Photo by Nicole. Sakisaka, Volumes 1 – 4 arranged on a Table, Ao Haru Ride, Viz Media.
Ao Haru Ride – Information
Author of Story: Io Sakisaka
Chapter Count: 13 volumes, around 49 chapters
Content Warnings
These content warnings do not reflect the contents of the review below; only the literary work itself.
- Loss of loved ones
- Illness, injury
- Bullying
- Vehicular accident
Spoiler Disclaimer
This recommendation post may contain small plot spoilers for review purposes. Any major spoilers are hidden by default and are able to be revealed via click or tap.
Ao Haru Ride (known as Blue Spring Ride in the anime adaptation) is a beloved manga series by the popular artist Sakisaka Io. I’d say it is probably the most or one of the most popular series by this author, and a well-known shoujo series overall.
I read this series when I was much younger and loved it. It was the sort of manga that desperately made me want to fall in love at the time, and molded my views of romance manga and shoujo in general. This may sound kind of funny, but it romanticizes love in a way that makes you want to feel it, too!
Rereading this series as an adult was such a delight. It is so youthful, fluffy, dramatic, and sweet. It really captures the ups and downs of having a first crush and the period of growth where love starts to make its way into your mind.
At the same time, Ao Haru Ride shows realistic emotional struggles that made the story feel more deep and impactful than just a typical fluffy shoujo. Let’s jump into it!
Ao Haru Ride – Plot Summary
The manga starts by introducing Futaba Yoshioka, who couldn’t stand boys in junior high. In her opinion, all the boys in her school were loud and annoying, except Kou Tanaka—who was a bit different in her eyes. He was quieter and kind, and often locked eyes with Futaba.
They seemed to have a small spark of something special growing, but when a classmate aggravates Futaba about her relationship with Kou, she blows up. After overhearing Futaba say she hates boys, Kou’s attention for her quickly lessens—and then, he mysteriously moves away immediately after the incident.
With her first crush gone, Futaba simply keeps the experience as both a precious memory and regret in her heart.
Skipping forward to high school, Futaba has changed drastically. After being isolated by the girls in class for her popularity with boys, she purposefully acts “ungirly” and rough to fend off male attention. This way, she can keep her friendships with fellow female classmates and prevent isolation.
But she isn’t the only one who has changed…to her surprise, Kou moves back and returns to her school—but, he isn’t the same Kou anymore!
Kou Tanaka, now with a new last name of Mabuchi, looks and acts very different than Futaba remembers. Will their relationship be able to reignite with how drastically different each of them has become?
If you like a series with romantic trials and tribulations, drama, and a rollercoaster of events, definitely check out this series. In this Ao Haru Ride manga review, I’ve highlighted both some positives and negatives of the series, starting with the positives below!
Sakisaka. Volume 3 Cover Art, Ao Haru Ride, Viz Media.
Why I Enjoyed Ao Haru Ride
Ao Haru Ride is an emotional read that will make you feel all sorts of things. Impatience, excitement, sadness, frustration, happiness, and more. It has its share of drama and angst, creating a romance that keeps you at the edge of your seat.
Plot:
The plot of this story is wonderful. Like I said earlier, it feels very youthful. Readers will see the cute heroine Futaba not only grow as a person and discover herself, but also learn how to navigate new feelings and friendships. It’s a great school-life manga with a slow burn romance!
Aside from that, there is also some very meaningful character backstories and growth. This lovely manga may make you cry, as your heart feels for these characters and their difficult experiences. Don’t let the cute school life vibe fool you, these students handle a lot of unique troubles at their young age!
Part of the troubles they experience serve as obstacles to the romance. While some may say this is just an annoying way to create misunderstandings in a shoujo, I think it is a realistic and mature portrayal of real-world problems some youths may experience. Sure, some aspects are a bit exaggerated to add some shoujo drama, but you get what I mean!
Becoming one’s true self and (mild spoiler here) recovering from grief are two examples of realistic struggles that Ao Haru Ride characters experience—topics that brought not only more interest to the story, but also depth and meaningfulness to the characters’ relationships and experiences together.
Characters:
All of the characters are eccentric and fun in their own way. Although this shoujo has both fluffy and serious moments, the characters are still high schoolers. They have their own interests, crushes, lots of silly moments, and very relatable personalities.
I really enjoyed the side characters of this series, as it didn’t spend too much time on them (keeping the focus on the main characters) but also brought them in enough to build a connection with the main duo and with the reader, too!
As for the main two characters, I really enjoyed how the author created their personalities. Kou, the ML, seems like a great example of a reserved character that isn’t exaggerated.
Occasionally he acts a bit like a tsundere, but not in an annoying way. He just has a hard time showing his true feelings sometimes, and it can often make him seem mean. Luckily, Futaba and their other friends see right through him!
Speaking of Futaba, she is a great character and a likable heroine. Obviously she is a cute girl like almost every other heroine, but she is very relatable and also incredibly self aware. Her character isn’t even a little annoying, as she is constantly growing from her mistakes and learns quickly.
Rather than being oblivious and helpless, Futaba is very in tune with her emotions and is good at recognizing what is right (or when she has made a mistake). I really enjoyed her character and seeing her discover what was best for her.
Art:
As always with this author’s art style, it perfectly fits the classic shoujo vibe and looks very flowy or soft. It featured the classic Sakisaka style of characters with round faces, big round eyes, fluffy hair, and lots of shoujo stylizations (bubbles, sparkly eyes, etc).
I’ve always loved Sakisaka’s art style (as you may have seen in my other reviews posts for Strobe Edge or Sakura, Saku) but re-reading this series made me realize just how much charm it has. The characters are all very cute, but the author doesn’t shy away from goofy faces and big reactions.
It was very fun to see characters be so expressive, especially since readers learn about each character rather slowly. It allows you to be surprised when you see a character react in a way you didn’t expect!
The art is pretty consistent throughout the series, although obviously towards the end where some time has passed in the story, the characters look a smidge more mature. Overall, the art is fantastic, and I enjoyed every second of it.
Sakisaka. Volume 9 Cover Art, Ao Haru Ride, Viz Media.
Any Cons?
Many readers are tired of common or overused shoujo tropes, so I will warn that there is not one, but multiple love triangle events / misunderstandings in this series; but I hope they won’t keep you from reading this classic shoujo.
They do drag the story out a bit longer, but that seems to be a bit of a trend with Sakisaka’s works: Slow burn stories riddled with misunderstanding or things that prevent the relationship from happening, and once a relationship forms, the plot ends. She definitely follows a formula for her mangas, but I still enjoy her works regardless (although I wouldn’t be against some variety in the future).
Unless you vehemently hate those misunderstanding arcs or plot obstacles getting in the way of a relationship, I’d say you could still give this manga a shot. If they are truly too much for you, try Shujinkou Nikki instead!
Additionally, as I’ve mentioned briefly above, this series is a slow burn—so if you’re impatient, be prepared for a romance that takes its time.
That covers the main cons, however I do have two additional nitpicks that don’t really affect the majority of the story or plot:
- Briefly, there’s that annoying trope of “teaching a girl a lesson” in order to warn them about what other guys may do to them. I’ve always hated that trope, as it honestly ruins a character’s image for me. A very outdated trope that is a stupid way to get a message across.
- There’s a side story with an age gap that is teacher x student. I really don’t like these sort of tropes, so always I mark it as a con when I see them. However, I will say that the author highlights one danger of that sort of relationship at least, and it doesn’t end in a way that completely disappoints. It definitely could have been better, but also could have been a lot worse, as we’ve seen in other manga series before. Either way, I don’t approve of this trope.
Final Thoughts
Ao Haru Ride has a dramatic, engaging slow burn romance story with lots of emotional events. The art is lovely, the characters are all very likable with well-thought-out personalities, and the drama isn’t completely unnecessary.
The plot has some deepness to it, and the romance is satisfying and suspenseful throughout the entire story. It’s a great read that isn’t too long, either! I could be biased as this is a nostalgic read for me, but regardless I’d highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys shoujo or romance manga!
Disclaimer: Any images used for this blog are for illustrative purposes only, are not owned by me, and are under ownership of the artist or publisher.
Images Credit: Io Sakisaka. Ao Haru Ride, Viz Media, 2018.
