The manga series Sweet Blue Flowers is written and illustrated by Takako Shimura.[1] The series was serialized in Manga Erotics F between November 17, 2004, and July 6, 2013. The chapters were released in eight tankōbon volumes released by Ohta Publishing under their F×comics imprint between December 15, 2005, and September 12, 2013, in Japan.[1][2] Viz Media licensed the manga for a physical release in North America as a 2-in-1 omnibus edition with a new translation. The manga already had an English digital release before this.[3] The manga has been licensed for release in French by Asuka under the title Fleurs Bleues.[4] Sweet Blue Flowers was adapted as an 11-episode anime television series by J.C.Staff which aired in Japan between July and September 2009 on Fuji TV.[5] The story focuses on Fumi Manjōme, a lesbian high school girl, and her close childhood friend Akira Okudaira who tries to keep her friends happy through difficult times.
Volume list
edit| No. | Original release date | Original ISBN | English release date | English ISBN | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | December 15, 2005[1] | 978-4-7783-2005-8 | September 19, 2017 (North America)[6] November 2, 2017 (UK)[7] | 978-1-42-159298-5 | |
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| Akira Okudaira is starting her high school life at Fujigaya Girls Academy, and on the first day's commute, meets a tall girl who goes to Matsuoka Girl's High School. Later that day, she meets her childhood friend Fumi Manjōme after ten years of being apart, and they discover they met each other earlier when going to school. Akira and Fumi are close friends once again, and Akira helps console Fumi after she finds out her female cousin Chizu (whom she has feelings for) is getting married. Fumi meets a tall, attractive upperclassman girl at her school named Yasuko Sugimoto whom she is enamored by. Akira joins the drama club at her school with her classmate and friend Kyōko Ikumi. Yasuko, who used to go to Fujigaya, is asked to act in the upcoming play adaptation of Wuthering Heights Fujigaya is performing, and Fumi goes with her to help along with her friends Yōko Honatsugi, Misako Yasuda, and Miwa Motegi. Akira meets Kyōko's fiancé (in name only) Kō Sawanoi while Yasuko and Fumi are out on a date together. Yasuko soon comes on to Fumi and they kiss in the library; they become a couple and start dating. Fumi comes out to Akira and asks for her advice, and Akira does her best to support her friend's new relationship. Fumi finds out that Kyōko is in love with Yasuko, and even confessed her love to her, but was turned down. | |||||
| 2 | December 13, 2006[8] | 978-4-7783-2032-4 | September 19, 2017 (North America)[6] November 2, 2017 (UK)[7] | 978-1-42-159298-5 | |
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| Everyone is getting excited about the culture festival and the plays Fujigaya is doing. The high school division is doing Wuthering Heights, the junior high school is doing Little Women, and the elementary school is doing The Little Prince. The plays are well-received, especially Wuthering Heights. Fumi tells Yasuko that she feels Yasuko is in love with someone else, despite Yasuko saying that is all in the past. Akira takes Fumi to visit her aunt whom she feels is scary, and later Fumi stays overnight at Akira's house. Fumi gets invited to Yasuko's huge house and meets her older sisters and mother. While there, Yasuko comes out to her family and tells them she and Fumi are now dating. Yasuko breaks up with Fumi soon after, and Fumi finds out that Yasuko's sister Kazusa is marrying a teacher from Fujigaya named Masanori Kagami. Yasuko had fallen in love with him, and since she still has feelings for him, broke up with Fumi. Akira skips school one day to go to a cafe with Yasuko, and Akira feels bad that she is butting into other people's problems. Summer vacation is coming up, and Kyōko invites Akira and her friends to come along with her to go with Kō's family to a summer home in Kiyosato, Yamanashi. Kyōko decides to take art lessons from Kazusa once again. | |||||
| 3 | March 18, 2008[9] | 978-4-7783-2053-9 | December 19, 2017 (North America)[10] January 11, 2018 (UK)[11] | 978-1-42-159299-2 | |
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| Akira and her friends enjoy their time at Kō's summer home, playing tennis, taking a hike in the surrounding area, and camp out in cabins. Akira and Fumi stay up late at night looking at the stars and they both end up catching colds. As Akira's friends go horseback riding, she overhears Kō's mother saying she does not want strangers coming over, and is found out when Kō's mother opens the door. Miwa starts to take notice in Akira's brother Shinobu, saying that she thinks he is cool. Akira goes to Kazusa's and Masanori's wedding and meets up with Kyōko and Kō. Yasuko finds out that her sister Kuri also had fallen in love with Masanori. Fumi calls Akira to see if she wants to come to Enoshima with her, and Yasuko wants to come too. However, Fumi is still mad at her, and so Fumi stays with Akira while Yasuko is left to be with Shinobu. Kyōko reveals to the others that Yasuko is going to be studying abroad in London after she graduates. Miwa finally confesses to Shinobu that she likes him, and Fumi tells Akira that she was her first love, much to Akira's embarrassment. Akira goes with Kō (Kyōko could not come) to go shopping for Christmas presents, and Fumi later wonders if Akira and Kō are now going out. | |||||
| 4 | April 23, 2009[12] | 978-4-7783-2084-3 | December 19, 2017 (North America)[10] January 11, 2018 (UK)[11] | 978-1-42-159299-2 | |
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| The new school year has begun, and Akira and her friends are now in their second year. Akira and Kyōko meet an energetic first-year student named Haruka Ōno who joins the drama club soon after. Akira and Kyōko are split into different classrooms, and Akira meets a tall girl in her new class named Ryōko Ueda. At Matsuoka, only Miwa (who is already going out with Shinobu) gets put into a different class than her friends. The high school division at Fujigaya is putting on the play Rokumeikan this year and Akira really gets into the story. Haruka finds Ryōko reciting lines from Rokumeikan in the library and takes her back to the drama club to recruit her, though she only agrees to do it after Akira agrees to act alongside her. The seniors want Fumi to come back again since they heard from Yasuko that she was good at acting, though Fumi is the only one among them that has no acting talent. Haruka tries to talk with her and get her to speak louder by breathing from the abdomen, but Fumi soon withdraws from the play. Fumi and Haruka become friends, and Haruka confides in Fumi one day that she suspects her older sister may like women. Not knowing how to respond, Fumi seeks advice from Akira, but ends up confessing her love for her instead. | |||||
| 5 | February 18, 2010[13] | 978-4-7783-2108-6 | March 20, 2018 (North America)[14] April 5, 2018 (UK)[15] | 978-1-42-159300-5 | |
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| Akira feels awkward about seeing Fumi after she confessed her love for her, and Haruka feels she needs to apologize to Fumi, thinking what she said was the reason for her quitting the play. Kō suggests to Kyōko to break off the engagement. The day of the play at Fujigaya, Fumi apologizes to Akira for saying something weird, and Fumi just wants to stay friends with her. Haruka apologizes to Fumi, but Fumi responds by saying it is not her fault for the way she has been acting, and that it is in fact because she is in love with another girl. Fumi is introduced to Haruka's older sister Orie. As she awaits the beginning of the play, Akira is feeling nervous, and cannot stop shaking. Fumi gives her a flower bouquet and reminds her that she has always been a strong person, so everything will be fine. The play goes well, though Akira later feels bad that she forgot one of her lines. Kyōko does not want Kō to break off the engagement, but he ends up finally breaking up with her. As summer vacation nears, Haruka invites Akira to come with her to Hakone to visit her grandfather who owns an old inn. Fumi, Misako, Yōko and Miwa also get invited as thanks for their help during Fujigaya's drama festival. | |||||
| 6 | May 12, 2011[16] | 978-4-7783-2141-3 | March 20, 2018 (North America)[14] April 5, 2018 (UK)[15] | 978-1-42-159300-5 | |
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| 7 | July 19, 2012[17] | 978-4-7783-2170-3 | June 19, 2018 (North America)[18] July 12, 2018 (UK)[19] | — | |
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| 8 | September 12, 2013[2] | 978-4-7783-2209-0 | June 19, 2018 (North America)[18] July 12, 2018 (UK)[19] | — | |
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See also
edit
References
edit- ^ a b c "青い花 1巻" [Sweet Blue Flowers 1] (in Japanese). Ohta Publishing. Retrieved July 10, 2009.
- ^ a b "青い花 8巻" [Sweet Blue Flowers 8] (in Japanese). Ohta Publishing. Retrieved September 10, 2013.
- ^ "Viz Media Licenses Sweet Blue Flowers, Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Queen's Quality Manga". Anime News Network. August 12, 2016. Retrieved September 23, 2017.
- ^ "Asuka: Fleurs Bleues" (in French). Asuka. Retrieved July 10, 2009.
- ^ "⟨NOISE⟩青い花⟨メディア工房⟩" [⟨NOISE⟩ Sweet Blue Flowers ⟨Media Studio⟩] (in Japanese). Fuji TV. Retrieved July 13, 2009.
- ^ a b Shimura, Takako (19 September 2017). Sweet Blue Flowers, Vol. 1. ISBN 978-1421592985.
- ^ a b Sweet Blue Flowers, Vol. 1. ASIN 1421592983.
- ^ "青い花 2巻" [Sweet Blue Flowers 2] (in Japanese). Ohta Publishing. Retrieved July 10, 2009.
- ^ "青い花 3巻" [Sweet Blue Flowers 3] (in Japanese). Ohta Publishing. Retrieved July 10, 2009.
- ^ a b Shimura, Takako (19 December 2017). Sweet Blue Flowers, Vol. 2. ISBN 978-1421592992.
- ^ a b Sweet Blue Flowers, Vol. 2. ASIN 1421592991.
- ^ "青い花 4巻" [Sweet Blue Flowers 4] (in Japanese). Ohta Publishing. Retrieved July 10, 2009.
- ^ "青い花 5巻" [Sweet Blue Flowers 5] (in Japanese). Ohta Publishing. Retrieved February 24, 2010.
- ^ a b Sweet Blue Flowers, Vol. 3. ISBN 1421593009.
- ^ a b Sweet Blue Flowers, Vol. 3. ASIN 1421593009.
- ^ "青い花 6巻" [Sweet Blue Flowers 6] (in Japanese). Ohta Publishing. Retrieved July 4, 2011.
- ^ "青い花 7巻" [Sweet Blue Flowers 7] (in Japanese). Ohta Publishing. Retrieved August 3, 2012.
- ^ a b Sweet Blue Flowers, Vol. 4. ISBN 1421593017.
- ^ a b Sweet Blue Flowers, Vol. 4. ASIN 1421593017.