- Mangaka : Asumiko Nakamura
- Publisher : Seven Seas Entertainment
- Genre : Drama, Yuri
- Published : January 2021
For some weird reasons, we always tend to find bonds that last during the weirdest possible circumstances. Well, maybe except when it comes to our families. We don’t really have much say about that, don’t we? Anyway, just think about it. How did you and your closest friends meet? Maybe it’s from getting detention together, doing something stupid together, or maybe a pure coincidental bump across the hallway. One way or another, you must have met someone through some crazy circumstances.
Contains Spoilers
Discussion Time
The story happens in one fancy European boarding school. Our protagonist, Ruby, has things running normally until Christmas break happens. Due to certain circumstances, she won’t be able to come home and be forced to stay in school. That’s where Steph, our other protagonist, comes into the picture. Steph is the only other student that will stay in school during the break. That said, they find themselves interacting with each other at a few points in time despite explicitly stating wanting to avoid that. More so, their bond starts to form during the break.
1. Sleek Art
A White Rose in Bloom has thin, fine characters. It’s not like the characters are drawn like this to establish stupid body standards. It’s just the author’s style. That said, the characters are quite sleek, but they don’t appear fragile. Instead, the fine curve lines somehow fits the elite background of the school. In addition to that, the art just seems to flow elegantly on every page.
This series art is also more minimalistic than detailed. There are a lot of panels with only textures as background or even without background. This, however, just makes us focus more on the characters instead.
2. Sweet Tale of Romance
As we’ve said earlier, Ruby and Steph first met each other during the Christmas break. However, Ruby has already received a few pieces of information about Steph. Well, probably gossip is more appropriate. Anyway, when Ruby has heard that her parents are getting divorced, Steph becomes a shoulder to cry on. That is despite her cold facade.
As the story progresses, we’re shown how their seemingly fragile bond continues to strengthen. Ruby starts to like Steph, which eventually leads to a confession.
1. Typical Ice Cold Exterior
There are far too many stories out there about the main protagonist having an ice-cold demeanor. A White Rose in Bloom adds another one to that list. Unsurprisingly, the main protagonist is also an average character that somehow gets dragged into the limelight for being connected with the ice princess. Yes, you guessed it. Our ice princess is also hot stuff within the school. If this isn’t your kind of thing, you might consider veering away from this series.
Final Thoughts
It’s a bit late, but A White Rose in Blossom would have been a perfect read for Christmas. The whole story is set during the Christmas break, and there are even a lot of mentions about Christmas trees, Christmas food, and, of course, romance. Nonetheless, it’s an interesting read, especially if you’re looking for something sweet and easy to read.
Author: Christian Markle