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A review by afjakandys
Blue Flag, Vol. 8 by Kaito
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Review of the entire series
I honestly don’t know how to feel about this series. I don't necessarily mind the ending itself: I think it's a realistic portrayal of how rapidly things can change from adolescence to adulthood, even if those changes are sometimes unsatisfying from the outside looking in. Life isn't a straightforward path and what seems so earth-shatteringly important to us at one stage may feel inconsequential at another. The fact that everyone went down different paths after graduation isn't an unwelcome change — it's how we got to that point that feels rushed and unsatisfactory.
There is so much that's left unsaid in the conclusion. Masumi's storyline always felt a bit underdeveloped to me, but it's especially frustrating to see her married to a man with absolutely no explanation as to what happened, if anything, happened between her and Futaba. Not every queer story needs a huge realization and/or confession moment, but it would have been nice to get a little more of her thoughts and feelings considering that a large portion of the pre-timeskip storyline alluded to her being a lesbian, and then all of a sudden she's happily married to a man (and apparently the first of their friend group to get married?)
Futaba and Taichi's breakup wasn't all that jarring, though it did make me a little sad to see her with someone else after all of the buildup between her and Taichi. With that being said, I'm happy to see her get her happy ending. I do wish we could have seen a little more of how things ended with Taichi and how she found love in the aftermath, because so much of her character arc deals with finding herself and figuring out what she wants out of life.
Most confusing of all is Taichi and Toma's relationship. Pre-timeskip, there is little to no evidence of requited attraction on Taichi's part. I love the idea of them eventually getting together, but without any explanation of how Taichi came to fall for Toma in return, the ending feels super flat. Not to mention that we don't even get to see Toma in the end, which was... a choice.
I enjoyed the coming-of-age element of this manga and, overall, I felt like the journey of self-discovery that most characters went on throughout the series was well done, but the ending undoes a lot of that progress and ultimately takes away from the series as a whole.
I honestly don’t know how to feel about this series. I don't necessarily mind the ending itself: I think it's a realistic portrayal of how rapidly things can change from adolescence to adulthood, even if those changes are sometimes unsatisfying from the outside looking in. Life isn't a straightforward path and what seems so earth-shatteringly important to us at one stage may feel inconsequential at another. The fact that everyone went down different paths after graduation isn't an unwelcome change — it's how we got to that point that feels rushed and unsatisfactory.
There is so much that's left unsaid in the conclusion. Masumi's storyline always felt a bit underdeveloped to me, but it's especially frustrating to see her married to a man with absolutely no explanation as to what happened, if anything, happened between her and Futaba. Not every queer story needs a huge realization and/or confession moment, but it would have been nice to get a little more of her thoughts and feelings considering that a large portion of the pre-timeskip storyline alluded to her being a lesbian, and then all of a sudden she's happily married to a man (and apparently the first of their friend group to get married?)
Futaba and Taichi's breakup wasn't all that jarring, though it did make me a little sad to see her with someone else after all of the buildup between her and Taichi. With that being said, I'm happy to see her get her happy ending. I do wish we could have seen a little more of how things ended with Taichi and how she found love in the aftermath, because so much of her character arc deals with finding herself and figuring out what she wants out of life.
Most confusing of all is Taichi and Toma's relationship. Pre-timeskip, there is little to no evidence of requited attraction on Taichi's part. I love the idea of them eventually getting together, but without any explanation of how Taichi came to fall for Toma in return, the ending feels super flat. Not to mention that we don't even get to see Toma in the end, which was... a choice.
I enjoyed the coming-of-age element of this manga and, overall, I felt like the journey of self-discovery that most characters went on throughout the series was well done, but the ending undoes a lot of that progress and ultimately takes away from the series as a whole.