Botan Kamiina Fully Blossoms When Drunk — Episode 1

What’s it about? Botan Kamiina is new to campus life, but that also means she gets indulge in the unexplored realm of drinking! From her first sip to the wide world of sharing drinks with friends, the simple experience of imbibing is set to be an exciting time!

During my time in Japan, I frequently took to parks with a conbini bag full of snacks and drinks to sit on a bench while the sakura fell to the ground all around me. It was something of a reset, a step into the new academic year (April marks the start of school in Japan) and a reminder that taking time to enjoy the change of seasons is always important. I also went to drinking parties, settling onto blankets with decadent nibbles and of course, when I drank, a few cans of alcohol to make the soft scent of Spring even more enticing alongside creating fond, nostalgic memories.

Which is great because Botan Kamiina Fully Blossoms When Drunk opens in that classic drinking season: yes, that time when Spring has sprung and the cherry blossoms fill the air and drinks abound. Such it is for Botan Kamiina, who’s found herself with a group of friends only to find their fifth–her RA–missing from the group. Without hesitation, Botan takes off after her, only to find her RA drinking a whisky high ball alone. So when Botan says she thinks Ibuki is cute and gasps at how delicious her drink looks, what results is the start of a friendship that has whispers of more as Botan and Ibuki grow closer over drinks.

God, I want this to be gay, I thought from the moment I realized this was an all-girls premiere because damn, I do love it when young woman be eatin’ and drinkin’ and being friends and maybe like, falling in love. It’s my bread and butter, and here, food gets to be fully on display since this is a show about sharing food, and primarily, sharing drinks. Thankfully, this is a yuri so I don’t just have to hope for it to be gay: it just is, and ain’t that grand!

There’s also an immediate contrast with Botan, who shares her drinks with others, and Ibuki, who exclusively drinks alone. Of course, that immediately changes but still—it says something about their characters right from the start. (Especially when they both start blushing: it got real gay when they both started blushing.)

Honestly, that’s why I feel drawn to Botan Kamiina: I like to see two young women who are different but not so different become friends and sharte companionship as they find themselves meandering through adulthood. It’s why I genuinely love so many of the more “quiet” yuri series. They tend to be the most dynamic, offering up tender explorations of life that are deliciously relatable. Here, Botan Kamiina immediately became a mix of nostalgia and yearning: I don’t drink anymore for mental health and disability reasons, but goodness me, did I want to throw back a mocktail with friends this spring!

For me, this really cinched my love of this premiere: it felt like coming home to a bed covered with warm blankets or like eating a popsicle on a hot day. Basically, it felt really welcoming, and I couldn’t help but enjoy seeing Botan’s life in little interconnected vignettes as she shared drinks and conversations with friends in her dorm. Simple though this may be, it’s still well executed, and I can’t help but deeply appreciate that from one of my favorite genres of queer storytelling.

Botan Kamiina is the exact kind of yuri I needed this Spring: something that was focused on adults, centered girls just being themselves, and was immediately relaxing. And like a bowl of soup in winter or an ice tea in summer, this premiere fully relaxed my shoulders. There’s just something so pleasantly engaging about seeing the start to Botan and Ibuki’s relationship in its immediate beginnings, enough so that I want to see them grow. 

Consider me cuddled up on a couch for Botan Fridays because this is one premiere, and series, that I can’t help but settle into with a drink of choice and a smile.