Blue flag Vol 1 by Kaito

​In this very cute, romance slice of life, shy and unconfident Futaba enlists the help of Taichi, a boy she barely knows, because he's friends with Tomo, her crush.  Taichi gives Futaba accidental advice in his clumsy efforts to help be a match-maker, and realizes by the end of volume 1 that he might have a crush on Futaba! Oh what could go wrong?  VIZ' website mentions that this is a love "quadrangle" so that leads me to believe that subsequent volumes will introduce yet another individual to get mixed up in this hub-hub.

---

I thought this was a great story for it being the typical love triangle frustration genre.  Futaba is a very typical shy Japanese girl, and Taichi is the typical on-the-fringe Japanese boy.  But somehow the stereotypes blend together pretty well to make a story that is easy to read.  At the end of the day, I am driven by the connection I make with characters, and this volume got me caring about Futaba and Taichi.  The art for this was detailed and easy to follow.  
​
VIZ has this rated at Teen Plus.  There is some discussion of boobs, relative sizes, and how to make them bigger that makes this not a title I would put in junior high, but there’s not much else in volume 1 that says this couldn't be available to all high school students.

Sara’s Rating: 8/10
Suitability level: Grades 9-12

​This review was made possible with an advanced reader copy from the publisher through Edelweiss.

Publisher: VIZ Media
Publication Date: April 21, 2020
ISBN: 9781974713011 (Paperback)

Tags: Rating: 8/10, Suitability: High School, Manga, Realistic Fiction, Romance, School Life, ​VIZ Media