Toma is out of the hospital, although not yet fully recovered, and while he’s taking it easy on his leg, Taichi gingerly prods Toma’s emotions to figure out why he’s not going to college. Toma isn’t hiding secrets as much as he’s hiding his emotions, like the inner turmoil of feeling like a burden on his brother and sister-in-law and how there doesn’t seem to be a place for him in the world.
But Taichi has things on his mind as well — like the realization that Futaba is crushing on him now. Will he be able to notice that his friend truly needs an ear or will his unconscious gestures be enough support?
I continue to be astounded that KAITO is the same creator who wrote Cross Manage not long before Blue Flag because the difference in emotional maturity in these stories feels like the difference between noon and a solar eclipse; even accounting for a difference in tone (Cross Manage was always more comedy-focused), it’s still an amazing bit of growth in KAITO’s writing and every new volume of this manga manages to capture my heart in an emotional vice-grip. As readers it’s clear to see that Toma is going through some self-loathing, that he truly doesn’t think he can contribute anything good to the world (I think he puts himself down every single time he receives a compliment), but it’s also clear why Taichi seems to be missing some of these signs and unsure of what to do about what he does see. I remember how high school was when I had to first learn how to be a supportive friend when others were going through hard times, even when my own life is messy, so all of the moments of Taichi and Futaba trying to find the right words — words that are both honest and encouraging — really hits home for me.
There’s an out-of-the-blue subplot involving one of the gang’s classmates, pretty girl Mami who has been clearly interested in Toma from the get-go and grumpy when she doesn’t get the attention from him that she wants. Mami seems to show her emotions openly about all of this, as she’s a little bitter that Toma isn’t interested in her in return (and everyone can tell) but in volume 5 it seems like her emotions, much like Toma’s, aren’t as easily interpreted as everyone has been assuming. She becomes closer to Taichi and her actions eventually culminate in what seems to be a true, heart-bearing scene in a food court where she expresses how frustrating it is for everyone to assume she must want to date every guy she becomes friendly with because that’s how society views male-female relationships. This causes all the characters present to re-evaluate her actions and how they viewed them/her: was she actually trying to break up Taichi and Futaba or is it a matter of optics and assumptions?
As I also re-evaluated her actions, I found myself wondering if this was a late-minute addition to the story or if KAITO missed the ball on foreshadowing here. I loved the scene and the general emotion, and can see why KAITO would want to mix it into a story that’s secretly (to the characters) a queer love quadrangle, but it feels like a bit of a re-write to Mami’s previous actions. I consider myself a pretty impartial viewer when it comes to this type of romantic drama. My friend groups have had their share of it, usually far weirder than what you see in manga, but we’ve never had a case of “person ‘steals’ another’s partner” and as a result I’m not extra-alert/jumping at shadows for that trope. Mami’s emotional outburst feels like a bit of a retcon but the story in turn follows it up with flashbacks that confirm Mami’s intentions, as she’s always been someone who has especially struggled with how kindness is misinterpreted and her best friend seems to be the one guy who understands her on this part. I’m curious if Mami’s time in the spotlight is done or if she’ll play a bigger role going forward; admittedly we now have far more insight into her than we do into Masumi and she’s actually one of the main characters!
Also, I would like to say that it’s incredibly unfair of KAITO to present pages like this practically side by side for dramatic impact. My heart can’t handle these emotional swing-saws, although it’s also a good summation of the strengths of the whole series!
the first page 
two pages later
The characters in Blue Flag feel like real teens where one moment they might be having a serious conversation and the next moment they’re trying to lighten the mood with odd comedy, and that certainly rings true to my own life and KAITO’s artistic flex makes those moments extra clear. My heart comes away bruised after each volume’s emotional whiplash but I finish each volume ready for more. We’re over halfway through the story by this point and I’m hoping for the best for all of these teens!