My Boy in Blue by Maki Miyoshi (published by Kodansha Comics) is one of my favorite manga right now because I can kind of relate to the story. Not in the sense that I’m 16 and married to a 23-year-old cop, but in the sense of the age difference between the characters and what that does for their story. My husband and I are 13 years apart and it can show at times when talking about history and culture.
I’m going to give you an overall look at the start of the series and from here out I’ll be covering the individual volumes for Comic Book Corner.
What Is the Plot?
In My Boy in Blue manga, Kako Motoya is a young girl who through a series of events meets Kota, an off-duty young policeman who takes a liking to her. His mind quickly turns around when the truth of Kako’s age slips out.
The first volume sets us up for the rest of the series.
It follows the escapades of Kako being in love with Kota but the obvious age difference being something that drives Kota away. They wind up in several situations where one is protecting the other and it ends with Kako taking a hit to the head while protecting Kota. While recovering, Kota stays by her side and through a series of funny panels, he pops the question to Kako. Her parents agree on the condition their marriage stays a secret to the general public and they agree to a commuter marriage until after high school (about two years away at this point).
The entire story revolves around the hilarity of Kako and Kota’s maturity levels being somewhat different, keeping their relationship a secret in public, and the frustration of living a commuter lifestyle.
Despite being married and living a commuter lifestyle, there is no sex. For heaven’s sake, it takes them six volumes just to finally have their first kiss because every time they try they’re interrupted.
My notes on the story so far…
Let’s talk about a major plot hole. Kota proposing to Kako. In one panel he says he can’t be her boyfriend, but there is one way they can be together and that is to get married. Why? If they can get married, why can’t they date? Maybe this is a cultural thing I don’t understand and it felt a bit rushed to me. Then again, the whole premise of the manga is a young girl being married to a policeman so I guess they had to get that out of the way from the beginning.
Who Are the Characters?
For the most part, Kota is the only real adult in the story with the exception of Kako’s parents. Overall, I’d say about 2/3 of the story revolves around Kako’s high school life and her friends, with the other 1/3 revolving around Kako and Kota’s relationship. This makes for a disappointing story at times but it’s worth it when you see Kako and Kota get their turn together.
Other characters we get to know early on are Mikado (Kako’s best friend), Okami (a former thug, turned friend and romantically interested in Kako), and Jiro who serves as kind of the bumbling guy friend to the group. They each have their own distinct personality that meshes well with the other characters in the story.
What About the Art?
The cover art is what originally drew me away from reading this series. Kako is drawn more like a 12-year-old than a 16-year-old and that made it hard for me to believe anyone would marry her. The inside art though tells a different story. She is drawn relatively well for her age and Kota isn’t a bad looker himself. The panels flow nicely and make sense from one story to another in the volume. I like the little extra stories where we see more depth on various characters (my favorite being the ones about Kota).
Final Thoughts
Overall, I give this manga an 8/10 on the rating scale. It’s good enough to have me subscribed to it but not overflowing with action and drama that it makes waiting the months between each volume torture. In future volumes, I’d like to see more of Kako and Kota’s relationship and especially Kota’s feelings for Kako.
Stay tuned to Comic Book Corner for updates on Kako and Kota’s story!
