This manga is so sad and so beautiful. The art is quiet and simple, and it gives off a feeling of emptiness...

To be honest, I didn't really understand what was going on with Endo til I skimmed some of these comments .

The art leaves a bit to be desired. sketchy/simple art served the series well but this was still a little too basic, in my opinion.

... Last updated on September 29th, 2012, 8:35am

With this being the 3rd work i've read from this mangaka i knew what to expect and it didn't disapoint.
It's a realistic, good paced story that shows some and leaves more out for the reader to wonder about. Even people not fond of GL will find something to like in this one.
I liked the characters and how real they seemed. Often in highschool manga you see this glitter world filled with fantasies and melodramas. That's not real. This is real. These girls try to live in the moment, try to enjoy life as much as they can, they laugh, they cry and it's often justified. They try to understand each other, that doesn't mean they can do it all the time. They fail. They have disapointments and try to cope with different realities and the future they have to make for themselves.
It's tragic, it's dramatic, especially in the last chapter. But at the same time it tries to be hopeful.
The art is really good, i very much enjoy the minimalist style employed.
The only flaw i could bring up is the lack of development, and even then i'm not too sure about it. I would have liked to know more, more about them, more about their friends, more about their surroundings... but the mangaka at the same time allows me to create that part of the story.
The ending was very good.
This work reminded me of another good, real, truthful manga: See you in Eden.
Highly recomend this!

... Last updated on May 27th, 2012, 4:14am

Blue tells the story of two girls, one uncertain of her future who decided to go off a live a college life, and a social outcast who really just lives day by day as she please, who also doesn't have much of an answer about her future. By pure curiosity and common ground in this area they become friends.

Blue is good for many reason which I hold in high esteem. For one, it's unrequited love. While not trying to spoil the story Kayako will unfortunately be unable to have Endo as she wants, where as Endo plays the role as the sexually curious girl. While I haven't read a lot of Shoujo-Ai, of the mangas I did read, it appeared that the girl usually expressed similar feeling. To read this was a nice departure from that, because in real life, the one you love may not love you back the way you want them to (despite me actually saying "Oh that's bullsh*t" at the end because of the unrequited love)

Blue is also one of the few times I read a story involving a sexually curious character like Endo. It's not this first time there has been a character like Endo. Have a story about someone who just living to be living isn't new. Nor is Endo's reason anything special. But I feel like Endo understood the implications of her actions and would willing given into Kayako desires despite them both knowing it isn't the same because she loved her. Parallels could drawn to Aoi Hana in the same way. But what makes Blue different is that Endo clearly in heterosexual but at the same time comfortable experimenting with someone who she can get close too like Kayako as long as no one is hurt.

The story also does a good job with pacing and development. Endo effectively grows up and Kayako grows founder. But these processes aren't over the top or crazy. Kayako does spend even chapter crying. And while the ending will probably hurt diehard Shoujo-Ai/Yuri fans it was satisfying.

But I couldn't give Blue a 10. A big reason for why I demote this to a 7 is because I felt that not enough outside events happen to support these girls development. Endo grows up and we can assume because she settled things in her past and with people around her, but I would have liked to see these play out.

The art style of this manga is unique and I like it, but because you can't really tell the two girl a part until later in the manga, it makes following conversation between them hard. For me this confused the story a bit and I had to often re-read section more than once. This reason alone probably accounts for a demotion from 10 to 9.

Outside these reason I feel Blue is a good read and if you look past what I disliked you will enjoy it.

... Last updated on December 3rd, 2011, 2:07pm

Blue is the first shoujo-ai manga I've ever read that ended in a way I found believable. It illustrates the emotions of a girl who is unfortunate enough to fall in love with a classmate who obviously prefers men over women.

Contrary to what you'd normally expect from such a scenario, there is no melodrama or annoying, over-the-top angst here. Kayako is a quite calm and rarely sheds tears - despite her obvious heartache. Some readers may despise Masami's personality and behaviour, but I see her as being a far more realistic depiction of a sexually-curious high-school girl than those in most shoujo-ai manga, where the chastity and purity of the female characters is usually at an unbelievable level.

The art style is rather unique; and while I can understand why some may think it unappealing, the sharply contrasting three-toned effect was one I found very pleasing to the eye. The only complaint I have in this regard is the difficulty I often experienced when trying to tell Kayako and Masami apart. All the other characters, however, have clearly distinguishable facial features and hairstyles.

To say any more would be to spoil, so if you don't mind (very light) GL and are ready to accept something completely different from the usual "happily ever after" love story, you should not pass up on a chance to read Blue.

... Last updated on February 2nd, 2012, 3:09am