Blue Giant tells the story of Dai Miyamoto, a high school student who lives alone with his father and sister, works part-time at a gas station, and has recently developed a passion for jazz.

I also like that we aren’t told what the main character is rehearsing because it gives the reader a sense of freedom and lets you imagine his sound, because if you were to pull out a recording of Coltrane or Armstrong you wouldn’t hear the real him.Blue Giant (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese jazz-themed manga series written and illustrated by Shinichi Ishizuka [ ja]. A wonderful ambassador of jazz, Blue Giant is a great success in Japan and France, where the first volume has been published in 2018 by Glénat. A fourth series, set in New York City and titled Blue Giant Momentum, began serialization in Big Comic on July 25, 2023.

Although he can come across as being naive for how optimistic he is, it's that same quality that I think a lot of people can sympathize with. What makes the story so good is both witnessing Miyamoto's ironclad passion for jazz and seeing how the characters around him react. In North America, the manga has been licensed for English release by Seven Seas Entertainment, which is publishing it in a two-in-one omnibus edition, and the first volume was released in November 2020. Je l’ai acheté en Anglais parce que je trouvais ça cool d’avoir deux tomes réunies en 1 seul et honnêtement, je ne suis pas déçue !The teenager quickly confronts his own limits and his determination is put to the test throughout his apprenticeship.

There are scenes in Blue Giant where the animation leaps from scrappy, impressionistic hand-drawn 2D, to ToonShaded computer animation, to full-on 3DCG and back again.

Blue Giant has become something of a jazz emissary in Japan, with its manga releases coming tied to music lesson promotions, a compilation CD of jazz greats picked out by the artist Ishizuka, and even a tie-up with Brooks Brothers, based on one of Dai’s most famous quotes: “A white shirt is proof you’re a jazz man! Despite that, this manga has the most memorable panels and is well-drawn in the most important moments. It’s this that throws him into the company of Yukinori (Shotaro Mamiya) a former piano prodigy old before his time, prickly with those less talented or privileged than himself, and almost ready to give up the jazz game entirely. The story is punctuated by short flashbacks explaining Dai's love of jazz, and references to giants such as Bill Evans, Charlie Parker or Miles Davis.

From his first music theory lessons to decisive encounters, with the first chaotic concerts, sacrifices and doubts, Dai will have to reconcile his unconditional love of music with his friends, family and work. The anime version, in the meantime, focusses on a liminal moment that the manga left behind many years ago – the day when Dai made the first big leap into a jazz career, and was stuck sofa-surfing around Tokyo while he hustled for a big break that actually paid money. This book is fantastic and the panel art is absolutely stunning, I had to compare my tenor sax to the pictures because i was so impressed! Now you see, this is why this type of manga series would need an anime adaption is because I am not able to god damn hear what the main character Dai is playing like it felt in my head that he was only playing “epic sax guy” the whole time I’m seeing his performances.beautiful development as he transforms from a boy to a man in both heartwarming and heartbreaking fashion. In his animation style, director Tachikawa also appears to make the controversial decision to replicate jazz in a different form, by mixing and matching his materials and methods. A second series, titled Blue Giant Supreme, was serialized in Big Comic from September 10, 2016, [9] to April 25, 2020. Dai's friends and mentors keep him down to earth and are just as important to the story as he is (not Individually but to the supporting cast as a whole). Jazz musicians, however, seem unanimous, even down to the use of performance capture from well-known players – the saxophone pieces in the film were all based off recordings from professional musician Tomoaki Baba, who claimed the hardest part for him was investing his music with the character of Dai, as he knew him from the manga, rather than his own musical personality.