BLESS immediately reminded me of Paradise Kiss in terms of concept (teens working in the world of fashion), but is more akin to titles like BLUE PERIOD in execution. Both main characters open the story by feeling lost and out of place, but through their school's art show they're able to discover their passions that drive them into finding their true self. I think this new series is perfect not only for fans of make-up and high fashion, but also those who gravitate towards stories about chasing your dreams.

I loved this first volume of Bless by Yukino Sonoyama. The art is beautiful, in the way that fashion manga art tends to be, and despite the limitations for a makeup manga of being in black and white, the transformations come through in the character's expressions.

What I liked best about this manga is how Aia wants to use makeup to transform people by highlighting their natural beauty. This is empowering and helps his classmate and current model Jun to want to hold her head high and pursue a job as a model after previously feeling self-concious of her height and freckles.


The dynamics between Aia and Jun were reminiscent of Princess Jellyfish, another manga I also enjoyed. I'm looking forward to the next volume!

Besides the mystical and strikingly detailed art, the manga Bless by Yukino Sonoyama is an excellent commentary on beauty standards and expectations within the modelling/makeup industry. The story was very fast-paced, but that's just how mangas are. The dynamic between the two MCs were realistic, formulated on genuine bond rather than relying on plot holes or cliches. I was particularly enraptured with Aia and Oya's dynamic, and I'm looking forward to the second book--- hopefully they explore their mentor-estranged student relationship more! Onto the characters themselves.

AIA
To begin with, his character design is beautiful, (as it's supposed to be, given his model status at their school.) I loved his passion for his work, displayed as we look through his eyes and he's critiquing everyone around him, thinking of how he would use makeup transform them. I liked that he didn't fall into any of the cliche tropes we see in main characters, and remained true to himself as he worked through his journey.

SUMISAKI
Watching her grow confident in herself was wonderful, accepting her features and learning how to love them. Tall and freckled, Sumisaki goes from insecure and reserved to assertive and companionable. (a bit) unrelated, but reading her modelling scenes? Stunning. You go girl.

As I leave my final words for this review, all I want to say is that this manga is a very slice-of-life kind of manga. It's a light read if you're looking for something to fill your time or while you suntan on the beach. That's all! xoxo

Aia, a former model with a love for makeup, gets teamed up with his female classmate in a makeup/modeling competition. Can he prove his skills are enough to win the competition?

This is a great start to a series that I think teens would be interested in. The artwork is great, and the main characters are pretty unique in their looks so as not to get confusing with other characters. It follows an aspiring makeup artist who teams up with his female classmate who turns out to be an excellent model. I think for teens who are interested in style, fashion, makeup, etc this would be the perfect series to read. While I don't think I will continue with the series, the story was unique and kept my interest throughout. I wish there were color to show the makeup that the storyline focuses on, seeing as makeup is all about color, but I understand that this is not in the style of manga.

4/5 stars

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Kodansha for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was really cute! It's a makeup artist/model manga with really nice art and expressive characters, very vaguely reminiscent of Paradise Kiss (aka a tall girl modelesque and complete amateur, anyway) and just kids living their dreams, learning that maybe! We don't have to lie to ourselves about the things we want and go for them how we can anyway!

I feel like we didn't yet get much of a sense of Jun but this is volume 1 and we have further volumes to go from here. I'm looking forward to the next volume!

Thank you to Kodansha and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for review!

It's hard to really sell the makeup in a black-and-white manga (fashion is slightly different because there's a lot more texture and patterns - so when we got to see the runway at Aoi Con, it worked really well). This reminded me a lot of Smile Down the Runway with the roles slightly rearranged. It felt like we missed some of the important build-up, though - with the importance of Aoi Con and what kind of school they are to have such heavy-hitting alumni in the arts and fashion industries.

The long, flowing lines in the character designs for Aia and Jun as well as the huge over-the-top facial expressions really lend themselves to making the characters' emotions the center. I'm looking forward to getting to know them both better in future volumes because I feel like we've barely scratched the surface.