I wasn't planning to bring this character discussion here, but after rewatching the first two episodes of Heartcatch on the 2DS (thanks to the new youtube app) I was reminded of how much I adore Tsubomi, and so, here it is.
Tsubomi is a timid young girl with little confidence in herself. She is very fond of flowers and joins the gardening club at her new school, before being roped into joining the fashion club.
Design-wise Tsubomi doesn't really stand out, aside from those big round glasses she sometimes wears. This works in her favor as a character though, as it reflects how meek she is personality-wise.
Being a member of the gardening club suits her not only in name, but her personality as well. As the show proceeds we see Tsubomi develop quite a bit, growing more comfortable around her peers, to the point that the shouting and cheering Tsubomi is barely recognizable compared to the new student who could barely speak her name to the class.
One of the driving forces behind Tsubomi is her desire to change herself. To open up and grow more confident in herself.
Episode 38 spoilers.
- Spoiler:
I loved the duel with her shadow self in episode 38. Tsubomi doesn't instantly shed her old self after being made to realize she hasn't changed. Instead she accepts that she hasn't changed, accepts who she is and hopes to some day grow into the mature, confident person she wants to be.
As a Precure Tsubomi starts out noticeably different than her teammates. She's realistically scared out of her mind at the idea of having to fight giant monsters. But when backed into a corner, fight or flight kicks in and the result is a Precure who can barely control her abilities. XD
It takes a while for Blossom to get into the swing of things, as one episode shows where she feels like she's a burden to Marine, and unlike her teammates she never outshines the rest of the group, something that bothered me especially with Cure Moonlight. I'm also not too crazy about her little catch phrase, particularly since it's one of the elements that makes Heartcatch filler so repetitive.