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With "The White and Blue Between Us", fans of boy-love single volumes on the US manga market now have a new addition.
The single volume by mangaka Kiyuhiko was published in Japan under the title "Bokura wo Hedateru Ao to Shiro" from August 2016 to February 2018 by Honey Milk, which is also the home of "Twilight Out Focus" and "Joy", among others.
This is Kiyuhiko's first release on the US market.
How Was It?
"The White and Blue Between Us" describes the love between Hozumi, an outgoing, energetic young man and Mishima, a shy, reserved man who happens to be the grandson of the lighthouse keeper. Both grew up on a small island and met and fell in love in high school. But at the graduation ceremony, Hozumi confesses to Mishima that he lied and doesn't really love Mishima. This breaks Mishima's heart. Hozumi leaves the island and believes he will never return. But years later, after graduation, his father falls ill and Hozumi returns to help in the family business.
Hozumi wants to make up for the break he caused and confess to Mishima that he lied about his feelings, but when he goes to the lighthouse, Mishima - unsurprisingly - wants nothing to do with him. He even refuses to talk to him and ignores his pleas. Hozumi has to find another way to get Mishima to listen to what he has to say - and it won't be easy.
"The White and Blue Between Us" is a rather tender boys' love story, even if there are some more explicit scenes (which never really go into detail). The story switches back and forth between past and present, so that in chapter 2 we learn how Mishima feels about Hozumi and why he reacts so dramatically to his sudden return after so many years.
Neither Hozumi nor Mishima have really moved on from their previous relationship. Mishima is basically stuck in time, frozen in the moment Hozumi dumped him, and when Hozumi suddenly bursts back into his life, he doesn't know how to react. To make matters worse, Hozumi was not only his first lover, but also his first friend, so the betrayal goes even deeper than it first appears.
There is a lot to be gained from this concept, and it is by no means new. Mangaka Nagisa Furuya, for example, took up a similar theme in "My Summer of You". Nevertheless, "The White and Blue Between Us" shows the problem with many one-volume boy love stories. The mangaka does a good job, but there is simply not enough space to give the story the necessary depth.
This makes "The White and Blue Between Us" feel like a superficial story. We know the broad strokes of their relationship, both past and present, but there's not enough space to give us a full picture. We know Hozumi's motivations, but we don't fully understand them. The same goes for Mishima, who is also left with many questions at the end of the story. We simply don't "know" enough about these two young men to really get involved in this one-shot.
It should be noted that the main plot is resolved relatively early on, followed by an extensive bonus chapter that shows the two in high school and provides much of the backstory to their relationship, which helps to deepen it.
For all its problems, the single volume also has some strengths. The fact that the two meet in a lighthouse leads to some nice symbolism in the story: lighthouses are supposed to guide sailors to safety and show them the way back to port. Ultimately, this also applies to their relationship. In the lighthouse, the two find each other again and a home where they can be happy.
The story is also convincing in its depiction of Hozumi finally coming out to his family. It's refreshing to find another boys-love-slice-of-life manga where there's no big drama and Hozumi's mother and older brother are portrayed as sympathetic and supportive.
The illustrations by mangaka Kiyuhiko are not always perfect in perspective, but have a charm that matches the tone of the story. Her style is rather rough and sketchy, which conveys the characters' emotions well. Compared to other Boys Love works, Kiyuhiko uses relatively many backgrounds in the panels, although these are also simpler. Shading is often created using halftone transparencies.
Kodansha publishes the work in a large format. There is also a color page at the beginning that shows the two characters and conveys a summery feeling.
Should You Read It?
I enjoyed spending some time with the characters, but I wouldn't recommend this manga unconditionally. In my opinion, the title stays too much on the surface in some places and could have used more space to better understand the characters' actions.
Nevertheless, it was a solid single volume that scored particularly well with its shallow symbolism and the family's coming out.
The White And Blue Between Us
€12,59
€13,99
When a white lie tears apart two high school friends, the two boys will have to confront their past in order to repair their future in this moving, dramatic, BL one-shot, perfect for fans of My Summer of You, Seven… read more
