Blue (manga)

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blue
blue
Genre	Drama, Shoujo-ai, La nouvelle manga, Alternative
Manga
Authored by	Kiriko Nananan
Publisher	Magazine House Ponent Mon / Fanfare Ponent Mon Casterman Schreiber & Leser
Serialized in	COMIC Are!
Original run	1996 – 1996
No. of volumes	1

Blue is a manga by Kiriko Nananan, serialized in 1996 in the alternative manga magazine COMIC Are!, about two high school aged girls Kayako Kirishima and Masami Endo find that their friendship is turning into something more. At the same time the two girls are unsure about their future and feel confused about their current life.

[edit] Plot

Kayako Kirishima who lives in Niigata is almost ready to go off to college but is lonely and unsure of her future. Masami Endo is a girl who has been ostracized and made a social outcast for having an abortion. The two girls meet each other in class one day and become good friends. Gradually Kirishima falls in love with Endo and the relationship becomes more personal.

In the middle of the book, summer vacation starts and Endo leaves to go off with her boyfriend. During this time Kirishima misses her and can't wait for her to return. When Endo does return she lies about her experiences and says that she was traveling with old friends. Kirishima knows she is lying and becomes upset with Endo souring the relationship. Eventually the two forgive each other, but times have changed and Kirishima decides to go off to Tokyo and pursue a career in art while Endo chooses to stay in her hometown. The manga ends with Kirishima riding off in a train to Tokyo as Endo looks longingly towards the train.

[edit] Notes

A film adaptation of the same name was made in 2001. While the book has overtones of a romance between Kayako and Masami, like most shojo-ai there is no explicit reference to a sexual relationship. Consequently that makes this book fall somewhere into the genre of shoujo-ai. Unlike most female-authored romantic manga the work doesn't focus on expressionistic art and melodrama to tell its story, in its place are minimalist, realistic imagery and storytelling. In accordance to this style the layouts are muted and many sequences of panels only show subtle movement to highlight a particular emotion.

The manga was very highly regarded in Japan, for its unconventional realism, and was popular enough to spawn a live action film adaptation. Additionally, Frédéric Boilet had it adapted to French as a part of his La nouvelle manga movement (of which Nananan considers herself a part). The current English edition by Fanfare/Ponent Mon is borrowed from the French publication.

An additional Blue review with manga scans: http://www.dvdvisionjapan.com/bluemanga.htm