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Nagisa Furuya can now look back on several releases in the boy-love genre. After making her debut in 2013 with Number Call, which will also be published in English in March 2024, she followed this up a year later with "My Ultramarine Sky".
How was "My Ultramarine Sky"?
Kai and Ren have been in the same class since their first year of middle school. But at the beginning of their final year at high school, the two realize that they have been placed in different classes. A shocking event, especially for Kai, who had learned to take everyday life with his friend almost for granted. Moreover, Kai has always been in love with Ren, although he had never told him, and can only feel happy when he is close to him. The latter, on the other hand, is a less friendly guy than Kai and doesn't seem too affected by this new situation.
The two are a rather quirky pair of friends who usually come up with comic performances to entertain their friends Andy and Kaname: they improvise love sketches in a boy-love style - but behind the jokes, Kai has realized for some time that he really likes Ren. But he can't tell Ren because he's afraid of doing something that could destroy their friendship if Ren doesn't feel the same way.
"My Ultramarine Sky" fulfills the expectations of those who have already enjoyed other works by the mangaka. The focus of this manga is on sweet, tender and at the same time impetuous feelings.
The work deals with the awakening of emotions, the perception of these feelings and the associated acceptance of what one feels, which does not always proceed smoothly. The intensity of this awakening and awareness is so powerful that the young protagonists have difficulty understanding these feelings and reacting to them appropriately. A long-standing routine, daily togetherness, almost as natural as breathing, is upset by a seemingly minor detail, such as the separate classes, and something is set in motion.
The cliché of repressed love is widespread in boy-love stories. Nevertheless, Nagisa Furuya impressively shows how the characters' emotions come to the surface in a powerful yet incredibly tender way. Kai's unease is palpable. He is torn inside. On the one hand, there is the desire to confess his love, and at the same time he is incredibly afraid to do so. Small details such as glances or gestures simultaneously reveal the apparent calm of the less expressive Ren. A calmness that changes over the course of the book and allows us to look deep into his feelings through his gestures.
Over the course of the volume, the two friends approach a confrontation that focuses not only on their feelings, but also on the question of "who they are" and "who they should be".
Unfortunately, it is often the case with boy-love manga that due to the limited number of pages, their story cannot be told in as much detail as one would sometimes wish. While this single volume is satisfying in some ways, it certainly could have offered more if it had been expanded with a few additional chapters. Nevertheless, it is an engaging read.
Although it is only the second work by Nagisa Furuya, the title already presents itself in a fairly mature style. Compared to recent works, there may be minor flaws in terms of background details, but the expressiveness of the characters is already visible at this earlier stage. The design is clear, delicate and soft, which suits the narrative style perfectly. In addition, the story is told very fluidly and cinematically in the panels.
Conclusion
Anyone familiar with some of Furuya's works will quickly recognize where her expertise lies. If you have already enjoyed "Summer of You" or "The Two Lions", you will most likely also enjoy "My Ultramarine Sky". However, for those who are less interested in quiet boy-love stories, in which often nothing more than a shy kiss happens, this single volume might not offer the desired reading experience.
My Ultramarine Sky
€11,69
€12,99
From the creator of My Summer of You comes a high school romance about two friends who’ve always been in the same class, but when a new school year separates them, they realize that their feelings for each other might… read more
