This was a solid read. Standalone manga can be very difficult to pull off as you just don't have the time to really teach the reader about the main character. That being said this manga was very food for a standalone. I really enjoyed the romance between the main characters and I found them both to be pretty like able. I do wish there had been a content warning as this manga did have a pretty heavy scene in it. Because of that I am only giving this manga 3 stars.

I don't love BL Manga although I'm intrigued by them, but this isn't a t fault for this rating. It would be more of a 3 out of 5 since the story is cute albeit basic, but the author thought wise to include a random sex scene which was non consensual (I think? I was very confused about what was going on there) which is a big red flag.

Thank you NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for the ARC

I think this is a pretty classic book. This is a second chance romance where they were together in high school, but unfortunately one of them broke up with the other and lied about their intention so they go back together a couple years later without getting back together, this is the story of them falling back in love and sorting things out. I think this is really cute although I think this type of book is very much over done

This isn’t love, the way he just blurt out that he isn’t in-love with his boyfriend anymore then left him and now he came back after 7 years spouting things like “i missed you” to him did not sit right with me. There isn’t enough relationship build up, the conflict could’ve been resolved with him communicating his concerns to his partner, not giving him false lies. I hate how he just forgave him after everything :( like he didn’t just break his heart and the way the guy forced himself on him? nope.

A good manga to start with as it was all wrapped up in one volume and it wasn't a heavy read as most of the conflict and angst is resolved in the first half of the volume. When a manga has an angsty premise I go in expecting to be saddened and I came out of this wishing it had made me more emotional. It was trying to show many different scenes both past and present but it didn’t feel developed enough leaving me wondering things such as why Ishizaki, who left Mishima to go to college, wanted to go there in the first place, what he wanted to study and his dreams. I did like the bonus at the end that showed how they met in highschool and how their relationship grew. I do understand that it can be hard to fit a lot into a single volume story without sacrificing some things. The NSFW scenes surprised me, they felt kind of shoehorned in. Overall it was fine.

Maybe I've been spoiled with other LGBTQ+ manga in the past, but this wasn't it.

This gave us no romantic build-up as all of that happened before the book started. The writing and dialogue were very perfunctory and blunt. I did not care about any of the characters.

And there was a very uncomfortable dubious consent scene that didn't need to be there. I know some BL mangaka love to include this, but I hate it, and as I said above, I have been spoiled by LGBTQ+ manga with teens as the main characters that do not include this.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing the E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I so wanted to like this, but unfortunately, while the art was nice, the story was severely lacking and nonsensical. The timeline was all over the place, we barely got to know anything about either of the male leads beyond the surface level, and the plot was so jumpy I was getting mental whiplash. I really wish I could have enjoyed this more as it had such a huge potential. Unfortunately the potential vanished when we went from "I barely know you anymore" to them in the throes of sex seconds later, and it didn't recover from there. It was not one for me.

The idea is good, but the execution was a bit of a letdown. This one shot shows two former boyfriends meeting again after years. During high school, Hozumi lied to Mishima that he didn't love him, but that was a lie. We find out his reason for that as the story progresses. For me, it was a bit of a cliché, but fine. What I really didn't like was that the story felt rushed and confusing at times. I also didn't connect very well with neither of the protagonists. My favorite part was the bonus story at the end, which shows the very begging of their relationship during high school. That was sweet and cute. Overall, an average boys' love that might be a nice read for fans of the genre, but not very memorable.

I'm rounding this up from 2.5. The artwork for this one was beautiful. Unfortunately, much of the story just did not work well for me.

This was a quick fun read for fans of BL. The plot developed at fast pace, and I liked the aspect of former childhood friends turned to pining and then more. If you are a fan of quick BL manga with childhood friends a little angst and some spice pick this book up

I am SO glad I started reading graphic novels/manga last year. I am an empath and even in drawings I can pick up on emotions and to me, reading emotions is much more potent than reading or listening to words. And those emotions is what really saved this one for me.

So 7 years ago, Ishizaki lied to the love of his life, Mishima in high school to make him hate him. Now, after going away to college, he’s back and all he can think about is finding a way to make Mishima forgive him. But when he finds out Mishima has become a shut-in, he does everything he can to get him back.

The premise was so good. The artistry was gorgeous! But I felt like many other reviewers…it was just missing so much. I got the gist of what was going on, but the timeline skipped, things just happened without build up, and then it ended. I needed quite a bit more to make this a favorite.

But again, the premise and artistry was superb…the execution was just a bit lacking. At least the smexy scenes were decent.

Breakup: yes, in the very beginning
POV: 1st, Dual
Top/Bottom or Vers: Top/Bottom

𝘙𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘋𝘢𝘵𝘦: February 13, 2024
𝙄 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙚𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙙 𝙖 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙮 𝙘𝙤𝙥𝙮 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠. 𝘼𝙡𝙡 𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙢𝙮 𝙤𝙬𝙣.

The White and Blue Between Us is the story of Hozumi and Mishima's relationship. At the end of highschool, after dating for only one season, from summer to autumn, Hozumi broke up with Mishima to pursue college in the city. After seven years, Hozumi returns and desperately wants to be close to Mishima again.

The art is well draw and enjoyable. I can't say the same about Hozumi's character, but maybe that's because there was hardly any time for the characters to really show their personalities. The story's pacing is a rushed and I wish it would there was more foundation for Hozumi's and Mishima's relationship.

I would recommend this as a read if you're in the mood for a quick one shot BL.

Thank you NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for the opportunity to read this ARC !

The White and Blue Between Us is a messy story with wholesome foundations. It started off pretty cute, but as it went on, it kept on making me second guess my decision as for why I decided to read it in the first place.

The story is about two guys who were dating in high school who broke up and are now reuniting after seven years due to a high school reunion. A classic plot like this felt cosy to read initially, but everything moves at rapid speed, and the characters' emotions just don't feel as strong as they were conveyed to seem. There are no climaxes to the story that would lead to the end while it keeps on building to story points that would warrant a climax and have the couple diverge from each other. Every possible conflict gets immediately resolved, and we get a flash of a sex scene instead of a moment of thought between them.

I think it would have worked much better as a series rather than a single volume because it just ends up feeling like an idea sheet of a slow burn story that is itching to be written.

The first thing I felt from reading this was an inexplicable sense of…deja vu? It felt like I’ve read this story before, I but clearly haven’t. I was left feeling puzzled while trying to figure out the origin of this deja vu. I suppose two boys and a lighthouse isn't uncommon a premise.

Overall, Mishima’s description of Hozumi is pretty accurate, “stubborn” “annoying” and “cowardly”. I think if you leave someone in the same way Hozumi left Mishima, you have no right to force yourself back into the other person’s life the way he did. So I can’t help feeling like the resolution of their relationship was a bit cheap and forceful. But hey, at least the parents were supportive! This is neither a terrible read nor an outstanding read, just pretty standard.

The artwork in this was lovely, the storyline, however, was all over the place.

Firstly, the timeline order was all out of place, it barely made much sense. The whole story felt very rushed to me.
Hozumi lied about loving Mishima, because he was going away for college and didn't want Mishima to feel bad??? How is that any better? "I Never loved you"
He barely made an attempt to win him back, he was just like, yeah okay, after Hozumi practically stalked him.

After seven years, they are both auto in love again and move in with each other after 6 months. When Hozumi told his parents he had a boyfriend, his mam was like yeah your brother told us, thats fine. Like, at least they're nice.

There's smut in the book, but one of the times was kinda rapey and the scenes were so random they came from practically nowhere.

It was rather nice I just only wish the pacing was a bit slower with some further information as things just felt extremely rough even for a series of this length.

This was a cute one shot, it's important to outline this was a ONESHOT so don't expect fully fleshed out characters with intense backstories. It did the job being a simple romantic oneshot that drew to a heartfelt conclusion. That being said, the pacing of the story was really all over the place, it felt like the author had so many idea's and didn't know how to execute them properly in tandem. The main reason I ranked this manga a 2 was because of the sexual assult that was never taken seriously and brushed off as "love". Considering the two characters have not met or contacted eachother in seven years, this decision from the author was disturbing and held no sigificant value to the plot other than me being put off for the rest of the story.

A nice look at a couple reconnecting after years apart, when one partner broke up with another due to the perception of "holding them back." I particularly appreciated the unique detail of one becoming a lighthouse keeper and training to be such in high school, along with this man's overall asocial-ness and a lack of desire for most people's company. I enjoy introvert representation in my romances!

I also appreciated seeing a family be so supportive of a queer relationship, taking it well despite the MC's trepidation about how they would react.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this advanced copy of the novel in exchange for my honest review. I liked the idea behind this manga more than I actually liked the execution. I find that sometimes with translated works, there can be a bit of an issue with interpretations of events that happen. The fact that there was a scene that could be interpreted as a sexual assault with no prior warning definitely threw me off and made me less interested in continuing the story. However, I did and I enjoyed the cut between present and past. The characters were somewhat bland and the story itself was very short. I think if things had been fleshed out more and at least a warning about the possible assault present, I would've enjoyed this manga more.

I don't read much manga, but was drawn to the lovely cover of The White and Blue Between Us. I thought the art was great, and as someone with a lighthouse fetish, I was interested in Mishima's life as a lighthouse keeper.

But this second chance romance didn't really work for me beyond the art. It's short, there's not much of a story, and Hozumi is incredibly pushy/stalker-ish, and there's a scene that reads as dubcon or rape to me, partially because it's so abrupt. Not for me. YMMV.