What if you get so inspired, that it gives you motivation to pursue a dream you gave up on already. What if that inspiration motivates you so much, that you get out of your comfort zone?

All that with a little bit of a wallflower and an awkward teenage maybe- love, maybe- life long friendship.

A very beautiful story, with a lot of heart and beautifully drawn images.

tl;dr
A gorgeously illustrated coming of age story that moves at a breakneck pace.

Thoughts
For a book about an industry based on imagery, the art absolutely nails it. Line work shifts between delicate and sketchy, changing as necessary to portray fluid movement, powerful emotions, and some really attractive character designs. The panels are full of life, and the detailed toning really brings everything together. A few shots in particular took my breath away. The storyline isn't quite as breathtaking as the artwork, but it's competent for what it is: a coming of age tale about teens learning to define themselves in a world full of other peoples' expectations. Pacing is quick, maybe faster than it needs to be. While the narrative was open about the challenges of working in the Industry, it sped along so fast that some of the outcomes felt either sudden or unrealistic. I would love to spend more time on the leads, their inner lives, and their relationship. Thankfully, there's plenty of room in future volumes for that.

I already knew the manga and I knew I wanted to read it and that I would like it, I was right. The story is very sweet but at the same time funny and very thoughtful in some respects. The characters are well characterized and I felt in tune with them. I'm glad I read it and can't wait to continue reading.

4.5 stars.

A very promising start. Interesting characters, intriguing plot and gorgeous art. The biggest issue I have with it is the pacing, everything moves far too fast without enough time to sit with scenes or learn more about the setting and characters. Despite that I’m very interested in continuing with this series.

I really loved the way they matched the art with the story in this. It was a great way to move the story along and kept me intrigued.

The concept was wonderful. This story's premise has to be one of the best I have read so far in mangas. The style was immersive and one could feel themselves within the narrative.

I didn't read the description of this going in and it was a fun surprise. Two classmates who people assume want to do the opposite things team up and show their skills and learn/grow. It was cute and fun.

This manga is going straight into my top favourites of the year - that's how incredibly good it is.

If you like fashion and/or make up, you absolutely need to read this. And if you're not interested in these topics, but like stories where characters are not what they seem at first, definitely give this a try! It won't disappoint you.

The characterisation is top-notch: we get a character with freckles, and a character not only with braces, but with elastic bands on his braces, too. As someone that had to wear those elastic bands for a while when I had braces, I felt so extremely seen!!

This manga oozes originality and power in every page. I can't wait to read the next volumes!

Full review for Booklist Magazine

This story has a lot of heart and is about self-acceptance and pursuing your dream despite what everyone expects of you. Everyone thinks Aia should be a model, but he really wants to pursue makeup and styling. He and his partner, Jun, end up being a break-out sensation at their high school's fashion show, and it gives both the confidence to chaise their real dreams and not cave to what everyone else is pushing them to do. This would be a great next read for fans of Boys Run the Riot.

Sara's Rating: 8/10
Suitability Level: Grades 9-12

Thank you to NetGalley fot providing an eARC of this volume.
I think I would have enjoyed this a lot more if the pacing just calmed down and let me enjoy the characters a bit more. I really really loved Jun for a reason that I cannot explain and I truly wish that she was the main character. From a narrative standpoint Aia is surely more interesting due to his past modelling career but the speed at which the book went on did not allow me to get attached to him at all. Regardless, Jun was absolutely wonderful and the author did a great job at showing that she was a future IT girl the moment she did that first walk. If the volume had ended with Aoi con and taken its time to get there this would have been a 5 stars.

A guy who used to be a model but wants to become a make-up artist. A girl who wants to be a model despite all the insecurities she has. An alliance between the two in order to fulfill all of their dreams.

I loved the drawings, they are really beautiful and there’s a lot of work to create each scene with a lot of details. The story is also interesting, showing the world of makeup and modeling. And the connection between the main characters is very special, I loved how it develops as the story progresses.

Also, this manga has a really nice message about following your dreams and not giving up, about not being too hard on yourself, and bringing out what makes you unique instead of hiding it.

However, some things were a bit confusing, especially the closing scenes, as well as some reactions from the characters that seemed a little exaggerated. But it was okay, it's a good start to a story that promises a lot.

A cute but easily forgettable story.
I was expecting something more but practically nothing happens and the characters are not well characterized.
It's a shame because the illustrations are gorgeous.

This was just alright.

The characters didn’t have the depth that I would like for them to have.
And while I liked all the challenges that was shown in book 1…it felt like the pacing was too fast.

In this YA manga, Aia, a model-gorgeous high school student with a talent for makeup and classmate Jun, a pretty, shy and quiet girl team up to organize a school fashion show. Throughout the story, Jun builds up her confidence while Aia continues to master and turn his love for makeup into an art form.

This is a cute story with lovable characters, you want to root for. Although it seems that the transitions “between scenes” were awkward this did not overshadow the central themes. The artwork was stunning.

Mangas and comics do have themes and Bless 1 demonstrates that confidence and pursuing one's dreams and passions is key to a happy life. Also that self-confidence especially during the teenage years can really have an impact on one's future. I liked that Bless 1 did not stick to traditional gender roles. It shows Aia, a boy doing and loving something that is normally associated with girls, makeup. This should be applauded. Some of the best makeup artists in real life are men. I would read subsequent installments of Bless.

Thank you to #NetGalley, the author Yukino Sonoyama and Kodansha Comics for a digital copy of #Bless in exchange for my honest opinion.

Found this manga refreshing and very on brand with today's society standards. It shows that you can be whatever you want to be in this world as long as you put your dedication and hard work into it. Loved reading this manga!

This book was given to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The art in this manga was absolutely beautiful. However I think it really deserves a full color edition since the makeup artists and models are constantly talking about the use of color in different make up looks, but in the traditional Black, white and grey manga format some of the supposed amazing beauty of the looks are lost. The plot of the manga so far isn't really anything special, but it's still just back story and set up, so it's not a super riveting story yet. I'll definitely check out volume 2 when it comes out though.

-- 2/5 Stars -- ★★☆☆☆

Trigger Warnings for Bless 1: Failure, self-doubt

Bless 1 is the first volume of the Bless manga series by Yukino Sonoyama. In this volume we follow Aia and Jun, two first-year high school students with varying understandings of the fashion industry. Aia is a former model with a true passion for make-up and Jun is a lanky committee executive with a face and body for modeling.

The illustrations alone are stunning. I absolutely love the art style of this manga and the passion depicted through it. This all being said, Bless 1 felt like volumes one, two, three, and four shoved into a singular book. What is Aoi Con? What kind of "art" school do Jun and Aia go to? Who are these characters both main and otherwise? I had a hard time keeping track of why I should care about these characters with little-to-no knowledge on them. I thought the first book would end with Aoi Con, but then the first chapter ended with it and I was none the wiser on what it even was.

Overall, this manga is gorgeous. If you're into make-up and modeling, you may have more excitement than I did for this. That being said, the break-neck pace was too harsh for me. Thank you to NetGalley, Yukino Sonoyama, and Kodansha Comics for providing me a digital copy of this manga in exchange for my honest review.

​Follow all of my reviews at www.goodreads.com/holladazzle
Follow all of my reviews at https://raiseyourwords.weebly.com/

The manga's stunning artwork caught my attention immediately and is definitely one of its strengths. Although the story is pretty interesting, there were times when it felt a bit unrealistic and rushed. For instance, it was difficult to believe how Jun's confidence suddenly grew. If there had been more depth in the character development department, it would have helped to create a stronger emotional connection to the story.

This is a story of being put down and turned in other directions, and then finding that opportunity to follow your dreams and let the world see who you really are. Being true to yourself and find that place that makes you happy. I found that once make up was being applied to transform I had difficulty in working out which character was actually in the drawing. This was confusing but I still enjoyed the comic overall. Thank you to Kodansha Comics and NetGalley for the comic ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.

(Thank you to Kodansha Comics for providing me with an eARC to review.)

I really enjoyed the dynamic between the two main characters. Both the storyline and the characters' personalities pulled me in. The art was lovely, and I loved Jun's flower makeup look. I'm excited to read more of this series.