BLUE

Blue is a 6 book series reflecting the lives and angst of some Korean (I think) teens. I don’t know what the actual names used by the author was so I will my best to translate what I think are the Chinese names ... Personally, the story is really sad, but it really makes a good read ... perverse isn’t it? I don’t recommend this book for people who hate soppies, but for others who love tender stories ... this is really quite sensitive a manga.

 

SUMMARY

Seng Biao (on cover below) is called Blue Island ... a sad and lonely teen yet determined to carry on life bravely. The 2nd son in a rich family, he is actually the son of the mistress. As such, he is treated by his elder brother with disdain, and is ostracized by the other ‘legitimate’ members of the family. Apparently his parents truly fell in love, but due to his grandmother’s concern with ‘family face’, his father was not allowed to leave his marriage to be with Seng Biao’s mother.

sengbiao

Seng Biao’s mother represents the Blue Sea. She is a lovely graceful lady, but she suffers from great insecurity and some mental fragility due to the traumas she had suffered as a young lady ... Her troubles were numerous, first she could not be with her love. Secondly, Seng Biao had been snatched away from her as a baby by his grandmother. Thirdly, she had to face the harsh criticisms of the elite circle for falling in love with Seng Biao's father. When Seng Biao found out about the truth of his parentage, he chose to leave his father’s house to be with his mother ... this further worsen his position in the ‘family’ who now regarded him now as a traitorous B*****D.

He has 2 very close friends – Hai Jun, called Blue Sky and Lian Yu called Blue Angel. Unfortunately, their close childhood friendship is complicated by the fact that both boys have fallen for the young Lian Yu. She is in love with Hai Jun who "decides" not to compete with Seng Biao (but even then she isn’t sure she just treats Seng Biao like a brother only). Half of the story deals with their angst as each try to suppress his or her true feelings so as not to hurt another ... mainly that would be Seng Biao. When Seng Biao realises that Lian Yu loves Hai Jun, that he decides to give her up so as to make them ‘happy’.


He then pours his tortured soul into poetry and meets Xuan Bin – Blue Lady, who is working for the magazine BLUE. Unfortunately, life never runs its true course ... he falls in love with her but it turns out she treats him only as a soulmate. But just as it looks like he might find happiness, it turns out that Xuan Bin actually is only seeking comfort in Seng Biao's company for her seemingly unrequited love with the lead singer of the band BLUE for which the magazine was started.

The lead singer of BLUE is Xia Yun, a handsome, cold and enigmatic man who had decided to shut up his heart after his mother abandoned him at the age of 10. Finally, just when it looks like Xuan Bin would end up with her first love, she realises that she has also fallen for Seng Biao at the same time. What is it with Seng Biao’s luck and love triangles?

Just as things look like they couldn’t get any bluer ... Seng Biao’s mother suffers another mental breakdown and commits suicide. She dies of her injuries and Seng Biao is devastated. He locks himself up and the only person who reaches out to him ... is his elder brother !?! The 2 brothers reconcile ... united by their sorrow of losing their mothers (his father’s legal wife having died shortly before Seng Biao’s own mum)??? In the end, Seng Biao decides to leave for LA for his studies, leaving behind his friends noticing that although Seng Biao has become stronger he is even more distant than ever. Seng Biao also leaves behind a slightly perplexed brother (although both plan to live together when Seng Biao graduates), a remorseful Hai Jun who realises that he has ‘lost’ Seng Biao ... and a grieving Xuan Bin who realises who it is she truly loves ...

I’m not sure if this was what the author had intended, but it would appear that Seng Biao is to a certain extent, no longer the innocent youth as introduced in book 1. Perhaps, it is like the metaphor used to describe him, Blue Island, he withstands the storms and waves of life, and is stronger for it, but is at the end of the day a very lonely soul ... I guess there are some people like that, and it will take a very special someone to unlock that hurting soul ...

The funniest line in the story is near the ending. When a friend tells Seng Biao that she cannot forgive another friend who betrayed her and asks for his view, Seng Biao smiles gently and replies "I would forgive her?" "Really?" the girl asks. "Yes and then I would repay her with least 2 times the betrayal" grins Seng Biao (smiling sweetly like an angel throughout).

 

  tears have been shed ...
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