1.5 ⭐️
i enjoyed the bonus section, it felt more cohesive than the rest of the story; it was flat and fast paced at times.

i wish i could've liked this more, the cover is really pretty and the concept too, unfortunately i thought it was confusing at times (the explicit scene had me checking if i missed something — i felt it was kind of random), and the characters one dimensional- the conflicts were resolved way too quickly.

there was so much potential, i wished the story & characters were more developed.

It has potencial, but I didn't enjoy the way it took. The main problem got solved SO fast and easy.
But I loved the art and how it matches the story, character's vibes and this feeling of missing.

A slightly complicated but sweet love story in this one shot.

I think this story encompasses what can happen with poor communication and actions but it also suffers from being so short. I think a lot of the reconciliation the reader wants to see was cut out to ensure there was a HEA within so few pages. I do think the art was nice and was glad they found their happiness in the end but would have loved to see more build on how they got back to one another emotionally. 3.5 rounded up!

** I WAS GIVEN THIS BOOK FOR MY READING PLEASURE **
Copy received through Netgalley

~

The White and Blue Between Us, by Kiyuhiko
★★★★★
176 Pages
Themes: second chance, high school, first love, coming out, forgiveness, betrayal, grumpy/sunshine
Content Warning: non-explicit sex scenes, talk about safe sex



The White and Blue Between Us is a short, bittersweet love story between two young men who have a second chance at love.

Seven years ago, Hozumi and Mishima were in a sweet, secret romance at high school. Then Hozumi realised that their relationship had no future, with them heading in different paths, so he told a white lie – that he'd never loved Mishima – to free him from their relationship without the threat of feeling guilty, or having to sacrifice something he loved to keep the other. But after seven years, Hozumi is heading back home at living in the big city, and he hears that Mishima is a shut in – what would be terms hikikomori, in Japan – and worries.

After being reunited, Hozumi needs to keep pushing a reluctant Mishima until they can confront the past together. While the confrontation is short, it feels natural to the two characters. Through flashbacks, we learn what happened in school and how it's impacted them over the years. The relationship in recent days escalates quickly, but feels right for them. The sex is on page but drawn so that it's not in any way explicit, and they do have some – very welcome – talk about safe sex.

There's also a bonus story of their high school days, and how they fell in love, which was lovely!

The White and Blue Between Us is a lovely, bittersweet romance that is all about confronting the past, overcoming mistakes, and taking responsibility for your actions. It's also a really adorable romance between two fragile, broken people, who are desperately in love and only want to be together.

Rating: 3.17 leaves out of 5
-Characters: 3/5
-Cover (+art): 4/5
-Story: 2/5
-Writing: 5/5
Genre: Boys Love, Yaoi
-Boys Love: 5/5
-Yaoi: 5/5
Type: Manga
Worth?: I suppose

Want to thank Netgalley and publishers for giving me the chance to read this book.

This damn manga hits you LEFT and swerves and HITS YOUR RIGHT. No warning, nothing. The story was okay, a bit over dramatic and a bit confusing but that's fine. The art is good and it was very tamed baby spicy level for Yaoi.

I was pretty meh on ‘The White and Blue Between Us’ the story didn’t really hook me, the illustrations though were good, but yeah I didn’t really enjoy it.

Rating 2 Stars ⭐️⭐️

I’m disappointed by this.
The relationship feels surface level and them making up feels short.
The first sex scene also made me uncomfortable because it felt like dubious consent.

I have several complaints and some are probably very personal... but what is an opinion if it is not personal, right?

This story didn't move me, I didn't like it, and I didn't even enjoy it completely. Simply because I consider that the protagonist, Hozumi, is a first-rate egoist and that there are other ways. I don't see it as a healthy relationship. Not even in the end, I don't know.

I did like the theme of how he deals with the issue with his family, although I would have liked some kind of interaction between Mishima and them.

I didn't connect with the story, with the characters... I didn't empathize with any of them. There were quite interesting topics to delve into. The issue of carrying out a certain task or job as a legacy from an elder (did he really want to do it? Was it imposed on him?), "coming out" to the family, some type of interaction with colleagues once they were reunited... .I don't know. I feel like it was missing.

Thank you Kodansha Comics for the ARC I read on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

real rating: 2,5
very quick read, but unfortunately that comes at the expense of the plot. too many things were happening for a standalone manga, and the last 20% is literally just "bonus" content sort of related to the plot but also not really because at that point the story is already wrapped up.

When I started reading this is didn’t expect it to be a 18+ BL manga, just a cute manga from high school. Not that that made any difference as to how I rated this. I really enjoyed the cute storyline about being true to yourself and trusting others, however I marked it lower as I found the drawing style to be a little too sketchy for my liking and sometimes I got confused as to what speech bubble was next. Otherwise a good humble read.

Hozumi returns home after seven years. He discovers, at a school reunion, that his friend and first love became a shut in. Hozumi wants to make amends for rejecting Mishima. However, Mishima rebuffs his every attempt. Hozumi desperately wants to explain his reasons for breaking up with Mishima.

Mishima’s entire world revolves around the lighthouse. He does not associate with anyone in his hometown. Then the person responsible for breaking his heart returns. Mishima distrusts Hozumi. However, Hozumi refuses to leave him be. Can Mishima and Hozumi make peace with their past?

The story (and art) was “okay”. Even in the romance novels I tend to read, I am not a fan of second-chance trope. I always feel cheated out of the romance (as in the start of their attraction, following the build-up and then the confession). I guess I expected a little “more” from the plot and storyline.
This was a quick read.

This did what a second chance romance usually does! It was sweet and has a gorgeous art style, but I found the reconnection of their relationship a bit :/ it was definitely dubious. It also felt a bit...abrupt? Feels like it could be expanded into a series!

This was sweet! The drawings were excellent and I like the cast of characters. Though the author is a talented artist, their storytelling has room for growth. The story felt disjointed and quite rushed, so I felt robbed of the full love story experience. It felt as if the author snapped their fingers and the story resolved. The characters felt very one dimensional and there was a huge potential for deep interactions between them that simply did not occur. I was also caught off guard by the more graphic parts of the story, as there was no warning that would occur. There was such a scene in the middle that did not seem to move the story forward at all so I was confused as to why it was included. This was a quick, easy read though, which I appreciated. Thank you to Netgalley for the copy.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kondasha publishers for accepting me as pre-publication reviewer of the English translation of this manga.

This was cute and on the whole I did mostly enjoy it but was too short and some things weren’t really to my liking. We follow Hozumi and Mishima who shared a secret queer love in night school but Hozumi ended it when school finished thinking it was for the best, and left the island they lived for a new life. He returns seven years later to help at this parent’s shop and hopes to patch things up with Mishima who’s distanced himself from others in his grandfathers lighthouse. Billed as a second chance romance, we follow the two and see if the white lie and time spent apart is too much for them to get back together. I think Kiyuhiko did explore the queer coming of age and accepting yourself notion not too bad and there’s other parts to the story too but on the whole it felt too short and rushed. There’s a sex scene that I felt came right out of the blue and I had to scroll back a bit to see if I missed something. It was unnecessary and after that pulled me out of the story in some ways. The artwork was good enough, I enjoyed the back story maybe a little more then the current time frame despite being the background plot and I think that’s just my presence for manga’s that focus on people that age but I dunno z

Overall, it was fine but nothing amazing or new. Guess I would recommend it but then again it was just alright.

A cute gay romance that shows love is never too late. I liked both the main characters and following how they grew close, distant, then close again as they grew older.

I'd like to thank NetGalley and Kiyuhiko for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Stunning visuals. Each panel is crafted carefully and meticulously. Every detail is beautifully drawn out with a lot of care and thought.

Unfortunately, everything else felt a bit flat for me. That might be because there's so much to be explored between these two characters, a one shot really isn't enough real estate to discuss all of it. I didn't really care for the characters or their relationship. All I can tell you is that it's a grumpy/ sunshine dynamic between the two.

If we got to see how they rekindled their love for each other while getting flashbacks as to why they broke up in the first place, I think it'd have been a more effective way to convince the readers of their love. I'd much rather have a focused look on a few moments between these two rather than speed through their whole relationship.

Although I'm indifferent towards sex/smut scenes in general, the most effective way of using them is as a reward/release from all of the high anticipation, but I think they were placed just for the sake of it. The build up of sexual and romantic tension was lacking from this book, so those scenes didn't deliver.

I would've loved to seen this expanded over a few books to explore these characters and the situation further. Regardless, the beautiful artwork of the characters and the setting were captivating enough to carry me through.

Possible TW: One sex scene feels more dub-con and the other sex scenes have explicit consent.

This is very cute however I wish there had been more plot to the story. I think this is good for a quick read to get a person back into reading. It is quite short therefore very easy to finish in one reading.

The cover and illustrations of this manga are beautiful, and the premise of the story really good. Unfortunately, I found that events happen too quickly and there is no build up, no time to start caring about the characters and their situation.

It’s a second-chance romance, and while that might not be your preference, this is a short and sweet oneshot that might be worth the read.

While I was entertained while reading, I couldn’t help but feel that Hozumi should have done ten times more groveling, considering he literally broke Mishima’s heart. However, due to the short oneshot format, they quickly reconcile after Hozumi apologizes to Mishima. In Hozumi’s defense, he was just a high schooler at the time, thinking he was doing the right thing before heading off to college.

The artwork was appealing with a traditional manga style, but what I loved most about this manga were the coastal vibes and the lighthouse.

I believe, for a oneshot, it’s acceptable. If you’re anticipating fully developed characters and an in-depth plot, then this might not be the right fit for you. However, in the context of oneshots, it’s a pleasant read that neatly ties up everything with a happily ever after ending.

Seven years ago, after breaking his best friend’s heart, Ishizaki left the island for college. Returning to the island to tend to his father, he hopes to reconcile with Mishima. At the reunion, he learns that Mishima has become a shut-in. Driven by the need to restore happiness in Mishima’s life and mend their relationship, he visits Mishima, who wants nothing to do with him.
Seven years ago, Mishima’s quiet life was disrupted when a cheerful and talkative boy, Ishizaki, expressed an interest in him. From friends to lovers, it was a heartwarming ride. Until Ishizaki claimed that he never loved Mishima and left. Heartbroken and alone, Mishima has lived on. His grandfather’s death alienated him further. The lighthouse is the only permanent thing in Mishima’s life, the responsibility that keeps him going. Ishizaki has returned and Mishima wants nothing to do with him.

What worked:
A second chance romance. Quiet and loud boy dynamics. A sense of found family. The atmosphere, the lighthouse, the later scenes in the house, the growing together part. The gorgeous landscapes. The supportive family. I liked the calm and comforting vibe of the island. I would have liked a longer story.
What didn’t work:
The reason for their breakup. Seeing their divergent future paths, Hozumi ended things. Just like that. Wanting to protect Mishima is understandable, but it feels unfair. The disproportional impact it has on them as individuals. One person leaves town and lives a normal life, while the other person is left feeling that he was living a lie.
The non-consensual sex scene and the ignorant handling of the aftermath. Why was it there? Shouldn’t Ishizaki have apologized? The scene came out of nowhere and got forgotten as easily.
Vibes: Quiet island vibes, sunshine/grumpy vibes, growing together vibes, friends to lovers. Bl trope.

It is a short and spicy read worthy of a BL fan's time.

I thank NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for the e-ARC copy of this graphic novel. I enjoyed reading it.