BOTAN KAMIINA FULLY BLOSSOMS WHEN DRUNK

DESCRIPTION

CAST

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MANGA ComedyKamiina Botan, Yoeru Sugata wa Yuri no Hana
TV SHORT AdventureEncouragement of Climb

REVIEWS

• 

  JTZY2346

  84/100
  An anime about alcohol? Nah, but an anime about cute girls drinking alcohol? Sign me up!

  Ever drink alcohol before? Well I just drank one a few months ago, and it was not a good experience. At first it tasted good, well that is until it went down my throat. The after effect is so bitter that I drank one mouthful and threw it away. I swear to myself I will never touch alcohol again, well that was until Botan Kamiina Fully Blossoms when Drunk aired. It was an anime about alcohol. ‘How could alcohol be so good?’, I wondered as I was clicking into the anime to watch. I thought it’s gonna be a normal anime about alcohol since I wasn’t interested in alcohol but after realizing there's Yuri element, I might as well give it a shot. As I progressed further into the story, I began to realize the beauty of alcohol.

  I gotta say this is one of the unique anime I have ever watched. The author, Hey specifically said he took a long time drawing and as it turns out, this anime has a different art style and different ed almost every single episode. Instead of forcing every single animator to strictly copy every single art style under a chief animation director, Studio Soigne decided to give every single episode to different episode directors and animation teams the freedom to showcase their own expressive visual styles. This new approach completely breaks the generic style of anime and it perfectly matches the original manga, where the author's own art style naturally evolved over the years, making the entire watching experience feel fresh and unique.

  Aside from the art style, what really holds this show together is the incredible chemistry and the slow-burn romance between the main characters, Botan and Ibuki. Usually it won’t work between them because, well Ibuki is a third-year dorm leader who is very covert when it’s about alcohol while Botan is very expressive and often shares her opinions with others. They are total opposites, and the usual senior-junior boundary often makes it hard for them to connect without getting awkward. But because of their mutual curiosity about drinking and their unusual quirks (like both having uncontrollable hiccups after having a drink), they instantly became best friends.

  Don’t forget about the side characters as well. They are just as important because most of the chaotic, funny and serious moments come from them. Whether it is about comedy, serious talk, or drunk talking, every character in the scene makes an impact towards the story. Take Chin-lan Chang and Gujou as an example. Chin-lan Chang is a very observant and direct person, while Gujou emits an elegant and mysterious aura but is shy to voice out her opinion. They add great experience for the viewers, whether they are casually chatting, drinking drinks, or going on outings. Their own feelings and drunk late night talk make it more entertaining, making the whole story feel incredibly real.

  Alcohol also plays a massive role in this anime. I personally like how they use actual, recognizable liquor brands (Like Absinthe, Whiskey Highball) and accurate recipes that could easily be replicated. For example, in Episode 5 they show you how to make a homemade strawberry-infused whiskey. Also, the way they enjoy it makes the viewers want to try it as well. For instance, seeing them enjoying their food, drinking alcohol and chatting makes you want to join them as well. The show doesn’t make alcohol seem like a bad thing but rather like a genuine and fun hobby. Each episode made the pairings and drinks look incredibly relaxing and approachable. This inviting atmosphere makes you want to grab a drink and try out what they are eating and drinking.

  Overall, I really enjoy this show quite a lot. Not because it has the girls’ love tag, but even if you know nothing about alcohol, the peaceful environment, the laughter, the atmosphere the characters create while drinking alcohol makes it a comfy experience to watch. In the future, I will definitely give alcohol a second try to see how it tastes. Maybe I’ll just buy one and try it now…

  Thanks for reading, have a wonderful day.

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• 

  rrakku

  100/100
  Above all, an ode to humanity

  It's rare that I find myself at a complete lost for words for a show that I absolutely adore, yet, Botan Kamiina Fully Blossoms When Drunk’s what I can only describe as blinding radiance is so exceptional as to be paralysing. Cerebral yet straightforward, poignant yet cheerful, brutal yet kind. From its careful choice of motif to the sprawling exploration of the psyche, it embodies the human condition in cute anime girl form, standing defiant against the hallmark issue that haunts its spiritual foremothers.
   
  CGDCT has its gems no doubt, but one prevailing problem plaguing the genre has always been its insistence of chastity to the point of farce, and the distaste of manufactured inauthenticity that comes with it. Botan Kamiina Fully Blossoms When Drunk, on the other hand, borrows every tool in the conventional toolbox to imitate aesthetics and style, but uses it to subvert expectation and weave a satisfyingly interwoven package. The result is a pastiche that eludes categorisation, it’s CGDCT without the suffocating cutesiness, Iyashikei without the farcical naivety, and Yuri without the extravagant dramatics.
   

  

  Highball: in Japan, synonymous with whisky and soda, rather than an umbrella term for a combination of spirits and mixers. Thank you Aoi and Hinata from Yama no Susume

   
  A central theme throughout is the myriad dichotomies of adult life—the volatility of romance and friendships, the vague form of Honne and Tatemae, and the contradictions of dreams and reality—all of these complexities explored through its peculiar "T" of "CGDCT", alcohol. Peculiar because the dark liquor is often treated as this mythical entity in anime: giddy grown-ups who are never serious because they're always drunk out of their minds, lucky sukebes seeing his love interests' risqué side from them eating a few rum truffles, or your boilerplate tragic backstory of the protagonist being abused by the parent with a drinking problem. Point is, intoxication is almost never brought up in a earnest manner, either working as an excuse for some cheap laughs and fan service or a serious condition entirely incorrigible for the sake of drumming up tension.

  Yet, even as its genre roots would suggest otherwise, Botan Kamiina Fully Blossoms When Drunk interfaces with the subject with a level of sincerity rarely seen elsewhere. Constantly invoked is the idea of the Dutch courage, giving our cast an on-ramp and off-ramp for initiating intimate conversations, teasing advances, and honest confrontations, all the while casting a shadow of doubt over the genuineness of their actions. The show consistently plays with this unique dynamic to paint, for lack of a better word, Schrödinger’s cat-ness of the mind, capturing the the contradictory of being through not just thoughts, but also in the way the characters behaves.

  Kanade's oxymoronic relationships is the cornerstone of the show in this regard. It's her sincere friendship with fierce romantic rivalry Botan, the film-watching, game-playing, whiskey-infusing while talking about their common crush. It's the awkward but still close and friendly terms with Ibuki, the hikes and catching up over drinks even after the brutal rejection. It's the affinity but hesitancy when it comes to Jinran, the stiff flirting and deep, sombre talks at the bar. And ironically, its by putting on display this complexity of the psyche—the peppy, the wistful, the melancholic simultaneously—that relationships between the characters and their daily lives become that much more lived-in, authentic, and potent than compared to its peers.
   

  

  Punk IPA: flagship beer of British brewery and pub giant BrewDog, infamous for its overpriced menu items and horrendous treatment of its workers

  Despite its monolith of a central motif, however, the show's portrayal of life is, true to form, opaque and disjointed. Completely missing is any semblance of a unifying plot: a common goal that the cast is working towards together, a shared interest that everyone bonds over, or a school club that they are all part of. Instead, it's completely reliant of on anecdotes and respective themes ebbing and flowing that, again, epitomises the experience of adulthood.

  Where Botan plays the role of the "incorruptible soul" stereotypical of the genre, her purity acts not as a healing force that rids unkind thoughts, but a mirror that leads others face what her relentless earnestness reflects inside them. Be it Ibuki's trauma, Kanade's jealousy, Yaeka's over-possessiveness, or Akane's apprehensions, Botan's beaming presence is both precious but also emotionally demanding. Attempt after attempt after attempt, Jinran gently waltz into Kanade's heart with the aid of alcohol, but it was their shared appreciation of the arts that gave them the final push to set sail. And despite Yaeka's personal grievances about Akane's obsession with music, she also adores her passion and supports her pursuit, always there to chase her gloom away.

  Botan Kamiina Fully Blossoms When Drunk manages to skip between these vastly different subjects in a decidedly coherent manner. It achieves this by deliberately obfuscating the characters' state of mind: scenes told without internal monologue, catch-22s present that renders choices a futile exercise, trains of thought literally cut off and stopped midway in its tracks. Leaving true intentions up for interpretation allows the show to be about everything, all at once; the liminal spaces between themes connected through this lingering sense of inconclusivity, creating this hyper-literal art-imitates-life narrative that it's difficult to put into mere words.

  

  Weizenbier: aka wheat beer, brewed by replacing portion of malted barley with malted wheat, resulting in a lower IBU. In the picture, "Forest" brewed by Bathe Yotsume Brewery

  Where words prove profoundly inadequate, the amazing team of animators with Soigne's bohemian attitude towards the industry norm of consistency has filled in the gaps. The visual language of Botan Kamiina Fully Blossoms When Drunk drives much of its characterisation and the depth of its world. It boasts on social media (Twitter/X) and blog posts about the scouting of actual locations featured, but more importantly, the wide array of talent and changing roster weekly, and it's not hard to see how each of the teams' idiosyncrasies elevates each and every episode.

  Miyachi's principled attitude towards character design in episode 1 sets the solid foundation to build on; Matsuo Yuusuke's solo key animation with their signature free-flowing line work and tactfully exaggerated character movements in episode 2 magnifies expressiveness and moe, a subtle but substantive change that lures in audience further; Gin-san's avant-garde, Shaft-esque style in episode 3 throws a spanner into the works, but manages to maintain the main duo's emotional distance while encapsulating the peculiar energy of its source material; Makimo Hidenori's gorgeous renderings and Tozawa Shuntarou's jaw-dropping storyboards and blocking in episodes 4 and 5 rises to the occasion for the two most dramatic episodes of the series yet; Morotomi Naoya her key animation team's liberal take on facial expressions and character movement in episode 6 serves as the perfect showcase for Jinran's first appearance; Kuremizu Kousuke's use of ambience and the background of the everyday to echo characters' mood in episode 7 helps fill in the gap where dialogue couldn't; Okubo Shunsuke's more mature rendition of the cast in episode 8 is a match made in heaven for its tonal shift towards tackling the real worries of grown-ups; Shirasaka Hideaki's script combined with Tanaka Hironori's role as storyboarder, animation director, and episode director provides the concentrated vision needed to deliver the climax that is episode 9; Okuda Yoshiko's exquisite lighting paired with Matsumoto Norio's amazing character animation in episode 10 gives off a subdued vibe fit for both the flourishing romance between Kanade and Jinran as well as the quiet grudges and confidence that defines Akane and Yaeka's relationship; Ueno Souta's out of this world backgrounds and bold shot composition in episode 11 captures the feeling of blooming love between our now two couples; and the whole team coming together for the powerful finale in episode 12 is nothing short of poetry in motion.

  

  Taiwan Beer: produced by state-owned Taiwan Tobacco and Liquor Corporation using short grain Penglai rice, imposed to the island during Japanese rule during WW2. But still, please go try their Lychee fruit beer, truly out of this world

  Beyond its production masterclass within its 20 minute runtime, Botan Kamiina Fully Blossoms When Drunk further reinforces the three-dimensionality of the cast and world with its crème de la crème 4:3 opening and 12 unique water coloured endings by Yoshinari Kou. At the end of each episodes are 90 seconds of dazzling sequences that exposits backstories and hints at small details for keen eyes to follow. This approach lets the show have cake and eat it too. It avoids being too bogged down by exposition without sacrificing character depth, all the while the reality of never being able to understand someone except from the stories they tell you.

  I won't bore you by going through them one by one again, but it would be criminal to not to highlight some of the standouts. The ending of episode 5 tells the tale of Kanade and Ibuki's first meeting, how Kanade finds and loses her colourful world. But within it also are references galore: Kanade's camcorder used for recording the OP, the aftermath of Ibuki's traumatic experience first shown all the way back in episode 1, Botan and Kanade's shared first impression of Ibuki in episode 4, the same shot of Gifu mountain later hiked in episode 7. The ending of episode 9 shows the prelude episode 5's B-part, juxtaposing and parrallelising Botan's confession that just passed with Kanade's to great effect. Not to mention the various endings that fleshes out Kanade, Akane, Yaeka, Jinran, and Ibuki's past.

  

  Hyakunen no Kodoku: A brand of pure barley Shochu brewed by Kuroki Honten in Miyasaki, est. 1885. I would add a snarky comment except I know nothing about this drink.

  It's rare that I find myself at a complete lost for words for a show that I absolutely adore, and it is not lip service. Three scrapped drafts later is what you have been reading right now, an unfiltered, hazy, and jumbled rumination. But if there is one takeaway from Botan Kamiina Fully Blossoms When Drunk, is that life doesn't wait for perfection. Accept your foibles, come to peace with failings, and move on. A beautiful world still awaits.

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• 

  Hameru

  95/100
  Drinking alcohol had never felt so incredibly romantic and intimate.

  The anime tells the story of a group of university students sharing their daily lives as dormmates, exploring how their relationships evolve through moments where alcohol becomes a catalyst for intimacy, vulnerability, and connection. This is precisely why the title, Botan Kamiina Fully Blossoms When Drunk, feels so perfect: you can practically see the lilies bloom whenever Botan and Ibuki drink together on screen. I often found myself thinking, "Damn, I wish I had gotten something to drink before watching this," and I don't even like alcohol haha. Good romance stories with an adult cast are already rare compared to the abundance of school romances released every season, and when it comes to yuri, they're even more difficult to find. That's what made this story feel so surprisingly refreshing. The best part? The plot is extremely simple, yet it still manages to tell a story with far more depth and emotional complexity than many romance stories could only dream of achieving. Despite Soigne being a new studio, with this being only the second anime under their belt, they've shown a genuine passion for their projects, and the amount of love poured into this series is evident. The way the show uses background music, insert songs, and, most importantly, silence is superb. The scenery and direction were just as gorgeous. I really liked the way the series played around with different visual styles throughout its run, ranging from more realistically nature-focused sequences, overly simplified cartoonish designs, and gorgeous imagery-filled backgrounds. Episode 11 was probably my favorite in that sense; the way it experimented with scenery and visual composition reminded me a lot of how Shaft approaches the Monogatari series, and it looked fantastic. All of these elements combined helped create a magical atmosphere that made the viewer feel like a hidden camera observing the most delicate and private moments of these girls' romance quietly. The playfulness of each gesture, the knowing glances, the yearning to spend those private moments together without anyone else getting in their way. These moments felt so personal that I'd often feel bad for intruding, blushing at the sight of their flirting. It's truly amazing how many emotions they managed to convey in these 12 episodes despite the simplicity of the story. ------ The cast was definitely one of the strongest aspects of the show. To break down each of the main couples we might need to get into spoiler territory: # __Ibuki and Botan__ We quickly learn that Ibuki adores drinking. Other characters frequently mention how delicious her drinks look simply because of how much she seems to enjoy them, and this is one of the reasons Botan approaches her in the first place. However, Ibuki is extremely self-conscious about herself because she’d get hiccups whenever she drank alcohol which made her experience really uncomfortable situations in the past, that’s why she preferred drinking alone. The way Ibuki's trauma surrounding these cute little hiccups paired with Botan's tiny burps created a beautiful sense of camaraderie and secrecy between them. This shared vulnerability fosters a sense of kinship that gradually transformed Ibuki's insecurities into something she came to cherish because of the bond it helped create between the two of them. The development of their relationship throughout the season felt incredibly natural. Their personalities complement each other perfectly, and they fit together in a way that never feels forced. The way they finally confessed their true feelings in Episode 9 was absolutely gorgeous, I shed tears of joy seeing their love finally blooming and being solidified into an actual relationship, it was absolute cinema. I actually rewatched that particular episode immediately after it aired lmao, it was that good. # __Chin-lan and Kanade__ Surprisingly, the chemistry between the main duo isn't something that only we as viewers notice. Chin-lan, the gorgeous exchange student from Taiwan who seems interested in Botan during the early episodes, and Kanade, Ibuki's classmate who can't help but feel jealous of how close Botan has become to Ibuki despite having spent so long trying to achieve that same level of intimacy herself, both experience this sense of alienation firsthand. They understand the pain of being unable to insert themselves into the love that was slowly blossoming between Botan and Ibuki. Yet from that pain, something new begins to emerge. Born from their shared heartbreak, Chin-lan and Kanade gradually start interacting more with one another and eventually become friends through conversations around their unrequited feelings toward the main couple. Chin-lan is able to accept her defeat relatively quickly and begins redirecting her interest toward Kanade. Kanade, on the other hand, struggles to move on. Her feelings for Ibuki have been there for a long time, so it's understandable that she'd have a much harder time taking that next step and opening herself to the possibility of a new relationship. I truly think they’re a good match, so I really hope they manage to create something nice in the future. # __Yaeka and Akane__ They're probably the most innocent couple in the cast, but also the one that seemed to have been established long before the anime even began. They feel like a pairing between a princess-like lady and her rockstar girlfriend, a classic combination that works incredibly well. Their personalities and dynamic reminded me a lot of [Natsuki and Yuuko from Hibike Euphonium](https://i.ibb.co/7xWwqsLd/natsuki-and-yuuko-v0-2fojxsqzch8d1.png). It's also interesting to see how polarized their personalities are. Yaeka is probably the most childish and outspoken member of the cast, a classic tsundere haha, whereas Akane is much more quiet and reserved. Although she possesses an incredible ability to read the mood and understand other people's emotions quite well, she’s quite clumsy and has trouble opening up or talking about what’s on her mind. I especially adored Akane's friendship with Botan; the way they always have each other's backs when it matters most is genuinely precious. ------ All in all, Kamiina Botan was a magical ride. It's a story about discovering the joy of sharing life's little pleasures and learning how much sweeter they can become when experienced with the right company. As I said at the beginning, I rarely ever drink alcohol because I don’t like it, but there were many moments that made me feel both jealous and curious about the different beverages the cast enjoyed throughout the series. I actually bought something to drink for the final episode! It felt necessary lol. Please watch this anime if you're looking for a romance that values intimacy over drama and subtle emotions instead of over the top confessions. Don't forget to bring some booze!
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