Blue Flag

At first glance, Blue Flag by mangaka KAITO appears to be a generic love triangle. Taichi has always felt inferior to his popular friend Touma, and as they approach their senior year, he keeps his distance. Then, a quiet girl named Futaba confesses her love for Touma and requests Taichi's assistance in winning Touma over. Taichi initially avoids Futaba, but the two quickly become friends. A surprising twist threatens their blossoming romance, and Taichi realizes he doesn't know Touma as well as he thought.

One common criticism leveled at Blue Flag is that the manga's ending feels rushed, but Blue Flag remains an extremely important manga. It's an LGBTQ manga about being outed and homophobia, and it was published in Weekly Shonen Jump, one of the biggest and most popular manga magazines for young boys. The fact that such a title was not marketed as Yaoi and made it into the pages of such a major magazine demonstrates the progress that LGBTQ media is slowly making. Blue Flag is available on Jump's Manga Plus app, and Viz Media is localizing and releasing printed volumes.

Author: KAITO
Original run: February 1, 2017 – April 8, 2020
Status: Completed
Volumes: 8
Buy here: https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Flag-Vol-1/dp/1974713016