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REVIEW: That Blue Sky Feeling GN 1




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FireChick
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Joined: 26 Mar 2006
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PostPosted: Thu Aug 16, 2018 10:53 am Reply with quote
I really like this manga, too! The only things I don't like about it are...

1. The title. (Seriously? That Blue Sky Feeling has to be one of the dumbest titles I've ever heard. I can come up with a better title than that!)
2. The fact that Hidemitsu is 26 and that he and Sanada dated. The age difference is kind of...iffy to me, if you catch my drift. He's old enough to be Sanada's dad, and Sanada claims he's not THAT old, which, well, clearly he is. I don't know what it is with manga and age difference romances, but as long as TBSF doesn't do anything creepy with Hidemitsu and Sanada, I'll tolerate it.
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Engineering Nerd



Joined: 24 Apr 2008
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Location: Southern California
PostPosted: Thu Aug 16, 2018 12:01 pm Reply with quote
I will admit, I am a sucker for childhood friend characters (if done well) and Sanada’s childhood friend Yamamoto really broke my heart, I am not sure how her role will play in the future consider how the story progressed , but regardless I wish her the best since all three main characters are way too precious and lovable.

I am also happy that Noshiro is not being shamed for his body shape in the manga ( fat-shaming is such a tired cliche) and he was treated with respect, as his kindness and proficiency in Judo won him many friends. So that is another plus in my book.
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rahzel rose
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PostPosted: Thu Aug 16, 2018 1:14 pm Reply with quote
FireChick wrote:
2. The fact that Hidemitsu is 26 and that he and Sanada dated. The age difference is kind of...iffy to me, if you catch my drift. He's old enough to be Sanada's dad, and Sanada claims he's not THAT old, which, well, clearly he is. I don't know what it is with manga and age difference romances, but as long as TBSF doesn't do anything creepy with Hidemitsu and Sanada, I'll tolerate it.


I haven’t read the manga so I could be completely wrong, but how far back ago did they date? If Sanada is a second year, then Hide’s probably only around 10 or 11 years older. Which, unless he had a kid real young, would not make him old enough to be his dad. Is the age gap questionable? Of course. But on the other hand, it’s also fiction.
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FireChick
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PostPosted: Thu Aug 16, 2018 2:00 pm Reply with quote
Quote:
I haven’t read the manga so I could be completely wrong, but how far back ago did they date?


It didn't say. I was exaggerating a bit with the "old enough to be his dad" part. But still, a high schooler dating a grown adult man a decade older than him? You have to admit it's still pretty skeevy. I mean, Hidemitsu is a nice guy so far, and I'm interested in reading more. I just honestly hope the manga doesn't make a creepy turn with him and Sanada.
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Яeverse



Joined: 16 Jun 2014
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PostPosted: Thu Aug 16, 2018 4:18 pm Reply with quote
Yeah the 26 yr old part to Hide was a bit on the questionable side, though the other character that Kou seems to hang out with looks more along his age. I guess the onyl other questionable part to Hide was also that Noshiro also happens to go visit his apartment on just his second time meeting him, though I guess the age and this part are just fictional liberties to move the story.

Kind of hoping Kou gets with someone else, Noshiro gets with the female character (or is straight), and so on.

I guess in my read I didn't really see her as having a crush on Kou but rather wanting to get close because she wants to see him lead a good high school life and break out his shell, and also that she wants to know who the real Kou is.
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Alexis.Anagram



Joined: 26 Jan 2011
Posts: 278
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PostPosted: Fri Aug 17, 2018 12:17 pm Reply with quote
Great to see queer content creators getting the chance to put out their own material. I just finished reading My Lesbian Experience... and it pretty much single-handedly revived my belief in comics as a medium. Doesn't surprise me a bit that the Internet is making it a lot easier to shine a light on these kinds of experiences which are both under-examined and actively disappeared, but it's nice to know the trend is taking some kind of a hold. Looking forward to picking this one up next chance I get.

On the topic of Hide and the age gap between him and Sanada, I wouldn't be surprised at all if Okura is drawing from his own experiences to put that to paper. As someone who dated older men throughout middle and high school, I think it's important to recognize that in the classroom/school environment pickings can be slim even for the straightest among us, and for a queer kid growing up in a rural area or small town like myself, the chances of finding someone else who is both out and with whom you are compatible can be slim to none. As a result I've found it isn't remotely uncommon in the queer community to find experiences like my own or that of Sanada's; I recall an episode of How To Get Away With Murder where this exact topic was addressed, with an openly gay lead character stringently debating the idea that he was raped by his camp counselor as a teen, with his straight friend adamantly arguing that he must have been because of the age difference. I was intrigued by how it reminded me of so many conversations I've had with friends along the same lines.

That's not to push an open endorsement of this dynamic, especially in the climate of #metoo and the recent (or should I say constant) revelations regarding the Catholic church where I believe it's of the utmost importance to give victims and survivors of sexual assault our full attention, it's just to recognize that it does exist and it's worth talking about. Legal boundaries in reference to age do exist to protect children, but queer love has for so long been defined by how marginalized and "un-normal" it has been made to seem that a lot of those finer questions about where acceptable forms of expression begin and end have, I think, been placed on the backburner, somewhere behind just trying to survive and be basically happy.
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