The Fragrant Flower Blooms With Dignity features one of my favorite types of heros, the scary faced sweetheart! Nearly everyone who meets him finds him scary but he's really just a cinnamonroll with a heart of gold. Thankfully our heroine sees his true value right from the start. Can't wait to keep reading this series!

Okay, so I have read this manga beforehand on Kodansha’s app, K Manga, and I have loved every single chapter. So of course I had to read the official physical copy! Fragrant Flower is a beautiful tale about a boy who looks like a delinquent but has a heart of gold, and a girl who loves cake and doesn’t care about stereotypes. And both are so cute and thoughtful, and I can’t help but just want the best for them and their friends.
The story starts as very Romeo and Juliet-esque, with Kaoruko and Rin attending schools right next to each other but are complete opposites with bad blood. The students of these schools tend to define each other just by their place of learning, making them almost like separate tribes. But Kaoruko cares nothing for this and actively seeks out Rin in an effort to repay him for his kindness.
I honestly love how introspective and thoughtful Rin is. Even though he starts off a little rough around the edges and has a somewhat scary appearance, he really puts in the time and effort to look after those around him and treat others with respect. He’s definitely my favorite character in the manga, and I love his family as well, especially his mom.
As for Kaoruko, I love how genuine she is. She doesn’t try to put on airs or base her opinions of others on what they look like or where they come from. I also love how she isn’t your typical fainting flower shojo FMC and can stand up for herself, which really solidifies her character.
Ugh, there’s so much more I want to say about this manga and could go on all day, but I don’t want to give out any spoilers. I’ll just say that this manga holds the most mature romance I’ve ever seen and I wish other shojo would follow its example.
The Fragrant Flower Blooms With Dignity is a manga as beautiful as its name and I recommend it to just about anyone who wants a fresh shojo with realistic characters without the unnecessary drama and plenty of fluffy moments that will make you melt.
NOTE: I received a complimentary copy from the publisher via NetGalley for review purposes only. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

a really sweet and wholesome slice of life story that make first impressions somewhat relatable. cannot wait to read the rest of the volumes.

Rintaro Tsumugi has always been judged by his appearance. Everyone views him as a delinquent, a monster, someone better avoided. But that isn't what Kaoruko Waguri sees when she looks at him. This adorable optimist is smitten with the towering blonde, and it confuses him when she persists in trying to get to know him. No one else has ever bothered, so why would she?

These two cinnamon roll characters are precious, and deeply cared for by their friends who are determined to keep them apart. Or... are they? Can young love blossom through adversity? More importantly, can Rintaro get out of his own head long enough to see how Kaoruko really sees him? The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity is going on my must read list. I must see this series through, and see what happens to these delightful characters.

This wholesome romance is full of tropes, and I loved it. Here are just a few:

- Grumpy x Sunshine
- Rival schools
- Wrong side of the tracks
- Beauty and the Beast vibes
- Forced (kinda) proximity

The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity is such a happy, wholesome, utterly delightful read. I can't wait to read the next volume!

4.5

I enjoyed this story so much! It was very unique to read from the guys’s perspective in a romance manga. I really loved Rintaro Tsumugi and the aspect that he is so misunderstood. Everyone thinks he is scary, meanwhile he is such a sweetheart.

There are two schools that don't get along. Chidori High and Kikyo Girl's High are completely different from one another. Chidori High is for the good-for-nothing boys and Kikyo Girl's High is for the elite ladies.

We follow Rintaro a 16 year old. Who is always judged by his appearance. He at least has his family and friends who don't judge him. He meets Kaoruko who goes to the school next door. Rintaro for the first time isn't judged by his appearance. They unexpectedly get along and spend more time together.

I ended up reading this manga in one sitting. The pacing and the characters were great. I can totally understand why Rintaro friends acted the way they did towards Kikyo Girl's High students. I felt bad by the way they we're treated. I didn't noticed I finished reading until I got to the last page. I was excited to continue.

I loved this book. It deserves so much more than five stars.
The characters are amazing!! I love characters that seem like something but then reveal themselves and are really adorable. Or they show the character and resilience that got them to where they are. And the two main characters are just that, they are a little misunderstood, and the book lets the reader discover the characters and see their lives. I loved that.
They are so sweet together. I found it so romantic and cute. It was so good.
I even love the secondary characters, I think the group of friends adds a lot to the story. They seemed so fun and protective of each other.
And the art is wonderful. It's so beautiful and fits the story and the characters, and gives the reader time to feel the emotions or the action and tense moments. I loved it.
And I really need to read the second volume and see how their relationship evolves and how the rest of the story develops.

I am glad that I came across this one. This is such a cute and wholesome read.

Rintaro and Kaoruko are such wonderful characters. The illustrations are on point.
I loved how he is badass but in front of her becomes this shy guy.
Their reading sessions are my favourite. I fing myself with Kaoruko’s character with her love for eating 🎀🤌🏻
I can’t wait to read the second volume now.

Of course this is a 5 starts for me and I need more, they are so cute, Romeu and Juliet vibes? Of course, how cute are they?? I'm in love in love ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

This is such a sweet story! Both of the main characters are more than meets the eye when it comes to outward appearances. Rintaro, everyone assumes is a delinquent because of his "scary" demeanor. Kaoruko, who everyone assumes is a wealthy princess because of the high school she attends. I really enjoyed the relationship slowly developing between the two main leads. They both fall victim to making assumptions about each other but learn to talk things out and end up getting to know each other better. I also just like the concept of "opposites attract" in romance stories as well.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

Update: I ended up going back and finishing this one. I think it will appeal to younger kids who are experiencing their first crush and are still awkward around people of different genders than themselves. The overthinking is very dramatized but by the end it feels more like misunderstanding that would happen between awkward kids and you get to know the MCs a little better.

I dnf'd this one because I just didn't feel.pulled into the story or feel any connection to the characters. This one just wasn't for me so I won't be reviewing it on other sites because I don't like to review titles I chose not to finish. Thank you so much to Kodansha Comics for the opportunity to read this manga. All thoughts and opinions are my own -- I'm sure others who are avid manga readers and like soft high school romances/"rival" schools will like this one.

This story was very cute. I'm a sucker for a stoic, scary looking character with a marshmallow heart and a air-head coded character with strong morals and that's exactly what I got. Rintaro is a baby cinnamon roll who deserves all of the affection the world has to offer, and Kauruko is a hard working, intelligent sweetheart who deserves every cake the world has to offer. I love the dynamic between these two, their relationship feels very natural and sweet. I can't wait to delve deeper into Kauroko's life. The side characters, though perhaps a bit less charming, clearly have plenty of their own character in this, and I do hope to get to explore their lives as well in the series. I will definitely be picking up volume 2 asap.

The cover for this and the title are what drew me in. I wasn't so sure about the MMC design to begin with, but I grew to really love him. This is such a cute story already for just volume 1 and I am excited to see where it goes. In this volume, you meet our MMC and MFC and learn they go to separate schools that seem to be rivals. It gave me a Romeo and Juliet feeling for this reason, especially when her friends are telling her not to even try to interact with the boys from his school. Rintaro being a misunderstood "delinquent" but working at his family's bakery was ADORABLE.

A cute high school Romeo and Juliet romance story between two students who go to very different high schools, which happen to be right next to each other. The rivalry between the delinquent boys school and the prestigious girls school is established right away as we follow our main character, who unexpectedly meets a girl from the other school one day. The two quickly develop a friendship, even despite the circumstances. It was a good first volume to establish our main characters, and I'm interested to see more of our side characters in later volumes. The story was cute, and their communication was refreshing.

Oh my god this was so cute!! Thanks so much to netgalley!

This manga took me back to high school with all the familiar tropes I am used to in shojo! Although this one is a bit different as the story is told in the POV of Rintaro (the male main character) who goes to a delinquent school and works part time at his family's bakery. The fml, Kaoruko, is so adorable and absolutely loves baked goods. This was a super quick read and I can't wait to pick up the next book.

Really recommended this to people who love light hearted shojo's that warm the heart.

The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity
4.5 stars
-volume 2 releases August 6
-volume 3 release October 1
I really enjoyed reading volume one and how it focuses on the male lead versus the common female lead viewpoint. Both Rinator and Kaoruka are adorable and you can tell from their interactions there will be more character development as the series continues. Love the fact we get so many different facial expressions, even from the side characters, and the art is beautiful. Rintaro and Kaoruka are slowly getting to know each other and even with a bit of misunderstanding they confront it immediately. We are left at a cliffhanger when Kaoruka's friend approaches Rintaro to have a talk. I kinda feel like it could go two ways with one asking him to stay away from Kaoruka.

Rintaro looks like a delinquent, however despite what he looks like he is kind. He works at his family's bakery, where he meets Kaporuka-loves sweets. However, their first encounter where they speak to each other doesn't go how you would imagine. Rintaro worries that he scared her off, but she returns to speak with him. He soon learns that she attends the all girls academy next to his school that despises them. Will this development cause issues for the two of them?
How will their friends react?

Thank you netgalley and the publisher for this ebook ARC!

Excuse me while I be angry that this series isn't on Viz Media for me to continue T^T It's such a cute manga, and I love the idea of a gentle guy who everyone is scared of just because of how he looks. His interactions with the FMC are also extremely adorable, and they make me excited to see where things will go for them :D

So yeah, extremely cute manga, recommend for those who like slice of life school romances. Now to find where I can read more...

This made it's way into my Tiktok feed and I was very happy to see it available for download from NetGalley. One of my favorite tropes of all time is a scary-faced man with a heart of gold and this completely satisfies that. The art style is cute and the main characters are charming.

Title: The Fragrant Flower Blooms With Dignity

Author: Saka Mikami

Rating: ★★★★

An adorable read that’ll have you smiling from start to finish. Set in the vibrant world of high school rivalries, this manga brings together the tough and misunderstood Rintaro Tsumugi from SMA Chidori and the sweet and intelligent Kaoruko Waguri from the elite Akademi Kikyo.

Rintaro, a second-year student with a scary appearance, finds himself unexpectedly charmed by Kaoruko when she visits his family’s pastry shop. As they spend more time together, Rintaro starts to feel at ease around her, but he’s haunted by the fear of what she’ll think when she discovers he’s from the notorious SMA Chidori, the school despised by all Kikyo students.

This story beautifully captures the essence of young love blossoming amidst prejudices and misunderstandings.

Rintaro and Kaoruko's growing bond is heartwarming, and their interactions are filled with sweet and tender moments that make you root for them despite the odds.

With its endearing characters and charming storyline, "The Fragrant Flower Blooms With Dignity 1" is a delightful manga that’s perfect for anyone looking for a cute and uplifting read.

Highly recommended for fans of high school romance and stories about breaking down barriers. Loved it!

Thank you to The Publisher Kodansha Comics, the author Saka Mikami & Netgalley for an advanced reader copy (ARC) in exchange for my honest review.

A cute, opposites attract story. He is a delinquent attending a low-ranked all boys high school. She is number 1 at an elite all girls school. Both schools are next to each other. Yet, they meet at his family's bakery. He is sweet and considerate. She is kind and nonjudgmental. Lovely.