That Blue Sky Feeling Vol. 1 Review

Instilled homophobia is something many LGBT people experience every day. Even allies can have tendencies to do homophobic things when they don’t really mean to. When dealing with an ever-changing, rapidly growing community, one may happen to find themselves where they least expect it. Viz Media’s launch of Okura’s coming of age LGBT manga, That Blue Sky Feeling (Sorairo Flutter) deals with feelings relevant to the way we accept LGBT members into our lives and the relationships that develop through having an open mind and opening up oneself to others.

That Blue Sky Feeling started as a webcomic on author Okura’s private website in 2009 with a run until 2012. After given the opportunity for a remake through popular shounen manga magazine, Gangan Joker by Square Enix (popular for series like Soul Eater, Fullmetal Alchemist, and Kakegurui), Okura quickly jumped on board with new illustrator, Coma Hashii. Although Gangan Joker reaches out to many demographics with the manga they serialize, That Blue Sky Feeling is one of the only BL series they have serialized to date. It is important to recognize this as the series deals with accepting gay men as your peers and even being able to develop more of a relationship than one may have anticipated in a manga magazine primarily filled with shounen manga with an inevitable larger male demographic. Moreso, it is important because the author is a queer author themselves and the serialization of the series as well as bringing it over to the west bodes well with making room for more queer artists to succeed. Hopefully, the serialization of That Blue Sky Feeling can work to normalize LGBT relations in Japan, but that is a long shot.

Although That Blue Sky Feeling does hit quite a few trope marks seen in most BL-oriented series, the series seems to break a wall that other popular BL series had made. While the story itself gives slice of life vibes throughout it’s stereotypical BL outline, what makes this story different amongst the others boils down its characters. The lead character, Noshiro Dai, has a huge character arc in volume one alone and it’s definitely an important and relatable one. He wants to be an ally to his “rumored to be gay” classmate Kou Sanada but goes about doing so in the worst ways possible. Noshiro laughs at the idea of him being gay, saying someone like him could never. Of course, those rumors are truths Kou has been keeping to himself and is hurt by this. The two go through ping pong matches like this throughout the volume but create a steady friendship throughout as well. In the end, Noshiro is a loveable guy who is doing what any LGBT member would wish an ally to do, ask questions and love regardless. However, Noshiro soon finds himself drawn to Kou in ways he can’t explain.

Kou, on the other hand, is more of our trope-like character, but you win some and you lose some. When paired with Noshiro I’ve found that although I could name ten other characters exactly like him off the top of my head, I still really enjoy his character. Kou’s rough and mysterious exterior makes him interesting for Noshiro and in turn, makes me a little curious as well. Any reader can easily tell Kou is going through a lot, so seeing the moments he and Noshiro share laughs together makes for the story to be a lot more wholesome than a good chunk of BL stories on the Western market.

No BL story would be a BL story without unnecessary drama that could be solved just by talking to one another. Thankfully, That Blue Sky Feeling gives me those frustrating storylines as well. Throughout the course of volume one alone, Noshiro finds feelings for Kou growing inside him and turns to the much older, teacher ex-boyfriend of Kou’s (I know, stick with me). Rather than this figure being some creep who wants his much younger ex back, he primarily stands as a figure to mentor Noshiro in how Kou’s feelings work and how he should carry himself if he is serious about his feelings. Again, another plotline that BL readers have seen time and time again, but taking a different turn. There is also the possible storyline of Kou’s female childhood friend coming out with her own feelings for Kou, but something seems to be holding her back. I can only imagine it is either she knows he is gay, despite her denying it out loud, or she is afraid of ruining their current relationship. Either way, she supports Noshiro’s attempts despite being a little disheartened when she sees Kou smiling around him.

I don’t want to give everything away as the volume is really jam packed with some good content, but I will end with this. As an LGBT person, I found myself not putting down the volume and wanting to pick up another volume right after. Having relatable, human content is extremely important. Most BL stories or even GL stories have a lot of fetishization of the character’s relationships in them and I’ve found, so far, That Blue Sky Feeling does not cater to. The volume seems well thought out, dealing with subjects not many other BL stories have and giving us genuine characters we could very well know in our real, daily life. Not every BL story has to have abusive older men ex boyfriends or forced situations. For any young LGBT person or even non LGBT person who just wants to be there for support, That Blue Sky Feeling is a fantastic read that shows not only the path a struggling gay man walks, but a questioning man, a confident gay man, a supportive straight friend, and the reception from the peers around them and how they handle and grow with the situation as well. There is something for everyone in That Blue Sky Feeling and even if BL is not your cup of tea, read it for the sole factor of watching a genuine relationship bloom into color.

That Blue Sky Feeling did what it had to do. It made me want to read more, which means buying another volume, which I wouldn’t mind doing. It was a nice, thick size making it definitely worth the coin. Along the way though, it also made me realize there are people in this world who really want to try to get to know people regardless of their preferences. Noshiro’s character alone makes the manga worth reading and that is something I haven’t been able to say for a lot of things. I need plot, I need good characters, I need pacing, but Noshiro alone really carries the story and is easily one of the best leads in any BL story I’ve read. With laughs, fears, coming to terms with oneself, and heart, lots of it, That Blue Sky Feeling creates a world very much like our own and that is what makes it so beautiful.

-melancholiaah
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For More Information On That Blue Sky Feeling and Where to Purchase:
https://www.viz.com/read/manga/that-blue-sky-feeling-volume-1/product/5604

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Overall Rating: A-

Pros:
+Tending to LGBT themes in a serious manner
+Fantastic character paths and development
+Easy, addictive reading

Cons:
-Plays into familiar BL stereotypes slightly
-Ex-boyfriend a whole decade older, yikes!
-A bit melodramatic at times

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Note: This item was provided to us by the publisher for the purpose of this review. This fact does not affect the outcome of the review in any way.