Blue spring is the darkness that often precedes the light at the end of the tunnel. A light which in this short story collection, is a little out of sight. Spring is known as being a time for rebirth, a fresh start, and often a chance of change. In this case, the outlook of the characters is coloured with a gloomy wash of blue that defeats the usual themes of hope, hard work, and happiness. Seven chapters showcase the lives of high schoolers who have fell out of touch with reality after coming to a realisation that it doesn’t have much to offer them. Or so they think. Waiting for the idea of summer to fill a gap in their monotonous lives, they readily shake hands with death and danger as they seek thrills to justify their living. Standing on the edge is the closest thing to relief that these people often partake in just to keep themselves going.

A lot of familiar themes are explored within this collection, but they aren’t peppered with easy answers or slithers of hope. Being unsure of the future, coping with loss, feeling like you aren’t valued or respected for your actions. Wanting to take past mistakes back, but knowing you have to live with them, despite making your best efforts to wallow in them. Always not being enough, or having enough in life. Living under the same sun as others but having different perceptions of the shade it brings to life.

Now these themes may play into your interests, but the characters in these stories often find themselves dealing with them by bruising their knuckles, or just generally causing trouble with a flavour of introspection as they consider their actions, yet still go through with them despite knowing the risks. So the reception of the characters and stories I’d imagine will be wildly differing, they are characters you can love from their earnest way of how they cope with living, or hate for how easy they give in to things such as violence.
Despite the aching melancholic feel of the stories shown, Matsumoto still somehow manages to inject dull scenes with life. His unconventional linework is palette of emotions that he mixes very carefully before applying. He still understands what it still feels like to be young and hopeless, or one yearning for hope, and it is portrayed with a form of boundless precision in his works. The panel work in blue spring is absolutely exceptional, often splitting pages into diagonals numerous times but still not interrupting the flow whatsoever.

But with his artwork mentioned, I feel like that may be one of the few things one could consider flawed. Although his artwork is more anatomically accurate, it plays host to some sort of surreal exaggeration which makes it greatly stand out. I personally adore it, and would hope that others would be willing to give it a chance. Because it brings some very special stories into the world.