Summary:

Aia and Jun are two unlikely friends with the same problem - the world keeps trying to push them into roles they don’t want. All Aia wants to do is design clothes and fashionable makeup. Yet he’s made to be the model instead.

Meanwhile, Jun has always been made fun of for her freckles - despite her desire to stand up for herself. Together, they can reach their dreams and change their roles in life - but only if they’re willing to face the world as a pair.

Review:

Slice-of-life meets follow your dreams? Where do I sign up?! Bless Vol. 1 is a sweet introduction to a very human story. We have two characters who have deep desires about what to do with their lives - yet society keeps trying to pigeonhole them in a different direction.

That’s probably a tale that many readers can resonate with, right? So it doesn’t take long to get attached to our two leads, Aia and Jun. Their story is calm in the way of slice-of-life stories but also very compelling.

I wish they didn’t focus on the whole “freckles keep you from being pretty” trope, but maybe that’s just me. We’re talking about a story with models, so a slight focus on looks is to be expected.

Overall, I’d say that Bless Vol. 1 is a great story. Not at all what I expected from the cover or title, but still a fun read!

Highlights:
Slice-of-Life
Shonen
Friendships & Bonds

Will I continue the series? Probably

This was a very cute read. I love slice of life manga and it was great to see how the two main characters are going about their high school lives. There is more focus on the Aia than Jun. I want to know more about her and her glow up striving her to go after a modeling career. This is only vol. 2, so fingers crossed, more about her to come. The illustrations are so beautiful, I found myself just staring at the pages after I read them. I'm so invested in this series and I'm along for the ride!

I had a nice read, even though I think I expected more. First, I felt the story was a but rushed. I wished we spent more time on the AOI Con, and getting attached to the characters. I liked the story about accepting yourself and everything, but everything was going so fast that for some reason I can't really remember what I read... I juste remember having a good time and appreciating the story and the characters.

Bless is a shounen manga about makeup and modeling. A refreshing combo if you ask me! Aia Utagawa is in high school and wants to be a makeup artist. He used to model, but that wasn't enough for him and at the same time he's afraid of this new dream. He meets Jun, a girl like a wallflower, and he wants to do her makeup for a school runway fashion contest. They both want to be something more and we get to see their struggles towards their dreams. Makeup series seem to follow the same pattern albeit this is better as this is shounen. The manga is geared towards professionalism and it's a bit too much considering our main characters' age. As a reader you get to learn a lot, but perhaps I wanted older characters to make this more credible.

The art looks great and this would look even better in color, since you cannot really see the makeup now. There are four books already and it will be interesting to see where this is going and whether there will be romance too. This first part doesn't really get us inside the main characters' head enough, but I hope they will have more persona in the future.

Chapters 1-3 of the manga

From the art to the characters embracing themselves to the story and plot, I am obsessed with everything this manga has shown and with the potential this series has to shine in the long run. This manga follows two characters: a model who wants to be a makeup artist and his classmate with modeling potential. The duo takes their school fashion show by storm, but this is just the beginning. They both take steps to further their budding careers, and I just have to keep reading and support them.

Thank you Kodansha Comics for a copy of Bless Volume 1!

"They said Aia was destined to be a model, and Jun was bullied for her freckles. Together, they will take back the power to define themselves in an inspirational fashion manga that asks cutting questions about what it really means to be beautiful--and what it takes to overcome an arbitrary system that seems to respect talent over hard work."

Bless 1 is perfect for readers who enjoyed Princess Jellyfish and The Makeup Remover. It has fantastic artwork and great character depth. I love stories about friendship and passion - especially if it's related to makeup or fashion! I'm excited to pick up volume 2 and see where it goes!

Initially unsure about this manga, I checked it out on KMANGA and ended up binge-reading it all. It quickly became one of my most anticipated shonen releases this year!

Rereading it physically evoked strong emotions as the characters navigate societal pressures and support each other's dreams. The introduction of Aia's rival adds an interesting dynamic, and details like his braces and rubber bands are unique. Highly recommend for anyone into fashion-themed stories exploring confidence and ambition!

This manga... ugh, it is a bit frustrating because the art style is absolutely fantastic and perfect for a manga set in the fashion/makeup world, but the story could be improved.

It maybe moves a bit too fast and it does not create that much tension or drama. Things just happen at the speed of light - thank goddess for the gorgeous art. But story wise there isn't much. There isn't some character development, some challenges that feel real, some character growth... It's a waste of potential.

I gave it 3 stars mainly because the art is bloody gorgeous!

This is interesting and a good start to the series. I like stories about friendship and achieving dreams with a passion, and I feel like this captures that. I'm curious about how the story will develop and how the characters will evolve.

Thanks NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for this arc!

4/5 stars!

I really enjoyed this arc. I did find, especially at the start, that it felt like some things were either left out or not explained properly as I was pretty confused, but it eventually became more cohesive. Possibly a translation misstep? The art was gorgeous, and I can't wait to read more about these two!

*ARC provided by NetGalley for honest review*

Bless, vol. 1 by Yukino Sonoyama was a unique and interesting look at high schoolers trying to break into the modeling and makeup industry. Pushing back against expectations, they each try to pursue their passions together and get to know each other simultaneously.

This volume was different from what I usually read. I enjoyed it at first, but I did not get to know the characters very much and found that I'm probably not interested in learning more about that industry. I'm sure this manga will be great for many, just wasn't quite for me.

I really wanted to love this. We don't see many manga set in the fashion world but this volume fell short for me. The illustrations, while beautiful, were hard to follow at times and felt cluttered on the page. The story wasn't engaging enough for me and I felt that the characters needed more depth.

a story about a young guy whose passion is doing makeup. it was definitely a journey of self discovery and reflection and it was really nice to see the overall process of his story along with his friend who became his model for different photoshoots and stuff.

i picked this up not knowing anything about it and i was really glad that i did! 🫶🏻 it’s not everyday that we get to see a lot of mangas that are centered on beauty and i find it important that they made the main character a guy since there are a still a lot of toxic masculinity in the whole world and i do hope that with this manga, everyone can embrace femininity 💗

the story itself is very interesting. it was also medium paced and kind of left me on a cliffhanger ( I HONESTLY WANTED MORE 😭 ). but overall, i liked the characters and their personalities and story as well.

Thanks to NetGalley, the Publisher and the Author!

This is a gorgeously illustrated coming of age story.

It's a very fast paced manga, which I don't mind but it did give me the feeling that it had to be rushed.
And like often with manga some of the reactions or actions are over the top.
I loved the artwork and the way it seemed to shift and come to life.

I must say that Bless is not going to be for everyone. If you are new to manga, I suggest you try something else. That being that. I did enjoy it!

ps; sorry for the late review.

Thank you to Kodansha Comics and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this manga. This was an interesting story that contained elements from Smile Down the Runway, Princess Jellyfish, and My Dress-up Darling. I am curious to see what happens next and enjoyed the makeup tips. 5 out of 5 stars

Bless shows us the beginning of the path of a young man passionate about makeup and a young woman passionate about modeling.

I liked that it showed this about prejudices, of hiding something that we are passionate about out of shame of what others will say.

I don't think this story stands out much, but it was an enjoyable read that invites us to reflect for a while on how we face people, the judgments of others, and how we face adversity in the face of new things.

Interesting, fun and humorous.

Thank you Kodansha Comics for the ARC I read on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A lovely manga story about a young man who was an up and coming model who steps away from this to explore his true calling as a make up artist. As he takes this journey he touches the lives of others and learns from them in turn. This is a really engaging manga with excellent artwork, complex and well developed characters and the kind of story that pulls the reader in. Definitely a series to follow.

Copy provided via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

This book captivated me with its touching narrative of two friends on a quest to achieve their dreams. The art and character designs of all of the characters (main and side) were stunning and made me very curious about them.

I am very curious about where this story will be going and am excited to keep reading it.

„Bless“ is a cute but also at times quite confusingly drawn manga about a shy girl that wants to model and a somewhat rough guy who does model but secretly wants to be a makeup artist.
The passion of both is delivered, but their actions and words not always understandable. Especially when it come to the girl, it‘s difficult to understand why she wants to model when she hates being in the spotlight and her only talent seems to be runway walking while being very stiff and uncomfortable when pictures are taken of her.

What I liked is the drawing style though it is not so easy to show the „brilliant“ work of a makeup artist in a black and white manga style.

Thank you Kodansha and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Our two main characters in this volume are Aia and Jun. They are both enrolled in an art high school and have to team up to compete in their school's runway fashion show. Overall, I thought this volume was fine, but I see it being a volume I won't remember the contents of a few months from now. The story is very fast paced with a heavy focus on makeup/modeling. I wish more of this story was set in the art school. It would be interesting to see them learn and interact with other characters at the school. Instead, the school competition is completed by the first chapter, and the characters end up interacting with other adults/rivals in the makeup/modeling world for the rest of the volume. Eventhough the art in this book is really nice, I don't see myself continuing with the series.