Title: Age Called Blue
Genre: Drama, Romance, Yaoi
Artist: Est Em
Publisher: Tokyo Mangasha (JP), DMG (EN)
Translation: DMG
Original Release Date: April 4, 2014
Free Preview: >>HERE<<
Relationships can be just as painful as they can be beneficial. In Est Em’s one-shot Age Called Blue, we are shown various romantic relationships which all lead to the same sad result: they aren’t meant to be and seem to harm the concerned more than it has helped them.
The main story which takes up more than half of the manga regards two friends who wish to make it big in the rock scene: Nick, a troublesome guy with a personality that aggravates everyone close to him, and Billy, the mother of the two who as much as he knows being with Nick brings him more harm than good, decides to stick with him (because that’s what friends do).
I have to say, Age Called Blue left a great impression on me and I’m still surprised it did. As usual, I had judged the book by its cover and title rather than skimming though the pages before coming up with an acceptable opinion on it. Though to defend myself, you have to admit that the cover is pretty bland and doesn’t give out any essential information on the manga, except for maybe one or two elements relating to rock history.
What I liked the most about Age Called Blue was its style, reminding me strongly of all the good Josei manga I have read up until now – even if it isn’t a Josei manga. The text is simple and straight to the point, the artwork is very mature and realistic, further reinforcing how close it is to the Josei style, and then there’s the monologues of the main characters that adds a nice touch and makes you think, “Ah yes, he puts up with life’s problems just like the rest of us,” while grinning bittersweetly to yourself.
The majority of the characters in Age Called Blue are pretty relatable too, and though they handle their relationships in ways I personally would have a hard time with (if anyone sells my precious things without permission, they should take the quickest plane to Antarctica), they reminded me of people whom I know went through similar situations. Also, I enjoyed the way the mangaka ended the stories – no detailed end, leaving it up to your imagination to guess if things will truly end well or not for the couple (though in some cases, some things can’t be changed).
I keep on saying how much I liked the manga, but didn’t mention anything I disliked about it. Truth is, there isn’t anything that comes to mind when I think about an element in the manga that I really disliked. There are however, a few things I found annoying, such as the character design. The characters all have the same heads and if it weren’t for dark hair…yeah. The first time I read Age Called Blue I couldn’t tell the difference between Billy and Lucian, a main character in another story since they shared similar expressions and features. Heck, I could rarely tell who was who unless some character shouted out their name or something – and this is perhaps my fault due to the fact that I kept expecting an epilogue to the first story instead of flashbacks containing aforementioned characters. Even if I did appreciate the style of the mangaka in the art and managing the chapters, perhaps it would have been better if she had made smoother transitions from one related chapter to another? But then again that’s just me being clueless.
Compared to the usual yaoi I read where the characters are barely convincing and the story is less than intriguing at first, I was immediately grabbed by how posed and serious Age Called Blue looked. It’s a great read for anyone interested in the genre, but they should however be patient enough to stand seeing the characters all resembling each other and endure the endless confusion of guessing which one’s which.
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Naru
Lazy blogger of a lazy website who enjoys being evil 24/7. Has a dangerous bishonen obsession that has yet to be cured.
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