Adult Concerns

I earlier speculated that Shimura was promoting a “new model of yuri based on individualism and equality,” and noted that Fumi was neither the only nor the first example of this in the world of Sweet Blue Flowers. I was thinking specifically of Hinako Yamashina and Orie Ono.

Orie and Hinako (as they were introduced initially) first showed up at the very end of volume 1, as junior students to Shinako Sugimoto who eventually fell in love with each other (SBF, 1:379–81). I wrote in a previous chapter that “Orie’s and Hinako’s appears to be a relationship of equals” and speculated that they might “break out of the straitjacket” imposed by traditional Class S and yuri tropes.

That speculation is confirmed in the second half of volume 2, as Orie and Hinako re-enter the story as full-fledged adults (with family names to boot). Hinako Yamashina is the homeroom teacher for Akira’s second-year class, and Orie Ono is the elder sister of first-year student (and friend to Akira and Fumi) Haruka Ono. Their (re)appearance is significant for multiple reasons:

First, Orie and Hinako represent a group that in classic schoolgirl yuri tales is not supposed to exist, namely adult women who have relationships with other adult women after graduation. Their very existence puts the lie to the idea that “it’s just a phase” and that in the end, every girl-turned-woman must conform to the prevailing heterosexual ideal.

Second, Hinako is a potential role model for students attracted to other girls, reassuring them that they are not alone or abnormal. This is highlighted in the “Orie and Hinako” segment in the middle of volume 2, in which the student Kawakubo (only her family name is given) talks with Hinako and complains about her parents thinking her “sick” for liking girls. After hearing her out, Hinako affirms that she too “liked a girl” (leaving unsaid the fact that she still does) (SBF, 2:165–70).

It’s worth stopping for a moment here to re-emphasize a point I’ve made previously about Sweet Blue Flowers. Although Kawakubo tries her best to get Hinako to reciprocate her feelings, Hinako shuts her down cold: “I don’t want a student as my girlfriend.” Her response echoes Mr. Kagami’s previous rejection of Yasuko’s advances. Their actions seem to me to reflect more than just caution on the part of Hinako and Mr. Kagami, or a feeling on their part that student-teacher relationships are unhealthy.

To my mind, it’s consistent with the repeated framing in Sweet Blue Flowers of equal relationships as superior to relationships marked by age, status, and power differentials—a clear rejection of the idea promoted by both Nobuko Yoshiya and Maria Watches Over Us, that a relationship with an older girl (or a teacher, as Yoshiya adds) is essential to a girl’s proper socialization and emotional development.

Finally, the fact that Hinako and Orie are adults with adult concerns introduces a note of realism into a genre often marked by fluffy fantasies. As Akira listens to her fellow students talk, it’s clear that she’s worried about the consequences of reciprocating Fumi’s feelings (SBF, 2:204–8). But the stakes are much higher for Orie and Hinako.

Orie’s refusal to marry has caused conflicts with her parents and heartbreak for her mother (SBF, 2:329). Hinako is presumably at risk of losing her job if the rumors circulating among the students were to come to the attention of the school administration and were then to be confirmed. In this context, Hinako’s admission to Kawakubo, even if couched in the past tense, is especially risky. What if, after being rejected, Kuwakubo were to turn against Hinako and seek revenge?

The presence of Hinako and Orie does not make Sweet Blues Flowers an adult yuri work. The primary focus is still on the budding relationship between Fumi and Akira. However, I think it’s fair to say that although Sweet Blue Flowers is still an example of “schoolgirl yuri,” it’s schoolgirl yuri that is increasingly concerned with issues that can only be called adult.