Manga Review: Sweet Blue Flowers, Volume 2, by Takako Shimura

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: VIZ Signature (VIZ Media)

Release Date: December 2017

Volumes: 4 (Omnibus).

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 3.

Goodreads Synopsis:

A genre-defining saga of love and friendship between girls.

Akira Okudaira is starting high school and is ready for exciting new experiences. And on the first day of school, she runs into her best friend from kindergarten at the train station! Now Akira and Fumi have the chance to rekindle their friendship, but life has gotten a lot more complicated since they were kids…

Kyoko’s fiancé invites a group of her friends to join them at his family’s summer home. But the trip ends up including more than just ghost stories and horseback riding—Fumi can now confirm that she has feelings for Akira. And Akira learns more than she wants to about Kyoko’s private life with some accidental eavesdropping. After this, how can the girls just return to school like nothing’s happened?

Review:

The first half of this volume seemed rather slow-paced. We get to know the characters a bit more, including two of the boys, but also the group of girls and their friendships. They're on a trip, so they play some games and stay up late talking, before school starts again.

We get some hints regarding Kyoko and her family, which could turn into drama later. We also see Sugimoto for a brief period; there's some drama there, some hard feelings, but mostly it seems like a farewell.

In the second half of the volume, a new school year has started, and a new school play has been chosen and so has the cast. There are new members now in both schools; there's quiet, library club member Ueda, who's sweet and shy. Then there's Ono, a younger, tiny girl, who's blunt and honest and straightforward in her wants.

Ono has me intrigued, and I think she's a character that both Akira and Fumi need to meet, to give them some perspective. At the same time, there are some confessions. Fumi is honest with Akira, but possibly more than she meant to be, or more than Akira knows how to take. It's made things a little awkward, though this could be good or bad for them.

I like how sweet and subtle this series is. It's rather realistic in how it handles its issues, without being dramatic or exaggerated. The girls discuss these topics sometimes, and they have to consider how to respond to these situations, but also how to talk about them.

This is a rather short series, and I'm looking forward to reading more and following it to the end.

 A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!