The artwork was fine, but this was not for me. The weak plot and rushed pacing were bad enough, but then one character raped the other and it was brushed off like no big deal. I’m not sure what this story was supposed to be, but it wasn’t romantic or interesting.

I absolutely love the art in this manga/graphic novel. I read this online in pdf format so am unsure how this would be bound.

I usually read novels so please forgive if I use the wrong terminology but this book is a very quick read (<200 pages) and it does provide a nice story of a second chance romance between two young men. I would have loved the space for the author to explore the relationships more. It is a really lovely read and I enjoyed the beautiful artwork.

I was cute, but very rushed. I would have liked to get to know them and their story. They were very surface level and not very interesting at that.
The story was fine, but I didn’t care if they ended up together at the end of the manga.
Kinda disappointed, but it’s a quick, easy read so if that’s what you’re looking for then this is the book for you

This was an interesting one-shot story that delt more with reconnecting with the past as an adult. I was surprised that this story started with a high school breakup and went from there. It was nice to see the adults be small town adults with the struggles that come with that. Spice level in this BL was mid, nothing too graphic, but it is there for like two scenes. The first scene is questionable consent wise, while the other is not. If you're looking for something a little more mature, give this one a look!

2.5-3.0 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC!

Ishizaki and Mishima were high school sweethearts until Ishizaki, planning to move away for college, lied and broke up with Mishima. Seven years later, Ishizaki moves back home and wants to rekindle their past relationship. Mishima is initially reluctant but agrees.

This felt like a fairly standard BL one-shot manga. I imagine that, like most manga, it was serialized in a magazine before being compiled into a tankobon volume. If that were the case, the pacing makes sense--the author has to establish the genre and tone, and capture the audience's attention before developing the story. That said, I would have preferred a different order of events (or more chapters) to give the story time to develop further. I appreciated that this was a story in which the family is accepting of a same-sex relationship, but I felt that the high school flashbacks were more fleshed out than the seven-year time jump. I also found it difficult to believe that the characters' feelings would linger after seven years, especially after the way they broke up. If only one to two years had passed, I would find this premise more believable, as well as the characters' depicted maturity levels. As it is, the first sex scene felt abrupt and unnecessary; had the story been allotted more chapters to develop, I think their second relationship would have made more sense. In short, I would consider this story to be a little ambitious--too much content with not enough space. That said, I am glad that the volume includes translation notes--I always enjoy reading those, and it is helpful to readers less familiar with Japanese language and culture.

Thank you NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for the digital ARC! The White and the Blue Between Us is a BL/Yaoi manga with a second chance romance theme. Years ago, Hozumi left his island home and everything there behind, including his boyfriend, Mishima, harshly telling him that he never loved him. Now, seven years later, Hozumi has returned home to help his parents after his father is injured and he wants nothing more than to reunite with Mishima and clear up the harsh things he said. But as Mishima rebuffs his advances and hides away in the lighthouse he cares for, can Hozumi reach him and rekindle what they once had? The White and Blue Between Us is a moving romance with a more mature storyline and art for older readers.

This manga is a cute one shot. Nothing spectacular. The art is nice, I loved the backgrounds more than the characters style but that is quite a personal taste.
The story is very simple and not very new.
I felt that the R rated parts were a bit forced.

Unfortunately, The White and Blue Between Us didn't really work for me. It had a cute premise. I'm usually a sucker for a good second chance romance. The setting of the island and lighthouse was also beautiful, and I loved the art style so much. None of that could save this book from the atrocious pacing and questionable plot, though. The story moved really fast, and the pace was often jarring. I never felt like I got a chance to know the characters, and the story jumped between the past and the present too much. This was on track to be a solid three stars despite its shortcomings until the rape happened. At least, I think it was a rape. Maybe it was supposed to come across as a moment of passion, but one of the characters seemed way too hesitant. The whole thing made me uncomfortable, especially when it was swept under the rug and never mentioned again. There was a cute story buried somewhere in here, especially with how much I loved the bonus chapter showing the story of their original relationship from high school. It was just overshadowed by Hozumi's obsessiveness and forcefulness, as well as the lack of time to really get to know either of them. Therefore, I give The White and Blue Between Us a rating of 2.5 out of 5 stars.

I really loved the art style of this manga as well as the beautiful cover! Unfortunately the pacing of this manga left me a little confused.
It's a super short story of two boys who dated in high school and find eachother again 7 years later, but it all felt a little rushed. Some scenes felt like maybe I missed a few pages. I wish it was longer with some more depth to both characters.

Thank you to NetGalley for letting me read this early in exchange for a honest review!

The White And Blue Between Us by Kiyuhiko
☀️☀️⛅ 2.5/5

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

I loved the style of this graphic novel - the art itself is spectacular and really eye-catching. At first I didn't appreciate the black and white styling but it grew on me, though I think the story could have felt more impactful with some frames including one or two signature colours for emphasis here and there because the plot itself felt pretty weak in comparison.

For me the most impactful part of the story was the flashback sequence which is only listed as a bonus chapter at the end, so structurally I would have liked to see this upfront to build on their relationship first because without any context their rekindling didn't grab me as anything exciting. The development back into trying a relationship again was way too rushed, and the first sex scene was unexpected and felt out of place in the narrative. The pair spending time together after the time jump was nice but with all of the narrative conflict resolved there wasn't much to keep me interested from then on.

This was a quick and mostly enjoyable read but ultimately I don't think it will be very memorable with the very simple plot.

Similar to the cover art, this story is like the ocean waves. Sometimes gentle and calm and other times rough and fast. However in the end, the wave is part of the ocean, a part of a larger picture.

This story is similar. Seven years later Hozumi returns to the island town he grew up in, where he left behind his close friend and first love, Mishima. They haven’t spoken since, but Hozumi returns in hopes to reconcile, while Mishima has isolated himself in the lighthouse. As the story unfolds the two grow to understand their feelings while unraveling the misunderstanding and words unsaid.

This story feels like a glimpse into a bigger story. Using emotions to progress the story while weaving the occasional flashbacks, the story has a foundation for the characters and their situation. However, I felt it wasn’t enough. I couldn’t connect to the characters or feel for their situations. Although the flashbacks were well placed, the timing felt uneven. There were many times I couldn’t tell how much time had passed and whether or not things were moving too fast.

Aside from our two main characters there are a few others. Although they are significant to the story they are not memorable, similar to a cloud providing shade on a hot day while sailing. They all seemed like kind and understanding individuals and I think it would have provided the story a bit more depth had they been involved. Hozumi’s brother and Mishima’s grandfather are the only two characters we know a little bit better than the rest.

I enjoyed the gentleness of this manga. It has an almost soft calmness to it while retaining details, that just made me keep reading. The artwork reminded me of the 1980’s style mixed with a modern touch. The backgrounds range from descriptive to blank to highlight emotions and scenery alternatively.

Overall, like an ocean’s wave this story came to an end. It has a happy ending but there’s no feeling. I didn’t feel the emotions the characters went through and the story was far too calm. I was neither unsatisfied or satisfied.

The art was very charming. This manga was overall a cute read, but I thought the story was a bit on the bland side.

This was so cute. A simple slice-of-life story that was short, sweet, and could easily be read in one sitting. I enjoyed the characters. Hozumi and Mishima were very cute together as well. Because the story was so short, I felt that their reunion and rekindling was rushed. We got so many flashbacks from their school days, that it was hard to follow what scenes were a flashback and what was present. All in all, it was fun, though not my favorite.

The first thing that caught my eye about this was the illustrations - they are gorgeous and if you are looking for a BL story based solely on good art this is one for you. But that's the problem, very rarely are we looking for a book based only on good artwork. The story for this manga is just blah and the characters don't have much personality. There also appears to be a non con scene in there, but it's kind of brushed past. The 2 MC's just seem to be on 2 different wave lengths then entire story - and I'm not sure how they actually make it work. There is also a scene at the end, while it's not graphic it turns the manga into something I can't have at my library and some might not feel comfortable reading. I feel like both scenes between the boys could have been done more tactfully - and overall the story could have been fleshed out a bit more for an overall more enjoyable experience.

Thanks to #NetGalley for an advance e-copy of #TheWhiteandBlueBetweenUs by Kiyuhiko to read and review.

Love the cover and art style. Just wasn't a massive fan of the book.

There wasn't much of a plot apart from "Boy dated boy in high school. Boy broke up with boy in high school. Years later they reunited". The reason for the break up was silly, and I would have preferred to see some grovelling in here.
I found both of the MCs lacking something. Ultimately, I just don't think this book was for me.

This was my first manga and I really enjoyed it. It was hard at first for me to figure everything out, but when I did I had a fun time. It’s cute love story between 2 sweet guys. I would love if it was a bit longer cause the whole story felt a bit rushed (and definitely, as a romance reader, wouldn’t mind more smut).

All in all, very enjoyable read :)

I liked the idea of this story from the description and the cover is stunning, with a unique title. However, the story felt messy and rushed and at a point confusing. I really wanted to like this story but it was bland and the characters also had no appeal to me.

I appreciated how the title's metaphor captured the complexity of the characters' relationship, with imperfections and protective efforts adding depth. The surprising and heartwarming supportive family dynamic defied societal challenges in Japan, highlighting a need for such acceptance globally. However, my concern lay with the pacing; while the initial four chapters showcased great art and characters, there was insufficient character development. After Hozumi and Mishima reunited, the six-month time-skip left me yearning for more relationship growth. The inclusion of 'spice' in the story felt somewhat extraneous, seemingly added for the sake of it.

such a beautiful romance story. Made my heart all snuggling and warm as you could tell they still loved each other but with all the time that has passed and all the things they have been through, it was so endearing seeing their journey together.

Will defiantly recommend anyone to read.

The pacing was not great with this story, it could have benefitted from some extra chapters instead of just four. I also think Mishima forgave Hozumi far too quickly, especially since he was shown to still be angry and hurt seven years later. Speaking on Hozumi, for somebody who wanted very badly to apologize he skirted around the issue for a very long time until he and Mishima slept together. Messy stories can be entertaining and good, but the pacing and characters weren't.