Blue Flag Vol 2 by Kaito

It’s time for Aohama High’s Sports Festival. Toma is pressured into being the cheer squad captain by all the girls in the class, and he makes Futaba and Taichi his vice captains! The two vice captains must perform a major cheer before the last sporting event, a relay that Toma is running. Futaba freezes and forgets all the steps, but Taichi saves her with his cheering and drumming. Then, baseball season gets underway and Toma, as team captain, leads his team to victory over difficult opponents. Taichi struggles with the unasked question of why Toma isn’t planning on going to college, and if that means he’s giving up on his dream of being a pro baseball player. Later, Taichi runs into Masumi at the subway station just after she’s broken up with her boyfriend, and she asks lots of philosophical questions about the difference between romantic love, friendship, and love for someone of your same gender. So, thus, our quadrangle is complete (for those playing at home: Masumi-> Futaba -> Toma -> Taichi -> Futaba). Another cliffhanger ending will have fans gasping for volume 3.

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As this group gets closer in friendship and in romance, the story gets a little more interesting.  Futaba is still hopeless and shy, but it's clear she's working through something difficult.  Taichi is likewise working through a traumatic moment in which he failed to save a cat from being run over, and this has influenced him into being the kind of caring person who is always looking out for others.  Masumi is cold and the complete opposite of Taichi, having instead a care for only herself and her close friends and family.  I'm sure there is something from her life that has shaped her in this way, so hopefully we will get more of a reveal in future volumes.  As much as this volume focused on Toma's events, we didn't get as much of an insight into his character as the other mains this volume, so I'm also looking forward to learning more about him than what is on the surface.  The cliffhanger in this story is brutal, so have volume three ready to go for readers.

VIZ continues to rate this series as Teen Plus, but there's even less about volume two that would make it inappropriate for teens.

Sara's Rating: 8/10
Suitability Level: Grades 9-12

This review was made possible with a digital reader copy from the publisher through Edelweiss.  

Reviews previous volumes in this series: vol 1

Publisher: VIZ Media
Publication Date: June 16, 2020​
ISBN: 9781974713028 (Paperback)

Tags: Rating: 8/10, Suitability: High School, Manga, Realistic Fiction, Romance, LGBTQ+, Slice Of Life, School Life, VIZ Media