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IT’S! FINALLY! HERE! Okay, so Blue Flag has been a dream project of mine for years. And I mean years. I am not usually a fan of slice of life, school life manga at all. I much prefer punching and screaming and all that jazz. But Blue Flag is a manga that transcends its genre and KAITO-sensei really creates something special with this series. Like, not gonna lie, I even named my dog after one of the characters in this series. It’s just that good! Literally, one of the best manga I have ever had the pleasure of working on.

What makes this manga so special is that while being under the Jump brand in Japan (on Jump+), it’s really not your typical school-life romantic drama. It touches on serious themes such as self-identity and sexuality in such a creative, meaningful and respectful way with characters that are just so…believable and endearing. You really can’t help but just continue reading it until. And now that the final chapter recently came out in Japan, what better time to start by picking up volume 1?

Not to give toooooo much away, but the series centers around four characters—Taichi, Toma, Futuba and Masumi. It’s their last year of high school, and love is in the air. Romantic feelings that have been building up over years of friendship come to light. When Taichi’s classmate Futaba asks him to help her confess to his best friend, Toma, it sparks the catalyst that begins the sweet and heart-wrenching journey of their third and final year of high school.

For some reason, Taichi just can’t stand Futaba. But at the start of his third year in high school, he finds himself in the same homeroom as her, along with his childhood friend Toma Mita, a star athlete. But one day, Futaba opens up to Taichi and admits she has a crush on Toma. She then asks for his help in confessing to him! There’s just one problem—Toma seems to already have a secret crush on someone else. And that’s all you’re gonna get from me on what it’s about! Who does Toma have a crush on? Well, you’ll just have to read it and find out!

KAITO-sensei has always been an underrated mangaka, in my opinion. His art and writing across all of his series, including Cross Manage and Buddy Strike has always been spot on. KAITO-sensei has always had this amazing range in his art style that ranges from serious to comedic and thanks to his writing, the switch between the two never feels forced. Everything is just so seamless and…perfect in how his art and writing just flows through the story. The pacing never dies. The characters and their never feel out of place, no matter how goofy their reactions are. It’s difficult to put into words because KAITO-sensei’s style is just so unique. You really have to just pick up the manga and see for yourself.

All in all, Blue Flag is one of my favorite manga of all time. It’s been a long time coming but volume 1 is finally here. You may have seem some buzz about it from your friends on social media, especially about the last chapter. And you may have thought to yourself, “what’s all this about?!” And if you want to know or are just curious why I think this manga is a masterpiece, I really do encourage you all to pick it up and check it out for yourself by picking up volume 1…and then the rest of the series as it comes out bi-monthly. And then pick up a few more copies and share it with your friends because they’ll want to read it too!

Read a free preview of Blue Flag, Vol. 1 by KAITO here.