Blue Morning, Vol. 1: Volume 1

Shoko Hidaka is a personal favourite BL author of mine and I'm glad her works are getting official english translations. Blue morning is about the young lord of a noble house and his butler whom is more loyal to the house itself than to his lord. Although this manga is indeed a BL, there is very little emphasis on erotic situations or the romance between the two leads as there is a huge focus on the dealings of this noble house as well as the young lord's ascension to the higher role of count. The atmosphere throughout the manga is very tense and the interaction between the two leads can be subtle, leaving the reader wanting more. If you're interested in period dramas and BL where the plot takes the main focus then I'd recommend this manga since it does this very well and is overall a great read, but if you prefer romance and erotical appeal to be the main focus then I'd consider skipping this one.

Good manga, very happy with it. Came in a sealed packet so no damage upon arrival.

Blue Morning is a period manga about Kuze, the heir to a noble family, and Katsuragi, the family caretaker/butler, who has been guiding Kuze since he was a boy. The story takes off from when Kuze is in high school and is all about the aristocracy, ambition and living up to expectations. The story is bound up with past secrets and the future status of the Kuze family. I'm a big fan of Shouko Hidaka's manga and am really glad to see more of her work licensed in English. This is a little darker than some of her other work, but as with her other manga, the story and characters are really well developed and interesting. The artwork and characters are also beautiful. If you're looking for something with depth and a strong story I'd definitely recommend this. A warning though: this isn't the lightest read since the relationship between Kuze and Katsuragi is bittersweet, and the overall tone is kind of dark. I personally felt that the darker edges of the plot added dimension and found myself totally drawn in by the story. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing how things unfold in future volumes!