Blue Flag Vol. 1by Wolfen MoondaughterReviews may contain information that could be considered 'spoilers'. Readers should proceed at their own risk. Publisher
Credits Grade: 9 At the start of his third year of high school, Taichi finds himself in a different class than his current friends; instead, he's in the same class as Toma, a super-popular yet really nice boy he was friends with but drifted from, and shy and awkward Fubata, a girl who annoys him for reasons he can't really pin down. When he learns that Futaba has a crush on Toma, he finds himself trying to help her -- despite knowing Toma had a crush on someone else ... and Taichi's own possibly budding feelings for Fubata! And Futaba's friend Itachi adds another complication.On that premise alone, I might have skipped this one -- in general, to bi-poly me, love triangles are a tired and frustrating trope. But the art caught my eye, so when offered it as a review copy, I decided to look deeper into it, and was very intrigued by what I found. Reading this first volume, I'm very glad I gave it a go! Granted, it's entirely possible that jealousy -- which I generally find annoying -- will come into play eventually, but at least this doesn't seem to be a scenario where one person is the "good and right" choice, and the other person is a bad somehow. They're all friends here. Also, things turn out to be a lot more complicated than a love triangle, where one person is torn between two people -- especially when a fourth party joins the mix. This is more like a Shakespearean comedy of misunderstandings, coupled with a coming-of-age drama. It's funny and poignant, and I especially enjoy the budding friendships, regardless of the direction they might ultimately head. If it's still too pedestrian for you for the bulk of the volume, then I promise that, assuming you haven't figured out a certain plot development before the end, the cliffhanger ending involving it will up the ante for you! Written: May 23, 2020
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