The popular shojo manga series that was adapted into the Blue Spring Ride anime!
Futaba Yoshioka thought all boys were loud and obnoxious until she met Kou Tanaka in junior high. But as soon as she realized she really liked him, he had already moved away because of family issues. Now, in high school, Kou has reappeared, but is he still the same boy she fell in love with?
Futaba Yoshioka has encountered her first love again in high school, but he seems different from the boy she once knew. Futuba feels as though the distance between her and Kou has grown since he and Yui have started keeping in touch. Then something unexpected happens between Futaba and Kou at the school festival.
Io Sakisaka (咲坂伊緒) is a Japanese manga artist. She also designed the characters for the anime movie HAL. Her works are:
-Call My Name (2001) -Watashi no Koibito (2002) -Bye-Bye, Little (2002) -Blue (2006) -Mascara Blues (2007) -Strobe Edge (2007) -Ao Haru Ride (2011) -Sono Omokage o Shitteru (2013) (oneshot) -Omoi, Omoware, Furi, Furare (2015) -Otome no Itari (2020) (oneshot) -Sakura, Saku (2021)
The manga keeps getting interesting as it progresses. It has humor, romance and cuteness. An interesting series to follow. Thank you so much to the Goodreads community for introducing this one to me.
Come on Kou, stop making things more complicated than it already was. There are so many cute moments, but then it is all ruined because they are either interrupted, or lie to each other. UGH, it's so frustrating, but at the same time, I am enjoying it so much. The volumes are hilarious, and the people I ship are making more problems. I just want all of the characters to be happy, I love all of them!
This is about a girl named Futaba who was a very cute girl and had trouble making friends. Most of the girls in her grade were angry that their crushes liked Futaba, and avoided her. This led to Futaba hating guys, except for one guy named Kou. Kou was less manly, was shorter than the other guys in his grade and had a gentle voice. Before Futaba and Kou could get to know each other, Kou moved away without telling anyone. Later on, Futaba moves on to high school and decides that she wants to make friends, whether they were fake or real. Futaba decides to eat more, and act more aggressive so that they guys won't find her attractive. She never expects to run into her childhood crush, who has changed as much as she has.
There are so many hilarious moments in this series. I couldn't help but laugh at moments while reading. I found that this book was so easy to relate to because of how Futaba forgot a lot of things.
There were many cute moments as well, but it was always interrupted or ruined because of what the characters say and do next. I wish that Futaba and Kou would straight out say how they feel. They are honest about everything except for their feelings for each other, and it's so frustrating! This volume had me going crazy because of what these two are doing to me. I am sitting in a corner, reading, and screaming at the same time. (I know, I am crazy!)
I want the characters to be more open with each other, and support each other. They are helping each other, but they are still causing more problems for each other.
I'm loving the story though, it's a really fun read so far! I can't wait to read more and I'll be off!
uhh? this manga has me so frustrated with the back and forth between kou and yoshioka. kou is the one that’s really frustrating me because of how he plays around with futaba and now this new narumi girl comes into the picture and ugh, things were going great and now they’re not. can narumi like leave?but this is really an addicting series and so cute!! i love it and can’t wait to read the next volumes!!
I hate how this volume ends. I wish someone would hit Kou in the face. I will never understand being with someone out of pity or some weird since of self loathing. "We Were There" had an element of this and it drove me nuts. While this manga series is quickly becoming a favorite, I'm not a fan of the choices Kou is making.
Review on IG: @xojazzle IM LITERALLY GONNA GO INSANE?? This was so?? OMG?? Everything was all over the place and I ATE IT UP!! I’m actually in shock. So much happened. WHAT. We continue at the school fair and finally meet the girl who Kou has been spending all his time on the phone with and I don’t rlly like her lol anyways kikichu was actually SO CUTE??? He was so attentive to futaba and her feelings throughout the entire volume. Futaba and kou… woah. *spoilers incoming* THEY KISSED. NOT ONCE. BUT THREE TIMES??? AND HE HAD THE AUDACITY TO SAY IT MEANT NOTHING??? GOOD. BYE. I rlly don’t understand his reasoning for not begin with futaba. SHE DESERVES SOMEONE WHO WILL PUT HER FIRST! I hope she at least gets w kikichu for the time being. Ugh I want her happy with someone. Also the murao and kominato tease? Yes PLs I SHIP IT
As usual, the art is nicely evocative... I'm just not a fan of much of what's going on. We've got at least three love triangles, an "oops, we kissed 'by accident'" moment (and twenty pages [may be slightly exaggerated] of the characters involved hashing it out and getting nowhere), a real kiss which causes just as much of a mess as the accidental one, lack of communication, and there's probably more but I'll stop there.
Futaba's acting like a weird stalker, being right behind Kou wherever he goes. She, Harumi, and Kikuchi seem to be working under the philosophy that if you hang on someone long enough, they'll come to love you. In the case of Harumi and Futaba, they can't both be right. Unless this manga is going to some unconventional places. ;) Which I really, really doubt.
These people need other interests besides their own and each other's love problems. In theory, they are students who take classes and have homes and families, but all they ever do is stare at their crushes soulfully or unthinkingly make each other miserable.
I'm so disappointed in this one? Like, I get it that it's a drama so things have to happen, but you can't keep on creating love triangles every two seconds just to keep your story going.
Kou acted like a right douche in this. I hope he pulls himself together in the next volume otherwise I’ll probably stop reading this series. I absolutely HATE when characters play with the emotions of others! It pisses me off sooooooooooooo much! *fumes*
However, the artwork is still stunning which redeems this problematic volume.
This is a wild goose chase, just what the hell? Everything is just wrong timing with Kou and Futaba, but damn that kiss was too sweet I couldn't help but squeal. This is actually better than what I had in memory—but I'm still mad at Kou, gosh, darn him. He's no Kazehaya! But, given the situation, he's torn and chose the other girl. And Futaba's situation with Toma doesn't help either, I guess I'd lose my mind about that too!! But the friendships never fail to make you smile, lol. I love Makita and Murao's full support on Futaba.
Che, todo bien, pero Kou es un tarado. No me cayó bien en el anime, y tampoco me cae bien en el manga. Yo entiendo que tiene bastante problemas, y que actúa de la forma que actúa porque quiere ayudar a su amiga de la infancia, pero la actitud que tuvo hacia Futaba en el último capítulo de este volumen es imperdonable. Claramente demostró que prefiere la felicidad de su amiga antes que la de Futaba; lo cual está perfecto, pero esto claramente demuestra que: Toma es el que merece tener el romance que desea (Sakisaka forra de mierda SIEMPRE me haces lo mismo; SIEMPRE creas un personaje secundario mucho más interesante y atractivo que el imbécil del protagonista, y yo como una boluda SIEMPRE termino sufriendo porque el personaje que a mi me gusta merece mucho más de lo que termina recibiendo).
In middle school Futaba Yoshioka thought all boys were loud and obnoxious... except for Kou Tanaka. They agree to meet to go to a summer festival together but he never shows up. Fast forward to high school where she meets Tanaka again, but he's totally different and that even includes his name! Will they be able to rekindle what they had in the past?!
The Premise
In Ao Haru Ride vol 6 we get a ton of high school angst! I am always amazed when people think if they can just keep two people apart long enough then that means they can skinny in. Why would you want to be with someone who isn't looking at you?! I don't know but Futaba does all she can to chase and nail Kou down and he just isn't having it. Though he does seem to be conflicted. Narumi and Toma do what they can to come between the two and are really successful at their games. I actually found the kiss bump so cute! This is an Asian troupe they love that I just can't help but laugh and squeee over at the same time.
The Buzz
I get it... Narumi and Kou both have the same family situation. He can really relate to how she feels and she's a good girl, just like Futaba. If you compare the two of them they aren't really that different except that Narumi has gone through the same thing he has. So actually, I get it, I do. Ao Haru Ride vol 6 puts us into a really understandable situation. And teens are all about making these kinds of choices. Their judgment is still forming and even if you don't agree with their choice (I don't as I don't like manipulative girls) you have to give them props for thinking it out and making their own decision.
The Feels
ohhhhh TOMA! How I like you. I know how I wish the story would go after Ao Haru Ride vol 6. I wish for Futaba to move on and date someone else. But this is high school. That is what a young adult would do. A teen would agonize! I'm not sure Kou is worth it. And Futaba said she wanted to change... So I'm a little disappointed in her. She went for it and I'm so happy she did. But he rejected you sister! Be different and be with someone who wants to be with you. Or be alone. That's okay too. I'm a little underwhelmed and we'll have to see what Futuba decides to do in the next volume in reaction to Kou's words.
The Visuals
Ao Haru Ride vol 6 has some really cute moments with our secondary characters! I have to take a moment to squeeee over Yuri Makita and Futuba's friendship. I love how she pushes her to go for Kou! Then we have the crushing relationship triangle between Shuko Murao, Aya Kominato and teacher Yoichi Tanaka. Aya and Tanaka have a super funny interaction and I love how Tanaka totally shut Aya down. Even though Aya's heart and bromance with Kou are my favorite parts about him sometimes his positivity is a tad annoying. Anyway all of these moments are so great because the art shows their body language so well!! The art actually takes what is a rather generic story and elevates it!!
Ao Haru Ride vol 6 gives us a ton of teen high school angst! Futaba does everything she can to step up and share her feelings. I have to admire that about her even as I totally understand the choices Kou makes. Something has got to give though otherwise neither Yuri or Futaba will become Kou's girlfriend...
Thanks to Edelweiss and VIZ Media for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review. It has not influenced my opinions.
This is a multi-volume series and there may be references to the plot of those volumes... SO READ WITH CARE! Here is my review of 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
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ASSDFGHJKLHGFGHJ Carajo. A pesar de que probablemente es el tomo que más emociones me ha dado, se me hace estúpido todas las decisiones de Kou, es un GRAN HDP ADSHUASJDHSDUJSJHDSUJDS pienso igual que Kominato... puedo entender su personaje perfectamente pero, así como puntuamos a las protagonistas como estúpidas, lo mismo pasa con Kou.
Y Narumi? Bueno de que es hipócrita y egoísta, lo es. Pero aquí toda la culpa es de Kou.
Y bueno, aquí el que ha robado mi corazón es KIKUCHI! Es perfecto. *-* Yo quiero uno. :3
My only feelings about this volume are that Futaba servers better. Hell, I wish she didn't even have a love interest at this point. Kou is trash and Kikuchi is just a no. One is a jerk who loves to mess over her and the other knows she isn't into him but wants to make her fall in love with him. I pick neither.
Wonderful in some aspects but questionable in others, this was certainly an interesting manga.
One thing that was fantastically done in this manga series was the exploration and representation of grief and the long-lasting impact a parent’s death can have on a child.
The exploration of true friendships was also nicely done, especially with the protagonist letting go of her fake friends and making new friends with whom she went through hardships with but still came out well on the other side due to genuine communication and understanding between them all.
The romance was mostly cute and it certainly started off nicely but it got really murky and messy as it went on. The introduction of the second love interest threw a spanner in the works and to be honest, this was the one instance in which I rooted for the second love interest over the main love interest.
There were some problematic things in this manga that I really wish hadn’t been there. 1. The indecisiveness of the protagonist coupled with the irritatingly dumb decisions of the main love interest became a bit annoying, especially as the right-person, wrong-time scenarios kept cropping up so that the protagonist and main love interest went round in circles constantly. 2. The way the female rival love interest used her unfortunately sad situation to manipulate the main love interest into being with her even though she knew that he wanted to be with the protagonist was awful, exploitative and downright shady. 3. The protagonist made a good decision to move on from the main love interest when he chose to look after the rival love interest instead of being romantically with her. Yet those were all words and no action because the entire time she was with the second love interest she was pining for the main love interest. And it was made even more pitiful by the fact that she knew she didn’t love the second love interest but still insisted on being with him and hurt him by being overly enthusiastic in her actions but not really feeling anything towards him. She led him on and then dropped him like a stone the moment she could go running back to the main love interest after deluding herself that all the terrible decisions she had made and lies she’d told the second love interest were in his interest and only done with him in mind. In actuality, the protagonist acted in a way that was cruel and selfish. 4. The main love interest was sometimes mean too. He managed to make the protagonist cry on more than one occasion with his unnecessarily harsh words and worse, his borderline sexually abusive actions. The scene where he tried to scare her into protecting herself around guys by getting on top of her and pinning her to the ground was insane and the fact that all she did was cry was even more insane. She wasn’t mad at him at all afterwards even though he had severely abused his position as her friend. The lack of consequences for his actions just showed the kind of toxic love between the protagonist and the love interest that hurt themselves and everyone around them.
And so, despite how cute this manga appeared at times, it grew harder and harder to ignore all that was wrong with it and all the blatant issues cast long shadows over the strengths of this manga.
Genuinely screamed while reading this. WHAT WAS THAT?! I don't remember this being in the anime at all and I love it. The drama, the feels and the character development :0. I'm sat on the edge of my seat.
Gah, my emotions are everywhere! How can I get the one thing I was SOOOOO desperately wanting only for everything to be flipped upside down!? WHY MUST IO SAKISAKA WRITE SUCH HONORABLE GUYS?!?! Allllll these issues could be solved if she didn't, BUT! It's also why I really like her heroes, even if I'm just like NOOOOOOO with their choices. Ha!
Poor Futaba! If my emotions and feelings are everywhere, hers *definitely* is! I'm still struggling with whiplash and wish I could read the rest of the day and see how her story unfolds because I so desperately want things to work out. How is she going to cope with Kou's choice? What is she going to tell Yuri? HOW IS THIS ALL GOING TO UNFOLD!!???
On the flip side, I'm really digging things with a certain two side characters! Hoping that this is the beginning of a sweet romance for them(?) and that one of them continues to be super curious of the other.
I'm truly at a loss of words. Considering the situation, I get it. I really do, but it doesn't make it any easier for all parties involved minus the one this whole thing is centered around. (Kudos to Kominato for being that friend that isn't afraid to get mad and be blunt with Kou!)
Also, I was right on calling it about Kikuchi. He's a good guy.
I don't have a quote this time around and despite that I'm still struggling with everything that happened, I can't give this volume anything less then five stars (despite that my ship STILL isn't sailing the way I hoped LOL).
I love this series, but I dont like the ending of this one...Kou would have deserved a punch in the face. It's interesting to see a character who appears to have attachment disorder. It's sad because, Kou takes a step in the right direction and then takes two steps back. Every time he is kind, the next day he does something wrong. He seems to keep people away because he is afraid of becoming attached to them and risking losing them. I love the character of Yoshioka Futaba, she is a overthinker, same as me!
Kou te voy a coger de los pelos y te voy a arrastrar por el suelo, hIJO DE PUTA!! 🗣️🗣️🗣️ me voy a sacar las tripas delante tuya para cambiar el rumbo de tu vida, mamón 🫵🏻🗡️
Kominato por su parte se está ganando mi corazón y es mazo relatable <3