Blue Giant Omnibus Vols. 3-4

Blue Giant Omnibus #2

by Shinichi Ishizuka

GIANT STEPS Dai is determined to become the best jazz player in the world, but dreams don’t come easy–and a whole lot get broken on the way. While his music teacher Yui drills him relentlessly on technique and theory, Dai prepares to take his stand. Everyone at the school festival goes wild for rock and pop, but Dai takes the stage with tenor sax in hand. Does his solo jazz have what it takes to win over a hostile crowd?

Genres: Manga, Music, Comics, Seinen, Fiction, Young Adult, Graphic Novels

444 pages, Paperback

Published April 20, 2021

About the author

Shin'ichi Ishizuka (Jap: 石塚真一, Ishizuka Shin'ichi) is a Japanese mangaka.

Reviews

[Rod Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

This volume improves on the first by having the protagonist commit to jazz music and his saxophone practice and showing that practice starting to pay off. I am happy to see the end of high school and the official start of the quest to become a professional musician.

It's tough to make musical performances work on a soundless comic page, but I think this creator pulls it off, capturing the effect of the music on the musicians and the audiences.

I like the bits with the high school music teacher and between the father and the music mentor, but I'm a little annoyed with the flash forwards to some documentary being made about the protagonist's career.

[nathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love that we end at the beginning of Dai's first impressions of Tokyo. Its cruelty, its coldness. It's a bit difficult to see or understand the passion that Dai brasses through, even on the illustrated faces of his mentor or even his family members. Love that it touches upon complexities of siblingship and the love/shame we dance around to make ends meet, but also to make our dreams come true. This volume is a lot richer in themes in comparison to the first, finally feeling the meat of the people and the heat of the music!

[Javier Sanchez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tras concluir el segundo tomo, me da la sensación harrypotteresca de que la historia va creciendo y madurando junto con el personaje. Las referencias a la teoría musical son un poco más realistas, así como el trabajo del musico para llegar a ser grande. Dai, nuestro saxofonista, sigue siendo un poco feliciano. Aunque la verdad es que se agradece que la lectura sea amable y positiva.

A destacar el dibujo. Muchas viñetas te dejan con la boca abierta, especialmente cuando se interpreta música; ya que no somos capaces de oír como toca nuestro protagonista, al menos el dibujo nos trata de transmitir todas esas sensaciones.

[Hal Incandenza · Rating 5 out of 5]

Davvero un manga delizioso, uno slice of life che parla di Jazz ma con una punta di spokon a tema musicale. Un mix irresistibile.
Copertine strepitose.

[Bee (BacchusVines) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Listen, I am not a music person and literally know nothing about Jazz. BUT! This series is so addictive, sweet, heartbreaking, and has made me want to be cocoon in a shell of jazz.

[Joseph B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Blue Giant's second omnibus chronicles the end of Dai's time in high school; as he continues to hone his musical craft. Continuing to deliver an enjoyable storyline, with better developed relationships between the characters. With Yui as his music mentory; Dai has begun to flourish as a full fledged musician. Understanding music theory and more importantly how to listen. We also get a sideplot with the school's music teacher which I quite enjoyed. Another standout moment in this collection comes between Dai's father and Yui; which explains why this manga is named "Blue Giant." I really commend Ishizuka for making a music manga work without any actual sound. The way he panels the music scenes makes it so you can feel the music that should be being played. My only real complaint is the pacing can be a bit odd in places; as well as Dai's development being super minimal. That said, you still love these characters and the mangaka's love of jazz is palpable.

Blue Giant Omnibus Vols 3-4 garners a well deserved 4 out of 5 stars.

[Brandt Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ever since I found most manga online for free, I really stopped buying any. But Blue Giant is the exception. I found this gem a couple of years ago and was slowly reading it as it was only getting 1 chapter translated a month at its most frequent. This isn't even really my usual genre that I read but it is just so good. I've become enthralled and it has easily become my most anticipated manga.

Once I saw the first 8 volumes available on Amazon . . . I just had to get them. I had to have this story on my book shelf. I'm not a music person and this series, being focused on jazz, doesn't really do lyrics or anything that gives you a notion of what it sounds like . . . but the emotion is carried on through the artwork anyway. You feel the passion and the weight of the music. The author/illustrator do this very well. In fact, some of the best chapters have no dialogue at all.

For me, this is a masterpiece and I hope that the sequel Blue Giant Supreme gets translated soon.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the challenging thing about reviewing a Manga, volume by volume. The second omnibus had a much slower pace which only picked up later in the volume because it was essentially finishing plot points in terms of family dynamics. I did find the sessions with his mentor dragged on longer than they had to, especially when the mentor admitted that Dai had already 'blossomed' (which was actually a very moving analogy). By the time we get to Tokyo and how Dai circumvents living in a city this expensive and harsher, the volume is over. I would have liked to have seen how Dai said goodbye to all his friends and family rather than in a flashback format. Since this seems to be a bridging volume (in terms of a change in an arc), my review is somewhat superficial in content.

[♡ India ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5⭐️ arrotondato

Le emozioni in questo volume erano stupendi, però mi sembra irrealistica che Dai non ha nulla contrattempo con il suo progresso con il sax. E anche nulla critica... è come se il fatale di Dai è che diventa il migliore jazzista nel mondo, nessune domande chieste. Perciò per me è un po' noioso, dato che sembra che lui non ha le ostacoli da superare (al eccetto a non avere abbastanza soldi per il cibo...)

Nonostante, questa serie e in generale meraviglioso. Amo il jazz, allora mi fa gioia a vedere qualcuno la mia età — anche se é solo una persona immaginaria — che ama il jazz come me, e anzi di più. La passione che c'e in Blue Giant e la ragione principale per cui ritornerò per il terzo volume.

[Aaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

In these volumes I noticed that there was a lot more focus on how Dai impacts other people, we get more of a focus on a lot more characters which I think is an improvement from the first 2 volumes where I didn’t notice it as much, though they were still there. Overall these volumes improved on everything that the first 2 set up and were quite good. Not much more I can say about the art other than when he gets to Tokyo the artist can show off their skill in drawing metropolitan landscapes which look neat, obviously the art when music is playing is still just as emotive and well done.

[Shevek · Rating 4 out of 5]

El mayor valor de este manga es conseguir transmitir la pasión y emoción que siente Dai al tocar el saxo. Este tomo empieza con lo del festival, donde nuestro protagonista se arranca a tocar con su profesora de música, siendo este un personaje muy tierno y que da un contrapunto total a Dai en cuanto a su relación con la música. Tenemos también la llegada de Dai a Tokio, donde se encuentra con un entorno más propicio, aunque también muy competitivo, para poder progresar con su instrumento. Nuestro saxofonista vive de gorra en casa de un amigo, mientras busca a la desesperada un trabajo con el que poder sustentar su modo de vida centrado en el jazz. El cambio de entorno y de modo de vida es refrescante, pero mantiene la esencia del mensaje. El arte es arrollador y súper expresivo y pasional también.

[Raxia L. Lavoisier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Blue Giant - Shinichi Ishizuka - Distriro Manga

Serie de 5 volúmenes gorditos sobre Jazz que se puede escuchar a través de su dibujo espectacular.

Dai es un chico echado hacia adelante, que va a dar su vida, para alcanzar las estrellas con su saxo y revivir el Jazz.

Una serie ligera, preciosa y entretenida con la que aprender.

Muchas gracias a Distriro Manga por el ejemplar.

#distritomanga #bluegiant

[MilesTeller Shirtless · Rating 3 out of 5]

The idea of applying manga tropes to jazz is still so funny to me. manga. Ishizuka feels more in control in this one and loose storylines wrap up nicely here. The drawings of music are also much more vibrant!

[Grg · Rating 5 out of 5]

So often the emotions in the manga feel like a caricature of how actual humans react, but this series has such a beautiful grounded nature to it, even when Dai is going to near superhuman lengths to become the world's greatest saxophone player. It's inspiring. It's hard not to root for him.

[Axolotl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every time I read a volume of this series I enjoy it so much. The art is so nice and the portrayal of the music makes me wanna start playing saxophone again! It's crazy.

[Loz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Passionate and driven, engrossing in its craving

[Andy Calhoun · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very real portrayal of the world, but also Dai is so optimistic. Such a fun read

[Snail · Rating 4 out of 5]

The lively spirit of “Blue Giant” continues!!! I should have picked up the third omnibus volume from off the shelf my new library, too. Ah, well. Something to look forward to!

[Nonô · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was going to give 4 stars, but that haircut in the first part 😬

[Cody · Rating 5 out of 5]

I devour these books. Absolutely love the passion that flows through them. It's amazing how the silent media form of a comic book can bring out the booming sounds of jazz.

[Giovanni Santoro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Diventa sempre più bello

[Jiro Dreams of Suchy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve been feeling sad lately but by god Dai makes ME feel like I can do it. This is a feel good story, great characters and the energy and passion of Dai is so powerful.

[Omar Villafane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Take care of the things you love 🎷

[Talha · Rating 5 out of 5]

That feeling of obsession and passion just hits different, and the way it's being displayed in this manga is really really impressive!

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lores getting heavy bro got a drummer team is stacking

[Brandon · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5⭐

I enjoyed this collection much more than the first:

1) I think reading the first 2 volumes was my acclimation period back into manga. The hyperbolic reactions of Dai in the first collection were abrasive, but I was more used to them in this one.

2) Yui's explanation of why the series is called 'Blue Giant' was standout-- "...a massive star that burns so hot it goes past red into blue...the jazz player who would shine the brightest in the world [is] the Blue Giant". After this setup, I'm excited to see how big and bright Dai gets in the next few books.

3) There are instances in this book that you can tell were written or edited by musicians. Notable moments for me included Yui enthusiastically embracing his status as a "third-rate" musician and Dai realizing improvisation is just like learning a language- slowly piecing together the vocabulary into lyrical phrases. The latter resonated with me as I didn't learn that until I had already stopped playing regularly.

I haven't seriously "played" my saxophone in over a year, but this book made me want to pick it up again and start practicing-- although I don't think I have the dedication to play outside in a snowstorm like Dai.

[lex · Rating 4 out of 5]

THIS BANGED SO HARD OH MY GOD!!!