Adapted from Saka Mikami’s ongoing manga series of the same name, The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity is a new Netflix Original romantic-comedy anime that hopes to make viewers swoon this September. The show is set against the backdrop of two neighboring, yet very different, rival high schools, and revolves around the students of these institutions who attempt to build relationships with each other in the face of others’ derision, judgment, and concern. Can kindness and love blossom amidst economic differences, deceptive appearances, and outside interference? Well, after catching the first episode, you’ll probably want to keep watching the show to find out!

Opening Shot: We see brief moments from an expensive and prestigious-looking all-girls school, and then flashes of a much more average-looking all-boys school where the students comparatively look a lot rougher around the edges. A teen with dyed blonde hair and pierced ears thinks to himself that behind the curtains of the nice school across the way is a world he’ll never be a part of.

The Gist: Rintaro Tsumugi (Yoshinori Nakayama) is a student at Chidori Public High School who has inadvertently garnered a reputation for being intimidating due to his tall stature and delinquent-like appearance. In reality, he’s an often misunderstood, good-natured guy with a genuine desire to help others. While he has a few good pals around him in school, there are still things that he feels like he can’t fully open up to them about. For example, he keeps it a secret that his parents own a cute local cake shop called Patisserie Plain, where he sometimes helps out after school.

On a fateful rainy day, Rintaro meets a regular customer named Kaoruko Waguri (Honoka Inoue), whom he assumes is a middle schooler due to her small stature. Despite her size, Kaoruko has no problem gobbling up countless baked goods in one sitting, and when Rintaro silently marvels at her bottomless stomach while he’s on the clock, Kaoruko suddenly runs away, leaving the shop in a rush. Rintaro assumes that it’s because of his looks and scary aura, but Kaoruko returns the next day to apologize and confide that she actually left the store because just looking at him made her heart flutter like nothing she has ever felt before.

Rintaro is utterly baffled at this reveal, as he’s so used to everyone fearing and avoiding him that he has little hope of being understood and accepted by others. Kaoruko, however, sees the inherent goodness in Rintaro and insists that others give him a chance, too. From their first meeting, it seems like the two have laid the groundwork for a beautiful friendship, or perhaps even more, but their future together is suddenly threatened by the revelation that Kaoruko is a student at Chidori’s rival institution next door, the fancy and exclusive Kikyo Private Academy for Girls High School. With Kikyo girls generally treating Chidori boys like nuisances, threats, or enemies, there’s a lot of animosity and preconceived notions from both schools (and the people within them) that threaten to destroy Rintaro and Kaoruko’s romance before it can even begin.

What Shows Will It Remind You Of?: Fans of The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity will likely enjoy other cute romance anime like My Love Story!!, Tsuki ga Kirei, Skip and Loafer, and Horimiya.

Our Take: From the very first episode, one of the main themes of The Fragrant Flower Blooms With Dignity is that first appearances can be deceiving. Sure, it may be a common trope or adage in fiction, but that’s because it’s often so endlessly relevant to our daily lives.

Rintaro has spent his whole adolescence being judged for his rough appearance, causing most people to write him off or make assumptions without ever getting to know him. For Kaoruko to suddenly shake things up and see the goodness in him immediately is already intriguing enough from a storytelling and character perspective, but them coming from rival schools adds another compelling layer. Now, not only are these two opposite-seeming characters drawn to each other, but they also have entire educational institutions of very different economic backgrounds trying to push them apart. At the very least, it’s certainly enough to hook viewers and keep them coming back for more.

While it may not be the most groundbreaking story in the world, the show is thoughtful, high-quality, and earnest enough that it really doesn’t have to try and reinvent the wheel. So, if you simply enjoy well-developed romance, beautifully vibrant visuals, and stories of growth, self-discovery, and friendship, then The Fragrant Flower Blooms With Dignity is definitely worth adding to your streaming queue this month!

Sex and Skin: None. And based on the first episode, this looks like it’ll be a very wholesome show overall.

Parting Shot: Rintaro boredly gazes out at Kikyo like usual and is intrigued to see movement from the curtains there for the first time ever. When the curtain opens, he’s so shocked to see Kaoruko looking back at him that he quickly closes his own classroom’s curtain at Chidori as he realizes that not only is she not a middle schooler like he first assumed, but that Kaoruko is a student at the cold and imposing Kikyo Private Academy.

Sleeper Star: Rintaro’s slightly airheaded and friendly buddy, Shohei Usami (Kikunosuke Toya), and Rintaro’s patisserie-managing mother, Kyoko Tsumugi (Yoko Hikasa), both stood out as entertaining, supportive, and big-hearted characters that we’ll hopefully see more of in future episodes.

Most Pilot-y Line: Probably this bit of Rintaro’s inner monologue in response to Kaoruko’s unwavering kindness: “I’m so used to people judging me on the way I look that I wasn’t expecting anyone to appreciate the real me. I’d given up on that. And yet, this makes me want it even more.”

Our Call: The Fragrant Flower Blooms With Dignity looks to be a wholesome and sweet romance story that will charm viewers of all ages. STREAM IT!