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[/twocol_one_last]I have only read volumes 1 and 2 of Brilliant Blue by Yorita, but I have to say: never has a mangaka taken hold of me so quickly, not since Miyamoto Kano and Yoneda Kou. I took a chance on her because I had never read anything by her and the first 10 or so times I saw the book on Akadot, I just passed it by thinking that I didn’t want to waste my money. Oh, how I regretted waiting once I finally read the first volume! I was seriously chomping at the bit, physically aching, for volume 2 to arrive. It could not come fast enough. And when it did, I devoured it.
It’s not often that I fall in love with the uke, but Nanami was one beyond compare. Cute, naïve, playful and honest; most of these are characteristics that induce gagging when offered in concentrated servings, but Yorita was able to combine the perfect amount of each to create the perfect partner for one of the best semes I have ever had the pleasure to daydream about. Shouzo’s matter of fact approach to life was refreshing and not overdone. He was so honest in his feelings and assessments of the situations he found himself in. A through and through masculine (not macho) seme that gets giddy and blushes is hard to come by. Additionally, in his entirety, Shouzo is one of the best developed characters I have ever read and watching and then joining this character as he fell in love was such a great experience.
I was also enchanted by Yorita’s ability to make the reader believe they understood the fundamentals of a character and then show them that it wasn’t quite so AND keep it all believable within the confines of the story. She creates tangible characters in a tangible world that I want to visit again and again.
