[Review] That Blue Sky Feeling, Vol. 1 - Okura; Coma Hashii (Illustrated by)

Summary: A butterflies-in-your-stomach high school romance about two very different high school boys who find themselves unexpectedly falling for each other.

Outgoing high school student Noshiro finds himself drawn to Sanada, the school outcast, who is rumored to be gay. Rather than deter Noshiro, the rumor makes him even more determined to get close to Sanada, setting in motion a bittersweet tale of first love.

When Noshiro transfers to a new school, he meets Sanada, a loner who doesn’t seem to have friends—or want any. The other kids whisper that Sanada keeps to himself because he’s secretly gay. But rather than scare Noshiro away, the rumor only makes him more interested. He sets out on a campaign to win over the surly Sanada, embarking on a surprising friendship. (Pub Date: Aug 14, 2018)

Honest review based on an ARC provided by Edelweiss. Many thanks to the publisher for this opportunity.

It's probably because I haven't read many shounen-ai manga lately, but it had been a while for me to find such a cute romance in this boys love genre.

When Noshiro moves to a new school, he takes an interest in the outcast Sanada, who rumors says to be gay. And I just noticed I've paraphrased the actual summary. It's just that it's really accurate. This manga seems to be more than boys love a coming of age story as Noshiro's interest in Sanada develops in unexpected ways we ask, maybe there could be a romance blooming.

I think the last time I felt like this with boys love was while reading Seven Days, by Tachibana Benio. Except that Seven Days wasn't exactly of the coming of age genre. What I really see in this manga is the atmosphere I have found in Kimi to Boku and Mousou Musuko. It's cute, it's funny, and things don't happen all of a sudden, though it definitely doesn't drag.

The characters are also interesting. For this first volume we mainly meet the two boys and the girl who is Sanada's sole friend before Noshiro's arrival. For now, they're not really a love triangle, but there is tension due to the shift Noshiro causes in their dynamics. I also found it peculiar how, while Sanada has a typical manga boy look, Noshiro is far from being a protagonist's ideal appearance,though I don't think that has been mentioned thus far.

The art matches the atmosphere and is very pleasant to the eyes. I'm sure you'll love it. You'll laugh a lot but also get lots of food for thought. This is the boys love manga I'll be recommending this year.

Rating: 4 out of 5.