BLUE

by Io Sakisaka, 咲坂伊緒

想いを隠し続けてきた杏奈。なぜなら相手の怜司はいとこだから。しかも、怜司は杏奈を恋愛対象とみていない様。そのせいか杏奈は高校に入って仲良くなった瑠海と怜司の仲を疑ってしまう。ところが、瑠海には秘密があって…。

Genres: Manga, Romance, Shojo

175 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Io Sakisaka (咲坂伊緒) is a Japanese manga artist. She also designed the characters for the anime movie HAL. Her works are:

-Call My Name (2001)
-Watashi no Koibito (2002)
-Bye-Bye, Little (2002)
-Blue (2006)
-Mascara Blues (2007)
-Strobe Edge (2007)
-Ao Haru Ride (2011)
-Sono Omokage o Shitteru (2013) (oneshot)
-Omoi, Omoware, Furi, Furare (2015)
-Otome no Itari (2020) (oneshot)
-Sakura, Saku (2021)

Reviews

[Phoenix2 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I confess, I can't say whether I liked it or not. The story was cute and I kind of loved it, but still, the concept of them being cousins and all, especially since society didn't really approve, made it all a bit off. The art was not one of Sakisaka-san's best either, but it was good.

[Glasdow Teacosy · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Hisgirl85 · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Going into this short manga, I figured the story would not be as developed, but was still impressed with the message of how the characters were dealing with societal pressures for wanting to pursue a love that wouldn't hurt anyone, was their own choice, and not illegal. I enjoyed this short manga, but can see how others would want more. I really would love a series following them, because it was such an interesting setup and I loved Rumi and the two friends as well as the two leads.

[Cathy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can’t say I fully understand the theme here. Is a relationship between cousins forbidden in Japan? Because it was quite common from where I come from. The characters aren’t has developed has I expected, even the plot is not that amazing. I was expecting more from Io Sakisaka. “Ao Haru Ride” was amazing, this mangá isn’t nearly as good.

[♡Kayla♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

*3.75*

Bratz Readathon 2020

“This love is a secret.... It's love, but my heart is only filled with pain....”

Even though this story was short, it managed to pack quite the punch. This book grabbed my attention right away with the MC's (Anna) hidden feelings for her cousin, Reiji, and had me hooked until the end. The only real downside to this was the length, as I feel there should have been at least one more volume, to expand on the characters further. I have read Io Sakisaka's work previously (Strobe Edge, and Ao Haru Ride), and this wasn't as good as her later projects, but it's definitely worth the read, if only because of how great a character Rumi was (I actually started to ship Anna and Rumi together lol).

[Lau. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Es el primer manga que leo de Io Sakisaka (además que creo que es uno de los primeros que escribió) y lamentablemente, me ha decepcionado bastante.
Creo que en tan solo 4 capítulos es imposible de desarrollar a los personajes y siento que todo pasa demasiado rápido, tanto las relaciones entre los personajes como su desarrollo individual. Apenas he llegado a conocerlos ni a entender sus acciones, así que para mí ha sido un tomo que ha pasado sin más por mi vida.
Y por otro lado, lo de que la protagonista esté enamorada de su primo, como que no lo veo mucho. Además de que "lo oculto"... creo que este tema nunca debería ser un plot twist en ninguna historia.
Como punto positivo, resalto que el dibujo me parece precioso, pero nada más.

[-moonprismpower- · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ugh. I love Io Sakisaka but this was horrible. I know it’s super old though, so I won’t hold it against her.

The art isn’t good. The characters’ eyes and noses bother me but the story is the worst part!!!! The fl and ml are cousins!!!! COUSINS!!! “Who cares if you’re cousins. It’s not like you’re siblings.” UMMMM your parents are siblings though!!!! That’s freakin gross. I couldn’t look past that.

[Yasmin Almendras · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sinceramente, no me gusto, ni el estilo del dibujo, ni la trama. Es la historia que menos me ha llegado de la autora. Rescato que hubo algunas partes graciosas, y adoro que haya representación. Pero siento que todo fue muy forzado.
2/5

[Wiktoria · Rating 1 out of 5]

NIE NIE NIE
BŁAGAM KUZYNOSTWO?! to było chore nie chce nigdy do tego wracać.

[Amy Gideon · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.50/5 stars

I have mixed feelings about this one. While I find it interesting that she's tackling some taboo subjects in this manga, it's still kind of bizarre.

This isn't nearly as good as Strobe Edge or Ao Haru Ride. The character development is nonexistent, which is unusual for her work, and the relationship building (whether of the romantic or friendship variety) felt rushed and out of sync. The artwork is ok, although not up to her current standards.

Lastly, the ending is rather abrupt. Also, I'm curious on how their family is going to react to their new found feelings for each other. I imagine family gatherings are going to be rather awkward.

[ayanami · Rating 3 out of 5]

A rather unconventional subject matter for shoujo manga that rather poorly plays on the forbidden love trope, in this case, a girl in love with her cousin. (It should be noted that in Japan, I believe it is legal for first cousins to marry, but it is just not something that is commonly done.) Typical of shoujo manga, it focuses on the main character's internal monologue and emotions rather than how she might be viewed by society and the people around her. Not bad, but everything is resolved too neatly and easily.

[Ingsf_ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Toujours dans ma lecture des œuvres de Sakisaka Io et pas forcément convaincue par ce manga en un volume. Je pense que c'est typiquement le genre d'histoire que je peux apprécier sur plusieurs volumes car je peux en tirer quelque chose de plus consistant que le "je t'aime - moi non plus" central et typique à ce genre de manga. It was okay - sans plus. Les thématiques auraient pu être intéressantes mais ça m'est juste passé complètement à côté et je n'ai pas réussi à ressentir la moindre empathie pour ces personnages.

[edel · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sweet read with a somewhat realistic outlook on cousin love. The only thing that ruined it was the end. The two cousins get together in the end, but I felt like it was completely unrealistic. Mainly because it happened way too quickly, with little or no thought involved, and did not focus on the aftermath (parents, peers, etc reactions to their relationship). There were also many sub-plots that could have definitely been expanded on. It should have been longer!

[Mayu · Rating 1 out of 5]

3/10

Yo os traigo hoy la reseña de un manga que me ha gustado, que me ha conmovido, que me ha encogido el corazón por su profunda melancolía, por su crudo dolor, por su protagonista fuerte y tierna :).

Si queréis leerla, pasaos por aquí:

http://mayuamoraprimeravista.blogspot...

[Malu Fernández · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked the story, though it was too short. It would have been great if Sakisaka would have developed it a little more as it had a lot of potencial with such a subject to develop. Love between cousings and how they can be rejected by society when less than a thousand years ago people would marry their own siblings just to keep linage.

[Katia Cristell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cosa mas hermosa.
Temas muy bien desarrollados.
Tanto el incesto como el de homosexualidad, que el ultimo no me lo esperaba, porque ya sabíamos que a ella le gustaba el pero eso que el beso en la mejilla significara tanto, no la vi venir.

[Isi Curita · Rating 3 out of 5]

Realmente no es para mi, igual tengo sentimientos encontrados con lo es el conflicto principal.
Igual como primer tomo Autoconclusivo que leo de io sakisaka me agrada mucho. Estoy en plan de leer todo de esta autora y voy por buen camino, me gustó más que sus oneshot