This manga was a delight to read!
Rintaro is so sweet i just wish he'd stop blaming himself for everything.
the art was pleasant and the characters were cute.

Overall a very wholesome manga not much happens but at least its cute.


Thank you Netgalley for a copy in exchange for a review.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced ARC of this manga

This was a cute read and also I found it interesting but not enough to continue the rest of the series over time

This romance manga had a very sweet start with some definite Romeo and Juliet vibes. Our two main characters don't really care about their feuding schools, and they secretly begin a friendship when Kaoruko begins frequenting Rintaro's family bakery. Their fledgling feels are developing realistically so far amidst their friends constantly pulling them apart. It's been very light-hearted and low stakes in terms of the feud itself so far, but I'm interested to see how the feud comes more into play as they grow closer.

-- 2/5 Stars -- ★★☆☆☆

Trigger Warnings for The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity 1: N/A

The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity 1 is the first volume in The Fragrant Flower series by Saka Mikami. In this volume we witness the flowering relationship blooming between Rintaro and Kaoruko. The catch? Rintaro goes to Chidori, a school for delinquent boys, and Kaoruko goes to Kikyo, a prestigious school for girls. The double catch? The schools are directly next to each other and the students hate each other.

This volume was cute, but gave me the ick in a couple spots. For one, Rintaro expressed interest in Kaoruko even when he thought she was a middle schooler. For two, why would these schools hate each other so much? When I was in high school, I would have totally fawned over the bad boys next door, but none of these girls are.

All of this being said, these two kids are a blushing, hormonal mess in the best way possible. I did love their blooming relationship. Thank you to Saka Mikami, Netgalley and Kodansha Comics for an e-copy in exchange for my honest review.

4.5 / 5 stars

This is an adorable high-school romance that shows a lot of promise. I loved reading GTO and Gokusen when I was younger, so I was excited to read a shoujo high school delinquent story.


Rintaro and Kaoruko have good chemistry. I like that there's a healthy amount of "Do they like me? Or do they like me not?" They also seem like very authentic characters; they talk and act like normal teenagers. The art is great. I'm happy that the translation didn't skip over the sound effects, and that additional context notes are given at the end of the book. I do wish that the boys' school was a bit more fleshed out. We're told they're delinquents, but we don't really see much delinquent behavior. However, this is only the first four chapters of the story, so I'm hoping we'll see more development in later chapters.

I loved this story. So cool and cute. I rated this book 4 stars and I'll recommend my friends ti read it. If you love fantasy books I recommend you this one.

I have been waiting for the English translation to be released and am so glad it’s here!

This is a Romeo and Juliet take on high school romance. Rintaro is such a great character and I love his developing relationship with Kaoruko.

I absolutely love the art style and the character design. The way the mangaka draws their facial expressions is amazing and it really brings you into the story. I also just love how adorable Kaoruko is and all of her outfits.

I have already pre-ordered volume 2 and cannot wait to read it!

i’m giving this 3 stars because i just KNOW the following books will be even better and i want to give room for the ratings and reviews to show how they get better. i loveee the nain characters friendship and cant wait yo see how it progresses!! theyre soso cute<3

such a wholesome read!! so excited its now getting published <3 i love that this romance is slow and steady, they aren't diving headfirst for each other since the moment they met. and i also love how there are side character friendships; i feel we're going to get a lot more from them and i cant wait~

"The Fragrant Flower Blooms With Dignity" is one of those titles where the main couple actually makes an effort to communicate after their meet-cute and I think that's just so refreshing. The art style manages to balance out drawing pretty boys and supposed delinquents, so it's a nice visual contrast. I look forward to reading the next volume.

Thank you NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for the ARC! This is my first time reviewing a manga, and I'm glad to say it was a good one!

The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity is about two characters, Rintaro and Kaoruko. Rintaro goes to a boys-only school that comes with a bad reputation, while Kaoruko comes from a girls-only school with an impeccable one. However, these two schools are situated side by side, which has caused a rivalry between students.

One day, after being rushed home from school to help with his parent's patisserie, Rintaro encounters Kaoruko for the first time. She is a beautiful young woman with a sweet tooth and a heart of gold -- but she comes from Kikyo, meaning she'll want nothing to do with anyone from Chidori Boy's School. Right?

After finding out that Kaoruko is nothing what he expected, the story continues with our two protagonists learning more about one another and trying to break the chains of the pressure that their schools have put on them.

This manga gets a full five stars! The art style is beautiful, and once I picked it up I couldn't put it down. It's extremely sweet, and not only because Rintaro's family owns a bakery. The writing is very kind and thoughtful, and it takes a very fun spin on the "Romeo and Juliet" framework. I was left satisfied from the delinquent boy with a soft heart and the quiet girl who will always stand up for her friends -- and I look forward to seeing more of these two and their shenanigans in the future!!

Thank you to Netgalley for a copy of this manga.

I instantly fell in love with our main characters. Both of them are introduced and developed well in the short space of time we have with them.

I loved the message of not judging others by their looks or by any preconceived notions. It's just a good message and it was handled so well throughout the story.

The illustrations are beautiful and all of the characters looked so unique.

I'm already excited for volume 2!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for a copy of this manga.

I have always been a manga reader since elementary school. This is another wholesome school romance to add to my collection. The dynamic between MMC and FMC are soooo cute! Their friends are so funny as well. I can't wait to read the next volume.

This was OK. I liked the set up a la Romeo and Juliet with the main characters being from rival (?) schools but found the MMC way too introspective and apologetic. There was so much time spent in his head second guessing his decisions that I ended up skimming portions related to this. I don’t think I will continue with this series but can see the appeal for others, especially those who like to know the motivation behind characters’ actions.

Oh gosh It was so beautiful!!!
Can't wait to see how their story will continue!!
It's sooo cuteee!!
Read it if you want a fast read that will keep a smile on your face for an entire day 🥹🍰🫶🏼

Thank you Netgalley and thank you so much Sara Mikami!! 😊

The Fragrant Flower Blooms With Dignity was a nice surprise. Chidori is a high school for boys full of delinquents and Kikiyo is a prestigious school for girls. Of course the students can't stand one another and it's a school war basically. Rintaro is tall and looks intimidating, but is actually a nice guy helping out his family at their bakery. There he meets Kaoruko, who loves to eat cakes and the girl seems to have a crush on him - even though she's from Kikyo! The two are very cute together as both are insecure and overthinking. Finally the main couple is actually equal! I do like the setting a lot, since of course it's Romeo and Juliet, but we get inside both of their heads. The side characters actually play a role and it will be interesting to see where this is going.

The art looks a bit crude, but it still works with the story and well, this is shounen. There are thirteen books in the series currently and the series is still ongoing. I hope Mikami can come up with lots of content and hopefully this isn't your typical romance series by the end of the story. We'll see!

I received an e-galley of The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity by Saka Mikami from Kodansha Comics via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I honestly went into this manga with no idea what it was going to be about - I requested it mostly because of its cover and its title. And I was genuinely pleased by the story I found - and later as I prepared to gather my thoughts on it, I read the synopsis and saw that it was promoted as a take on Romeo and Juliet. And all of a sudden, it's like a lightbulb turned on and it's like, "Okay, yes, I can definitely see what the author is trying to do here." It's definitely got parts of its story inspired by Romeo and Juliet - but not so obvious that you would have known from reading it right away - I truly didn't see the connection until it was pointed out to me. And I think that works in its favour. I'm very curious to see how Rintaro and Kaoruko's relationship develops as the story progresses on as we start to see more of who they are in this first volume - as well as the cast of interesting characters around our main leads.

I really loved the art in this one. I'll admit the hero on the cover didn't grab me, but I really loved a lot of his pictures in the book.

This one features
- rival high schools
- tutor me
- kind of a 'wrong side of the tracks' vibe with a prestigious school girl and a public school boy

I struggled with the actual story of this one though. I wanted the mains together more and it felt like forever before they were on page together. The first few interactions felt very similar. I just wasn't grabbed by this story and I'm sad. I don't know if I'll continue this series.

I HAVE to read volume 2!!!

When I requested this I didn’t even look at the synopsis - I just had a feeling I would enjoy this. Afterwards when I saw it’s a play on Romeo and Juliet I can totally see it and am now somewhat scared of how this will end!

Two schools sit side by side, but the students within don’t interact. Chidori is a public school known for educating ‘delinquents’. Rintaro is one such student who is pretty misunderstood. One of the tallest in his class he’s often perceived as scary, but he’s just very introverted. One day when helping out at his families patisserie he sees a young girl stuffing herself with cake! He’s immediately enamored with her, but when he finds out she attends the all girls school that’s known for ‘uppity stuck up rich girls’ he’s apprehensive to pursue anything with Kaoruko! Luckily, they both give each other a chance and maybe they can rehab the students feelings towards the other school!

I’m usually not one to read romance where the characters are in high school, but I really enjoyed this and would absolutely continue on with the series!

So I enjoyed the art, and I enjoyed the characters, and I even enjoy the trope. But I am a bit curious. Is this a common thing? Because I've seen this trope more than once. "Scary" looking guy (or girl) who is secretly a softie sven though everyone is terrified of them.

Will definitely continue the series.
Recommended.