This is my first review on mal, but I just wanted to talk about this manga in a way that couldn't be briefly jotted down in the notes section of my manga list. There's some stuff in this review that could be considered as minor spoilers, so I guess I should warn you. I also read this around May, so there may be a few things I have forgotten.

Story 7/10
The story never really got boring. It was a little predictable at times but all around there were new developments every so often and you always felt like you were submerged in the story. The story wasn't overly complicated either, you always knew what was going on and what happens. There was a bit of exposition at times, but the author had managed to weave it into the story quite well so it didn't seem too forced. I also felt you could really understand Futaba's feelings in certain situations and the drama was quite realistic and relatable.

Art 10/10
Holy crap, where do I even start with the art for this manga? It's absolutely beautiful. The faces of the characters are very detailed when they're being focused on and they have really realistic facial expressions at times. It's unlike some other manga where you can only tell what emotion a character is feeling by reading what they're saying. With much other manga (such as Attack on Titan, for example) the art starts off pretty unimpressive but then becomes much better as more chapters come out, so you can tell the artist is getting a lot better. This wasn't the case with Ao Haru Ride. The art starts great and ends great. Especially the detail with the characters who have dark hair. Admittedly, in some background shots and comedic panels, the art was lacking a little, but the high quality of the rest makes up for it. You can tell the mangaka is experienced, if not at drawing manga then at art definitely. I never got tired of seeing the characters drawn in such a nice way.

Character 5/10
The characters were probably the weakest part of the story. Even though they were all reasonably likeable (well, the ones you were supposed to like), I just feel like they were all a bit underdeveloped. The spotlight seemed to be on Kou the entire time, as there was a lot that needed to be said about his past and the reason for his personality. I get that he's one of the two main characters, but because he was focused on so much everyone else didn't really get much development. Even Futaba didn't change much throughout the manga. The worst was her friends. With Futaba's friend Yuuri, she was set up as a main character and is very significant, but not much happened to her or was explained about her except the awkward situation between her, Futaba, and Kou. Even Touma, who ends up being a very important character in the second half, didn't seem to have much personality. It seems almost all the characters are kind of neglected besides their relationships with and feelings towards Futaba or Kou. The subplot with the friend and the teacher was also only brought up occasionally and seemed to be just another way of affecting Kou's feelings towards his brother and his friends.

Enjoyment: 8/10
I really enjoyed this manga. I know it isn't the best manga out there, but I can't lie and say I enjoyed it less than I did. It was a fun read, and I don't regret reading it at all, and I read it mostly in binges of multiple chapters at once. I got through it quite quickly because I loved the story and the art mainly, and I could really feel the romantic chemistry. I haven't read much manga yet, and I could just have a soft spot for fluffy romance shoujo like this, but I'm glad I read it and got to experience the story.

Overall 7/10
It's by no means a masterpiece, but does have a nice premise. The characters brought the story down a little but were still likeable, and the conclusion wraps up nicely and leaves you satisfied with the way it ends. I would recommend this manga (and anime) to anyone who wants a bit of heartwarming romance without to complicated a plot that doesn't drag on for too long. The art is also a huge selling point and probably the best part about it.