This tension doesn’t just stem from Blue wanting Hamal to like him back (rather than some other girl) Blue’s tension has to do with identity- being dead. It is Blue’s insecurity that places a wall between them. The point is that Hamal is attempting to tell Blue how he feels about him- no one else matters. At one point, Blue mentions that Hamal “likes boobs” and Hamal agrees, but that’s not the point. Hamal’s queerness places him at an intersection that many find awkward- being attracted to men and womxn. This, of course, ties in with sexuality and queerness. Throughout the story, we see Blue strike the same chord over and over, trying to get Hamal a girlfriend or to admit he likes someone. “It would look so nice on the windowsill,” Hamal beams. “I saw you eyeing that one earlier,” Blue smirks. As one such customer walks out of the shop with her plant, Blue makes his snide remarks but all Hamal sees is the plant. Blue frequently makes jokes about cute girls that come into the flower shop, suggesting Hamal is attracted to them. As Blue cycles between the world of the living and the forest, he has to choose between being with Hamal and protecting him from the Reaper.įrom the beginning, we witness Blue’s insecurity about loving Hamal. The Reaper tells Blue that illegal necromancy is happening in the town and she needs Blue’s help to find out who the necromancer is. He keeps disappearing into what Joey calls “the scary place”- a dark forest, where a Reaper dwells.
Strange things start happening in Blue’s afterlife. We meet the ghosts: April, the clumsy one Joey, a little kid and Blue, a sarcastic, sad-boy ghost with a huge crush on Hamal, though he dares not admit it. Both worlds exist at once all in the same space. But Hamal is special he lives with one foot in the world of the living- interacting with customers and his boss- and one foot in the world of the dead- joking, laughing, playing, flirting with and ultimately validating the experiences of the ghosts around him.
All around Hamal is a world of ghosts, unseen by everyone else. He is a nurturer- not just with plants but with ghosts too. But, at its heart, Taproot is about being real with those you love- being vulnerable. It also exhibits a wisdom specific to youth- an openness and a desire to understand. Taproot is delightfully playful and even a bit corny.
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