#toma mita

[ohitslen]

I am here, once again, with my Ao No Flag propaganda

These two specific panels of Toma were the thing that made me think over a year ago “Man. I want to be like that too” as in KAITO drawing expression because—

The subtle shift of emotion, it’s present all throughout the manga, but this is what sold it for me. For no particular reason, it’s not even the best example, it was just what sealed the deal to me

#it’s the way his eyes open slightly in surprise when Seiya tells him that his friends refused to give an explanation when asked about #what happened in what I think is a way of them showing they care about Toma #and that surprises Toma since I believe he might have been doubtful his friends would forgive him after that #which man. idk maybe it’s because it hit home in some other things. it’s so good #Kaito handles the way the characters express themselves so good I’m always in awe anytime I reread any volume #it’s just. they feel so real in their flaws and mistakes and how they take it. for example our dear protagonist #man he is a wreck. but it’s understandable since he is going through a stage in life where he is still understanding himself! #and KAITO depicts it so nicely and lets him be awful. and let’s everyone be it too. they fuck up yes! but it’s not the end of the world #and he shows that too. how it’s okay to make mistakes but you have to owe them and grow from them not get stuck in them #it’s the little me inside of myself that was making me weep I believe #Ao no flag #blue flag #toma mita #yeah this is about volume 7 too #well i dont know it’s the way Seiya is older sibling anguish that hit me with a bat personally because 🤝. same. #and just. AAAAGGHHHH I’m going insane

[soulluvs2read]

Blue Flag | Ao No Flag by Kaito ch.47

This was one of the most powerful scenes for me when I first read Blue Flag. It just portrays the intensity of Tomas inner turmoil (which so many queer individuals can relate to) during a time that’s already really difficult/confusing to navigate, but even more so when you’re also still in the closet, so accurately. I just love Blue Flag sm.

#his fists giving insight to the tensity of his pain as well as the pain of causing his brother pain #can’t take what he’s offering because he feels trapped by his environment #big bro says all the right things though such a good man #it will get easier toma sweetie I promise #ao no flag #blue flag #toma mita #queer experience

[marcos-h-c]

Ao No Flag

I finally completed my read of Ao No Flag, and the ending is all that is good on earth. Quick fan art to commemorate the series.

#digital art #fan art #fanart #ao no flag #Taichi #taichi ichinose #Toma #toma mita

[bleachshippu5678]

The Blue Flag Chapter 12 dub is here!

Thank you all so much for the patience, and I'm sorry for the wait! I hope you all enjoy it, and thanks as always for watching!

#ao no flag #blue flag #manga dub #manga #blue flag manga #taichi ichinose #voice actors #toma mita #futaba kuze #masumi itachi #Youtube

[digitalzombie]

Ch. 6 | Blue Flag | KAITO

#manga #blue flag #kaito #ao no flag #shonen manga #shonen #taichi ichinose #futaba kuze #toma mita #manga caps #blue flag manga #lgbt+ #lgbt+ manga #shōnen manga #mangacaps #shōnen #romance #slice of life #romance manga #slice of life manga #manga panels #manga edit

[readtilyoudie]

Blue Flag Vol 7

#inu's bday jams #blue flag #Ao no Furaggu #kaito #Toma Mita #drama #romance #slice of life #queer #manga

[siix-eyes]

Blue Flag | Ao no Flag - chapter 2

#blue flag #ao no flag #monochrome #black and white #manga black and white #mangacap #manga edit #manga panel #manga #siixmanga #manga screencap #screencap #dailymanga #shonen manga #shonen #toma mita

[murdersquazh]

I NEEDED MORE FROM THE ENDING BUT AJSJWJHCBJZJXNNAMZ I LOVE THIS MANGA SO FRIGGIN MUCH IT'S INSANE

#ao no flag #blue flag #taichi ichinose #toma mita #futaba kuze #masumi itachi #manga recommendations #manga #READ IT OMFG #U WONT REGRET IT #I NEED THIS ON PRINT HOLY SHI--

[delarverie]

new game idea bisexual mutuals we stare at each other like this

#ao no flag #masumi itachi #mita toma

[queer-and-dear-books]

Title: Blue Flag

Author: KAITO

Genre: Comics | Friendship | Romance | LGBTQ+

Content Warnings: Homophobia | Sexism | Mentioned Sexual Assault

Overall Rating: 9.8/10

Personal Opinion: One of my favorite stories ever. It’s a bittersweet journey as we follow Taichi Ichinose, Toma Mita, and Futaba Kuze navigate their last year of high school together. Along the way, they struggle against gender norms and the curse of falling for someone you can never have. I love these characters with my whole heart. They actually inspired one of my novel ideas, the only one I ever finished so this manga has a special place in my heart.

Do I Own These Books? Yes! The photos I used for this post actually are of my own copies.

Spoilers Below For My Likes & Dislikes:

Likes:

- That ending! Holy fucking shit! Taichi is presented as the main protagonist in this series so when we reach the epilogue, we naturally assume that we’re in Taichi’s POV. We’re led to believe that since one of the first things that character does is write the name “Ichinose” at Futaba’s wedding. But then post-wedding, we see Taichi! By process of elimination, the only possible character that could be the POV is Toma! Meaning Taichi and Toma got married! And we know they are married because they live together, they hold hands in the epilogue, and they’re both wearing rings. I squealed. It was such a twist but it also didn’t come out of left field. Toward the end of the series, there were hints that Taichi had reciprocated Toma’s feelings, he just never knew loving men could be an option for him until Toma confessed! Ugh, that epilogue was just so good.

- Anyway, let’s talk about some of the other stuff. I adore the art style. It’s cute and wholesome and each of the characters have their own flavor. Toma exudes big dog energy. Taichi is indeed a tiny gremlin with a good heart. And Futaba is a hamster through and through. The way their drawn matches their personalities so well. And specifically, I love the way the artist drew Toma’s smile. It’s just so radiant and beautiful, I had a crush on him by the end of the series.

- Mami speaks to me on a spiritual level. Why can’t men and women be just friends? Why can’t a girl just hang out with the bros? Why can’t guys wear makeup and why can’t girls play video games? Why should she be cut out from friend groups just because she interacts with a guy? It’s ridiculous and the unfortunate part is, I’ve seen girls treated the way Mami has and it disgusts me. So to see her find a friend in Taichi and Toma and Futaba after everything she went through in middle school, I just wanted her to be happy. And honestly, she had such a badass moment when she said, “Screw everyone else, I’m doing what I want when I want.”

- Mad respect for Shingo for always being there for Mami even when his girlfriends would tell him they were jealous of her. Like fuck you, he was friends with Mami first, why should he stop hanging out with her just because you’re insecure? He also only fought Toma to protect Mami and I love that. But he has no ulterior motives, no romantic interest in Mami, he sees her as a woman but more importantly, as his best friend.

- The deep conversations where Masumi would allude to her sexuality were always so gripping. Like, I really felt for her whenever she was lamenting being in love with a girl and being unable to find happiness with a guy. But Mami was also right that Masumi needed to meet people halfway. Seeing them cry together really tugged at my heartstrings.

- The board game that Taichi and Toma came up with together is such a cute ass detail. Landing on a space where everyone gets friendship power? Ingenious. But the part that really got me was Toma putting their character pieces inside of the charm he gave Taichi, that got me so emotional. “Friendship Power” fuck you, I’m in tears.

- One of my favorite moments was the festival. Toma in a yukata and the girls in kimonos was so great, they looked amazing! But also, that was when Toma gave Taichi his birthday present and I just about bawled my eyes out over it.

Dislikes:

- Kensuke. The source of all the homophobia and vulgar sexism in this series. I hate him. I do understand where some of his homophobia comes from considering his past but the girls were right when they said that has nothing to do with Toma. Anyway, Kensuke isn’t even who I have a big problem with. No, it’s actually Shingo. Yo, he said to the girls that they were just like Kensuke for not tolerating his intolerance. BITCH! And the story framed it like he was right. Ugh, that’s fucked up.

- I wanted more of Taichi and Toma. I want to know how they got together. What happened in between the main story and the epilogue, please tell me KAITO! I need to know how they found each other and fell in love!

#Booksbooksbooks #Booklr #Book Rec #Book Review #Book Blog #Comics #Manga #Queer Comics #Blue Flag #Ao no Flag #KAITO #LGBTQ #Queer Representation

[maddiesbookshelves]

Second queer manga recommendation of the month:

Blue Flag, by Kaito

Original title: Ao no Flag / 青のフラッグ

Genres: Comedy, Drama, Romance, School Life, Slice of Life

Themes: Friendship, School, Homosexuality, Love

Japanese volumes: 8 (Finished)

For some reason, Taichi Ichinose just can’t stand Futaba Kuze. 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.

I was floored when I learned that this was published in Shounen Jump+ because the Jump magazine is the biggest manga publisher in Japan (One Piece, Naruto, Bleach, Jujutsu Kaisen and a lot of others are/were published by Jump). So yeah, you can imagine my surprise when my friend introduced me to this story featuring a very masculine boy who's actually gay as a main character. Most of the main cast is queer and even the secondary characters have more depth than an MC in a straight movie (Mami, who's set up as the popular mean girl at the beginning, became an instant favorite once we got to know her).

Not everyone around Toma is accepting, but this is not a story about bullying, it's a heartfelt story about love and friendship: Taichi struggles to come to terms with the fact that Toma is gay but ultimately ends up getting over himself because he realizes their friendship is too important for him not to. The characters all make different choices and decide to live how they think is best for them and no one is shown as being wrong or right. They're just doing what they think is best for them.

The fact that Toma is probably one of my favorite characters ever is entirely unrelated to this post.

French version under the cut

Titre VF : Ao no Flag / 青のフラッグ

Genres : Comédie, Drame, Romance, School Life, Slice of Life

Thèmes : Amitié, Ecole, Homosexualité, Amour

Volumes VO : 8 (Terminé)

Pour une raison qu'il ignore, Taichi Ichinose ne supporte pas Futaba Kuze. Seulement, au début de sa dernière année de lycée, ils se retrouvent dans la même classe, ainsi qu'avec son ami d'enfance Toma Mita, athlète populaire. Un jour, Futaba se confie à Taichi et lui avoue qu'elle a un faible pour Toma. Elle lui demande même de l'aider à avouer ses sentiments à Toma ! Seul problème : il semblerait que Toma arbore secrètement des sentiments pour quelqu'un d'autre...

J'étais choquée quand j'ai appris que c'était publié dans le Shounen Jump+ parce que le Jump est le plus gros magazine de publication de manga au Japon (One Piece, Naruto, Bleach, Jujutsu Kaisen et beaucoup d'autres sont/étaient publiés dans le Jump). Du coup vous pouvez imaginer ma surprise quand un poto m'a fait découvrir cette série où un des personnages principaux est un garçon très masculin qui est en fait gay. La plupart des personnages principaux sont queer et même les personnages secondaires ont plus de personnalité qu'un protagoniste de film hétéro (Mami, qui est présentée dès le début comme la fille populaire et méchante, est rapidement devenue une de mes fav quand on en a su un peu plus sur elle).

Tout le monde dans l'entourage de Toma ne l'accepte pas forcément, mais ce n'est pas une histoire de harcèlement, c'est une histoire sincère sur l'amour et l'amitié : Taichi a du mal à accepter le fait que Toma soit gay mais finit par réaliser que leur amitié est trop importante à ses yeux pour ne pas l'accepter. Les personnages font tous les choix différents, ils décident de vivre leur vie de la manière qu'ils pensent être la mieux pour eux, et personne n'est désigné comme celui ou celle qui a raison ou tors. Ils font juste ce qu'ils pensent être le mieux pour eux.

Le fait que Toma soit probablement un des mes personnages préférés de tous les temps n'a rien à voir avec ce post.

#blue flag #ao no flag #kaito #manga #manga recs #manga recommendation #queer manga #books #booklr #book recommendations #book recs #queer books #happy pride 🌈 #the 'poto' thing was entirely my friend's fault #you should know by now not to joke about this with me #i WILL call you weird things if you let me

[ram-reads]

Blue Flag was the perfect book to end the year on. The manga follows a third year high schooler named Taichi Ichinose. One day he decides to help the shy girl from his class, Futaba Kuze, even though he doesn’t like her because she reminds him of himself. That leads to him finding out she has a crush on the popular guy in school, Toma Mita, who happens to be his childhood best friend that he is no longer close with. After seeing how determined she is, Taichi agrees to help her and as he helps her he starts to fall for her. Unbeknownst to both of them though is that Toma actually has a crush on Taichi and Futaba’s best friend, Masumi Itachi, has a crush on her. I absolutely loved this story. I was invested from beginning to end. All of the characters were so lovable. Taichi was a great protagonist. He’s a little pessimistic, but I like seeing negative people become more positive. Futaba was so adorable. Her eagerness to grow and achieve her goal was inspiring. Toma was a sweetheart. Watching him try so hard to continue to be friends with Taichi, who believes they live in two different worlds, made my heart ache. He has such a good heart for a jock. Masumi was admittedly kind of a jerk, but I still ended up liking her because of how protective she is of Futaba. I hope she’s as prominent in the story as the other three. For someone who doesn’t like love triangles I’m enjoying this one so far. It helps that it’s not obnoxious and that I like all the characters. The way I would prefer it to go is Taichi ending up with Toma (that bus scene!) and Futaba ending up with Masumi (I’m a sucker for protective characters). I would love to see two queer couples be the main relationships in a shoujo manga. I’m gonna keep my expectations low though because I’m sure with Taichi already falling for Futaba they’ll end up together. Both of them are great too, so if they are endgame I won’t be too salty. The art was great. I liked how most of the character designs felt original. After reading a lot of shoujo manga it starts to seem like there are many similarities between the main characters of each, but this manga managed to avoid that. Both Futaba and Taichi were such little cuties. Futaba was often compared to a hamster and it definitely worked. I loved the height difference between them and Toma because he is a giant. I’m glad this was the last book I read in 2021 because it had everything I wanted. I want to read volume 2 right away but only if I can get my hands on a physical copy. Why am I only reading manga that my store doesn’t have volume 2 of? This is the second one this month. Why am I doing this to myself? I definitely plan on snatching it up as soon as it comes in though.

#book review #book reviews #manga review #manga reviews #diverse books #blue flag #viz manga #booklr #book recs #manga recs #book recommendations #manga recommendations #lgbt+ books #diverse reads #2021 reads #5 stars #my reviews #*casually leaves this review from 2021 and disappears again*

[bleachshippu5678]

Chapter 13 of the Blue Flag Manga dub is here!

#blue flag manga #blue flag #ao no flag #manga dub #manga #taichi ichinose #toma mita #voice actors #masumi itachi #futaba kuze #Youtube

[cocksuki2]

im going to try as best i can to put a blue flag analysis/review into words. it is one of those series that is so deeply personal and so deeply moving to me that i find it difficult to articulate just how it makes me feel or just what i want to say about it. that being said, even after my fourth (?) reread, it continues to be one of the most beautiful stories i’ve had the pleasure of reading. 

it is a delightfully character driven series. so much so that one of the author’s goals for it was that “nothing happens”. it’s a manga that focuses purely on change, decisions, loving who and what you love, living your life, and getting through the many hurdles that adolescent life poses.

the main character, taichi ichinose, struggles throughout the series with his own feelings of failure, inferiority, and identity. he is someone who is deeply troubled by his inability to act and wants more than anything to coast by as “normal” without causing problems. he believes himself to somehow be less than his counterparts and at first he strikes you as the stereotypical “no one understands me” protagonist. however, what sets him apart (on a fundamental level) from other protagonists is the affection he holds for the people that he loves. he’s deeply emotional, but struggles with accepting himself as he is. taichi’s plight is him trying to reconcile his short-comings, his insecurities, his inability to act, and his feelings of inferiority when compared to his childhood best friend toma mita. 

toma mita—6′2, outgoing, smart, captain of the baseball team, and conventionally attractive—has been taichi’s best friend since elementary school. he fulfills the common “popular boy” trope without losing the qualities that make him human. however, taichi and toma are fundamentally different people. where toma is cool and outgoing, taichi is less so. as they grew up, taichi began to recognize this apparent gap between them and as he became more insecure, he gradually begins to separate what toma mita is from what he is. taichi even goes so far as to accept that someone has call him and toma “different species”. taichi struggles to reconcile this difference, not particularly resentful of toma, but unwilling to fight the notion that the reason for the gap between them is anything but a fundamental preordained reason. as a result, toma and taichi drift apart with taichi becoming somewhat gloomy (despite toma’s understanding of taichi as cheerful and creative). taichi has a hard time believing that they are even friends, despite toma’s insistence on remaining connected in some way. this doesn’t change until their third year of high school when they are put in the same class along with futaba kuze. 

futaba kuze is a shy, small, quiet girl who struggles with speaking up. she’s clumsy, awkward, easily flustered, and feels herself to be a burden on those around her. despite this, she works up the courage to ask taichi what type of person toma is. as a result, taichi learns that futaba is in love with toma and gets roped reluctantly into helping them get together. at first, taichi doesn’t like futaba. she reminds him too much of himself but he is moved by her desire to change and grow as a person, a desire he is unable to acknowledge within himself. as the year progresses, the three form a meaningful and unlikely friendship that goes beyond the original goal of getting toma and futaba together and connecting deeply with the people around them, including futaba’s best friend masumi itachi. 

now this may sound like your run of the mill love triangle story and i’m not saying that it isn’t. what sets this story apart from others like it is the depth of its characters. every character is so delightfully fleshed out with their own motivations, goals (or lack thereof), beliefs, and values. they regularly circumvent stereotypes usually allotted to the character archetypes they fit and surprise you with their emotional depth. this is even (and perhaps especially) true with the side characters in the story, who take on lives of their own in the narrative. 

but perhaps the largest theme in this manga is the concept of identity, which is a common thread through the entire thing. the story features many queer characters, all of them dealing with being queer in a society that looks down on it in different ways. it explores some of the many facets that come with a queer identity, as well as the values of the people around them. 

the theme of identity and normalcy is an incredibly strong one in this story. KAITO (the author) brings all of his characters together beautifully to pose the question of “what does the world look like to you?” and “what is happiness to you?”. it truly is a story where he demonstrates that the happiness of the individual exists outside of the boundaries of normalcy and that happiness is found in any number of things. 

in fact, i think he even showcases this concept of what is normal and expected in his characters. the story revolves around leaving the bounds of “normal” to find happiness and just living authentically with the choices you’ve made. even his characters, which look like they will fall into a classic category, radically circumvent that “normal” and carry the theme just in the way they are written. the story regularly fights and circumvents common tropes, allowing for unconventional solutions, communication, and unexpected closes to things readers would normally assume would be a major arc. emotions like jealousy, insecurity, anger, and discomfort are all talked about before they can become problems and the story becomes a beautiful focus on the choices they make to get to their desired ends. it is entirely about the characters’ growth, as well as what it means for people to have different values and aspirations. 

it is not about how they make the choices they do, but rather the choices themselves and how they have lead them to where they are now. it really is such a fantastic showcase of human emotion, as well as the turbulence of discovering who you are in a world where there are so many trivial dos and don’ts. 

even now i feel like i’m not doing this analysis justice because there are so many topics i’d like to touch on and go into. it’s such an incredibly multifaceted story with such beautifully written characters and if i could, i’d like to go in depth about each character and then about each theme individually. 

but for now all i really am trying to say is that blue flag absolutely continues to amaze me with the quality of its story, as well as the fresh take it has on romance, identity, and the very genre of romance manga. i have a lot of appreciation for it. 

#cal.analysis #series.blue flag #this is relatively spoiler free #this isnt rly an analysis ... kinda just a lot of statements abt the story #but alas... i love it #i just... i really REALLY love this series #blue flag #it means a lot to me #im gonna have a LOT to say about toma and mami (who i didn't mention in this) #i just.. especially mami #i have a lot to say abt her and her arc specfically #bc she's one of the best examples of circumventing a lot of common character archetypes #i WILL be back

[readtilyoudie]

Blue Flag Vol 6

#manga(visual)monday #blue flag #ao no flag #ao no furaggu #kaito #taichi ichinose #toma mita #futaba kuze #drama #romance #slice of life #queer #manga

[garbagi]

faz packs bem doentolas pro jungkook pf mita 💋

toma amrr 💋 use mt