All is fair in love and baseball, right?
About Blue Summer Haze
Blue Summer Haze is a boys’ love manga series by Dondon, published in English by Kodansha. It stars Makoto, a high school baseball player who became set on being an all star baseball duo with his best friend Shusuke. When Shusuke suddenly has to move away, the two promise to reunite and play baseball together again. Years have passed and now Makoto is part of a duo with Hokuto, the team’s captain. Suddenly, Shusuke returns and drops a bomb on Makoto – he no longer plays baseball. Shusuke’s return shakes things up for Makoto, and by extension Hokuto. Will things ever be the same again?
My Thoughts
I’ve been wanting to read Blue Summer Haze from the moment I saw the cover. I love baseball BL’s so much. However, I didn’t realize this story would contain a love triangle but I was already too intrigued to quit it. Historically, I am very anti-love triangles. If they are not well done, it’s usually a third person added in to bring conflict to the main couple and that feels annoying. If it’s done well, your heart will break and ache and you won’t be able to pick who you want the main character to get with. In Blue Summer Haze, this is my dilemma. Well, I know who I want to win but both options are compelling.
Blue Summer Haze brings the best out of the tropes it exhibits. Makoto is the main character who loves baseball, but especially loves it because of his childhood best friend, Shusuke. With Shusuke, you have the “childhood best friend goes away and comes back” thing. Of course, when Shusuke returns, this throws Makoto through a loop. Shusuke quit playing baseball and wants Makoto to forget all about this promise. When it’s clear to him that Makoto has feelings for him beyond that of a childhood friend, it initially seems like he’s not interested but that may not be so true.
Then we have the other part of this, the person who swoops in and makes repairs to what the other person did. Hokuto is the friend who attached himself the Makoto, and became a catcher specifically to get closer to him. Call it love at first sight! He’s down bad for Makoto, but in a way that isn’t overbearing. When Shusuke returns and he sees how much Makoto is going through it, Hokuto does his best to help Makoto. Even when Hokuto is feeling jealous of Shusuke, he still treats him with so much respect.
So you see where I’m conflicted, right? I’m absolutely team Hokuto, which is rare because I’m usually the person who picks the childhood best friend. But Shusuke is the first love and a really great one at that. I want to dislike Shusuke on principle alone, but he’s not a bad guy. They’re both great! As a person who doesn’t like love triangles, I can say full heartedly that Dondon has created the best love triangle I have ever read. And not just a great love triangle story, but an amazing boys’ love story in general.
All three characters are incredible and there’s so much more underneath these first layers of like and love. It is about love but it’s also about baseball, and how the sport can bring you together with someone. Whether it’s falling in love with the sport because of someone, or deciding to give it your all to be on the same level as someone you love, Dondon makes it clear that baseball is at the center. These first few chapters do a great job and introducing you to the characters and their feelings, while also throwing you off your game at every turn. When you think you can predict who will be endgame, another layer is added that makes you second guess it all.
I truly can’t believe a love triangle story has got me, but it got me good y’all and I’m down bad. Blue Summer Haze may just be the love triangle story. I am already counting down to volume 2.
Where to Buy Blue Summer Haze 1
Blue Summer Haze 1
Mangaka: Dondon
Translator: Jacqueline Fung
Letterer: SADHA
Editor: Tiff Joshua TJ Ferentini
Publisher: Kodansha
Blue Summer Haze 1 is available for preorder now and releases July 7.
Thank you to Kodansha and NetGalley for the ARC!
