It's a story about a young woman who found the resolve to reinvent herself to be independent amidst the series of unfortunate events thrown at her. If I had to recommend an anime that show cases women empowerment without the toxic femininity associated in today's Western culture, this show is that. It's an isekai, magic, adventure and romance without stressing emphasis on the isekai part and more about self empowerment. It's based on the light novel written by Hisaya Amagishi. There are light spoilers below but not enough to ruin everything if you're planning to watch the show.
Plot:
Dahlia was an office worker that died due to exhaustion and got reincarnated as the daughter of a magic artificer (inventor). She lived as an apprentice to her father's craft. Carlo Rosetti, her father, realized her knack for creating magic tools and saw a future she would be exploited the people around her did what most loving father only looking out for their daughter's best interest, he arranged a marriage between Dahlia and Tobias, the son of trusted client. Upon Carlo's sudden demise, Dahlia learn of Tobias' plans to dissolve the arrange marriage because he was in love with someone else. Dahlia, still grieving from the loss of her father and adjusting to her new found circumstance, agrees to cancel their engagement and decides to resolve herself to living an independent life. On a day she decides to venture out into the woods disguised as a man, she meets a scarlet armored knight Wolfred, and this begins her adventure with her new found freedom.
The show perfectly captures what the flower Dahlia symbolized when in the process of blooming. Dahlia Rosetti died as a pushover from another world and had a chance at reinventing herself in the new life even with a little rocky start. But unlike most isekai trash that relies on overpowered main characters that leverage their other world knowledge in the fantasy world, Dahlia builds her inventions from concepts she remembered and shapes it through trial and error before it becomes these become marketable magic tools. I haven't read the light novels but the anime has enough scenes to convey that she works hard for her inventions.
Dahlia as a character is so relatable when it comes to being passionate about creating useful stuff that inspires her. She does her own thing, polite, considerate about others, sincere about her dealings with people and all around good person you'd want to keep on your contacts. But she ain't a Mary Sue considering how she starts off as a pushover and avoids conflict even when she has the right to be mad. Dahlia is well written as a female character who empowers herself gradually with the support of those around her.
The male energy and healthy father figure trope elements in the story shown right in the form of Carlo's impact in Dahlia's life. He had an early exit in the story but we see how some of Dahlia's flashbacks involving him and his penchant for collecting people that owe him favors shaped Dahlia's future. Carlo's decision to have Dahlia marry Tobias came from the paternal instinct to protect his daughter from men that want to take advantage of Dahlia. It's unfortunate that Tobias became one of these men that took advantage of Dahlia but his intentions didn't come from a place of malice. Even when he was collecting favors from people, he had the clause that specifically mentions about helping Dahlia if she ever is in need. This form of posthumous storytelling adds dimension to Carlo's character and his impact in Dahlia's life. Even in the grave, Carlo was still looking out for his daughter.
One thing this show does right with handling the romance is how everything is paced that tension builds up well. There are no forced encounters, random tropes of accidental boob grabs, and cheap fanservice shots. Dahlia and Wolfred's relationship are what you call two adults who know how to respect each other's boundaries while being friends and in the process of figuring out their feelings for one another. The chemistry is there and the characters aren't that oblivious to what they feel for each other but proceed with healthy does of caution because of the differences in their social status and life pursuits.
The show knows how to respect their characters. Dahlia creates a magic tool that has a high commercial value and these tools were something no one else has ever seen. The characters give their awe but at the end of the day, she has to rely on others for their expertise to get anywhere and how she humbles herself is what separates her character from the common toxic Western female characters. The show raises her in a pedestal and equally lifts up the roles of her supporting casts. This type of character building is something that is lost when I think of themes under Western women empowerment. If you have to degrade another character to make the main hero stand out, you can do so but there has to be an equal force in the story that makes this narrative matter otherwise you'll only end up creating villains that are just there to be punching bags, or side characters that can double as background props.
The animation and music were done well. I couldn't help notice the choice of pastel colors and how the animators like to use the golden hour colors that worked well visually. Dahlia in the Bloom isn't the type of show that I would usually go for due to the romance tag, but it's a good show in terms of story telling without resorting to the cheap fanservice baits, overused isekai tropes, and shonen nonsense most anime releases have. It's a nice show to pass the time and I'm rating it above average.
Thank you for your time.
