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readingsweetblueflowers · 7 years

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Reviews of Sweet Blue Flowers omnibus volume 1

UPDATE 2018/03/18: Corrected the attribution on the Geekly Grind review. (The site was apparently moved and/or renamed.)

UPDATE 2017/12/09: Added two more reviews, from TheOASG and Otaku USA.

UPDATE 2017/11/03: Added two more reviews, from More Bedside Books and Experiments in Manga.

Now that I’ve finished my own comments on omnibus volume 1 of Sweet Blue Flowers, let’s take a look at what other people thought of it. Here’s a not-quite-comprehensive list of reviews of volume 1 that I found online. (I ignored reviews on YouTube since I’m allergic to watching video reviews.) I’ve listed the reviews in rough order based on the prominence of the reviewer and the insightfulness of their comments.

Erica Friedman at Okazu. Friedman is one of the most well-known promoters and reviewers of yuri manga and anime, and hers is the single most authoritative site in English for yuri-related news. She also did previous reviews of volume 1 and volume 2 of the Japanese edition of Sweet Blue Flowers (Aoi Hana), which together cover the material in omnibus volume 1. In this review she rated omnibus volume 1 as 8 out of 10 overall, with art and characters at 8 and story and “yuri” at 7.

Summary: “... although the opening and the ending are—in my opinion —very weak, the rest of the story is excellent. It’s got surprising depth and breadth. Characters that surround Fumi and Akira are as well-developed as they and as interesting. ... This is the version we all wanted. There’s no excuse not to buy it and support the author and folks at the publishing companies that brought it to us!”

My take: Friedman has been a big fan of Sweet Blue Flowers both in manga and anime form, and I think her judgements are generally sound. In particular I agree with her characterization of Sweet Blue Flowers as a modernized “Story A” and “[class] S for a new generation.” I also share her opinion regarding the weakness of the opening, although our reasons may differ slightly. (Based on other reviews I’ve read of hers, the “ending” she’s referring to is the ending of the entire series; I’ll comment on that when the time comes.)

Rose Bridges at Anime News Network. ANN is the most prominent anime news and review site; they also do a fair number of manga reviews. Bridges gave Sweet Blue Flowers an overall B+ grade, with a B for story and an A for art.

Summary: “Overall, this release is an excellent way to dive into a yuri manga that's a cut above the rest. Sweet Blue Flowers still has plenty of its genre’s trappings, but also enough bite for those seeking something more realistic.”

My take: As with Friedman, I basically agree with Bridges’s review, and think she has some useful things to highlight about the work thus far.

Amelia Cook at Otaku USA. Otaku USA is a print and online magazine covering anime and manga; Cook is also the founder of the Anime Feminist web site. Her review is favorable. She particularly calls out the depiction of the four main characters (Akira, Fumi, Yasuko, and Kyoko) as being realistic and nuanced. She rated Sweet Blue Flowers as “recommended”.

Summary: “Sweet Blue Flowers [paints] a picture of everyday life with complicated young women going through important formative experiences. You’ll end the 400-page volume rooting for them all to have a happy ending.”

My take: I found it interesting that Cook’s is the only review I’ve linked to thus far that calls out and (in my opinion, rightly) criticizes the inclusion of the subplot involving Akira’s brother. My only minor (and somewhat self-serving) quibble with Cook’s review is her claim that “The overwhelming impression is that this is yuri predominantly for queer women.” I agree that Shimura did not (and does not) write for the male gaze and goes beyond standard yuri tropes, and thus Sweet Blue Flowers would likely resonate more with queer women than many other yuri works. However I think the publishing history of the manga points toward it being intended for a mixed audience of both women and men, both queer and straight.

Helen at TheOASG. TheOASG is a group anime/manga blog. This is a generally favorable review, albeit with some concerns expressed about the use of yuri tropes, possible queer-baiting, and the reaction by Yasuko’s family to her and Fumi’s relationship being unrealistic. She rated Sweet Blue Flowers at 3 out of 5.

Summary: “Sweet Blue Flowers ... treats its characters as people, not characters created for the reader’s gaze but real teenaged girls dealing with the always overly-complicated world of high school. But it still remains to be seen just how many times these girls have their hearts broken and mended by the time they graduate.”

My take: I can understand Helen’s confusion about exactly what type of story Sweet Blue Flowers is supposed to be: cute schoolgirl yuri or a realistic depiction of a teenaged lesbian? As I’ve written previously, I think that ambiguity is actually deliberate on Shimura’s part. I’ll also note a minor error in the review: she mentions both schools as having active drama clubs, but this is true only of Fujigaya; the club at Matsuoka is in danger of being disbanded.

@livresdechevet at More Bedside Books. A generally favorable review that focuses in particular on translation issues and changes from previous digital releases of volume 1.

Summary: “All in all Sweet Blue Flowers is an enduring series about maturing and girls in love with other girls finally receiving print treatment in English. ... Whether someone is familiar with the genre and history or not it’s a story with characters that can reach out to teenagers as well as older readers.”

My take: Her point regarding the translation of Fumi’s interior thoughts regarding Chizu is a good reminder of the potential pitfalls of interpreting a work solely through a translation of it.

Ash Brown at Experiments in Manga. A generally favorable review that highlights Shimura’s artwork and its relation to theatrical performance, as well as the realism of character actions and interactions.

Summary: “Sweet Blue Flowers is a wonderful series. The manga is emotionally resonate, with a realistic portrayal of the experiences of young women who love other young women. The characterizations and character development in Sweet Blue Flowers in particular are marvelous. ... Sweet Blue Flowers is a relatively quiet story, but the emotional drama is powerful and the manga conveys a compelling sense of authenticity and honesty.”

My take: Brown makes a good point, that Shimura’s relatively simple artwork “is reminiscent of intentionally minimal set design used in some theatrical performances”. I also agree with Brown’s contention that “the characters’ involvement with the play [Wuthering Heights] is an important part of the series both aesthetically and thematically.” I hope to write more about this general point more in the future.

Eric Cline at AIPT. A generally favorable review. Cline liked the characters and how they were handled, and thought the artwork stood out. One criticism he voiced was regarding a lack of clarity in some scenes in terms of who was talking, and where the scenes fit in the overall timeline. He also questions the exact relevance of one character (apparently Kyoko) to the story.

Summary: “Overall, Sweet Blue Flowers Vol. 1 is a solid start for the series. The characters are likable and well introduced, and the artwork throughout is beautiful. With that said, none of the volume’s more emotional moments are very memorably so. This is a volume that shows promise and generates enough interest to warrant giving the next installment a look, but it doesn’t quite reach greatness as is. I would recommend it, but not enthusiastically so.”

My take: Cline is spot-on about Shimura’s narrative sometimes being difficult to follow; she often makes scene transitions without warning between two panels on the same page. I also agree with Cline about the limited emotional impact of some moments; I think this is a combination of our having spent limited time with the characters thus far, the somewhat artificial and schematic nature of Sweet Blue Flowers as an homage to and critique of the class S and yuri genres, and Shimura’s occasional tendency to emotional distancing in her story-telling. As for Kyoko, I think she is and likely will be a key character in the story.

Ruthsic at YA on My Mind (also at Krutula at GoodReads). An overall favorable review that highlights the art, characters, and good handling of lesbian themes. She rates it 4 stars out of 5.

Summary: “Overall, a manga I am really looking forward to read more of. (There’s also an anime of it, and I am so going to watch it!)”

My take: She makes a good point about the setting of Sweet Blue Flowers being “contemporary, but without the homophobia”, presumably in service to this being a “feel good” story as opposed to a truly realistic one.

Sean Gaffney at A Case Suitable for Treatment. A favorable review from a manga-focused site. He acknowledges that the long delay in bringing out a complete official translation of Sweet Blue Flowers makes it seem less distinctive compared to more recent works like Bloom Into You or Kiss and White Lily for My Dearest Girl.

Summary: “Sweet Blue Flowers is absolutely worth reading and checking out, both if you like yuri and if you like Takako Shimura. It’s also only four omnibuses, so shouldn’t devastate your bookshelf too much.”

Alexandra Nutting (writing as EyeSpyeAlex) at The Geekly Grind. A favorable review on a site focused on anime, manga, and video games.

Summary: “At the end of the day, I really enjoy Sweet Blue Flowers. The characters feel real and have a depth and complexity to their lives. While the visuals could be a little more striking, it fits the down to earth tone of the manga.”

My take: The reviewer praises Sweet Blue Flowers for its “authenticity”, and notes that it is melodramatic but not overly so. I think this is about right.

Leroy Douresseaux at ComicBookBin. A favorable review (score 8 out of 10) on a general comics site.

Summary: “Fans of yuri and shojo romance will want to smell the Sweet Blue Flowers.”

My take: A fairly brief and vanilla review, though it does make an interesting point about the confusion due to the number of characters and their different feelings evoking the state of confusion the characters find themselves in.

And one final “not really a review” item:

Rachel Thorn at Twitter. Thorn asked for opinions on Sweet Blue Flowers, apparently for an article she’s writing on Takako Shimura’s work. (Thorn announced separately that she’s completed the article, but hasn’t announced when or where it will be published, or whether it’s in English or Japanese. However from something Erica Friedman wrote elsewhere I believe it may be intended for the Japanese magazine Eureka.) Warning: Some of the replies have mild spoilers for the end of the manga.

#Sweet Blue Flowers #Aoi Hana #Takako Shimura #yuri #manga #reviews

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