Saturday 3 August 2019

YAOI REVIEW: BLUE MORNING VOLUME 3

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Blue Morning Volume 3
Author: Shouko Hidaka
Publisher: Viz Media, Subs. of Shogakukan Inc
Pages: 224
ISBN-10: 9781421555546
Reviewed By: Sandra Scholes

When, most of the time I have read yaoi manga based on fantasy, sci-fi or modern day, it's good to get into a decent period drama. This is more like You Higuri's Gorgeous Carat where an aristocratic young man, Lord Akihito has an intense love for Master Katsuragi, though as etiquette dictates, the young lord must find himself a wife.

The woman he chooses is in the form of Duke Sato's daughter who although pleasing to the eye, is no match for the man he really loves.

In this third instalment of the series, Hidaka is insistent on making the series into a love-triangle with the already in love Akihiko and Katsuragi flanked by a go-between, Ishizaki who wants a relationship with Katsuragi. This, of course, will complicate things in the long term as Akihiko won't want to share him with Ishizaki, he will want Katsuragi all to himself!

I found the manga art almost as detailed as Higuri's but the face style is different. The main characters have a harsh quality to their features, maybe it is the eyes that give them such a severity, especially Akihiko, who tries his best to seem straight, but fails miserably when confronted with the love of his life.

There are panels with wide spaces that give the reader a degree of pause to look at the subject matter. I suppose in this way it is similar to being at an art gallery browsing the paintings and taking in what they are trying to depict. Parts of the manga show, other more detailed scenes that seem to matter, as the manga-ka is wanting us to see the heart of what matters in their love.

The cover art and few intense colour illustrations are of interest as the two have been created with such beauty. Each chapter, like most of Sublime's manga are several scenes with an Afterword at the end. Katsuragi acts almost neurotic in some scenes, but of real interest is Katsuragi's true lineage being revealed.

Blue Morning Volume 3 has all the charm, period setting and sensual indulgence for a manga that doesn't disappoint.


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