Title: Blue Flag (Volume 1)
Author: Kaito
ISBN: 9781974713011
Publisher: VIZ Media LLC
Copyright Date: 2020
Genre: Romance, Drama, LGBTQIA+
Format: Manga
Reading Level/Interest Level: Not available
Awards or Honors
LA Times Book Prize for Graphic Novels Finalist (2020)
YALSA Top 10 List of Best Graphic Novels for Teens (2021)
Plot Summary
With a new year in session, high school student Taichi Ichinose has a lot of questions to contend with. Has his relationship with his former best friend, Toma Mita, changed, as other students have pointed out? And why does he have such disdain for his female classmate, Futaba Kuze? Not to mention the biggest question of them all: why does he agree to help Futaba try and win over her crush, who happens to be Tai’s former best friend, Toma? Unclear of his motives, Tai works to help Futaba become the girl of Toma’s dreams, by bonding with him over battle pencils, a bob haircut, and practicing her speech to become more eloquent.
The plan all comes together when Tai and Toma head to the movies together, where Futaba has planned to intercept them and join. Things go slightly awry when Futaba brings her best friend, Itachi Masumi, as a backup. This odd group of four must navigate the components of this plan that Futaba and Tai have hatched together, especially when confessions abound and new feelings come to light.
Author Background
Kaito is the manga artist and story creator for Blue Flag. He created his first manga, Happy Magi, at the age of 20, which was published in Weekly Shonen Jump. He went on to create the series Cross Manage in 2012 as well as Buddy Strike in 2015. Blue Flag was originally published in Japan in 2017 before being translated and published in the US in 2020 (Kaito, 2020).
Critical Evaluation
Blue Flag is a charming slice-of-life comic that I absolutely adored. Each panel is full of so much detail and each character is unique. Kaito utilizes a wide variety of sizes in each panel to highlight certain parts of the scene or focus on specific characters. Much like Tai, I also found Futuba annoying at the start, but I grew to love her along with the rest of the cast. The flow of the story moved very well and it was easy to follow the movement between scenes and chapters. High school drama/romance stories are a dime a dozen, but this one brought a new angle where the reader isn’t sure where the character’s hearts truly lie and there is an LGBTQ+ twist.
That being said, there isn’t actually any mention of the LGBTQ+ aspect to this manga until the very end (unless you read between the lines, of course), which is strangely enough revealed in the synopsis for this volume on major bookseller sites like Amazon and Barnes and Noble. It’s definitely still important that this work is marketed for an LGBTQ+ teen audience, so I understand the choice, but I was disappointed that we don’t get to see that play out until the later volumes. While this is only one volume out of eight and the ending is a bit of a cliffhanger, it does stop in a place that leaves the reader wanting more (and I’m glad I ordered the second one along with the first). Teens will definitely love this manga for the lovable characters, comic situations, and LGBTQ+ romances that will blossom in later volumes.
Creative Use for a Library Program
Japanese battle pencils play a role in Futaba getting to know Toma, as well as Toma and Tai’s childhood friendship. Provide teens with a take-and-make kit to build their own battle pencils, as well as the opportunity to create their set at the library and play against other teens.
Speed-Round Book Talk
Tai hates Futaba, but Futaba likes Tai’s best friend, Toma. Toma has a secret crush on someone, but Tai agrees to help Futaba be more like Toma’s ideal girl. Tai and Futaba become friends, but is there potential for more? If that sounds confusing, think how this group of teens must feel! Romance, drama, and comedy intersect in this light-hearted high school slice-of-life manga by Kaito.
Potential Challenge Issues and Defense Preparation
To date, there are no recorded challenges of this item. The only thing I imagine may get some complaints from parents is that two of the characters mention porn in passing twice, though they do not go into things or discuss it at all. If this did receive a complaint, I would describe the context in which this is mentioned (in passing, as a joke) and would encourage the parent to have a discussion with their teen if this is of concern to them.
Reason for Inclusion
This manga is the perfect feel-good, light-hearted choice for readers who love the high school drama genre and are looking for more amazing stories. I especially enjoyed all the depth behind each character and loved that this first volume gave us a snapshot into their lives that made me want to read the rest of the series.
References
Junvii. (2019, January 5). I haven’t been this conflicted on who to root for for the longest time [Image]. Tumblr. https://shysheeperz.tumblr.com/post/181750709274/i-havent-been-this-conflicted-on-who-to-root-for
Kaito. (2020, February 2). Profile photo [Image]. Goodreads. Retrieved from https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7452246.Kaito
Kaito. (2020). Blue flag [Cover Image]. VIZ Media LLC. Retrieved from https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Flag-Vol-1/dp/1974713016/ref=sr_1_2?crid=10B7KF9Z6NDD0&keywords=blue+flag+manga&qid=1651266011&sprefix=blue+flag+man%2Caps%2C229&sr=8-2
Koushisun. (2020, November 6). “Best friend or lover.” [Image]. Tumblr. https://koushisun.tumblr.com/post/634094902290055168/best-friend-or-lover-ao-no-flag-blue-flag-by
Mrcarlita. (2018, November 16). In Japan, we had pokemon battle pencils. You take turns rolling them to determine attacks and damage [Image]. Reddit. https://www.reddit.com/r/mildlyinteresting/comments/9xo11j/in_japan_we_had_pokemon_battle_pencils_you_take/
S-enja. (2017, August 6). If u havent read ao no flag pls do omg its for ur health [Image]. Tumblr. https://s-enja.tumblr.com/post/163867507268/if-u-havent-read-ao-no-flag-pls-do-omg-its-for-ur
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