Ao no Flag Chapter 54 Discussion

What did you think of this chapter?

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Jan 20, 2021 2:50 PM

#101

Yuyu-haku-bro

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Feb 2020

Bad ending, it was still a fun ride, though

Jan 20, 2021 4:08 PM

#102

ALOC

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Jun 2015

191

The only real love triangle in the manga (if you know another, please recommend it). Emotional, beautiful, frustrating, I have never felt an ending like this since "La Tregua" by Mario Benedetti.
Easy 10/10, Great Literature level manga

ALOCJan 20, 2021 4:18 PM

Jan 26, 2021 4:46 AM

#103

accecakes

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Nov 2017

Apart from the sudden events building up to the last chapters, I did enjoy the route about life taking people in different directions. Surely most of those changes happened off screen but I would have loved to know who reached their aspirations aside from their romances. Did Taichi eventually find a path for his career? How about Touma's future? I want to know if he found something that truly makes him feel confident about himself. That would have been more fufilling than the rushed finale. Even so why couldn't we at least have a glimpse of Taichi becoming aware of his reciprocating feelings towards Touma? I wasn't convinced by their relationship solely on the fact that Taichi seemed completely invested on Fubata's and his relationship. I'd also say how unfair it was for Masumi for not being together with Fubata in comparison to the main couple. I was hoping for these two gals to also end up together, but sadly that's only my ideal reality.

I got a little ranty just cuz I stayed up until 5am finishing this dang manga and this is what I get?? Smh

accecakesJan 26, 2021 5:08 AM

Feb 11, 2021 8:50 AM

#104

nuovsbvis

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Feb 2021

Although im happy with the ending, it would have been nice to see Houma and taichi's romance develop a bit more on the page.

Mar 3, 2021 11:22 AM

#105

Paradiso09

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Aug 2016

i think the ending was satisfying, but felt weird. I did not see Taichi ending up with Touma or Mausmi ending up with a man. Like what???

Mar 22, 2021 11:27 AM

#106

Fuwarashii

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Apr 2020

I still can believe the manga turned out to be that way, it was a good 9/10 but went to 4/10 in just one chapter. I'm somewhat disappointed that it just went a different turn without any context at all. I regret all the time I wasted reading this

Mar 24, 2021 7:20 AM

#107

kiitoskiitos

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May 2020

Unpopular opinion apparently but I think the ending was incredible and well based, I think it wanted to teach something really valuable to the reader and discuss/bring something new to the table concerning the age old themes in coming of age stories.
((Also I think Touma and Taichi's relatonship was hinted nicely in the story but it's actually not that relevant to why i consider the ending so great.))

Moving towards the end of the story and the characters time in high school, the underlying theme and what all of them struggle with is the concept of choices. Masumi is the one most vocal about what looms over all of them: "*long monolog about indecisiveness and personal feeling youre incapable of decrypting yourself* I've been wondering a long time too, what is the best choice I can make right now." it is impossible to make a choice you know is 100% right for your future. You can just use the knowledge and the emotions you have right now. Which is what all of them do. With school, their relationships/emotions, coming out or not and etc. At that point of your life you tend to view your life as a linear door puzzle where you have to always choose the right door to proceed or else you die. But life is actually just a pouch full of things that happen, and the future you imagine right now might be (or more so, will definitely be) completely different to what it ends up being.

The ending where nothing is like it was "supposed" to be, but where everyone is truly happy, is accurate to life. I think that's really beautiful and teaches something really important. No choice is going to doom you for life, you can always change and shape your own future.

((Also a quick note about Masumi ending up with a man. I dont actually remember all the details about the situation but.. Assuming she's bi its only cool to see her visibly into both men and women in a really raw way. That's still very rare! But if it's more complicated i think the author has astonishing understanding of queer people globally. especially in Japan. Navigating society is hard as a queer person and coming out and risking all is not always the most vindicating choice, many queer people see staying ambiguous and in the closet as something that lets them have control over their narrative. Many queer people in Japan (and honestly everywhere, but we are talking manga. Btw, consider reading My brother's husband by Gengoroh Tagame!) choose this life, and i understand them. it isn't inherently tragic and its insulting to say so. and "it does not matter what a persons identity is" means also that queer people are entitled to keep it completely to themselves. Masumi's struggle with coming out isn't accepting herself, but the social implications and responsibilities of coming out. ))

Mar 25, 2021 9:19 AM

#108

niabv

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Dec 2020

ching-san said:
I believe that the ending is consistent with the theme of the manga. Touma x Taichi has always been a possibility and self-discovery more important than romance so i don't think it's a problem the way they did things. it was rushed tho
yes, good, BUT: Masumi's end doesn't make ANY sense. if anyone knows why they did it, please tell me.

I think that they wanted to show that Masumi never quite moved on from Futaba, since her husband is the literal male version. Still it seems she is happy, and that’s great and all which is weird cause her whole character centered around the development of accepting herself which we never quite saw...

Mar 28, 2021 6:07 PM

#109

tulibird

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Mar 2021

After stepping back and taking it all in, I really considered my own thoughts about this final compared to other people's. And to be honest, I'm kind of mad at all the people that are saying the ending is bad because these developments came out of nowhere. OF COURSE THEY DID! They take place several years into the future, and things naturally change with time. If you can, compare your life from when you were in ninth grade to when you graduated from high school, or even college. Did aspects of your life never change? OF COURSE NOT! That's what happened with our main cast. Your life doesn't stop after high school, it keeps rolling along. For the audience to see such change is jarring, but that's because we weren't able to see the process the characters went through to get to where they were shown as in the final. Break-ups happen and people move apart, it's the natural way of life.

I've also noticed that people say that the Taichi/Touma relationship happened just to appease fans and there wasn't a possibility that it would have happened otherwise. Were they reading what I was reading? Throughout the series, I noticed things that had me think Taichi liking Touma wasn't impossible. The most memorable has to be the flashback Taichi had of having his hands on Touma's chest in the haunted house. It stood out to me due to that it was there in the first place. I was also noticing that in panels in Taichi's perspective, Touma was often being looked at like how Taichi looked at Futaba (like that glowy sparkly filter). I also recall Taichi blushing because of Touma; like when he had to hold onto Touma in the train.

Also, Taichi's dream of having to save either Touma or Futaba, and the feeling I got from Taichi in general after he knew Touma loved him had me wondering if his feelings for Touma were more romantically inclined than I thought. His actions, like suddenly telling/confirming him and Futaba loved each other, and also making a mess of his room are things that had me feeling that Taichi was confused about how he was feeling about Touma. It didn't feel like a 'My best friend likes me and I don't know what to do because I don't have feelings for him and I don't want to hurt him' type of situation. To me, it felt like he was trying to see where his feelings lied for Touma compared to his feelings for Fubata. Futaba even said to Touma that she believed Taichi hadn't chosen between them yet.

Lastly from this chapter, people are not happy that that Masumi is not a lesbian, which has been seen as a "cop out" and not in-character for her. It is shown Masumi was pining for Futaba in high school but had also dated guys and always broke up with them. People could interpret that she could never stay with those boyfriends because she only likes girls and so her being with men (as indicated in time skip) came out of nowhere. I believe that Masumi is portrayed as bisexual in the final because SHE IS, and no other reason. My understanding is that in high school, Masumi loved Futaba so much, it didn't matter if she was attracted to guys or not, all she wanted was to be with Futaba. Having boyfriends was probably a way for Masumi to try and focus her feelings on someone else. Her breaking up with them never meant she couldn't still be attracted to men, but she loved Futaba so much it didn't matter. Love is love, no matter your sex or gender.
Sexuality can be fluid, something that I think can be applied to Masumi and Taichi in this series.

So, am I satisfied with this ending?-Not completely. I do wish we could have gotten a little more insight into what happened in that time skip.
Do I think this ending is terrible?-No, I don't think so. It only felt rushed a bit.
Does this ending make sense?-Yes, it can when you think about it like I have (as seen in above paragraphs).
Does the ending break the series for me?-Of course not! This is one of the best things I've read in a while. I love the story, the characters, the art. It's simply beautiful. This story is going to stay in my heart for a long time.

Seeing all the characters so happy made the ending really special for me. Each of them found love and happiness, and that's all I ever wanted for them ever since I got to know them.
Thank you, KAITO, for creating this beautiful series. (Maybe we'll get an anime adaptation one day?)

tulibirdMar 28, 2021 6:16 PM

Mar 29, 2021 6:56 AM

#110

Ika_

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Dec 2013

How many chances do you guys think we have for an extra or something that explains the process of Taichi changes of mind?

Apr 29, 2021 7:18 AM

#111

Gieog_

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Aug 2018

146

I’ve only just finished read it and honestly wow
I don’t really know what to think about the ending, I thought kuze and Taichi were cute together and I didn’t think the break up was bad thing or anything but I think my preferred ending would of been for them all to go there own ways
Maybe after thinking about it for a bit I will grow to like the ending but as of right not I’m not sure I exactly did : ‘)

๔๏ภՇ єשєг... Ŧ๏гﻮєՇ ค๒๏ยՇ ๓є.

May 17, 2021 10:09 PM

#112

SadMeat

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Apr 2020

256

I WISH I WISH I WISH I WISH.... that the relationship between Touma and Taichi actually developed....

Not gonna lie with all the love I have for this series I was so upset to see the final chapter and how it quickly sped everything up. The whole reason we were reading this was for the relationships and then... they just didn't show them??

May 21, 2021 2:02 AM

#113

SamyVI

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May 2021

This ending was a total mess not because touma and taichi end together but because in the hole 53 chapter taichi never ever one single time gives a hint about him been possibly bise, and if that was the case then what the author is trying to tell us ? been gay or bise is something we don't get born with but we aquire through life and experience and environnement ? if that's what the author is trying to tell us then its not something we born with natural right ? which means it open to the fact that its something similar to any other disease we catch through our life ? anyway in either cases autho should explain himself

May 21, 2021 11:40 AM

#114

jadesama03

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Jan 2021

It took me a while to process the ending and it hit me yesterday when I started crying my eyes out on my way home. I was soooo shocked when the I read the final chapter... LIKE WHAT THEEE!!!!!???? When they first broke up I wasn't that surprised because its college and couples go through trials together. Then when they met up 5 years later and he said he talked to her about his future, I was so certain that Futaba and Taichi were going to get married. I was a big fan of Touma and Taichi getting together in the end. I just wish I could've seen when Taichi realized that he was in love with Touma and Touma's reaction after hearing that. I'm happy with Futaba's ending. But not happy about MASUMI!!!! My girl deserved better. Why mention her struggles with her sexuality and saying she cant love a man only for her to end up with a one? Not complaining because he's hot and she looks genuinely happy. I just wish we could've seen her procession throughout those struggles. Overall it was a great read with good characters and their backstory's helped with the narrative. Even though the last two chapters felt a little rushed it was all worth it in the end when I saw Taichi's big smile when he reached for Touma's hand. UGHHHHH I LOVE SEEING EVERYONE HAPPY!!!!!

Also, I really hope that Mami and Shingo ended up together <3333333

Jul 1, 2021 7:16 AM

#115

JTInRealLife

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Apr 2016

Very mixed feelings. I think the breakup makes a lot of sense and Futaba finding someone who's better for her is great (Taichi and her were cute together, but he never really supported her dream, so I didn't think it would last anyways).

The side characters all having endings that make sense, great.

Masumi being with a man made me mad, I know a male bisexual experience is very different from a female one, but I never read her as bi for a second. The transmasc husband theory has softened the blow a bit, but it still feels like a bad ending out of nowhere.

The last feeling is disappointed we didn't get to see it. Now, being bi myself I don't read Taichi as bi, it doesn't feel authentic... But demi? Yeah, that sounds right. He found Futaba annoying until he started caring about her as a person and only after that did he start seeing her as a romantic option... Having the same thing happen slower for Touma makes sense and would be a really great story.
Unfortunately that's not a story we got to see. I'd love to see an after story, but without it the ending didn't feel satisfying and the first person mystery aspect could only take the chapter so far (although I do think that was a good choice to try and do that in one chapter, so if the series was cut shorter than intended it was a brilliant attempt to salvage it.) In all I like the concept, but I can't be properly satisfied with it until we see it happen... And sadly I don't think that's going to happen by the looks of things.

Still a lackluster ending doesn't mean the series is bad or anything, I've accepted significantly worse endings for weaker series before.

Jul 2, 2021 1:11 AM

#116

hwhatup

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Feb 2019

Ok... Super confusing ending. And to be honest not really a fan of it. Good series but it all crumbles in the last chapter. They just have the beach scene and the series builds all the way too that scene then final chapter throws everything upside down. Wouldve made a better ending if they ended it on the beach in the chapter before. But out of no where just like " two years later me and futaba broke up" like wtf? Then Masumi married a dude? If you gonna have Taichi and Toma together, atleast give some closure on Futaba x Masumi. Also wish the series wouldve built towards Toma x Taichi. Because I felt like the series was always heading for Futaba x Taichi. So I was kinda rooting for them to overcome the challenges then got wreckeddd in the final chapter. Also Futaba just ends up with a random dude? I don't know what to think now. Good Series but the ending sucked.

Jul 4, 2021 3:41 AM

#117

Guywithnohobbies

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Jul 2021

I think u didn’t get it ;the author hinted to us that that masumi husband is a transgender ;Japanese translation works different u see .To me masumi marriage is perfect as her problem was not liking the other gender,as her husband is bisexual she is fine with him and easy to convey her feelings.

Jul 27, 2021 10:06 AM

#118

Tokyobvc

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Jun 2021

It was quite shocking to see that they both ended up together in the end. I would love to see how their relationship changed in those 7 years. I loved the happy ending and all, to see that the girl was bisexual all this time wasn't so surprising, As myself as also been through the same thing and decided to settle with a guy who also made me happy. I just felt like back then she wasn't putting her all into the other dudes she was dating because she was so hell bent on Futaba, but it's when she finally decided to let it go and end it for good is when she started putting her all in her relationships.

Would really love to see how Toma and mc got together tho. But overall I really loved the ending tho it could've been a little better. I guess they all got what they wanted in the end. Their happy ending.

This is just my opinion! please keep that in mind. Thank you.

Aug 23, 2021 1:32 PM

#119

Auron_

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Oct 2015

5758

Unexpected but pleasant ending. Never in a million years would I expect a series published under Jump to even touch with a ten-foot pole the idea of having the main characters of the same sex in a romance story end up together. That was a weird sentence, but I am genuinely happy about this.

There were certainly shortcomings. I think Taichi's conflicted emotions weren't conveyed very well after the confession. It lead me to think he was just trying to think of a way to keep being friends without having to distance himself from him, not genuinely entertaining the thought of being together with him. Up until the last chapter, I could bet money that he was straight, so that was a failure on part of the author to properly convey that via foreshadowing. The time skip was kinda expected, I also wasn't too surprised to see that he broke up with Futaba. They looked cute together, but didn't have much chemistry. All in all, I thought it was a very solid work, for a shōnen no less.

8.2/10

Sep 9, 2021 5:15 PM

#120

CCC47

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Oct 2017

557

Rarity said:

Masumi being married to a man doesn't sit right with me. This is not a character who was written as bisexual, we saw her struggles as a teen when she admitted that she can't love any of her boyfriends. Why include such a detail if she was intended to end up with a guy? At least she's happy with her husband instead of using him as a beard.

I feel the exact same way. When I began reading, I thought she was going to be asexual, and I was super excited (since I am asexual and the ace community has little-to-no representation). The way she talked about how she couldn't love her boyfriends for long, no matter how good they were to her and in general, made me think of how it can be challenging for some aces (like aromantic aces) to stay in a romantic and/or sexual relationship for a long period of time. By midpoint of the series I was thinking "no, she's not ace, but rather a lesbian." Like you said, the way she struggled with her boyfriends during her teen years, and how the manga pointed out that she liked Futaba, everything seem to point in that direction. It's disappointing that she ended up with a man and that she was written off as bi.

Sep 13, 2021 5:56 AM

#121

jovan13

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Sep 2021

Please note that I am absolutely biased in my opinions on this chapter.

I loved the series as a whole, bit this final chapter was just not it. I rooted for Tai and Touma to end up together, but not like this.

Their endgame popped out of nowhere, in the sense of story telling. The main narrative ends with Tai friendzoning Tomua, then it's just 7 years time-skip, and we see a few panels that show that they ended up together.

Obvisously, it's not unexpected, their feeling for each other were obvious for the entire series, but since we never see the development that leads to two of them getting togehter, it just feels a bit underwhelming.

I can appreciate what this manga does, the way it focuses more on the self-serching, understanding your emotions and understanding people around you, but I still wish that their relationship had gotten a more natural development.

It's rare to find this kind of a queer story in any media form, let alome manga, and I am really glad that this exists, I loved it, I just think that a spin-off that focuses on how the two of them actually got together would be welcome.

P.S. The spin-off should obviously be called 'Green Flag'.

Oct 14, 2021 9:21 AM

#122

TitanInsane

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May 2020

1985

Well that just came out of nowhere. I mean, I'm happy for Touma but seriously ? I wish the series had given a little more hints towards Taichi's sexuality not being exactly cut and dried.

Overall, this was alright. I'll admit, I try to avoid teen dramas like this as much as possible but this was one was less cringe inducing than most. Still, it did feel a bit stilted to me. Liked all the characters though.

Oct 14, 2021 9:58 AM

#123

RobertBobert

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Apr 2012

21424

More than rushed endings, I just love to read how people justify them because they somehow randomly made their ships canon. Yes, LGBTQ representation is much more important than a logical and well-written ending, and I'm also pretty sure that a romantic ending with a character you thought was your friend all along is definitely more grounded and has more chemistry than your relationship with a girl who was mutually in love with you.

CCC47 said:

It looks so forced that I wouldn't be surprised if the author had to make her bisexual in order to somehow distract attention from the forced BL ending. I also find it quite amusing that the last chapter is defended by roughly the same arguments that the author herself criticized in one of the previous chapters. That is, she somehow completely abandoned her old messages in this chapter.

RobertBobertOct 14, 2021 10:07 AM

Nov 2, 2021 12:06 PM

#124

divyaa_

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Dec 2020

ending felt way too rushed 2 time skips?? would've been nice to actually see taichi realise his feelings for touma :/ and how he and futaba broke up. also, masumi having a husband ??? wtf ?? it was clear she struggled to have any feelings for men, so she's in a fake marriage but taichi and touma get to be together?
was such a good read, had me emotional at times and felt like it reflected a lot of highschool life. mami was an amazing character too had me surprised (with her rant abt sexuality and friendships between men/ women) and gave me bisexual vibes surprised she wasn't included a lot in the end.
8/10

Dec 10, 2021 11:13 PM

#125

aonopolka

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Dec 2021

Rarity said:
What a confusing ending. Taichi and Touma ending up together is certainly a bold direction for a shounen manga to take, but it would have made more sense if it, I don't know, had some actual development? Instead of happening at literally the very last second. Futaba and Taichi breaking up made perfect sense to me, as they never really had much chemistry, but all the hints throughout the manga that Taichi could possibly like Touma in that way were so vague it could easily be written off as friendship.

Masumi being married to a man doesn't sit right with me. This is not a character who was written as bisexual, we saw her struggles as a teen when she admitted that she can't love any of her boyfriends. Why include such a detail if she was intended to end up with a guy? At least she's happy with her husband instead of using him as a beard.

Overall I appreciate what they were trying to do here, especially how they made Tai and Touma's marriage explicit with the rings and Touma's surname being Ichinose now, even if it came totally out of left field. The manga always seemed to be building to a climax it never quite delivered on, and the whole last arc was kind of a mess. If only they'd cut out a few of those pointless chapters after the confession where every side character got to voice their irrelevant opinion on the situation, and used them to further develop the main four.

My exact feelings, ESPECIALLY the part about the side characters. If I could make my own cut of Blue Flag, I'd cut it out completely since it does nothing for the overarching story.

Masumi's bisexuality definitely wasn't written well, but I'm not particularly upset over it. Her husband is at least very supportive of her and her bisexuality. And he's basically just a male Futaba LMAo (meek, timid, probably getting pegged).

Dec 17, 2021 10:29 PM

#126

llorando

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Feb 2016

1315

SO WE WON? THE GAY WON? FOR ONCE?

fairly nice series, very bingeable - but also very in your face. it's probably the only shounen romance i've read that isn't terrible. will probably never re-read it, but the ending decision was a nice change of pace compared to all of it's peers. congrats to the mangaka

llorandoDec 17, 2021 10:38 PM

Jan 4, 2022 2:24 AM

#127

Afarfar

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Jan 2022

I just wish I could see Touma's face,the happiness on his face.I am very happy, because in the end they got married. 😭

Jan 7, 2022 7:51 AM

#128

Asdedix147

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Jan 2013

Im seriously fucking upset about the last chapter. Conlcuding an ending of a manga with a time skip was the worst possible way. It was conflicting with the previous chapters and didn't make any sense.
This might be the first time when I honestly regretting reading a manga. The disappointment gave me a fucking headache.

[url=https://myanimelist.net/animelist/Asdedix147&sclick=1]

Jan 13, 2022 8:58 AM

#129

DaddyAskeladd

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Apr 2020

Ok so,I loved Blue flag but I have to say that the ending pretty much confused me.
the fact that Taichi and Futaba broke up made me a bit sad but you know,it happens.
the most confusing thing is the Taichi X Touma final.
I always wanted them to be together but there's no explanation why,how and when they got together and I Need one,even if it's just a shitty rushed single chapter.
also I'd really love a chapter exploring Taichi's sexuality and how he fell with Touma
another thing that made me confused was Masumi's ending.
so,she's like...Bisexual? I don't think it makes sense.
her character was built during ALL THE MANGA as a wlw struggling with her own identity and feelings.
you know what,I'm assuming and headcanoning her husband as Non-binary.
sorry for my English btw lol

DaddyAskeladdJan 13, 2022 9:02 AM

Feb 11, 2022 10:29 PM

#130

gogo2000

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Jul 2019

The ending was surprising and brave, but the author could have worked better on the sexuality of the
taichi and masumi since at no point is it explained that they are bisexual, taichi and futaba's ending is realistic first loves hardly last forever, even so it was a lot of fun to read

Feb 22, 2022 7:55 AM

#131

FersonGodling

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Feb 2021

The ending was really bad. I love that Taichi and Touma ended together. IK many homophobes hated it because of that. They wanted Taichi and Futaba. But the ending was so badly written, even after my ship sailed I felt horrible. I want this couple but not like 1 panel.. Surprise!!! he pushed Touma to breaking point but he's gay now and they are together, without any basic decency or explanation.

Feb 23, 2022 5:02 AM

#132

secondshelp

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Mar 2021

105

Well, if Masumi got, indeed, married to a trans guy, that’s a man anyways, so that does not make her any less bisexual or attached to men.

Mar 9, 2022 2:54 PM

#133

nifetiseBOY

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Sep 2015

857

After reading this chapter I am lowering my score from 10/10 to 9/10.

This was a very beautiful ending, but when the FUCK did Taichi realize he was bisexual? He was never shown to have any feelings towards guys so this comes as a shock to me. It's okay that he didn't end with Futaba, but again, how did he realize he was bi? This just feels rushed.

Mar 9, 2022 3:03 PM

#134

nifetiseBOY

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Sep 2015

857

Also... I wish we had seen how hot Touma looked after the timeskip. The author didn't give us even a panel with his face :/

Mar 24, 2022 9:47 PM

#135

Jvnem

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Mar 2020

Y'know, this is no diservice to the author but I think this was always slated to be a polemic disguised as a high school romance. They went out of their way to talk the issues out and out, getting tiresome except that the characters were keeping it afloat. Frankly, I get the impression despite the industry of Homosexual romance fiction that most people in Japan are still very resistant to homosexuality in real life. That maybe they need a good talking to. So they build up a worse case senario of revealed truth in a usually pretty situation, the often seen good times of high school. Then try to demostrate that it doesn't have to be some tragic drama, good hearts can work it out. Then the punchline. If we're right you can accept the fact of homosexuality, how about you accept gay marriage, too. Beautiful story. Beautiful ending. Should I be so gauch as to say "Grow up Japan!" Happiness to all. :-)

Apr 11, 2022 10:35 AM

#136

234Mannan

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Mar 2020

815

I loved it. Especially considering all these strict shounen jump rules lol...Taichi was hinted in a way to(i dont know if you guys picked those hints up and honestly the author could only give hints..since...Jump) and i think the manga wanted to make a point that we care about the future waaay to much and how its gonna be..
Life is unexpected, a series of choices and well people change overtime as well.
Also the author himself said, "maybe the choices i made would seem weird to the majority"..
And the public reaction itself is a proof.
All in all 10/10 and it tied perfectly with the themes and what it wanted to portray especially with the strict rules of jump plus.

234MannanApr 11, 2022 10:43 AM

May 20, 2022 3:00 PM

#137

Nxt_Arsenic

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Jun 2019

163

Brainhurt!
This ending... Wtf...
Post Touma Confession chapters went into super long conversation abd philosophical mode...
conversations seemed unnatural,

Taichi's choice seemed possible as his feelings were never clear and potrayal of his feelings were always ambiguous... Tho "Best Friends" was what he said in second last chapter...

Masumi seemed more realistic throughout... Even her ending seemed more realistic considering manga is set up in japan...

Overall it was simple fun read... wiered end tho...
Considering this manga was published in shonen magazine and in japan... It mustve been hard for author to tell the story in the way he wanted in the end.. Thats why probably the rushed the ending... Maybe after touma's confession weekly/monthly ratings and numbers fell.. Not only because of social reasons.. But bec manga went into super-abstract-long-unnatural for teenagers—conversation mode
Chapter 54: 2/5 Whole manga: 7/10

Jul 31, 2022 10:16 PM

#138

joemammahomo

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May 2020

Looking back, this ending doesn't make much sense, and the timeskip doesn't help either. Where did this husbands come from? Wasn't Masumi gay? Did she decided to fight her feelings? But her husband is aware she's atracted to women? How is she bisexual now? Wasn't she losing her mind some chapters prior over this? And last but *certainly* not least: How did Touma and Taichi end up together? It almost seems purposefull, this uncertainty, but i don't know... Maybe it is. I love this manga and i'd like to get some answers to my questions, but maybe i never will. Deep down i feel like this is all a big metaphor from the autor or something. I get it, it's fun to have some space for creative thinking, but some transparent answers would be nice too.

Aug 1, 2022 6:30 AM

#139

ijumi_kookie

Offline

Jun 2021

252

why the f
urgh..
it just made me disappoint

deep fried lettuce

^i snitched this from a dude's forum signature^

Aug 29, 2022 7:41 PM

#140

surprisedspace

Offline

Dec 2020

176

I suppose I don't really get the controversy over the ending of this manga? I'm not a fan of time skips, but it isn't like this is the only romance manga that has done this. A ton have, and lots of them end up with their childhood friends. It seems like the reason most people are getting annoyed about it is because it's two guys, one of whom seemed to have no interest in the other.

That was probably the only thing that was a bit weird. Like, there definitely were some undertones here and there, with Taichi being very hung up on the confession and really thinking it over instead of just rejecting him because he knew he wasn't attracted to men, but I wish there was more on how the guys reconnected.

What mostly irked me was the sudden bisexuality of Masumi. She stated multiple times in the rest of manga that she never felt any love for her previous boyfriends, and she did not understand heterosexual love. I have nothing against bisexual characters, being on the spectrum myself, but why would the author add this at the end if completely goes against what her character was built up as?

I know it wasn't intended as a statement, but it just feels weird that the author would choose to give her a husband and not a wife after constantly making it clear she isn't romantically attracted to men.

Sep 19, 2022 6:17 PM

#141

dadaroma

Offline

May 2022

I need to know if this was axed... no way it wasn't axed. That's the most confusing time skip of all time. And I honestly would have been kinda okay with Taichi suddenly being in a gay relationship with Touma if OH THAT'S RIGHT ANOTHER LESBIAN CHARACTER TURNED BI FOR THE SAKE OF ENDING UP WITH A MAN. And I guess I'll just take it cause the whole point of the manga is "you're a teenager who still knows nothing about themselves and you can change your mind whenever"... ok.

Sep 24, 2022 10:54 AM

#142

IRIRON

Offline

Sep 2022

Am I the only one who think that Masumi's husband look alike Futaba? like his face, his eyes and his action... I'm not saying that she's still lesbian and just using him as a replacement of Futaba or anything like that.
One thing I noticed about this manga is that the artist really good with drawing eyes, its showed and represented how these characters feels very well and I don't think that Masumi's eyes in the last chapter are someone who is truly happy, maybe she's happy for Futaba but deep down she might not be 100% happy for herself (I am not talking about the scene she angry at her husband but the face she made when she glared).

I know it doesn't make sense but people have their own way to overcome hard situation, we couldn't get everything we want.
It's not about who you have a crush with, when you are an adult, society become an important part in your life too.
I think she might see Futaba's resemble in him and start develop her feeling and finally let him into her heart as a special one.
I still not sure if she's bisexual, I saw her as an adult who accept the fact and try find her own happines in her own way.

It's not like cliche trope like "A gay that married man/woman to fake their own sexuality" however this manga is mainly about choices, explore about feeling, right? but do we actually always have a choices? espcially when you are an adult, sometime we just have to accept and be grateful of what we have and what choice we made.

Or maybe I am just thinking too much, maybe this manga was axed or the editor told the writer that there are too many gay characters in this story which is not good for kids, cut some of them off NOW.

PS. Sorry for my bad English, it's not my first language and I never like learning English but I am also too lazy to learn another language at this age :(

Sep 27, 2022 7:14 PM

#143

Disapeared_Ghost

Offline

Dec 2017

27751

the ending fucking sucks honestly

Oct 12, 2022 8:21 PM

#144

Lucifrost

Offline

Feb 2016

11939

I had to reread this chapter because I didn't understand that Toma was even in it! It's not a very good chapter.

その目だれの目？

Oct 20, 2022 6:30 PM

#145

SpaceCowboyFin

Offline

Jun 2013

200

Bold ending, presented in an interesting (if flawed) way. Especially considering this is published in Jump.
I will agree with a lot of what has been said above, insofar as that this was very rushed and slightly unsatisfying. I'm not really against anything shown here from a narrative/character standpoint (except from maybe Masumi's ending). That said, it all feels way to sudden and underdeveloped going from the last few chapters to this.

In all a good manga, the ending does let it down slightly but I personally won't let that colour my opinion of the story as a whole too much.

8/10

Dec 5, 2022 12:13 AM

#146

p3al1ka

Offline

Dec 2020

UWAAAAAAAAA IM SO HAPPY

Dec 14, 2022 11:53 PM

#147

Groovsie

Offline

Apr 2020

The ending of Blue Flag wasn't bad but more disappointing. It felt like the ending was both rushed and censored to not properly show a queer relationship.

for example Masumi throughout the show was shown to have tried dating a bunch of guys in hopes she would fall in love but she couldn't. She also had a conversation with Akiko about her sexuality and it seemed like they were trying to heavily imply that she was a lesbian but after the time skip she was show to have ended up marring a guy which was kind of disappointing and confusing.

Another example was how they showed Taichi and Touma's relationship at the end. after the 5 year time skip they cut to a pov of Touma where we were basically looking through his eyes for the rest of the manga. They never mentioned his name or showed him once, it was just left to be heavily implied that it was him.
We did get to see him talking with Taichi (from Touma's pov still) then holding his hand at the end but not at one point did they show them together as a couple like they did with the other straight couples. On top of all that we didn't get to see any of Taichi and Touma's romantic relationship progression like at all which was kinda sad tbh cause it would have been so cute to see how they got together T-T

I kinda wish they make some type of spin off manga of Taichi and Touma's romantic relationship progression because i would love to see how they got together

Apr 12, 2023 12:01 AM

#148

kodija

Offline

Aug 2016

nifetiseBOY said:
After reading this chapter I am lowering my score from 10/10 to 9/10.

Same. My headcanon will only recognize ch. 53 as the true ending.
Though I must respect the artist for exercising their freedom. Very aligned with the themes of the story.
I still hate it.

May 16, 2023 3:43 AM

#149

Ephraim_Renais

Offline

Aug 2020

Last chapter really fucking over a lot of things lmao.
Masumi is with a dude(provided that he's just like Futaba, extremely shy, unconfident, appreciates her quite a lot).

Futaba moving on was a good move.

But Taichi X Touma makes no sense. Absolutely not. Taichi was 100% straight. There were no hints of him liking Touma anywhere. I'm assuming they wanted more chapters here but series got axed.

Would have given an 8/10 if final chapter didn't exist but will settle with maybe a 7.5.

Jun 24, 2023 7:32 AM

#150

julian_falon

Offline

Apr 2018

Character development? What's that?
Masumi, i hate what KAITO did to you😪

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» Ending sucks SUSBrigade - Jun 21, 2021	19	by RobertBobert »» Oct 20, 8:02 AM
» Ending SPOILERS BipulGamer07 - Sep 18	1	by Memore »» Oct 20, 4:13 AM
Poll: » Ao no Flag Chapter 5 Discussion Stark700 - Jul 7, 2017	21	by jeffersondkid »» May 28, 10:46 AM
Poll: » Ao no Flag Chapter 53 Discussion removed-user - Mar 3, 2020	33	by Neemesis_2 »» Feb 16, 12:53 PM
Poll: » Ao no Flag Chapter 52 Discussion removed-user - Jan 29, 2020	4	by Neemesis_2 »» Feb 16, 12:49 PM

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