Bittersweet Blossoms

Blackberry Honey has been one of my first visual novels, and I rather appreciated it as an entertaining and spicy yuri visual novel. So buying Bittersweet Blossoms was a no brainer. ebi-hime has been clear that it does not feature any +18 content, so I expected it to be rather different from Bittersweet Blossoms even if it is a sequel. Wasn't wrong on the guess. Bittersweet Blossoms is a totally different experience, and one you would be crudely mistaken not to give a chance. While Blackberry Honey is a candid and steamy love between a clumsy dismissed maid and an exotic lady ladykiller maid in an ultimately fun and mostly happy piece, Bittersweet Blossoms is a much safer, possibly politically incorrect love story between two mourners after WWI. The story takes place 70 years after Blackberry Honey, and after a war which left countless holes in the heart and countless relatives in the graves. As you would guess in this setup, the piece is much more down to earth, mature and cruel. It still has goofy moments (and those are pleasant !), but also hurts sometimes like a truck. Dot, a lady of modest upbringing (the game does have some common points with Blackberry Honey eh !), leaves …

Bittersweet Blossoms is the long-awaited sequel to Blackberry Honey, and in my own opinion, I believe it's an even stronger story than its older sister! I first read Blackberry Honey about 4 years ago, and though I felt it dragged in a few places, I enjoyed it a lot. But I've noticed ebi-hime's works becoming more tightly plotted over time, and Bittersweet Blossoms is no exception. The story centers on a new pair of characters in a familiar setting, both charming in their own right. Dot's grief, her desire for independence, and her compassion make her a likeable protagonist, and though Patience has a cruel streak, her youth and her experience explain it even if they don't excuse it; it seems clear to me that she has room to grow and change with and for Dot. It was fun to see their dynamic, made interesting and textured through their mishmash of power dynamics across different axes. My favorite character from Blackberry Honey also plays a role - Constance! More than just a cameo, Constance appears as a fairly important supporting character here. Her role here acts as both a closure to the loose threads of her story from the previous installment, and a support to the new couple her…

If you liked Blackberry Honey you will love Bittersweet Blossoms.

Recommending this VN is NOT impossible for me. This VN surprised me. I was scathingly critical of the VN this is a sequel to, Blackberry Honey, notably declaring a fiery hatred for its art for what I considered horrifically male-gazey designs rife with boob pockets on clothes and ridiculous poses to perfectly frame ass and tits simultaneously. I went so far as to say that Blackberry Honey, quote, "...was not made for sapphics, this was made for cishet men who want to fetishize and consume lesbians." A few years on, a part of me thinks that criticism was too harsh. Not untrue, per se, but just rather uncharitable and unfair. It was the first ebi-hime VN I'd read and it left such a foul taste in my mouth I have not touched another until now. Having now read Bittersweet Blossoms to completion (something I cannot say for Blackberry Honey, even now) I am very happy I gave this one a chance, and am even more happy it has a demo so that I was inclined to do so. One thing I noted as a major positive in my Blackberry Honey review was the writing, especially how well it captured a sense of time and place, if realistically only a facsimile. This, I am happy to report, has only gotten bette…

This story was worth it to read to see the conclusions from some BH's characters and loved the relationship between Dot and Patience, they're my favorites. Despite the nightmarish creation of the vn, thank you ebihime for still going through this. I think your friend would be very proud of what you have achieved so far.

this was really nice!!! idk how else to explain it, it was just a very nice, very satisfying read, despite the depths of sadness and tragedy these characters have been through and their circumstances, it didn't feel bleak or cruel, it felt hopeful and pleasant, and i absolutely adored dot and patience and the building and development of their dynamic, how they grow and learn from each other. and they were super cute and sweet! and on top of that this was exacty what i wanted and needed out of a sequel to blackberry honey. not just out of closure for constance, but also it feels like a spiritual closure for BH overall.