L'adolescence et ses beaux moments se poursuivent pour Rintaro et ses amis entre voyages scolaires et retrouvailles en familles. Encore un tome doux et charmant.

Saka Mikami nous offre cette fois un tome sous le signe et la voix de Rintaro, petit changement. J'ai aimé ce changement de regard, frais et délicat, qui permet d'aller à l'intérieur de sa pensée d'adolescent nouvellement heureux mais autrefois bien agité.

Grâce à cela, nous partageons dans un premier temps un voyage scolaire des plus banal mais plein de bons sentiments où les garçons ont trouvé l'astuce pour faire vivre et partager celui-ci à leurs amies filles. C'était mignon tout plein et tellement frais. J'ai adoré ! Surtout que cela a offert un focus autre qu'uniquement celui de notre couple. Certes, Bloom est une romance, mais c'est aussi une belle histoire d'amitié.

Et une aventure humaine, comme le montre la seconde partie consacrée à Rintaro et son frère. On avait juste entendu parler de celui-ci, là où on le voit interagir avec sa famille. C'est un garçon à la fois semblable et différent de son frère, également très droit mais qui a connu une adolescence moins problématique. Avec lui, on pose un nouveau regard sur notre héros, celui d'un proche qui l'a vu évoluer, grandir, se perdre, se chercher. Après ne pas l'avoir vu pendant quelques temps, les changements sont d'autant plus flagrant pour lui et il est ravi de ce qu'il voit.

Mais le bonus intéressant ici, c'est le pas de côté de la romance, et le développement de la question de la quête d'identité, non pas à travers l'apparence ou les amis, mais à travers son travail et sa passion. Sotaro est un jeune adulte qui s'est jeté à corps perdu dans la coiffure mais qui commence un peu à déchanter et qui a peur de perdre sa passion. J'ai trouvé les discussions avec sa famille, notamment avec son père, fort intéressantes à ce sujet. C'est un sujet rarement abordé, qui le fut avec finesse.

11 tomes et une autrices qui continue à se renouveler. Elle conserve les fondamentaux de son oeuvre : la romance à la Roméo et Juliette et de belles leçons d'amitié. Elle y ajoute des leçons de vie qui se décentre parfois avec justesse du groupe, comme avec le frère de Rintaro. J'apprécie, ça change !

[kthedestroyer]

There will be SPOILERS in this review!

You know, this volume is not perfect. There are quite a few things about it that bother me, especially at the beginning with the whole field trip thing. But none of this matters because of my man Sotaro (I love him so much oh my goddd).

Let’s get the bad stuff out of the way, alright. I don’t like the way the field trip was handled. I feel like we could have had an entire volume about it, having the girls and guys bond on their separate trips. Instead, we get a brief montage shown through messages and shared photos in the group chat. Wasted potential in my opinion.

I also don’t like the structure of this volume. We jump from the field trip straight into Subaru’s birthday and then suddenly we are introduced to Sotaro and at the end there is randomly a girl from Rintaro’s middle school (I don’t like this last part either but we’ll see where it goes).

I did like Subaru’s birthday though. I think it was sweet and I loved Saku’s inability to properly hand over presents. I also need these two to be together cause they already act like they have a crush on each other.

But then we meet Sotaro aka Rintaro’s older brother and nothing else matters anymore because he is awesome and I definitely need more of him. He definitely inherited his mother’s spirit and his father’s determination and I just love his vibes and his expressive behavior. He is also such a good brother, always being supportive of Rintaro and trying to cheer him up. He is so happy to see him happy, but I also love that he has his own problems and concerns about his job and his dreams.

Anyway, this would have been so conflicting to rate but now it isn’t because I can’t give Sotaro anything less than 5 stars. I hope we see a lot of him in the future as well even though he is always busy.