Sorairo Flutter
That Blue Sky Feeling

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I don't normally review anime and manga, but I feel like this series deserves more positive attention. As you can tell by the 9 I gave it, it wasn't a masterpiece or anything, but it did give me the warm, butterfly feelings while reading.

Possible triggers: homophobia and... Ok, there is an older character who was Sanada's ex. The age gap is about 9-10 years. Not everyone will be comfortable reading the story because of this, and I understand.
However, I want to make it clear that he is NOT a predatory character. I could see if he was trying to make moves on Sanada after ... they broke up, or if he made moves on any of the other teenage characters. But he didn't do ANY of that. You can tell that his purpose in the story is to be a mentor to the younger, gay teens. His interactions with Noshiro in particular are quite wholesome.

What I liked:
Noshiro as the protagonist. First, it's refreshing to see BL not being between two skinny dudes with six-packs. Despite being chubby, he is also athletic and is not constantly eating food. Second, he has a likeable personality. He's a genuinely compassionate, fun guy that I would like to know in real life. Of course he has flaws: sometimes he oversteps and can be clueless, but if these flaws end up hurting people, he feels guilty and owns up to it. Third, his journey reminds me of my own. At first, I was just interested in gay stuff because I wanted to help LGBT teens after hearing about some of the things they went through. Later I realized I was bisexual. Noshiro's journey with Sanada is similar: at first, he wants to reach out to the school outcast and is curious about being gay. Then whoops, here come the feelings!
Sanada's growth, particularly in his interactions with Noshiro. It wasn't Zuko-level or anything, but you can tell he starts to open up more and more to Noshiro as the story goes on. He becomes less aloof and more kind to him, and they share moments that range from fluffy to angsty to somewhere in between. He also feels guilty about things between him and his childhood friend, and later does his best to rectify it.
The female childhood friend of Sanada is not crazy or predatory like rival interests in other stories (Citrus)! She's cute and chill.
Makoto can be annoying sometimes, but you know what? He's a bundle of energy and optimism and it's hard not to smile when he's on the page. And again, rival love interest that's not crazy or a jerk! Whoo!
The art style is so cute and aesthetically appealing! They say not to judge a book by its cover, but sorry, I loved the character designs the moment I saw them.
A look at how LGBT life is like in Japan. Although I live in the US, in my experience, a lot of LGBT people do online dating. So it was nice to people in other countries do it too. Also, sorry Noshiro, not all gay guys like BL.

But of course, there were also things I didn't like:
Pacing. I knew this was going to be a slow burn, but dang. It made Bloom into You look quicker. There were a couple of plot points that felt dragged out to the point where I was wondering if I should even bother with the second volume. Thankfully I did!
Like I mentioned earlier, Makoto can be annoying sometimes.

In summary, if you like Bloom into You, this is basically the guy version! If you like slow burn romances and cute art, and aren't triggered by homophobia or age gaps, please give it a try!

(SPOILERS)

I for the most part enjoyed this manga. I found that it fell into the habit of a few BL Manga I've been reading where the characters only confess at the very end, thus depriving us of any romantic moments.

The art is nothing special, but it's not terrible either.

I liked the characters for the most part though I felt uncomfortable whenever Sanadas ex who is an adult came around whilst he is a minor.

It's a very mid-tier manga, but still an engaging read if you are into BL Manga. I found Sanada, one of the protagonists to be rather interesting. His personality is ... very similar to mine, so that may be it. I was intrigued by his tactics of maintaining the status quo of his relationships.

Sometimes I felt frustrated by Noshiro and his mentality towards the whole plot. I get that a big part of his character is exploring his thoughts and emotions regarding Sanada, but it happened so much I got annoyed at times.

“That Blue Sky Feeling” had a lot of things going for it at the outset; a fat lead character whose weight isn’t constantly mocked, the foundation for a nuanced examination of sexuality, and the potential to be one of the most wholesome and accessible BL stories ever. Unfortunately, the manga seems to sabotage itself at every turn, and by the end I was left disappointed and dissatisfied.

First of all, the story drags out far too much. Noshiro and Sanada should have come to terms with their feelings in volume 2, leaving the final volume to explore their relationship dynamic further and give them some real ... character development. As it stands, the manga has poor pacing and often repeats story beats multiple times, making each volume blend together and halting any real sense of meaningful progression.

The main reason that the plot has so many issues is because the characters are bland and lifeless. Noshiro, the protagonist, is so painfully oblivious that it’s beyond belief. He lacks any comprehension of social cues and is incapable of self-awareness. He also displays a stunning lack of knowledge around romance and sex, so much so that he feels more like an elementary school kid rather than a sixteen year old. Overall, the protagonist of this story doesn’t feel like a real teenager, so it’s hard to care about him at all.

Morinaga, Sanada’s “rival” who vies for Noshiro’s affections, is completely intolerable. Though the characters constantly remind you how “cute” he is, Morinaga is inconsiderate, obnoxious, and one-dimensional. His addition to the story is abrasive and unwelcome, and he sucks the joy out of any scene in which he’s present.

Most of the other characters are forgettable, but the character Hide, a twenty six year old man, is unforgettable for all the wrong reasons. His purpose in the narrative is to serve as a mentor to Noshiro, and in theory, this could have been extremely cute and interesting. Unfortunately, Hide is introduced in the story as Sanada’s ex-boyfriend, which has a lot of uncomfortable implications.

Even if you are someone who can overlook age gaps in fiction, Hide is still an extremely predatory character. He is constantly manipulating the teenage cast, making sexual references, inviting them into his home alone, and generally acting inappropriately. The worst part of all of this, though, is that the narrative doesn’t treat Hide like a threat at all. There is a complete absence of criticism when it comes to the adult man; the story portrays him as trustworthy, mature, and attractive. This dissonance made much of “That Blue Sky Feeling” an uncomfortable reading experience.

In the end, this manga had a lot of potential, but ultimately lacked the nuance and skillful execution that would have made for a satisfying and meaningful story. I’m surprised it even got the green light to be published in the West considering that most Western readers are likely to find Hide completely unpalatable. Whether or not you’re a fan of BL makes no difference, “That Blue Sky Feeling” is certainly not worth your time.