KAITO is known for her popular manga series which is being featured in Weekly Jump Shonen and is focused on sports, specifically lacrosse. But in this article, I will be discussing her new series, Blue Flag and analyze if it’s worth our time.
The story is focused on the third-year high school student Taichi Ichinose who is a reserved guy but when he comes in the final year after his class changed, he reunited with his old friend, Futuba Kuze who is clumsy and inept and another childhood friend Toma Mita who used to be with Taichi all the time back when they were kids. But now things have changed as Toma is popular in High School Taichi maintains his distance with them.
Keeping distance from Toma is understandable to Taichi but the reason why he stays away from Futuba is that he can’t stand her. Probably because of her clumsiness that makes him recall his old self or maybe just because she has not gone through any complexities in her life unlike him. Taichi accidentally encounters Futuba in a book shop where she strives to get a book up on the shelf that she couldn’t reach. Taichi helps her get the book and finds out that the book she tries to grab was a non-fiction book about love for women. Later she asks him for help to reach out to her crush, Toma.
Initially, Taichi was reluctant and also thought that there was no point in helping her as Toma is already interested in someone else and Futuba is not the kind of girl Toma would ever be interested in. But later Taichi somehow dives in which leads him to get closer to both Toma and Futuba. Probably this will reawake the friendships and reshape into a new form that might bring a little bit of change in Taichi’s life.
Blue Flag has ended in Japan in April and since I’ve been following the series and completed it on Manga Plus. I thought it would be a good idea to reread from the beginning. As the story moves forward it seems to get more interesting and heartwarming and it’s not as simple as it might sound, as there are a lot of things that are interlaced even in just the first volume.
Volume 1 of Blue Flags also shows how characters deal with their sexuality but in Volume 1 it is not the main focus. But it shows some very realistic things related to it like afraid to be exposed and conceal the truth as it is a very relatable truth and something that will surely keep you captivated and curious even if you don’t find anything else interesting in the story.
The best thing about KAITO’s manga is that he does not miss out on anything when it comes to the thoughts and feelings of the characters. The bond between Taichi, Futuba, and Toma is very relatable. It is very detailed about all characters especially Taichi who comes to self-realization and later tries to break through his bubble to reach out to others. Blue Flag is a slow burner and that’s the beauty of these kinds of shows that it gradually builds emotions and develops to hit right in the feel.
Apart from the excellently written story, the artwork is also very detailed. Although backgrounds are not that clear the characters are very clear and detailed. The emotions and mood of the scene are very subtle as there are moments when Taichi and Futuba are in chibi styles during the funny moments and likewise the mood of serous is also very expressive.
Although the series is targeted to shonen demographics the style of art and the story seems very much like josei or shojo except for some elements like sakura petals which is the major part of these genera. That is not the complaint as the content can of interest for all every demographic and the fans of any genera enjoy it and not just those who are interested in shonen romance.
VIZ Media has brought Blue Flag to the West and the translation in English has been done by Adrienne Beck. There is no problem with the translation. The series is published with VIZ Signature. The manga has been compiled in 8 Volumes and Japan while Volume 2 of the series will be released in June by VIZ Media.
All in all, Volume 1 Blue Flag is interesting and heartwarming and very detailed about young love. There are a variety of characters with complex nature and there are also some hints of some seep problems that will be focused later in the series. But if you like character base stories this manga is for you.
Overall, the first volume of Blue Flag offers a thoughtful and intriguing look at youth and love. With an interesting collection of characters and some hints at deeper issues to be explored later, this is certainly a manga to keep an eye on.
