A review by absentminded_reader
Blue by Io Sakisaka
3.0
As I've followed Sakisaka's career from the beginning, there were two stories unavailable to read. No fan groups had scanlated them. So there is a three year jump between her last manga (Watashi no Koibito) and Blue. The 3 years make an enormous difference in her art style. Now the faces are more familiar.
Blue is a story of two kissing cousins without any kissing. There is another surprise/forbidden twist as well. It's a competent story, but uninspired. The romance, what there is of it, is strung out across four volumes in a plodding way. The conclusion is obvious from the beginning, but is artificially prolonged. The forbidden love feels shoehorned in, and the main character is far too passive. Even the art is uninspired. The most stunning pieces are chapter headers. Not a bad manga, but overall a bit average.
Still, the art saved the story for me, as did little moments of brilliance here and there. I especially enjoyed the sequence where Rumi threw her shoe at Reiji's back. And although the art was not as inspiring for me as some of Sakisaka's other work, the skill level was very professional, and her template for handsome boys' faces seems to have been settled on. It's worth a read.
Blue is a story of two kissing cousins without any kissing. There is another surprise/forbidden twist as well. It's a competent story, but uninspired. The romance, what there is of it, is strung out across four volumes in a plodding way. The conclusion is obvious from the beginning, but is artificially prolonged. The forbidden love feels shoehorned in, and the main character is far too passive. Even the art is uninspired. The most stunning pieces are chapter headers. Not a bad manga, but overall a bit average.
Still, the art saved the story for me, as did little moments of brilliance here and there. I especially enjoyed the sequence where Rumi threw her shoe at Reiji's back. And although the art was not as inspiring for me as some of Sakisaka's other work, the skill level was very professional, and her template for handsome boys' faces seems to have been settled on. It's worth a read.