I loved the art in this manga.

Unfortunately though, that was about the only thing I enjoyed. The plot was rather messy and rushed making me think this would've been a better slow burn multiple volume, rather than a single volume, and there were a lot of conversations and plot points that were discussed once and then completely glossed over or forgotten about.

The thing that I really disliked, though, was that this was a romance, but it didn't feel romantic to me at all. The whole thing felt one sided and forced. Mishima made it clear very early that he wanted nothing to do with Hozumi, but Hozumi forced his way into his life and wouldn't accept the clear boundary that was set. Then the sex scenes felt rapey to me. Especially the first one where Mishima clearly wasn't comfortable or okay with the situation.

I only got about 15% into this as it was archived before I finished. However what I read was paced very well and the characters individuality was really well fleshed out and established. I think I would’ve enjoyed this looking over the premise and with the execution of the beginning that I had read. Would be very interested in continuing and picking up the authors later works!

I couldn't get enough of the characters and the story. I really loved the way this story unfolded, and how easy it was to love and root for them. It was such a beautiful story. Thank you netgalley for sending me an arc of this book.

I absolutely loved this manga, and I can appreciate it as a standalone. Which makes it easier to suggest to customers new to boys love manga, as it's not a series with a huge number of volumes.

It's very mid in most aspects.
Edition and translation feel well done.
The art looks good but nothing remarkable.
The story starts OK but it falls off the cliff real fast. The conflict is set well in the first part, then we don't get much explanied and suddenly all is solved and it ends. Has a spicy scene in between.

Can't really recommend it.

A melancholic story about second chances, but it sadly it didn't fully do it for me.
It was a nice, quick read and I generally liked the art style but it won't become an all-time favourite.
The setting with the lighthouse was lovely and one of my favourite parts.

A quick read that is mostly sad, considering the setup, but gives you hope with its ending.

Hozumi and Mishima were friends in high school and first loves. At the end of the year, Hozumi told a lie that has had an impact in bith their lives. Seven years have past and Hozumi retuens to the island to help with the family business. As he starts to build his life there, he learns more about Mishima and how he has become fairly reclusive. With lingering feelings, Hozumi wants to meet Mishima again and see how he is doing. Mishima still has a lot of resentment and doesn't want to see Hozumi again. Unfortunately for him, Hozumi is very persistent. After they finally meet and talk they discover they both have feelings for each other and begin to start fresh.

The White and Blue Between us is a sweet BL manga romance. The characters have a past and lingering feelings for each other. Watching their relationship blossim again was sweet. Overall, I enjoyed the story. I did find Hozumi to be overbearing and a little selfish. He frequently did what he wanted and didn't think ahead to the consequences of how it would make Mishima feel. I loved Mishima's character and found myself wanting to see more from him. He didn't seem nearly as invested as Hozumi was in the relationship and several times I wondered if he still had trouble trusting Hozumi. It was an enjoyable read if you enjoy second chance romance and short, sweet romances.

Thank you Kodansha for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley.

2/5 ⭐️

This had so much potential with tropes that I like: high school romance, small town romance, reunion, second chance. I'm a huge fan of "I Hear the Sunspot" and was super excited to give "The White and Blue Between Us" a read! Unfortunately, I was left disappointed at the messy execution.

The story follows Mishima and Hozumi, who dated in high school but then broke up. Hozumi moves away for college, but returns years later to help with the family business.

I was already rubbed the wrong way by the opening page. The synopsis stated a “white lie” but Hozumi's was a HUGE lie, which understandably left Mishima feeling hurt. His reason for lying made absolutely no sense. He deeply betrayed Mishima… and for what?

Furthermore, Hozumi’s actions throughout the manga were just not great. His main interaction with Mishima is constantly being told to go away. The extremely sudden and fast-paced smut scene initiated by Hozumi left a sour taste in mouth with how potentially dubcon/noncon it is, especially considering Mishima's negative reaction and Hozumi's thoughts after.

The pacing is all over the place in the manga. There was constant flipping back and forth between their high school years and their current time as adults. Mishima takes Hozumi back in for no reason after being hurt by him again, and then shortly after there’s a timeskip where the two are happy and lovey-dovey?? The reader is given zero time to watch these characters grow & truly reconcile with the past, and is just expected to accept this. This manga has a total of 2 smut scenes in under 200 pages, but they hold no substance due to how quickly everything progresses.

On a positive note, I really liked the art style, especially the eyes, and the cover art is lovely. There was also one family moment I enjoyed, but it was also underwhelming at the same time.

I don't think this story worked well as a second chance romance. I couldn’t stand Hozumi as one of the main characters, and I was certainly more invested in them as high school sweethearts than adults. Poor Mishima deserved so much better.

Unfortunately I don't see this as a book I'll be adding to my shelf. This work is a bit on the older side (2018), and it definitely shows with its tropes. The plot was jumbled, characters lacked development both in themselves and their love lives, and the bonus chapter was just awkwardly placed. There are many unlocalized works that exist, and I’m a little disappointed that Kodansha chose to translate this one.

This second-chances romance is all anyone who adores the trope of missed love can want. This heartwarming yet angst filled manga has just the right combination of light-heartedness and deep emotional connection. Lovers of romance manga will adore this cute romance between two high school best friends who turn into something more ten years down the line.

I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to read the ARC, but I have to be honest and say this one was a bit of miss for me.
For some reason I just could not connect with the characters and the art didn't catch my attention either so it really just got very hard to read just to keep my attention on it.

Really enjoyed this one.

Loved the art work.

I also love the front cover to this.

Hope to get a physical copy one day.

I'm normally not really into manga, but this was a sweet story. I think this is perfect for teens who might not read a lot of manga, but enjoy comics and romantic stories.

This was a really sweet manga following two boys that dated in high school and broke up. We're now revisiting them seven years later as they try to rekindle their romance. Overall, I really enjoyed this and the artwork was nicely done too.

The White and Blue Between Us is a fast-paced and enjoyable queer romance. Hozumi and Mishima were in love during high school, but seven years have gone by. With the backdrop of the lighthouse, Hozumi and Mishima must decide if they can ever find their way back to each other. This was a sweet and angsty romance that it was easy to become invested in. I liked the lighthouse imagery! I’d recommend this to readers who enjoy a second chance romance.

Thank you to Kiyuhiko, Kodansha Comics, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately I have mixed feelings about this story. There are scenes where the characters are adults and flashbacks to when they are in high school, but it is hard to distinguish between the past and present in some parts. The first sex scene was sudden and gave off an uncomfortable vibe. It is unclear to me why the one MC even forgave the other so quickly for what happened in high school. I think this story could’ve benefitted from more relationship building for that to make sense.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC.

Look, you'll get a backstory for this one like an internet recipe.

I have been trying to get into more manga on and off for half of my life now, mostly very unsuccefully because the kind of stories I like, I couldn't get my hand on with a few notable exceptions.

I requested "The White and Blue Between Us" by Kiyuhico mostly because it was free and I was going through graphic novels like a thief swiping money off the counter after a bank heist (true story, you can ask NetGalley). I had no idea of what kind of story I was about to get but I'm so glad I took the risk.

This was the loveliest, realest, ordinary love story, perfect for when you want to start and finish something light in the space of a few hours

I loved the characters, their normal jobs and lives and how they went through several stages of their relationship with conversations about their thoughts and reservations. The way the story ended with the book title being mentioned, was so beautiful and poetic, that it made sure that this story will always stay in my head.

If you are feeling a bit down, need something fast and uplifting or just like beautiful romance and manga, I absolutely recommend this to everyone. It was something truly special.

Thanks to NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for this DRC.

I liked the environment in which the story takes place. A small island, where time seems to pass more slowly. It is quite a simple love story, but it has unique elements, like a light house, or the coming out scene.

I liked the drawing style, although at times I had the impression that it wasn't quite consistent. But I liked the texture and the use of gradients.

It was relaxing reading it, and made me want to live there, with apparently less things to worry about.

I went into this knowing my girlfriend gave it a low rating but knowing our bookish tastes are often different I was curious to see what I would think of this. Unfortunately I agreed with my girlfriend on all counts.
This manga had severe pacing issues. The story did not flow at all and there was no sense of time throughout the story.
There was absolutely no chemistry between the two men, but it's hard to make chemistry believable when the characters themselves have no personality.
The sex scenes were really uncomfortable to the point that it felt like assault.
Overall this manga was just a huge miss.

I really had enjoyed this book when I read it thinking that there'd be more books to follow. I was very upset to find that this was it. Knowing that there will not be any more I can only give this book a two star. It felt incomplete and too short. You almost don't get enough information and interaction as them as adults aside from the sex. You don't get to see the relationship truly grow and flourish. Really you end up with my questions than you do answers

Do you like the miscommunication trope? If so, look no further. When Hozumi left the island for school, he turned down his friend Mishima, claiming he had never really been interested in him romantically. Now he's back, and Mishima - instead of going out and living the life Hozumi hoped for him - has become a recluse and shut-in. Is it too late to help his one-time love?

The timeline in this manga wasn't always super clear: flashbacks to high school are interspersed with the present, and we skip around through the months, as manga is wont to do. I'm not a huge fan of the miscommunication trope (any more) but 15 your old me would have been absolutely delighted by this.