Aoi Hana
- Sweet Blue Flowers
- 青い花
- Flores azules
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About this title
Synopsis
Fumi and Akira were best friends when they were little, with Akira always looking after the crybaby Fumi, but that all ended when Fumi's family moved away. Several years later, Fumi's family returned, and she and Akira happened to bump into each other on their way to school. They became friends again, quickly slipping back into old patterns. Shortly after, Fumi began dating a cool, attractive upperclassman who, coincidentally enough, had ties to Akira's current school, the prestigious Fujigaya Girls' Academy. (Source: Lililicious)
Publication notes
The first volume of Aoi Hana was published digitally in English as Sweet Blue Flowers by Digital Manga Publishing under the Digital Manga Guild imprint on April 2, 2014. VIZ Media picked up the license and released the series under its VIZ Signature imprint as four 2-in-1 omnibus volumes from September 19, 2017, to June 19, 2018. It was also published in Spanish by Milky Way Ediciones from October 20, 2015, to December 19, 2016.
Published
Nov 17, 2004 to Jul 6, 2013
Authors
External links
- MAL rank
- #1959
- Members (MAL)
- 20,491
- Favorites (MAL)
- 529
Related titles
Adaptation
Main characters
Fumi Manjoume156 fan favoritesExternal profileA tall, dark haired, bespectacled girl. She is seen by other girls as being strong, refined and gentle, however they're surprised when they realize that Fumi is actually very gentle and shy. Others have noted her for having pretty eyes and a soft, lady-like voice. She is often said to make "scary faces" when she is upset or irked. Despite her size, mature aura and sometimes foreboding presence, Fumi is a reserved crybaby. After moving back to her home town, she quickly becomes friends with a girl from her youth: Okudaira Akira. Fumi used to live near Akira while growing up, the two being best friends from the young ages of five or six. Fumi relied heavily on Akira in kindergarten, as she is seen incapable of doing anything but crying until Akira comes to "save" her and take care of her. This has not changed much as she got older, as noted by Akira. Fumi has had a close relationship with her older cousin Chizu. She even implores Chizu to stay with her for a few more days in her new town. Fumi does not seem to welcome the move back, and wishes that she could have stayed in her old town with her cousin. In a turn of events, it is revealed to Fumi that Chizu is to be married. Fumi harboured deep feelings for her cousin who was aware of this. She sees this as a betrayal of trust as Chizu neglects to even inform Fumi of her engagement. She has a secret that she tries to keep bottled up to herself, though she later reveals it to Akira. It is evident that Fumi likes other women though she is still very much in the closet. She even hesitates to tell Akira this bit of news, though Akira accepts Fumi as she is, much to Fumi's relief.
Akira Okudaira53 fan favoritesExternal profileAkira is optimistic and supportive, always comforting those who need her and searching for ways to solve other people's problems, despite knowing that it would be best not to get involved. She is easily embarrassed but is not shy or reserved, often taking a more aggressive stance against situations. She dislikes seeing people hurt and in her own little ways, tries to avert and avoid potential distress for others. She saves Fumi from a pervert on the train ride to school on their first day of high school. She walks a little way with the tall girl, and finds her to be elegant and gentle and wonders if she will ever see her again. She later expresses shock when it turns out that the girl she saved was none other than her childhood friend. Her mother and Fumi's mother are good friends, and so their relationship is rekindled after Manjoume Yoshie visits Okudaira Shouko, bringing Fumi along with her. Growing up, Akira used to be taller than Fumi thus played the role of her protector and saviour as children (however, as Ah-chan notes, Fumi has got taller but still needs someone to look after her). She is seen neglecting others and herself whenever Fumi needed her. Akira attends Fujigaya Girls' Academy, which is an elite elevator school (meaning that she had taken an entrance exam to be accepted to the high school). She finds herself, despite her upbeat and open personality, a little alienated amongst the long-time students who had also attended the Academy's elementary and middle schools. This feeling soon dissipates when she meets Ikumi Kyouko who becomes her first friend at Fujigaya. Kyouko eventually becomes her closest friend at school. Akira joins the prestigious and renowned Drama Club as a stagehand. In her second year of high school, she lands a role in the school's production of The Deer Cry Pavillion. Despite looking and acting childish, Akira has a deep understanding and acceptance of people. She is very astute to people's feelings, figuring out things about them without being told directly. This is clearly illustrated when she realises that Kyouko may have romantic interests in other girls, and when Fumi comes out of the closet to her. She even goes so far as to reprimand Yasuko for hurting Fumi. She feels completely helpless and depressed when she realises that the bumps in Fumi's love life are the things she can't protect Fumi from. She has an annoying, overprotective brother named Shinobu who tries to insert himself into all aspects of her social life, which includes dropping her to school on mornings and going with her to a mixer to keep boys away. Despite catching the interests of Sawanoi Kou (Kyouko's cousin) and being invited to group dates, Akira says that she is not entirely ready for dating and claims that she does not truly comprehend what romantic love is or what one is supposed to feel or do when it comes to relationships; she wonders if she is immature and needs to grow up, but her own love life seems largely unimportant to her. Most of her concerns seem to be about her friends and helping them when they need her.
