Hongduck and Nemone. Cover Art, Seasons of Blossom, Webtoon.
Seasons of Blossom – Information
Author of Story: Hongduck and Nemone
Chapter Count: 130 chapters + sequel story (Seasons of Lovesome)
Status: Completed
Content Warnings
These content warnings do not reflect the contents of the review below; only the literary work itself.
- Depictions and frequent mentioning of SI, SH
- Loss of loved ones
- Explicit depictions of bullying
- Mentioning of abortion
- Injury, violence
Spoiler Disclaimer
This recommendation post may contain small plot spoilers for review purposes. Any major spoilers are hidden by default and are able to be revealed via click or tap.
Seasons of Blossom – Plot Summary
Today I’m recommending/reviewing Seasons of Blossom, a.k.a SOB—which is what you’ll be doing while you read this series (I’m only half-joking)… In all seriousness, Seasons of Blossom is a fantastic romantic tragedy webtoon series that immediately became one of my all-time favorites, due to its impactful story.
This webtoon is made up of four connected stories that follow a group of characters; primarily high schoolers, but also a small number of college students.
These four stories—or four seasons—often follow a story of romance, but each with very different themes and vibes. This is one of my favorite webtoons ever, so buckle in and get ready for a story full of emotion!
I will warn, as mentioned before, that this webtoon is definitely not 100% fluff and sweetness. It actually has a very deep plot even outside of the romances that accurately and emotionally portrays the ups and downs of youth, touching on topics of mental health, bullying, friendship, and more.
It is a story of love, regret, self-hatred, self-sacrifice, jealousy, change, and so much more. It often has a rather sad undertone as well as some upsetting portrayals of teen experiences. Bring your tissues!
Hongduck and Nemone. Print Edition Volume 3 Cover, Seasons of Blossom, Jaedam Media.
Why I Enjoyed Seasons of Blossom
Plot:
I’ve actually read this series previously, and remember how much I enjoyed it, but decided to give it a reread for this review. And because the sequel story is now being released, I figured it’d be a good time to review it now!
The plot follows a similar theme through most of the seasons, but each is very well thought-out, exploring many different perspectives and emotions that come alongside certain choices or life experiences. I wanted to describe the vibe of each season, because although they are all connected, they each bring a unique individual story, too…
Spring: The most tame of all the seasons in Seasons of Blossom. It is a sweet story with a fake dating trope. This story has a slow buildup of suspense, and leads to the cutest and fluffiest romance. I adore this season and the couple, and I’m so thankful we get to see them a little more in the other seasons, too.
This season is not only super sweet, but also has an exciting couple dynamic and introduces many of the character personalities you’ll continue to see in the other seasons.
Summer: A big turn of the story occurs in summer, slowly giving readers small pieces of a bigger puzzle during reminiscent flashbacks. This is when the webtoon takes a turn for the more sorrowful side, and you should prepare your heart for the drama.
However, it portrays many important messages through the summer story, so it is not one you will regret reading. This season also portrays a romance, albeit with much, much sadder undertones. It also showcases some important character developments for multiple characters and relationships!
Fall: After the authors rip your heart out during the summer story, they then throw you into more romance during the fall story! Actually, readers get to witness two different romances during this season, but they are incredibly different.
One is a super cute and fluffy high school romance, and the other a more unique and rather mature university story. Once again, the plot portrays some more drama with a similar theme as the previous season, but approached much differently. This seasons feels a bit bittersweet!
Winter: Time for more pain! This last season explores more of a background character who has been in the story the whole time, but was sort of invisible. This story is sad too, but the winter season connects this character to the first three seasons and other characters slowly. They all become more intertwined in this big finale.
We also get a little bit of a back-and-forth as the winter season switches between the colder topics and some cuter interactions from our favorite spring couple, so it’s not all negativity. However, this season does focus in on a very difficult topic and often shows some painful imagery, so be warned.
Characters:
There are so many characters in Seasons of Blossom, and they all have unique personalities and individual growth. There isn’t technically one main character, but rather a group of main characters that are featured throughout each season. You’ll likely come to love all of them, perhaps even some characters you previously disliked.
It’s a joy to experience each and every character, but it would be difficult to talk about all of the characters in the series at length. However, if you’re interested, here are some of my thoughts about some of the characters via short descriptions:
- Bomi: Seems like a good student and looks like she’d be a goody-two-shoes, but is surprisingly vocal and strong-willed. She’s a much funnier and more interesting character than you’d think at first!
- Jinyeong: A total cutie who has so much more personality than you’d expect from a character who’s portrayed as a stereotypical “nerd.” My fav character! Has a blunt personality, but can actually be adorable and surprisingly bold.
- Seonhui: My favorite character in terms of design. I love female characters who aren’t afraid to be themselves and state their mind. She can be incredibly cute, too.
- Jaemin: A character who seems perfectly happy and popular, but just like everyone else actually has a lot of his own struggles. His character has a lot to overcome, but also seems rather mature compared to some of the rest—perhaps because he had to be.
- Jaehyun: A cute and reliable character, but I personally felt like I didn’t get to know much about him!
- Subin: A kindhearted character who made some mistakes in the past. I like his honest personality and commitment to doing what he believes is right. I also loved how easily he became embarrassed, just like his sister does, haha.
- Gaeul: One of the most realistic characters in the series. Finds her own happiness, but still struggles to forget the past. Regardless of what she’s achieved, her mental scars have changed who she is as a person.
- Eunchae: A brave young soul who is determined to do what’s right. She seemed very headstrong and ready to fight alone if necessary. Even though she had a lot less screen time, I really liked her character—and her sibling, too!
Art:
The art throughout Seasons of Blossom is not overly complicated or detailed, but it is bold, colorful, and each main character is designed to look rather unique.
I liked the character design a lot, and was impressed with how the artist depicted all sorts of emotions throughout the series. It really pulls you in—giving you excitement from some fluffy romance, or bringing you to tears with the character’s struggles.
Hongduck and Nemone. Print Edition Volume 9 Cover, Seasons of Blossom, Jaedam Media.
Any Cons?
This story frequently switches back and forth between past and present, and sometimes even previews the future. This may confuse some readers, so just take your time while reading.
More In-Depth Review (Warning: Spoilers!)
I love love love Seasons of Blossom. Everything about this romance series is so well thought-out. I absolutely adore Bomi and Jinyeong’s dynamic. They are one of the cutest couples I’ve ever witnessed on the webtoon app.
I’ve read plenty of nerd x popular or unpopular x popular romances, but Bomi and Jinyeong are truly unique characters. The unpopular/nerd characters rarely have such a bold personality, and Bomi’s occasional attitude was unexpected, too. They were such a fun duo to witness!
I also liked how the start showcases that super cute spring romance, then quickly turns to the sad yet really impactful scenes between Hamin and Somang… The summer story perfectly showcases how the loss of one person can create a variety of emotions from all sorts of perspectives.
The story is so well-written, it makes you feel the pain of it all, too! Even while re-reading the story and knowing what to expect, I still found myself crying.
I’m glad that the author was able to portray Hamin’s story properly while still making his lovely romantic memories important and sincere. Even though I’m a romance enthusiast, I’ve never enjoyed the idea that romance can fix anything. The author has done a great job at tackling touchy topics and balancing them with romance in a way that doesn’t feel insulting, but is instead supportive and realistic.
I’m also glad that Jaemin did not experience a true romance in this series. While he had a crush on Bomi for a short time, I felt that the role his character played was much too important and serious to just throw him into a fluffy little romance afterwards.
His character needed to grow first, and I’m glad he wasn’t reliant on romance in order to do so. I think a romance story would be more suitable for him in the future (ahem ahem…the sequel story?!).
Then we switch to the Gaeul x Subin story, which is a bullied x bully story. Everything about this story is nuanced and dependent on perspective. These two characters weren’t just good vs bad, but rather they both seemed to have a mix of traits to them, just as people do in real life.
There were also side characters who were twisted and seemingly had no good in them during that season…again, just like real life.
This realistic characterization in Seasons of Blossom was so refreshing, and I honestly appreciated the ending to Subin and Gaeul’s relationship—even if it wasn’t necessarily a happy one. Again, so realistic not to end the story in the way readers expected.
Those characters’ pasts consist of guilt and bad memories involving each other, so it just wasn’t meant to be at that time and place. Perhaps later on, once Subin overcomes his guilt and Gaeul learns to live for her own happiness! Or, even if they meet other people, I’d be fine with that, too.
As for the Seonhui x Jaehyun romance, I’ve always thought it was a cute story and a good way to separate Seonhui from Jaemin, but wished we could’ve gotten more characterization for Jaehyun beforehand. He still felt a little like a stranger to me during their romance. But their interactions were super cute during the winter season!
And speaking of the winter season…what a way to conclude the story! All of the characters’ experiences from the previous seasons helped end the last season in a positive way. It was suspenseful and dramatic, and couldn’t have ended more perfectly.
One aspect I especially enjoyed was the realistic depiction of Jaemin’s role in this last season. Even though he had very close experiences with the topic, it didn’t just make him an expert at handling it. Although he struggled a bit at first, he helped in the way that he could, and that’s the best thing he could have done.
Overall, this webtoon is nothing short of amazing. It speaks to the heart, and portrays an incredibly important message about life and youth. If you’ve read this series, don’t miss out on the sequel story, Seasons of Lovesome!
Final Thoughts
Seasons of Blossom is a must-read webtoon! The story portrayed in this comic is so sincere, meaningful, and impactful. It has a lot of cute and unique romantic subplots, but also a very thought-provoking main plot that was incredibly well-written. I think the story is perfect!
The romance balances the more sad elements of the story and helps us connect with all of the characters on a deeper level. It’s an amazing webtoon that you won’t regret reading.
The sequel story, Seasons of Lovesome, already looks soooo promising and romantic! It’s reintroduced many of these beloved characters (now in university), which has made me so happy. Perhaps I’ll review that one when it’s complete, too!
Disclaimer: Any images used for this blog are for illustrative purposes only, are not owned by me, and are under ownership of the artist or publisher.
Images Credit: Hongduck and Nemone. Seasons of Blossom, Webtoon, 2021. Physical Editions published by Jaedam Media, 2023.
