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[ versión en español más abajo]

english:

"Blue Spring" (Aoi Haru) is an anthology of seven rebellious, badass and crazy stories. These stories are a reflection of a turbulent, harsh, carefree and, above all, lost adolescence. Starring heroes who, as Matsumoto himself points out, respond to reason with fists and never question their raised passions. The particular drawing style of the mangaka carries the feelings of these characters: even without aiming for their lives, they are faithfully honest to themselves. His irregular and messy line and the angles with which he draws the characters, reflects this unstable reality that is their adolescence, which according to the author, ... it’s like a blue period. Matsumoto has a great control of the composition and the rhythm of the story, as we also observe in other works such as "Ping Pong". The stories happen at breakneck speed with their fragmented and crooked compositions, and the chosen images create an interesting tour of visual sequences. His stories are so synthetic that, at times, it is difficult to follow the development correctly and to be able to enter the narrative, which is often a problem in anthologies. Still, the humor and irony with which he treats the stories draws the attention and makes a great representation of this blue generation. All in all, I wouldn’t recommend this manga to people who haven’t read any Matsumoto’s work, only to people who already know and are used to and fascinated by it.


español:

"Primavera azul" es una antología de siete cuentos rebeldes, macarras y locos. Las historias son un reflejo de una adolescencia agitada, cruda, despreocupada y, sobre todo, perdida. Protagonizada por unos héroes que, como apunta el mismo Matsumoto, responden a la razón con puños y nunca se cuestionan sus enarboladas pasiones. El particular estilo de dibujo del mangaka nos transmite los sentimientos de estos personajes: aún sin rumbo por sus vidas, son fielmente honestos a sí mismos. Su trazo irregular y desordenado y los ángulos con los que dibuja los personajes, nos refleja esta realidad tan inestable que es su adolescencia, la cual según el autor, es una época de color azul. Matsumoto tiene un gran dominio de la composición y el ritmo de la historia, como también observamos en otras obras como "Ping Pong". Los cuentos suceden a una velocidad vertiginosa con sus composiciones fragmentadas y torcidas, y las imágenes escogidas crean un interesante recorrido de secuencias visuales. Sus historias son tan sintéticas que, a veces, cuesta seguir el desarrollo narrativo correctamente y poder entrar en la narración, lo que suele ser un problema en las antologías de cuentos. Aun así, el humor e ironía con el que trata las historias atraen la atención y conforman una gran representación de esta generación azul. No recomendaría este manga a personas que no hayan leído nada de Matsumoto, solo a personas que ya conozcan su estilo y estén acostumbrados y fascinados por él.

I actually enjoyed this a lot! I had zero expectations for this volume and it ended leaving a smile on my face. This manga includes three short romance stories, two of them about high-school romances. Overall, I think the stories were entertaining and with an easy storytelling that enables a quick immersion to the romances. Although the start of the second romance is a bit creepy, I liked the final message and its outcome. The final one was a bit rushed, and maybe it's the least convincing of all three. I personally think the author has a pretty art style and a great sense of ... rhythm, although sometimes it's a bit difficult to follow the story due to the page composition. As it contains three short stories, the development of the plot is a bit rushed and some characters aren't that deep (sometimes cliché), but also their shortness is what makes them so exciting!!