dorkoblorko's manga / #I cried at this shit(2)

Ao no Flag

Complete | Kaito | 2000 released

If you haven't already, read Blue Flags. What began as but a simple man stumbling across a cute tiktok with the tag #blueflag underneath it quickly spiraled into a tale of love and heartbreak and a truly compelling story. Make no mistake: there are no big twists here. There are no sudden changes of heart, no world-ending calamity. This is a story of people. Call them good, call them bad, but at the end of the day, they're just people. Blue Flag is a good romance manga. In fact, I might even go so far as to say it is an EXCELLENT romance manga. It explores and writes its characters extremely well. There is no one I truly 'hate' in this manga, because it goes through the extra effort of making all of them feel real. Everyone, from the side-characters to the love interest to the 'perfect best friend,' are all explored and can all be understood (though sometimes not without some legwork. talkin' bout you, Kensuke and Shingo. Especially you, Kensuke). And that's interesting, isn't it? Because although I may disagree with them at times, a part of my brain acknowledges their opinions as something unique to them, and I somewhat respect it. The author made every character feel like they were alive and breathing, with opinions and thoughts and life experiences, with no two being the exact same. And I adore it. So read Blue Flag. Because it's not often I can say that a manga made me feel truly connected with its story and its characters.

Boku Wa Mari No Naka

Complete | oshimi shuuzou | 2012 released

I read Inside Mari a while ago, but the story has still stuck with me. The title is very much true; you are thrown into this person's mind, with all the weirdness that comes with it. When an otaku becomes trapped in this high-school girl's body, what does he do? What can he do? And why is his body still alive, walking around and living like normal...?