Ao Haru Ride

*Review contains spoilers*

Beware: this review is going to be a rant and therefore, probably very long. Thank you in advance if you really read through the whole thing!

Story 8/10
So, before I even start, I am going to put out there how very frustrated I feel I can't rate this manga higher. The story began very intriguing and was based on premises that would surely keep you invested into knowing what happened, what happens next. The manga has a very strong beginning and up until chapter 22, boy was I feeling that rollercoaster of emotions!! So many powerful and beautiful moments between Kou and Futaba!!...However, from that point forward, the story unfortunately starts going downhill with the inclusion of those "love triangles" (put into quotation marks because Kou wasn't even dating Narumi or had romantic feelings for her).

I feel the story between Kou and Futaba was very compelling itself and did not need for Touma and/or Narumi for it to have been more interesting. On the contrary, adding Narumi and Touma was a drag and just kept things in a long, unnecessary loop that really subtracts from how heart-wrenching but also heartwarming the whole story could have been. It would have been more realistic if Kou had just not felt ready to be in a relationship with Futaba (out of fear to commit and lose someone again), than adding another "love interest". It also would have been more interesting for Kou and Futaba to actually discuss how they felt when being separated from the other person more in depth than what they did. This story had so much more potential, so many things that could have been done with the main characters, without going into those cliche love "triangles". I really expected a lot more from this manga (based on the first chapters) and after reading the manga I understand why the anime left off where it did.

Side note: this kind of material is what give young girls the idea that if you love a "bad boy" enough, he will turn into a sweetie pie later...

On a positive note, the manga does have its funny moments (ex: Kou following Futaba while she ran from him at the school festival, the guys dressed as maids for the festival, the pillow fight between Kou, Kominato and Touma).

Art 8/10
The drawings were cute and I really liked the inclusion and details of silly faces for funny moments and the more serious drawings when the situation required it. I think characters' bodies and facial features were very well drawn according to their personalities, specially Futaba and Kou.

Characters 7/10
Where to begin?
I think Futaba was a great main character and really liked manga Futaba way more than anime Futaba. I liked how she really wanted to help Kou, and went above and beyond while doing that, but also knew when to stop and thought a bit more about what she deserved. I also liked how she was strong-willed and did what she felt was right no matter what the others thought. I found it admirable how she never led Touma on (I will get into Touma in a bit) and was always honest with him about her thoughts and feelings.

Kou...I feel Kou could have been one of the most interesting characters in manga/anime history. I really felt for him and somewhat understand his behavior was a result of inadequate coping mechanisms (although I think his trauma didn't necessarily justify him being a jerk to Futaba or his friends). Yet, what was the most disappointing to me was watching him entertain Narumi guided by some "moral duty" (and 'till this date I still don't understand why he couldn't support Narumi while going out with Futaba as well? why did he have to choose between them when his feelings towards them were not even similar?). On top of this, his behavior towards Futaba was very ambivalent and confusing most of the times. At first he would do things and then brush them off as meaningless, he would even verbally attack Futaba, specially when jealous. Then when Futaba was moving on with Touma, Kou was completely selfish, childish and out of characters even for him (as he is supposed to be very "kind" despite appearing not to be). I do understand people make mistakes and have regrets, but I felt he was tormenting Futaba while not really offering much in return. Kou went through something that should have actually make him more mature than people his age, plus he always had Kominato telling him what was bound to happen...
I will say however, Kou's behavior is not that surprising given what he went through.

I think Kominato was a great sidekick (him and Futaba being my favorite characters), while Yuri became 100% more likable when she exited the "love triangle". Yuri, surprisingly, always was the voice of reason for Futaba. Murao...what was the purpose of her character again? I guess so Kominato would have someone to vent to.

Oh Touma, you fool...why?! why would anyone do that to themselves?? his character was the representation of people that set themselves up to get heartbreaks. He always knew Futaba liked Kou, he knew he was "taking advantage of a weak moment for her to get in" and even while dating Futaba he was "afraid" all the time...so why keep putting you and her through that? He even recognized "a weight was lifted off his shoulders" and how "she never told him she liked him" when she breaks up with him...why is it that we tend to ignore life signs like that?! Interestingly enough, I think Touma is a similar version of what Kou would have probably been like if things hadn't happened the way they did (a soft, sweet, caring, thoughtful and kind guy) or I least I found resemblance between Touma and young Kou. I believe his character was made so Futaba would have a taste of the treatment she deserved as opposed to the treatment Kou was giving her until almost the end. However, I felt he was too pushy and was constantly getting himself in things that were not his business.

And Narumi? what a manipulative b*tch.

Enjoyment 10/10
Come on, you must know that if I hadn't been that invested in this manga, this review wouldn't have been so long! Again, very solid premises for a good story, very powerful and moving moments...screwed by the "love triangles" and Kou going back and forth with his words and actions.

Overall 8/10
Up until chapter 22, this manga would have been a 9 or even 10 for me. I so wanted it to be a 10. But unfortunately, more than half the manga got into unnecessary drama (while having so much material they could have used instead). It did have a satisfying ending (not surprising though because to me it was obvious since day 1 that Kou and Futaba belonged together). I would recommend to stick with the anime (disregarding the ova/chapter 13).

My first ever Review of an Manga...

Great Manga!

This Story was my first time reading a Manga. I liked the story, but felt like it was very cliche and lots of foreshadow. I did have a good experience, the story had me binge reading, I even stayed up till 5am reading, because of how good it is, which is sad that the anime wasn't completed, it would be great if it was. I felt like I was in a roller coaster of feelings and cliff hangers, and plot twists. I disliked some part of the story where they added an unnecessary character, which messed up the story and made no sense for me of why they decided adding that character there. (trying to not say this without spoilers)

Overall the story is good, lots of cliche moments, and totally foreshadowed moments, the ending made me feel like it ended without any good felling or bad felling, not something I would remember and say "wow that story had me felling this certain way", nothing special about this story, but its a good one.

This is one of the prettiest things I have ever read. The art style is very beautiful. I fell in love with all the characters even the secondary ones and this is actually special for a shoujo manga. The way the story goes makes you very excited to know what would happen and you kinda root for all the characters 😂. It's not your typical love triangle and so... I mean that even this part was good. I loved how they made kou heal from his problems gradually not instantly because it's how this would go in real life. I will definitely read this manga again and again...

I really loved this manga and I loved the anime adaptation as well it’s your typical shoujo rom-com but it’s definitely worth the read especially if you’re a shoujo enthusiast like me lol. What I really love and appreciate is the character development it’s so rewarding to see/read. Now the art style kinda ugly sometimes not gonna lie lol but nonetheless it’s a good shoujo manga. There is of course some characters you will hate their guts duh it’s a shoujo manga what do we expect lol idk i kinda love these kind of characters they give the story a little push you know? And hating them is kinda fun lol but most of the characters are good and the way they developed is sooo natural i loved it. Lastly definitely you should give it a try I highly recommend it.

Ao Haru Ride or also known as Blue Spring Ride in English is a great story indeed. The idea of me reading this manga is a bold evident itself eh? It always amazes me the way the author think. I just love how humor, lovestory (which is actually what this is all about), friendship, sorrow, and even family blended in this single manga. Unlike other books, the blending of this manga is not confusing at all. I guess I have to thank the sketches eh? I don’t remember reading a story magazine before so the feeling I had while reading this manga is really amazing. I don’t think I ever felt that way before.

Kou (male lead) caught my attention the very first time I saw him (anime) because unlike any other anime characters that I know, this one has black hair! Quite realistic eh? And also, I like the mysterious aura that he exudes, especially when he has a scene with Futaba (female lead), ayeiii! This story is really “kilig to the bones” and I proudly admit that I’ve been to the point of shouting my heart out everytime there’s a sweet scene between Kou and Futaba. And oh, did I tell you that I almost suffocate myself with a pillow just so they couldn’t hear me scream everytime there’s a kissing scene? Haha, yeah guys, I did just that!

I don’t have any complaints or violent reactions with the main characters, actually, I love them all! Especially Murao, haha. I still can’t get off my mind the scene on where she wrote that she wants Mr. Tanaka (Kou’s older brother) to be his husband haha, that was really epic! I also love that the author tackle on the part where two close friends likes the same guy. What could actually happen eh? Well, you’ve got to see the anime or read the manga to find out. *wink

I love the conflict though I admit that I hate how Kou reacted to it. I came to the point that I want to strangle him, and then I realized that he’s my crush so I just forgave him, haha. The awakening part is my all time favorite. I mean, atlast! Happy ever after. Not cliff hanging like other anime or worst, Korean novela that I know, but it’s a HAPPILY EVER AFTER ending! OMG! OMG! That feeling when I first read that part is slowly coming back! haha.

I could have given this story a 9-star rating, but I’m sorry Kou, my love for you wasn’t able to reach the ;ast star. I still can’t recover on how stupid you are during the conflict part. So yeah, that’s just the reason of the wandering 1-star, haha.

If you haven’t heard of this anime/manga, dang gurl! You’ve just miss half of your life (haha, too exaggerated I know)

This is a must read if you're a fan of the shoujo genre, so don't be hesitant if you're debating whether or not to read this.

Storyline:
The anime finishes just before the (very) intense feels begin - I was practically unable to keep myself from jumping out of my seat and dancing around like a lunatic. I really enjoyed this part (chapters 13-the middle).
The middle got complicated and bit messy, but I suppose it made the ending more meaningful? (like a typical convention of the romance genre)

Art:
There are so much sincerity and emotions conveyed in the eyes of these characters at many critical times, the mangaka did such an incredible job!! The facial expressions were really great.
To add, Sakisaka Io was able to include chibi drawings that fitted the atmosphere well and it made the manga more enjoyable to read; it added a comedic effect.

Characters:
The thoughts of the characters are very real, I especially found Futaba to be totally relatable at some points. In my experience of reading this, it does make you think about things that may have happened to you also (it's not a bad thing).
Even the side characters had interesting backstories ~
The characters are very easy to like.

(this is my first review and I think I have many more things to say, but I'm not quite sure how to word it. Plus I think I've written enough)

Conclusion:
Ao Haru Ride is a good read and there are definitely moments where you feel like your chest is inflated in an overwhelming way.
If you enjoy stories with a high school setting, good friendships and romance, read this manga.

Ao haru ride is the story about a girl who was too cute and as such was ostracized in middle school. This also resulted in her unable to confess to her crush as well. So she changes her image to be more unattractive. So she can more easily get with the girls. But she meets the boy she was in love with back in highschool. Now the story unravels as she decides to become more herself and possibly reignite a love that was never ignited in the first place.

The series is better and underwhelming than i expected. It doesn't have anything that grabs your attention but it is interesting to watch unfold nonetheless. What surprised was how well the love triangle was done. The author did a good job making me want to root for both of the characters. Another thing i enjoyed was the MMC's growth. This series is somewhat known for people relating to the FMC's personal growth (Which means women are really into smelling necks), But i thought the MMC's growth was done really well. You could see him becoming a genuinely better person and i thought the author did an excellent making it not feel forced and natural.

When i watched the anime i wasn't really all that hot on the main love triangle. But the dude really grew on me. He was probably my favorite character in the series by the end of it. The other characters are really good too. Especially the short haired chick. She was adorable. I really liked all her interactions. The black haired chick was pretty nice too. Really every character was generally good to really good. The only character that didn't work was the *relatable* chick for the MMC. She just felt hollow. In fact she kinda pulled down the MMC's backstory too. But overall in terms of character development the author did a good job. Its noticeable but not in your face type. Its enough to be satisfying as well (most of the time).

Despite all the heavy praise im giving this series. This simply did not grab me. Especially in the middle where the dating aspect just felt drawn out. It wasn't bad but in the end it felt pointless. Other issues like the art not being as good. Some of the romantic interactions were wasted (most were good though). Honestly just in general im not impressed with this series. It does some things right but those are the things every series should be doing anyway. In the end the series is satisfying but if you walk you from this series you aren't missing anything.

TLDR: Sadly this isn't the goat romance that someone kept spamming me those words was. It is however pretty fun. 6/10 good time killer. The character development instead of ascending the series into 7/10 really solidified it to a 6/10

Io Sakisaka can take the most basic romance plotlines and make them so powerful as a manga. This is shown in Ao Haru Ride, where the two main characters fall in love when they're younger, separate, and find each other again later in life. What I really appreciated was the unfolding of Kou's sort of backstory and how the two main characters heal together over time, as opposed to a sudden rekindle of romance. Along with its brilliant art, Ao Haru Ride really shows how human the two are when they realize they can't just fall in love and how they fight obstacles throughout the manga. A beautiful story for anyone who loves nostalgia-fueled romance.

Ao Haru Ride is the perfect mix of drama, romance and friendship. Every chapter is fast paced and exciting, which is probably why I finished reading it so quickly. The leads have extremely great chemistry and you can see perfectly the reason why the two love each other.

Individual characters were also great. Each has unique personality with lots of layers on them and all act and react naturally. The friendship and all the interactions doesn't feel forced.

I see myself relating to some of the characters and who knows you might be able to relate as well?

Overall, this is a manga that I won't get tired re-reading. You may see some cliche moments from here and there but this is the type of cliche that is done right.

Trigger warning: Emotionally prepare before reading this. You may find yourself wanting to have the same lovelife as Futaba. I can't really count the doki-doki moments on this (what a ride!)

When I watched the Anime I say ¡Wow, I love this!
I read all the manga and ... ¡I loved it!
But...being honest... It's nothing from the other world. It's a tipical shoujo, but this shoujo have a lot of tens and nines. That's overstating. Very very typical.
If you read 'Orange' you will put one 7 or 6 to this manga
I love the art of this sensei. And you probably get attached with the charachters.
The story... Meh... I read a lot of mangas and this story is sooooo typical.
I enjoyed this manga a lot, a few months ago this manga was one of my favorites, now my favorite manga of romance is Orange <3
Well that's all, see ya!

I am conflicted in giving this a 7 or a 8 overall. I will keep it low because I have one great problem with the male lead.

I will try to write the review spoiler free, but let me say that even if it's a shojo and characters are bound to be irritating at times, Ko is too much irritating -a lot of times.
While Futaba has her bad moments but she tries to change and to be herself, Ko seems often to do things because he has to, not because he wants to. He continously seems to try to protect himself from being hurt, but often he does not care to hurt Futaba. And it annoys me. Of course there is the "final change" but it seems the build-up is too short.
For the rest, the other characters are well fleshed (not astonishing, but you don't end thinking that they are paper figures put there only to raise the page number) and the story flows well even if it's very typical for a shojo with misunderstandings, some drama (not excessive like in other titles) and especially love not treated in an unrealistic way. This is helped by the fact it is not very long, wich keeps the interest high during the reading. All in all I enjoyed it a lot apart the flaws I descibed earlier.

i red the manga because of the part of the season 2, it made me actually curious abt the love triangle, but it turns out completely unforgivable, the part were touma and futaba is dating giving me such a hard felt emotion because of how touma endure his love for kou, and suddenly he just keeps avoiding it until futaba breaked up with him. I know that they will end together (kou and futaba) but you didn't know how strong touma's love for futaba like it made me feel that i hope futaba will choose touma at the end buuuuut it was in a complete disaster for how it turns out that kou and futaba end up together at the end.

sooo i overall rated this a 6, i know this is a stupid opinion, thoughts or reason, but i think kou is a very selfish that i know he wasn't in a complete mindset that he rejected futaba, but he regreted after that touma liked futaba, soooo i was mad, cause sometimes futaba is very blind of what kou do that it just made her hurt even more. OKAY i should stop explaining rn fr. I RATED it a 6 cause i just want touma and futaba end up together DATS all i want. It gave me a rollercoster emotional feeling and i hate it that i cry every part that touma enduring it.

Verdict: Loving this so far! Recommended!

Story:
The story is similar to many other Shoujo plots out there. You have the childhood friend and your first love, an enemy that likes your first love, etc. Yet somehow, this manga is refreshing to read despite being overdone. Why? Probably because the heroine is different from most heroines in other mangas. (I'll get to this later in the "character" section). However, I do think the plot is getting a bit draggy just because it's been over 30 chapters and the two main characters haven't gotten together yet despite their love for each other!

Art: Typical but beautiful shoujo-like art. The girls were all pretty and the guys were all pretty cute. Good eye-candy.

I have to say that I really liked the art of Mabuchi. The way his face is drawn is somewhat different than what I have usually seen in shoujo mangas (particularly his eyes)

Character:
Futaba (the heroine) is very unlady-like in the beginning for reasons you will soon find out in the beginning of the manga. This of course made me fall for her even more. She's loud, eats more than guys, and doesn't use any makeup at all, making her not very "feminine". My favorite part about her is probably her persistence (although I also hate this quality of hers at certain times).

Mabuchi's character bugs me the most. He likes her but can't portray his feelings out loud due to certain circumstances in his life. It's like things happen at the wrong time and he can't manage to grasp the right time to say his feelings out loud for Futaba.

I like the other characters as well. Futaba has two friends, a cute and adorable friend that all the girls envy (and hates), and a quiet and meticulous girl. Of course, there's a funny and loud guy that seems to patch up any gloomy atmosphere.

The art also emphasizes the traits of the characters. Ex: cute friend gets bob cut, quiet friend gets dark hair, etc.

Enjoyment: Quite enjoying this so far but most likely because of the love triangle surrounding Futaba. If there wasn't a love triangle, I would've given up just because the manga would have gotten too draggy and mopey for me to read (since the girl will always have an "unrequited love", although not necessarily the case since Mabuchi likes her too).

Overall: Definitely check this out. Of course, not the best I've seen but a refreshing read that will most likely tug at your heartstrings.

#3
Ah, after watching the anime which only showed a small portion of the series I found my self craving more. The writing and character interactions in that anime took my breath away with how real it all felt and this manga really continues that.

However without spoiling much this story starts to feel slightly inconsistent with the way characters grow and behave even back tracking certain moments that defined who they were which I felt very disappointed in. With that said there were countless moments I physically jumped out of my chair in excitement or anger, and moments where I felt choked up and sad. All of those moments make up the passion I felt experiencing this series and I'm very grateful for this Ride~

I actually started reading AHR because of Strobe Edge. Anyways I have to say that this manga is really good, I thought at first that it was going to be all about Kou and Fataba but in reality there are a lot more characters- and within the first few chapters you see some character development. Recently however, the manga has gotten a lot more interesting with love connections happening- now the outcome is in Sakisaka-sensei's hands. I like the story so far because it doesn't seem like it is the ordinary love story- there are a lot of bumps on the rode for the two main characters... for know it's really good, depressing at some points (for me at least) but its definitely worth reading (and watching soon too)

Have fun!

I've probably read this manga over 10 times already. I always come back to it when I'm in need of some feels. If you enjoy mangas that give you an occasional heart squeeze, be it of pain or "awww", then go read it, this is my fav shoujo!

As for the review (no spoilers): what I like the most about Ao Haru Ride is the characters. They don't suffer from excessive bashfulness or embarrassment, like most shoujo characters. They all show their true feelings sooner or later and are very direct and honest with each other. That's something rare and that is sometimes used as plot device for romance. Not in this manga. The point in Ao Haru Ride is not to show girls being timid around boys, or boys having alpha-male complexes around girls. These characters and their teenage struggles are very real for a shoujo.

(names and relationships mentioned here)

I don't particularly love Futaba (seems kind of bland) but I can relate to her. I love Kou as he is. I love how his eyes reveal all his emotions and thoughts, even when he's being an ass. I like the rivals (well, it is a shoujo were you expecting none?). Both of them are real characters, especially Touma. You can see him developing feelings, is not just random infatuation because of plot reasons. Though he gets kind of pushy, but, again, he's too real. You can totally see it happening in real life.

What I also love but find somewhat exausting is that all the characters try their best all.the.time.

A negative point for me would be the lack of display of their personal preferences, hobbies, dreams,... But that's not the scope there. There's too much going on in the manga x)

Don't fool yourself, this IS a romantic shoujo. Be prepared for the feels. Enjoy the ride!

Ao Haru Ride is a story that's fine ... but not more than that. The series does not go beyond, even having the opportunity to do so. I think that much of what you get to enjoy with the series depends on what you connect with the characters, which are well achieved or at least more than characters many other mngas of the genre, in my case I did not connect at all with them that in part is the deep stress that the protagonist caused me, but ignoring that fact the series triumphs with its secondary characters making the series enjoyable.

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.

Do you remember your first love? If you do, did you ever get a relationship started with that first love, and if you did, has it survived to this day? If you didn't.... have you ever wondered if you still have a chance? I first heard about Ao Haru Ride through its anime adaptation; it caught my attention before it started airing because of its beautiful artwork, so I decided to watch it. Needless to say, I loved it enough to want to read its manga adaptation, and.... well, I still loved it! In fact, it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to say that it got a bit better past the point the anime ended at, is it?

Ao Haru Ride, known as Blue Spring Ride in English, is about a girl named Futaba Yoshioka, who, in middle school, had a hatred for all boys save one, Kou Tanaka. However, she couldn't get her feelings across to him, and soon enough, he moved away. Now, in high school, she acts as unladylike as possible, as her previous popularity among boys has caused the girls to hate her. Soon enough, however, she ends up running into the one boy she ever liked, except not only has his name changed to Kou Mabuchi, but his personality has also taken a drastic change. He says that he had returned Futaba's feelings in middle school, but things between them can never be the same.... Thus, the story starts....

The reason why I fell in love with the anime adaptation of this manga is how realistic it is; it's true that people change with time, and the relationship between others can become different if they haven't seen each other for a long time. To a certain degree, that's the same thing for the original manga; I could feel how realistic it is. However, I can't deny the fact that some elements of the story were kind of irritating, but I don't want to say what those elements are because of spoilers. All in all, though, the story of Ao Haru Ride is quite a touching one, and it's got quite a decent amount of character development, especially for Kou.

If we're going to talk about the characters in Ao Haru Ride, we're NOT going to leave out the two main leads, Futaba and Kou. Yes, Futaba can be a bit of an irritating protagonist to follow at times, mostly in the post-anime parts of the manga; she just can't seem to make up her mind. However, I loved her character to a certain degree, and actually, some aspects of her reminded me of myself. As for Kou.... well, I loved this guy through and through! Not only is this guy ABSOLUTELY HANDSOME, I enjoyed seeing him grow as a character, and he had quite a number of funny moments. The relationship between Futaba and Kou was cute as heck; whenever there was a moment between them, I couldn't help but grin like an idiot. Of course, most of the supporting characters were very likable, especially Kominato; I loved his personality, and I rooted for him and his feelings for another character, Murao.

However, perhaps the best part of this manga is its artwork, done by the same person writing this manga, Io Sakisaka. Of course, I've read some of her other manga, like "Strobe Edge", so I know what her style is like; however, the artwork in Ao Haru Ride is just ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL. From the scenery to the character designs even to the occasional chibi, it's all just a pleasure to look at. As if the story wasn't already beautiful, the artwork just HAD to add to it; it's definitely one of the most beautiful shoujo manga out there.

Overall, Ao Haru Ride was a real pleasure to read; I got to relive the memories of its anime adaptation and more. If you're looking for an amazing shoujo manga, I'd recommend this one on the spot. After finishing this manga, the tears that come out of your eyes.... well, they're really pouring down, aren't they?

This is a really good manga, I actually came here after watching the anime recently, while I usually do not start from chapter one, I did for this one and man do I get the same emotions I experienced during the anime haha.

The ups and downs, the run around, and wow, just the mix of emotions it puts you through, its just a wonderful experience overall.

Although middle-end you may feel like falling off due t the arc, but the ending is definitely worth staying till, you will not leave disappointed.

I really enjoy how this series cares for all the main character arcs.

The initial and last arcs are what stood out for me and will probably stick to me for a long time to come

Tip: definitely listen to the "I will" track in the anime, its simply beautiful and will ring through all the while you read the manga