THAT BLUE SKY FEELING (Sorairo Flutter), written by Okura & art by Coma Hashii. First published in 2017 and first published in North America in 2018.
PLOT:
Dai is a happy-go-lucky kid who is hoping that this time around, he'll stay at this school long enough to make some friends. Right away he latches onto Sanada, a solitary boy whom his classmates avoid because of rumors of him being gay. Dai is determined to not let that get to him, but the more he tries to get Sanada to open up and smile, the more Sanada pushes back and confuses him. As time goes on, Dai starts to wonder how to get Sanada to befriend him, but why it's so important to him.
STORY:
That Blue Sky Feeling started out as a webcomic in 2009. This manga is actually a later remake of it, in much the same vein as Horimiya and One Punch Man. You can kind of tell that it started that way as its approach to interpersonal drama is much more low-key and nuanced than you usually see in manga.
I appreciate that Okura understood not only the complications of coming out as a teen, but also personal and emotional boundaries. More than once, Dai comes to realize that he's being too pushy and weirding Sanada out. When he does, he always explicitly apologizes to Sanada and finds better, less intrusive ways to reach out. All too often, works like this justify anything in the name of The Power of Friendship so it's good to see one recognize that there do indeed have to be limits.
That being said, it doesn't let Sanada off scot-free. Sanada's attitude towards his sexuality is one that's not far removed from the way that a lot of moody teenagers deal with their problems. He compartmentalizes everything about himself to the point that not even his childhood best friend knows that Sanada is actually gay. He'll portray himself how people want to see him, be it isolating himself from his nervous, homophobic classmates or politely smiling and deflecting other childhood friends because it's easier than trying to explain himself and potentially getting hurt. Dai's attempts at making friends punctures this fiction that Sanada has built for himself. Even if Dai's progress is slow and halting, it's necessary for the both of them.
Since Sanada is so difficult, Okuda brings in a sort of emotional mediator in the form of Hidematsu. He's Sanada's ex, and while the story TOTALLY glosses over the squicky age gap between them, he does end up serving as a good go-between for the boys. He knows Sanada well enough to give Dai information that he needs to get past Sanada's defenses, and sometimes even confront Sanada over his behavior. He also clearly recognizes that Dai himself is at the beginning of his own coming-out story and serves as a gentle, supportive mentor. Honestly, they could have lost the 'ex-boyfriend' angle and lost nothing other than some uncomfortable questions on the part of the reader. It's the only real hiccup in what is otherwise a good coming-of-age story.
ART:
Hashii's art is unpretentious and charming, a good match for the story's down-to-earth tone. Her characters are simply structure, but she gets good nuance out of them. I do appreciate that Dai is a legitimately chunky boy and his heaviness is not treated as a gag. Body diversity like this is rare in manga, much less romantic ones, and it's encouraging to see. Otherwise it's a fairly straightforward book. There are the occasional bits of shojo sparkle during some of Dai's inner monologues and some of the more emotional moments, but that's as fanciful as it ever gets.
RATING:
That Blue Sky Feeling is a touching story of friendship and finding one's orientation. It's a good and gay take on the usual coming-of-age stories that's worth checking out.
This series is published by Viz. This series is ongoing in Japan with 3 volumes available. 1 volume has been published and is currently in print.
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