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ブレス [Bless] #3
Bless, Vol. 3
Surrounded by a circle of like-minded talent, Aia finally feels free to pursue becoming a makeup artist. His friend Jun makes her own breakthrough toward a seemingly impossible modeling career. Despite the challenges ahead, their determination to succeed is unstoppable.
Competition in the beauty world often gets ugly. To get an advantage, Aia asks his rival Ginga for guidance and on-the-job experience. Meanwhile, Jun is at a crucial modeling casting, under the glare of the industry’s harshest judges. Just as she’s about to crack, a celebrity insider lends a helping hand—a move that might seal the deal. Aia and Jun grow more confident, but they also grapple with the reality that there’s always someone better. Could that struggle be what drives them to rise above the rest?
Competition in the beauty world often gets ugly. To get an advantage, Aia asks his rival Ginga for guidance and on-the-job experience. Meanwhile, Jun is at a crucial modeling casting, under the glare of the industry’s harshest judges. Just as she’s about to crack, a celebrity insider lends a helping hand—a move that might seal the deal. Aia and Jun grow more confident, but they also grapple with the reality that there’s always someone better. Could that struggle be what drives them to rise above the rest?
160 pages, Paperback
First published May 17, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
June 23, 2025
While Jun stumbles through her latest audition, Aia tries to figure out his makeup game. Together they were a force to be reckoned with, but separately they have a lot of work left to do.
Manga, it goes without saying, is an art. But within that large heading come several smaller types of art that contribute to the whole. One of those, I am learning, is how to dump information on the audience without making it feel like a chore.
The very good manga, such as Akane-banashi and Medalist, impart things the audience needs to know in an interesting and engaging (or at least tolerable) manner. This, however, is more like the last volume of Sketchy I read.
When Ginga, whose hair is ludicrously horn-styled in that ‘only in manga’ fashion, goes into lecture mode about how to apply makeup, a skill I have exactly no interest in, it applies a glaze to my eyes faster than a conveyor belt at a donut factory.
Aia absolutely needs to learn how to do what he does both better and faster, but ironically this slows the story down to a slog. Bless already has a weird art style that doesn’t quite get its point across most of the time and this doesn’t help it.
Which isn’t to say it’s a total bust. Jun’s attempt to get modelling work comes up against an old woman out the pages of a J. Crone catalog, who isn’t wrong but doesn’t have the most polite way of voicing her criticisms.
When Jun gets a save in the form of… new makeup… (I applaud this series’ effort here to go deep with the makeup, but if you look too closely it is an utterly shallow story) well, her newfound confidence is shown quite nicely by the change in her demeanour. Honestly, Jun works far better than Aia does.
Naturally, the story is entirely more focused on Aia instead. The assistant work he does with Ginga turns into this spur-of-the-moment battle with Joe, another student at the makeup school, in one of those twists that is utterly unbelievable.
It’s all just heightened reality, but turned up so much that it doesn’t feel believable in the slightest. Joe’s story in particular is this tale of excess and the desire to make spectacle that is supposed to be tragic but, especially when he goes so over the top, is damned silly. His lowest point is so daft as to be laughable.
The model Aia works with gets her own tragic backstory, no bonus points if you figure it’s about somebody aging out of the profession, and he decides to make her over and release the beauty that he sees in her.
That sort of stuff is when Bless works okay, honestly, because I at least appreciate the driving action and the way it goes about its business. There’s also a scene between Aia and Jun that reminds me how good they are together and, if there was more of that, this would be a far better story.
It’s decent, I suppose, bonus points if you like makeup lectures. This is one of those manga that has something it does really well and seems hellbent on not doing that thing as much as possible, which I always find a bit annoying. Keeping two things that work great in tandem as apart as possible needs to be done with better skill than this.
3 stars - mostly for the Aia and Jun together stuff and Jun’s solo efforts. A lot of the Aia section is mediocre and I’m probably going to give this another volume and hang it up if it doesn’t grab me any harder.
Manga, it goes without saying, is an art. But within that large heading come several smaller types of art that contribute to the whole. One of those, I am learning, is how to dump information on the audience without making it feel like a chore.
The very good manga, such as Akane-banashi and Medalist, impart things the audience needs to know in an interesting and engaging (or at least tolerable) manner. This, however, is more like the last volume of Sketchy I read.
When Ginga, whose hair is ludicrously horn-styled in that ‘only in manga’ fashion, goes into lecture mode about how to apply makeup, a skill I have exactly no interest in, it applies a glaze to my eyes faster than a conveyor belt at a donut factory.
Aia absolutely needs to learn how to do what he does both better and faster, but ironically this slows the story down to a slog. Bless already has a weird art style that doesn’t quite get its point across most of the time and this doesn’t help it.
Which isn’t to say it’s a total bust. Jun’s attempt to get modelling work comes up against an old woman out the pages of a J. Crone catalog, who isn’t wrong but doesn’t have the most polite way of voicing her criticisms.
When Jun gets a save in the form of… new makeup… (I applaud this series’ effort here to go deep with the makeup, but if you look too closely it is an utterly shallow story) well, her newfound confidence is shown quite nicely by the change in her demeanour. Honestly, Jun works far better than Aia does.
Naturally, the story is entirely more focused on Aia instead. The assistant work he does with Ginga turns into this spur-of-the-moment battle with Joe, another student at the makeup school, in one of those twists that is utterly unbelievable.
It’s all just heightened reality, but turned up so much that it doesn’t feel believable in the slightest. Joe’s story in particular is this tale of excess and the desire to make spectacle that is supposed to be tragic but, especially when he goes so over the top, is damned silly. His lowest point is so daft as to be laughable.
The model Aia works with gets her own tragic backstory, no bonus points if you figure it’s about somebody aging out of the profession, and he decides to make her over and release the beauty that he sees in her.
That sort of stuff is when Bless works okay, honestly, because I at least appreciate the driving action and the way it goes about its business. There’s also a scene between Aia and Jun that reminds me how good they are together and, if there was more of that, this would be a far better story.
It’s decent, I suppose, bonus points if you like makeup lectures. This is one of those manga that has something it does really well and seems hellbent on not doing that thing as much as possible, which I always find a bit annoying. Keeping two things that work great in tandem as apart as possible needs to be done with better skill than this.
3 stars - mostly for the Aia and Jun together stuff and Jun’s solo efforts. A lot of the Aia section is mediocre and I’m probably going to give this another volume and hang it up if it doesn’t grab me any harder.
October 18, 2024
Damn I think this is my fav volume so far (ugh and the cover is so beautiful!!!)
December 29, 2024
I'm not sure what I am reading anymore. The charm of the first volume of it being someone falling in love with a craft they can hone and make their own is lost to me in the professional setting that doesn't make sense with the pacing. It's all over the place, and I lost my connection with the characters because of it. Which is such a shame as I do think it's a cute idea and story.
January 6, 2025
Vol. 1 ★★★☆☆
Vol. 2 ★★☆☆☆
I keep reading this series in hopes it'll capture the magic of Vol. 1 again. Unfortunately, I doubt it'll ever happen. One of my favorite aspects about the beginning of the series is how Aia and Jun's stories are intertwined. Since then, Jun has become a total afterthought. Not only is she rarely present, her scenes are of little consequence. If they get cut, we won't miss anything. On top of that, the story is losing its momentum. I have trouble staying invested as there's not much character development: I never feel like Aia's being challenged or has grown as a character.
Vol. 2 ★★☆☆☆
I keep reading this series in hopes it'll capture the magic of Vol. 1 again. Unfortunately, I doubt it'll ever happen. One of my favorite aspects about the beginning of the series is how Aia and Jun's stories are intertwined. Since then, Jun has become a total afterthought. Not only is she rarely present, her scenes are of little consequence. If they get cut, we won't miss anything. On top of that, the story is losing its momentum. I have trouble staying invested as there's not much character development: I never feel like Aia's being challenged or has grown as a character.
September 25, 2025
Quand on est un lecteur comme moi qui aime l'expression des passions, Bless est vraiment une lecture belle et enthousiasmante où on prend plaisir à voir ses héros lutter et se dépasser.
On a plutôt l'habitude de voir cela dans le domaine du sport, alors ça fait plaisir quand ça touche d'autres domaines, notamment ceux culturels, comme l'art, la musique et même la mode ici. Nos héros sont des lycéens mais leur passion est ancrée en eux et quand ils s'y confrontent, elle transpire d'eux jusqu'à nous toucher, ce qui est passionnant.
J'avais un peu pesté dans le tome précédent qu'on se focalise surtout sur Aia mais les choses se rééquilibre ici. L'autrice nous offre à la fois un casting et une séance photos des plus surprenantes pour chacun, qu'il ou elle soit sur les podiums ou dans les coulisses. Le message est le même : le maquillage est notre armure et notre baguette magique pour se sublimer et se trouver. Leur passion est communicative.
J'ai beaucoup aimé chacun de leur arc ici malgré les grosses ficelles utilisées, les répétitions aussi du côté du maquillage d'Aia ou de l'intervention d'Ôya, et un dessin parfois pas totalement maîtrisé pour faire ressortir la magie du moment. Cependant, j'ai adoré voir Jun gagner en assurance. Bien que toujours en retrait par rapport à l'importance d'Aia dans la série, j'ai trouvé son arc très beau à voir et avec une morale très douce. En plus, elle milite pour le travail et non le talent inné, ce qui change. Du côté d'Aia, ce fut un moment intense, avec une mise en rivalité très bien dosée, où chacun va apporter à l'autre, aussi bien les modèles que les maquilleurs. Il y a aussi une belle morale sur la personnalité et l'identité de chacun qu'il faut révéler et non contrarier pour obtenir le meilleur résultat. Il a su à nouveau me toucher.
Dans ce tome, du coup, chaque héros avance sur la voie qu'il a envie de suivre. C'est très plaisant pour le lecteur qui passe vraiment un bon et riche moment, intense et touchant, avec une mise en scène maîtrisée et un discours à valoriser. On reste curieux de suivre leur évolution.
Article complet : https://www.sanctuary.fr/avis/152391/
On a plutôt l'habitude de voir cela dans le domaine du sport, alors ça fait plaisir quand ça touche d'autres domaines, notamment ceux culturels, comme l'art, la musique et même la mode ici. Nos héros sont des lycéens mais leur passion est ancrée en eux et quand ils s'y confrontent, elle transpire d'eux jusqu'à nous toucher, ce qui est passionnant.
J'avais un peu pesté dans le tome précédent qu'on se focalise surtout sur Aia mais les choses se rééquilibre ici. L'autrice nous offre à la fois un casting et une séance photos des plus surprenantes pour chacun, qu'il ou elle soit sur les podiums ou dans les coulisses. Le message est le même : le maquillage est notre armure et notre baguette magique pour se sublimer et se trouver. Leur passion est communicative.
J'ai beaucoup aimé chacun de leur arc ici malgré les grosses ficelles utilisées, les répétitions aussi du côté du maquillage d'Aia ou de l'intervention d'Ôya, et un dessin parfois pas totalement maîtrisé pour faire ressortir la magie du moment. Cependant, j'ai adoré voir Jun gagner en assurance. Bien que toujours en retrait par rapport à l'importance d'Aia dans la série, j'ai trouvé son arc très beau à voir et avec une morale très douce. En plus, elle milite pour le travail et non le talent inné, ce qui change. Du côté d'Aia, ce fut un moment intense, avec une mise en rivalité très bien dosée, où chacun va apporter à l'autre, aussi bien les modèles que les maquilleurs. Il y a aussi une belle morale sur la personnalité et l'identité de chacun qu'il faut révéler et non contrarier pour obtenir le meilleur résultat. Il a su à nouveau me toucher.
Dans ce tome, du coup, chaque héros avance sur la voie qu'il a envie de suivre. C'est très plaisant pour le lecteur qui passe vraiment un bon et riche moment, intense et touchant, avec une mise en scène maîtrisée et un discours à valoriser. On reste curieux de suivre leur évolution.
Article complet : https://www.sanctuary.fr/avis/152391/
February 17, 2025
At first I thought it was going to just be My Dress-Up Darling, but with makeup. However, it’s so much more than that. It’s a story about Aia learning to have confidence in his skills, and break it in as a professional makeup artist. In fact, Jun feels more like a background character than the FMC. All of the sudden we’ll cut to one of her auditions, and I’ll remember: oh yeah, Jun’s trying to be a model. I’m not mad about that either, I’m glad the manga is focusing on Aia. Hopefully, this theme will stay with the rest of the series.
December 29, 2024
I did not understand it at first. The narrative style is a bit rough. It almost seems like passages are skipped. I don't like Ginga's hair; it looks like he has horns on his forehead. I liked the challenge in the last two chapters. On the other hand, I did not like the gimmick used to get Jun engaged.
May 31, 2025
Un volum que se centra més en el noi i el maquillatge, però que tot i així mostra una evolució de personatges molt interessant (sobretot amb els nous secundaris). Espero poder veure més a la noia en el proper ♥
August 1, 2024
Ragazza alta = 😍
December 16, 2024
I don't know why but it was a real struggle to get through this volume.
September 26, 2025
kinda eh, losing steam with reading this series after this volume, more about the new characters which is fine but im not that interested
December 24, 2025
this was pretty good,, although I'm not sure I care much for the characters really.
June 15, 2024
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews