Futaba Yoshioka really dislikes boys. Except for Kou Tanaka. But after inviting Futaba to a date during summer vacation, Kou doesn’t come to it and when school starts again, Futaba learns that Kou has transferred during the summer.
Three years later Futaba is a first year in high school and for some reason she always reacts to the name of her teacher Tanaka, who’s somehow similar to the first love of hers. And one day she bumps into a guy he kind of looks like Kou, but has a different surname. Confused she follows him as they live in the same direction and it turns out it’s the Kou she once loved. But the Kou now and the Kou then are different…
THOUGHTS
This is a love story, but also a story about being young. About having friends, how people deal with things differently and how we all have a part in someone’s life. The characters are well-made and develop over time. They kind of learn about life while in high school, so when they’re somewhere in between being an adult and being a child.
Honestly, I don’t know why I like this title. It’s just one of those that hits you deep down for me. Well, I did realize that at the time I finishing, I probably chose it because somehow Futaba and Kou and their relationship remind me of my partner and myself and our relationship. It’s a rather calm, but well-paced and well-drawn, title and it’s one of those titles you just can enjoy despite knowing how it’ll end. I’m not much into romance, but this is definitely one of my favourites. It’s high up there with Kimi ni Todoke.
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Get Ao Haru Ride in Japanese!
On CDJapan: Volume 1, Volume 2, Volume 3, Volume 4, Volume 5, Volume 6, Volume 7, Volume 8, Volume 9, Volume 10, Volume 11, Volume 12 and Volume 13
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