Blue Flag (manga)

Blue Flag
First volume cover
First tankōbon volume cover, featuring Tōma Mita (left), Taichi Ichinose (middle), and Futaba Kuse (right)
青のフラッグ
(Ao no Furaggu)
Genre
Created byKaito
Manga
Written byKaito
Published byShueisha
English publisher
ImprintJump Comics+
MagazineShōnen Jump+
Original runFebruary 1, 2017 – April 8, 2020
Volumes8

Blue Flag (Japanese: 青のフラッグ, Hepburn: Ao no Furaggu) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kaito. It was serialized digitally on Shōnen Jump+ from February 2017 to April 2020, and publisher Shueisha later collected the chapters in eight tankōbon volumes. A slice-of-life manga set in a high school, Blue Flag tells the story of a group of friends who must navigate personal difficulties, societal expectations, and their feelings for and about each other.

Blue Flag has been well-received by readers and critics, who have praised its art style, characters, and handling of LGBTQ themes. In North America, an English translation was licensed and published by Viz Media. It has also been translated into Chinese, French, German, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, and Spanish.

Synopsis

On the first day of the school year at a Japanese high school, Taichi Ichinose, an unremarkable student, finds that he has been assigned to the same class as his childhood friend Tōma Mita. He is confused to learn that Tōma hopes to rekindle their friendship, which has fallen by the wayside in recent years. Taichi is soon approached by another student in their class, Futaba Kuse, who tells him that she has a crush on Tōma and asks for his help in getting closer to Tōma. Taichi reluctantly agrees. As Futaba is getting to know Tōma, Taichi and Tōma meet Futaba's protective female friend, Masumi Itachi. Masumi corners Tōma and tells him that she knows he has secret romantic feelings for Taichi, and that she is perceptive about such things because she herself has feelings for Futaba.

Over time, the four characters all become friends. Eventually, a fifth friend is added to their group: Mami Yagihara, a girl who chafes against the sexist double standards imposed on her as an attractive, popular teenage girl. Taichi and Futaba become a couple and choose to remain together even after Tōma confesses his feelings to Taichi. The final chapter contains a time skip to several years in the future, where the reader learns, among other things, that Taichi and Futaba have broken up, and Taichi and Tōma are living together as a married couple.

Production

Blue Flag is written and illustrated by Kaito. In a mini-comic accompanying the final tankōbon volume, Kaito described four main goals they[a] hoped to accomplish when they began the story: to create characters who felt like real humans, to focus on the characters' feelings rather than on surprising plot developments, to write characters having proper conversations with one another, and to emphasize subjective point of view within the art style.[5] Another of Kaito's aims was to create a story where characters' diverse romantic feelings—whether heterosexual, homosexual, or bisexual—were all treated the same.[6]

Publication

Blue Flag started digital serialization on the Shōnen Jump+ website on February 1, 2017,[2] and ended on April 8, 2020.[7] Its 53 chapters have been published in eight tankōbon volumes by Shueisha.[8]

At Anime Expo 2019, Viz Media announced they licensed the series in English.[9] Manga Plus also published the series in English.[10] It is also licensed in Chinese by Tong Li Publishing,[11] in French by Kurokawa,[12] in German by Carlsen Verlag,[13] in Italian and Portuguese by Panini Comics,[14] in Spanish by Editorial Ivrea,[15] and in Polish by Studio JG.[16]

Volumes

No. Original release date Original ISBN English release date English ISBN
1 April 4, 2017[17] 978-4-08-881045-4 April 21, 2020[18] 978-1-97-471301-1
2 August 4, 2017[19] 978-4-08-881145-1 June 16, 2020[20] 978-1-97-471302-8
3 December 4, 2017[21] 978-4-08-881308-0 August 18, 2020[22] 978-1-97-471303-5
4 May 5, 2018[23] 978-4-08-881485-8 October 20, 2020[24] 978-1-97-471304-2
5 September 4, 2018[25] 978-4-08-881580-0 December 15, 2020[26] 978-1-97-471305-9
6 April 4, 2019[27] 978-4-08-881769-9 February 16, 2021[28] 978-1-97-471306-6
7 December 4, 2019[29] 978-4-08-882163-4 April 20, 2021[30] 978-1-97-471875-7
8 June 4, 2020[31] 978-4-08-882365-2 June 15, 2021[32] 978-1-97-472094-1

Reception

In 2017, the series was ranked third at the 3rd Next Manga Awards in the web category.[33] The series was a finalist for the 2020 Los Angeles Times book prize in the graphic novels category.[34] The Young Adult Library Services Association listed the series in the top ten in their 2021 list of the 126 best graphic novels for teenagers.[35]

Rebecca Silverman from Anime News Network rated the first seven volumes A− and the final volume B+.[36] Silverman praised the series for its art, story, and exploration of its themes,[37] while criticizing its underuse of some characters[38] and occasionally heavy-handed dialogue.[39] Melina Dargis from The Fandom Post gave the series heavy praise for its storytelling, characters, and art,[40] saying it was the best high-school slice-of-life manga of 2020 by far.[3]

Blue Flag has been praised by readers for its handling of LGBTQ characters and themes. Following the release of its final chapter, in which protagonist Taichi was revealed to be bisexual, the series saw a sharp increase in reader interest, with many LGBTQ readers commenting that the story resonated with their personal lives.[41] In Japan, Huffington Post and several other online platforms have recommended Blue Flag for readers interested in confronting their own prejudices against LGBTQ people.[42] Readers and reviewers have suggested that Blue Flag is an effective teaching tool in this way because sexuality is not an overt focus of the story, especially early in the series,[43] and because the story's focus on its characters' decision-making makes readers think.[44]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ As Kaito's gender is not publicly known,[4] this article uses singular they to refer to Kaito.

Citations

  1. ^ "Blue Flag". Viz Media. Archived from the original on March 20, 2021. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  2. ^ a b Yuan, Kevin (January 23, 2021). "Asato Mizu, Kaito Launch Manga on Shonen Jump+ App". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on June 8, 2025. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  3. ^ a b Dargis 2020a.
  4. ^ Lewis 2022, p. 161.
  5. ^ Lewis 2022, pp. 171–172.
  6. ^ Lewis 2022, p. 169.
  7. ^ Pineda, Rafael Antonio (March 4, 2020). "Kaito's Blue Flag Manga Ends in April". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on March 16, 2023. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  8. ^ Kaito 2021.
  9. ^ Sherman, Jennifer (July 4, 2019). "Viz Media Licences Downfall, Prince Freya, Blue Flag, 'Love Me, Love Me Not' Manga". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on July 1, 2025. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  10. ^ "Blue Flag". Manga Plus. Archived from the original on August 13, 2022. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  11. ^ "Qing Qi" 青旗 [Blue Flag]. Tong Li Publishing (in Chinese). Archived from the original on January 7, 2020. Retrieved July 27, 2025.
  12. ^ "Série Blue Flag". Lisez! (in French). Editis. Archived from the original on April 11, 2021.
  13. ^ "Blue Flag". Carlsen (in German). Archived from the original on March 25, 2025. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  14. ^ "Blue Flag 1". Panini Comics (in Italian). Archived from the original on April 12, 2021. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  15. ^ Stan (July 28, 2018). "Editorial Ivrea licencia el manga Ao No Flag". Ramen Para Dos (in Spanish). Archived from the original on October 7, 2022. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  16. ^ "Niebieska flaga #01". Studio JG (in Polish). Archived from the original on January 18, 2024. Retrieved June 8, 2025.
  17. ^ 青のフラッグ 1. 集英社コミック公式 S-MANGA (in Japanese). Shueisha. Archived from the original on July 22, 2021. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  18. ^ "Blue Flag, Vol. 1". Viz Media. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  19. ^ 青のフラッグ 2. 集英社コミック公式 S-MANGA (in Japanese). Shueisha. Archived from the original on July 22, 2021. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  20. ^ "Blue Flag, Vol. 2". Viz Media. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  21. ^ 青のフラッグ 3. 集英社コミック公式 S-MANGA (in Japanese). Shueisha. Archived from the original on January 24, 2022. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  22. ^ "Blue Flag, Vol. 3". Viz Media. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  23. ^ 青のフラッグ 4. 集英社コミック公式 S-MANGA (in Japanese). Shueisha. Archived from the original on February 25, 2025. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  24. ^ "Blue Flag, Vol. 4". Viz Media. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  25. ^ 青のフラッグ 5. 集英社コミック公式 S-MANGA (in Japanese). Shueisha. Archived from the original on November 27, 2024. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  26. ^ "Blue Flag, Vol. 5". Viz Media. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  27. ^ 青のフラッグ 6. 集英社コミック公式 S-MANGA (in Japanese). Shueisha. Archived from the original on February 23, 2025. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  28. ^ "Blue Flag, Vol. 6". Viz Media. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  29. ^ 青のフラッグ 7. 集英社コミック公式 S-MANGA (in Japanese). Shueisha. Archived from the original on December 3, 2024. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  30. ^ "Blue Flag, Vol. 7". Viz Media. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  31. ^ 青のフラッグ 8. 集英社コミック公式 S-MANGA (in Japanese). Shueisha. Archived from the original on April 11, 2022. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  32. ^ "Blue Flag, Vol. 8". Viz Media. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  33. ^ 「次にくるマンガ大賞」発表会、上位入賞者による記念イラストも公開 ["Next Manga Award" Announcement Ceremony; Commemorative Illustrations by Top Winners Also Released]. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. August 23, 2017. Archived from the original on January 8, 2025. Retrieved July 18, 2023.
  34. ^ Pineda, Dorany (March 2, 2021). "Isabel Wilkerson, Jacob Soboroff, Akwaeke Emezi among L.A. Times Book Prize finalists". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on January 10, 2025. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  35. ^ "Blue Flag Manga Ranks in YALSA's Top 10 Graphic Novels for Teens". Anime News Network. January 11, 2021. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  36. ^ Silverman 2020–2021.
  37. ^ Silverman 2020; Silverman 2021a; Silverman 2021b; Silverman 2021c.
  38. ^ Silverman 2021b; Silverman 2021d.
  39. ^ Silverman 2021c.
  40. ^ Dargis 2020–2021.
  41. ^ Lewis 2022, p. 163.
  42. ^ Lewis 2022, p. 160.
  43. ^ Lewis 2022, pp. 165–171.
  44. ^ Rosales 2023, p. 44.

References

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