, KAITO

Toma gets seriously injured diving in front of a car to save Taichi, leaving Taichi racked with guilt over not just getting his best friend hurt, but also stealing his last chance at making the summer baseball tournament. Guilty and angry, the two boys clash in an emotionally raw argument. Futaba, worried about both of them, invites Taichi out in an attempt to cheer him up. -- VIZ Media

Blue Flag, Vol. 3

KAITO

An unexpected love quadrangle with a dash of unrequited love as two classmates, a boy and a girl, begin to fall for each other when each of their best friends have already fallen for them. Love is already hard enough, but it becomes an unnavigable maze for unassuming high school student Taichi Ichinose and his shy classmate Futaba Kuze when they begin to fall for each other after their same-sex best friends have already fallen for them. Toma’s older brother, Seiya, asks Taichi to find out why Toma doesn’t want to go to college. On the day of Toma’s release from the hospital, Taichi still hasn’t found a way to broach the subject with Toma. Meanwhile, Futaba discovers Taichi’s birthday is coming up, and she decides to invite the group to a fireworks festival so they can all celebrate there.

Blue Flag, Vol. 4

Ryan 

An unexpected love quadrangle with a dash of unrequited love as two classmates, a boy and a girl, begin to fall for each other when each of their best friends have already fallen for them. Love is already hard enough, but it becomes an unnavigable maze for unassuming high school student Taichi Ichinose and his shy classmate Futaba Kuze when they begin to fall for each other after their same-sex best friends have already fallen for them. It’s official! Taichi and Futaba are a couple, and Taichi excitedly breaks the news to Toma. But things quickly grow awkward between the two friends, and Toma becomes more distant. Meanwhile, Toma’s friend Mami starts to get on Taichi’s case about Toma’s change in attitude. But there is more to this girlie girl than meets the eye…

Blue Flag, Vol. 5

An unexpected love quadrangle with a dash of unrequited love as two classmates, a boy and a girl, begin to fall for each other when each of their best friends have already fallen for them. Love is already hard enough, but it becomes an unnavigable maze for unassuming high school student Taichi Ichinose and his shy classmate Futaba Kuze when they begin to fall for each other after their same-sex best friends have already fallen for them. The culture festival begins, and Toma and Taichi talk about their futures, but it ends with the two not quite seeing eye to eye. Shortly after, Toma sits down with Mami for a serious discussion, and in response to her earnest openness, he makes a big decision that could change everything. Time keeps moving forward, pushing everyone to the cusp of making critical life choices.

Blue Flag, Vol. 6

An unexpected love quadrangle with a dash of unrequited love as two classmates, a boy and a girl, begin to fall for each other when each of their best friends have already fallen for them. Love is already hard enough, but it becomes an unnavigable maze for unassuming high school student Taichi Ichinose and his shy classmate Futaba Kuze when they begin to fall for each other after their same-sex best friends have already fallen for them. Rumors spread like wildfire after Toma’s shocking confession during the culture festival, leaving Taichi confused and uncertain. The effects of that event ripple out to the others, leaving wounds in their wake. Meanwhile, Toma’s brother sits him down for a frank talk. All the thoughts and emotions everyone has kept hidden are finally coming to light, and relationships begin to change.

Blue Flag, Vol. 7

Rumors spread like wildfire after Toma’s shocking confession during the culture festival, and Taichi feels confused and uncertain. The others in their circle are soon affected as well. Meanwhile, Toma’s brother Seiya sits him down for a frank talk. All the thoughts and emotions everyone has kept hidden are finally coming to light, and relationships begin to change. -- VIZ Media

farrah 

probably the heaviest volume so far and i feel a little conflicted about how much was packed into these chapters. feels wrong to give this any less than 4 stars though so

that entire conversation with shingo, kensuke, and the two other girls was A Lot. i think it could've been executed better given the topics discussed. while i sympathize with what kensuke went through, i still think many of the things he was saying were just...Not It.

An unexpected love quadrangle with a dash of unrequited love as two classmates, a boy and a girl, begin to fall for each other when each of their best friends have already fallen for them. It’s the last year of high school, and love is in the air. Romantic feelings that have been building up over years of friendship come to light. When Taichi’s classmate Futaba asks him to help her confess to his best friend, Toma, it sparks the catalyst that begins the sweet and heart-wrenching journey of their third and final year of high school. The school sports festival is coming, and Toma accepts the position of class 3-A’s cheer squad captain on the condition that Futaba and Taichi are his vice-captains. Hoping to live up to Toma’s faith in them, Taichi and Futaba diligently practice their squad’s routine. But when the time to perform comes, Futaba is hit with a sudden, debilitating case of stage fright!

Blue Flag, Vol. 2

such a treat to see how taichi, toma, futaba, and masumi's friendship develops :') 

(but also the ending of this volume!! kaito you owe me financial compensation for emotional damage)

An unexpected love quadrangle with a dash of unrequited love as two classmates, a boy and a girl, begin to fall for each other when each of their best friends have already fallen for them. Love is already hard enough, but it becomes an unnavigable maze for unassuming high school student Taichi Ichinose and his shy classmate Futaba Kuze when they begin to fall for each other after their same-sex best friends have already fallen for them. For some reason, Taichi Ichinose just can’t stand Futaba Kuze. But at the start of his third year in high school, he finds himself in the same homeroom as her, along with his childhood friend Toma Mita, a star athlete. But one day, Futaba opens up to Taichi and admits she has a crush on Toma. She then asks for his help in confessing to him! There’s just one problem—Toma seems to already have a secret crush on someone else.

Blue Flag, Vol. 1

altlovesbooks

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I normally read manga that's more action-oriented or fantastical than school romance shoujo manga tends to be, because (to me) romance manga tends to follow the same path and involve the same cliches. I admit to being a little hesitant when I started reading this one, because it does start out with your typical cast of school-aged characters navigating typical school-aged romance cliches. I kept reading, though, because I was drawn in despite all of that. The characters end up being well-rounded, complex, and (mostly) honest with themselves and their feelings, something I miss in a lot of angst-y romance plots. 

It's hard to judge a manga series off just the first volume, but this one has a lot going for it: complex love.....polygons?, a cute, realistic art style, and a sensible, non-dramatic approach to LGBT issues in school. Highly recommend this one if you like the idea of shoujo romance without all the dramatic cliches that come with it.

Stef

What the cliffhanger ending at the end of the volume 😭😭😭😭. What I love about this manga ? Kisah romansa masa SMA nya yang ga berlebihan, hint of platonic love dan making new friendship. Penasaran dengan hint yg dimaksud temen nya kuze-chan.

"I want to live with freedom. I want to be able to say I love what I love. Be happy when I'm happy and sad when I'm sad. Not be told what to do. To not hurt anyone or be hurt by anyone."
 

Reading till vol. 4 finally I figured out what the story really. This volume full of roller coaster feeling, The ending in last panel really painful and hurt, tbh.

THE LAST PANEL REALLY TOOK ME BY SURPRISE 😭😭😭😭 PLEASE, MAKE ALL OF THEM HAPPY TOGETHER 😭😭

OMG THE CONFESSION REALLY TOOK ME BY SURPRISE. The more volume to go the more story plot getting thick and hurtful giving pain taste so much. T.T I really want everyone to be happy,

For some reason, Taichi Ichinose just can’t stand Futaba Kuze. But at the start of his third year in high school, he finds himself in the same homeroom as her, along with his childhood friend Toma Mita, a star athlete. But one day, Futaba opens up to Taichi and admits she has a crush on Toma. She then asks for his help in confessing to him! There’s just one problem—Toma seems to already have a secret crush on someone else. -- VIZ Media

Super cute book, it took me awhile to get used to reading "backwards" as this was the first Manga I've ever read. This book has lots of lgbtq+ representation and grey area. I also had to get used to the almost aggravating tension that I think might be a staple of Japanese culture...being a thirty something year woman, I have to remember that teenagers aren't near as forthcoming with their emotions so whenever someone is "errring" and "umming" over what they need to say to someone I have to remind myself, "Katie, these are just kids who likely haven't had therapy yet" LOL good read, excited to move onto the next especially with the cliffhanger ending!

Katie B.

Jude Moon

im really interested in how things are gonna go with these three 👀👀

Asvini Koneswaran

THE ENDING???? this book was a breeze to read, and its just the queer, angsty manga that i needed 😮‍💨

Francis Buggey

4.5 stars 

this was so cute and funny and i had so many laugh out loud moments, definitely a series i’ll continue

this is a 4.5 star! but i always round up. 

ugh i loved this so much. it’s great. so cute too. we’re getting more character development for taichi and masumi, which was unexpected! i really love how they’re exploring the friendships of these 4 very different people, and what those relationships are growing into. what i did NOT appreciate is the ending!! how do you leave us on a cliff hanger like that!!! (i wish this had an anime bc i would marathon the whole thing asap)

An unexpected love quadrangle with a dash of unrequited love as two classmates, a boy and a girl, begin to fall for each other when each of their best friends have already fallen for them. Love is already hard enough, but it becomes an unnavigable maze for unassuming high school student Taichi Ichinose and his shy classmate Futaba Kuze when they begin to fall for each other after their same-sex best friends have already fallen for them. Toma and Futaba have their first sit-down talk after the big fight at school. Meanwhile, Taichi struggles with the problems that have been dumped in his lap by his friends’ choices, and he ends up distancing himself from Toma. Then, one day, Toma stops coming to school. Left in the lurch, what can Futaba and Taichi do? Everyone chooses their futures, and time marches on. Don’t miss the heartfelt conclusion of Blue Flag!

Blue Flag, Vol. 8

the finale i cannot deal i am a wreck 😭😭😭😭😭😭

jordan Ariel johnson

Sunny Song

AAAAHHHHHH THIS IS GONNA BE SUCH A GREAT SERIES!!!!!!

Belle Ellrich

I was not expecting to love this manga as much as I now do. If you're looking for a beautiful art style, loveable characters, and an addictive storyline, this manga is the one for you!

This story follows Taichi. He's a bit of a loner with few friends, and he's been asked for help by Futaba in getting his not-so-best friend to like her. Together, they work in getting Futaba to open herself up and get out of her comfort zone in the hopes that he'll finally notice her romantically. However, as their attempts go on, the pair begin to fall for each other, unaware of their own best friends falling for them.

I loved everything about this manga. Kaito really has a beautiful art style, and even though it's all completely "animated" in the art, it felt almost realistic to me. I found myself able to see even the smallest of details, be it in their eyes, or the backdrops. It was clear a lot of effort and time were put into each panel, and I appreciated every single bit of it.

As for the writing, I loved the dialogue. I felt it moved the storyline along nicely, and I thought that each piece of speech or thought were placed in the right places. Along with that, I also really liked how it was paced. It was just a smidge slower than decent pacing, and normally I'm not a huge fan of slower paced books, but this one was different.

Overall, I really loved this story and look forward to continuing the series. For that, I rate this manga 5 stars.

I have been selling this series like crazy at my bookstore. We’re completely sold out of the first volume, and I can’t even explain how proud of that I am.

Blue Flag is, to put it in the simplest terms, a love square. Not a triangle, but a SQUARE. Ichinose is helping his shy classmate Futaba make his estranged best friend Toma fall in love with her. But Toma has a secret, and it’s that he’s in love with Ichinose, who’s slowly been falling for Futaba. And not only that, but Futaba’s best friend Masumi is in love with her. Like I said, a love SQUARE.

This story is the perfect coming-of-age drama I’d been craving, and the characters, plot and storyline have really drawn me in like no other manga has. This volume in particular was raw and emotional, and I found myself crying at the ending of it. There was just so much to take in, and it didn’t feel overwhelming but like you’d been satisfied, in a way. Not to mention, Kaito has an amazing art style that just pulls your eyes onto each page and forces you to take in every little and large detail.

This is one series I highly suggest whenever asked for a recommendation, and it’s one that easily pulled me out of a reading slump. If you haven’t picked it up already, I highly suggest you consider doing so.

An unexpected love quadrangle with a dash of unrequited love as two classmates, a boy and a girl, begin to fall for each other when each of their best friends have already fallen for them. Love is already hard enough, but it becomes an unnavigable maze for unassuming high school student Taichi Ichinose and his shy classmate Futaba Kuze when they begin to fall for each other after their same-sex best friends have already fallen for them. Toma gets seriously injured diving in front of a car to save Taichi, leaving Taichi racked with guilt over not just getting his best friend hurt, but also stealing his last chance at making the summer baseball tournament. Guilty and angry, the two boys clash in an emotionally raw argument. Futaba, worried about both of them, invites Taichi out in an attempt to cheer him up.

Whew boy, did this volume make me SOB. My god, Kaito really knows how to mess with our emotions!

In this volume, Ichinose is coming to terms with the events that happened in volume two. There’s quite a bit of character development throughout this one, but I think the most notable for me is his grief and the depression and the guilt that he’s been hiding for so long. One of my favorite quotes in this volume is, “How can I become someone who deserves these people?” And that really stuck with me. How can anyone become someone who deserves the people that love and support them? And the answer is literally in that question.

There was so much pain and learning in this volume, and it just strengthened my love for it even more. These characters are all so amazing, even with the faults that are present, and I think that’s something we definitely need more of in more manga. We need more raw stories, more manga that can give the reader an experience they’ll never forget and lessons they’ll keep close to their heart. And Blue Flag is exactly that.

Blue Flag, Vol. 3

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