Ao no Flag

jak

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AFter reading chapter 30

Taichi and Futaba clearly have some insecurities while dating, but I will say this. I'm gonna be super fucking disappointed if they aren't together in the end even if they break up at some point and then get back together.
 
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Im actually suprised there arent many readers for this series.. at least not on Mangadex if i check the views for each chapter. Oh well... thanks for doing this Deicario!
 
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The turns that this manga takes, especially the most recent one with Mami continually impress and surprise me by not taking the easy route and writing very nuanced and complicated characters that rarely fall into the tropes that he sets us up to expect. Super good series with really good writing.
 
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Apr 11, 2018
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This has potential.
Just please. Please. PLEASE. Don't fuck it up with the usual "open ended non-committal" ending, hell, I'd even be okay with a Touma ending at this point, I just don't want this to end like every other entry in its genre.
 
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This surprisingly good. The story is executed in a mature way and the author really establishes the personalities of the characters, by delving into their thoughts and struggles. The art is pretty cute too with some sublime panels here and there. I’d recommend it to lovers of Romance manga that want something with a little more depth. ?
 
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I still remember someone saying that this will not last long (not in mangadex nor batoto).

I thought at first this is shounen generic where there is a cliché asking for a friend's help to be close to someone. A typical romance.
But I did not see it coming, as the story grew, the plot thickened. This really feels in the semi-seinen boundary. It's a little too heavy for the size of shounen (especially for under 17).

The presentation is not very focused on it, but it is a factor that is always carried around in the story. LGBT is a phenomenon that is clearly not everyone receives unless there is respect and respond to it well.
I don't like it if people say hatred in a bad way, for example "Ew... gayy..gross"
Speaking bluntly, I don't like LGBT and I don't really care. But I will not try to dictate the doctrines and principles of each person.
At very least, someone must speak their mind in a polite way. This is one of the most sensitive and crucial issues. It's not funny to see people split with just a few differences

What makes it an unusual series is, I'm glad because the conflict drawn doesn't contain with the whiny love of teenagers. But it's still about the sacrifices of friendship between them. And the character itself is not childish, not dramatic, they think, consider and confused at times.

I like the art too, very clear and fresh.
 
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@goronyanpai regarding LGBT and all that, ch.22 portrays it the best in this manga. The issue with being gay/bi or deviate in any way from the norm has to do with ostracism. Thus all you really want to do is to have the freedom others do, to be considered normal.

I'm bi, and one of the greatest happiness in my life is that it doesn't define me. I'm treated the same, and it isn't something that makes me "cool" or "icky" in the eyes of others. It just is.

That's the thing with acceptance, and quite central to this manga. Because people do fear that they'll be treated differently due to who they are.
 
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@Orange_Orange
As you said, this manga can represent good emotions towards reality related to LGBT. But about 'fear of being treated differently' I think happens in every aspect. Sometimes someone will not, nor do I, who does not feel something is wrong. I really understand that. The main problem lies only when people are too hard on something and judge it wrong. They don't care about the point of view to appreciate. It is the same with racism.

Last, I hope you don't misunderstand or be offended by my statement. I don't like, but I don't hate it in a bad way like many peoples did. I only see it as an association of people who debate with many thoughts and perspectives that are different from each other. That's all there is to it.

With yourself as an example, everything depends on the environment itself. Back to the beginning where they also play an important role to limit and shape one's character.
Anyway, this manga is the best, I still enjoy it even if it's turned out to be "Oh my god.. he likes him".
 
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May 3, 2018
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Man, this manga is so good. Believable characters with comprehensibly motives. They aren't one-sided and don't feel like a copy past of some trope. Also the story is nice and has a good pace.
 
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@Orange_Orange
It's more like the toxic "community" that causes the ostricization.
- Gay Parades where you have 11 year old drag queens dancing suggestively around grown men.
- 11 year old drag queens
- Parents who force their kids into transitioning despite the fact that 80% of kids who say they wnt to be the other gender don't mean it
- going after a christian bakery because they didnt want to bake the cake
- raping your fellow peers but covering it up because of activism
- barebacking someone gives you the high risking of getting aids
- you'll probably be the 1,879th person to tap it
and many more reasons.
It seems like your kinfolk dont want to be normal but rather special privileges. can't call something gay or call someone a fag because of pr and thin skins even though its general banter among peers.

Honestly you shouldn't blame the general society for ostracizing people when the "community" gives them many rational reasons to.
Just look at the #walkaway videos some of them are by drag queens and stereotypical gays. Even me, rather keep my sexuality a secret so i wont run into the "community"

@goronyanpai
The main problem lies only when people are too hard on something and judge it wrong.
I stated reasons above why its rational to hate this cabal.
They don't care about the point of view to appreciate.
Some people did give them a chance but I dont think visualizing the statistic of more than half of pedophiles are gay by showing an 11 yr old drag queen dancing suggestively around grown melet alone an 11 year old being in a highly sexualized environment is it chief.
It is the same with racism.
We spent a trillion dollars on educating blacks and even gave Liberia to the slaves also let Mandela and Mugabe be president
- where are the smart african youth at?Surely they are not participating on the many tribal wars being held on that continent today?
- Liberia has been a shithole ever since it got taken over by african warlords and they even had the audacity to turn down Garvey and his followers.
- It's legal to kill boers (white farmers) in South Africa now, people have now just been noticing it.Also the many rapes happening there. They think that skinning albinos will give them some sort of gold. Apartheid was a mistake led that country backwards.
- After being in an economic crisis Mugabe is pleading for white people to come back. He wants a Rhodesia 2.0 and is now involved in a military coup. This is the guy who lives in fancy mansion and has a shack for a neighbor.
Don't get me started on the other races but race is real, different skulls, different average IQ, different environments, different cultures.
 
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Love this manga, I do believe it's pretty slow and honestly I feel the mangaka tries too hard to show identity issues, but it's still pretty good.
 
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I FORGOT THAT I READ THIS MANGA AWHILE BACK BEFORE BECAUSE I WAS ALL CAUGHT UP, i think i stop when tai told touma that he's dating with kuze. I wasn't sure if there was LGBT theme going on at that time but IT FELT LIKE THERE WAS but now i am sure, i hope this doesn't break my heart to a million pieces cause omg touma </3
 
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I've been reading this since chapter 5, and I can honestly say, without a doubt, this is my all-time favourite as of right now.

It's so.... Real that it's difficult to dislike it. You don't really see Shounen manga quite like this, with heavy emotional themes directed at an audience that is often given dumbed down, or heavy handed themes that make them more difficult to relate to. This? This is absolutely amazing. It's actually trying to subvert tropes, and to show the readers that people are much, much more than they appear. The best example of this in the manga is of Mami.
Mami was built up to be this bitchy, underhanded nuisance that would only manipulate her way into Touma's heart, but in reality? she is one of the sweetest characters, and honestly wanted to be friends with people who wouldn't just see her as a Girl, but rather as a Friend. Not someone to pursue, but someone to honestly chat with, and to enjoy the company of platonically.

Not to mention two of the main characters are gay, and it is blatantly obvious that they are. If you're homophobic, don't read this, don't bring your negativity to something that is doing it's absolute best to be a proper representation of LGBTQ+ issues. Let those of us who are LGBTQ+ enjoy this, a rarity among manga that doesn't just make up campy tropes.

In short, please read this. Ao no Flag is, without a doubt, the best manga I have ever read. Just be prepared for a lot of tears and heartache.
 
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Jan 3, 2019
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Try to read this amazing work listening to bassy albums. Especially "Seishun Sarabai Zenpen". Seriously, it's a great match ?
 
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Jan 20, 2018
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Hey all, this will be our final (non-omake) release of the series as it now, fantastically, has an official English version: https://mangaplus.shueisha.co.jp/#/titles/100043. Thanks for reading our translation these past two years!
 

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