Ao Haru Ride by Io Sakisaka
Here are my individual reviews/thoughts for volumes 1-13 of Ao Haru Ride! Think of these reviews as a notes app thought dump. I had the time of my life reading this series and could not! Wanted to share my immediate and unfiltered thoughts.
Rating: 4/5★
Read: 7/19/22
I watched the anime a couple months ago and I knew I had to pick up the manga. I love being able to see where the scenes originated from and I’m just so happy to be back in this universe! Futaba and Kou are just so cute and so comforting. Something about a second chance romance just makes my heart feel so full. I love the fact that they both had feelings, he moves away, comes back and he’s a completely different person now. As cliche as it is, I eat this up! So excited to finish up all the volumes. Got to read one of my fav scenes from the anime: when he pulls in her to hide her from crying infront of others hehe love kou <3
Rating: 4/5★
Read: 7/19/22
Ok I loved this volume! This was such a good episode in the anime and it was just as good reading it. I really loved the retreat because I feel like we just saw this group getting closer and I LOVE their friendship! I think each person brings something super special to the group. Also really great Futaba and Kou moments hehe when they’re laying down and all of a sudden facing each other, he pretends she’s his gf lol, and when he carries her bc she hurt her ankle :’) also love seeing the friendship between Futaba and Yuri grow stronger! Love this girl duo!
Rating: 4.5/5★
Read: 7/22/22-7/23/22
Ok this was the best one yet! Futaba, yuri, murao = my fav girl gang trio 🫶their friendship is just unmatched. I wish I had girlfriends like this! I also just rlly loved the futaba and kou moments here. She finally realizes she likes him even though she’s been trying to convince herself it’s all in the past. I love how kou waits for her to walk home and just shows tht he rlly cares by protecting her from other guys and stuff. I also feel like kou likes her too but doesn’t wanna admit his feelings lol I feel like he was jealous and super flirty when they were studying bc he got in between futaba and kominato hahah then asked futaba to teach him. But Yuri ruined the moment and I wanted to SCREAM lol anyways amazing content going to read vol 4 right now.
Rating: 5/5★
Read: 7/23/22
STFU THIS WAS SO GOOD???? Oh my gosh I’m literally screaming in my room at 2 am. IMMEDIATELY PICKING UP VOL 5 WHAT IS THIS. We see kou start to open up not only to futaba, but to his friend and family and I LOVE THAT! School is ending so they’re planning for summer and I literally love this core 5 friend group. They’re everything. ALSO KOU!!! GETTING JEALOUS NOT ONCE BUT TWICE?!!! YEAH I NEEDED THIS! This festival was EVERYTHING. I watched the OVA and seeing this in the manga was SO AMAZING IM SO HAPPY RN IDEK WHAT TO THINK. Yuri and futaba’s friendship is so special, I love them and I hope yuri is happy. I wish her nothing but the best, but futaba and kou are otp🤭 okokok I’m starting vol 5 CUZ WOWWW.
Rating: 5/5★
Read: 7/23/22
top bc this just keeps getting better and better. I am extremely invested into this story bc this is now everything the anime DIDNT COVER so it’s all new content for me! We started off with what seems like is going to be a huge step in futaba and kou’s relationship, but BOOM. HUGE ROAD BLOCK! I can already tell kou’s “new friend” is going to be trouble for these two. Sigh. On a positive note, there was some one else who has taken an interest in futaba and tbh… I’m a fan. I rlly like him and I’m excited to see more of him! Kou admitted to kominato tht he has feelings for futaba but hasn’t acted on it. I loveee kominato’s advice but ofc kou isn’t going to listen. I love kou but he’s playing too many games. He gets jealous, says mean things to her when another guy flirts with her, and is talking to another girl?! Kikuchi is making me go 🤭🤭 he says the sweetest things to futaba, rlly wants to win her heart, makes an effort to see her and seems like he can give futaba what she wants! Cant wait to see what happens next.
Rating: 5/5★
Read: 7/23/22
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.
Rating: 4/5★
Read: 7/23/22
This felt a little slower compared to the last couple of volumes, but I still enjoyed it. Futaba and Kou r still trying to figure out how to navigate everything going on and ahhh it’s making me go crazy! It sucks how things never really work out for them but I feel like one thing that makes this so good is that idk which male lead I like more?! I really love them both for different reasons! Kikuchi is so so cute and I love how much he’s interested in Futaba! But kou will always be her first love and I’m a sucker for that. But kou always needs to GET A GRIPPPP and drop tht other girl. She irks me. I rlly rlly dislike her. SUCHA PICK ME. I get she’s going through stuff and I feel so bad But I think she’s incredibly selfish. She’s also a female Leo so ik why I hated her from the jump (as a female pisces I 90% of the time hate female leos) anyways there was a little bit on murao! I loved her getting her own little segment eventho it was a little taboo hehe I hope things spark with her and kominato🤭
Rating: 4.5/5★
Read:
One thing about me is that I’m a girls girl! Team futaba always 🫶 love how she is sticking up for herself and doing things for her! As much as I want her and kou to be together rn, he needs to get a grip and decide what he wants. He’s too wishy washy when futaba made her feelings clear. Anyways I’m looking forward to her plans with Kikuchi and I hope that she can just let herself be happy and have fun and get her mind off kou!
Rating: 5/5★
Read: 7/23/22
OMG IM SCREAMING!!!! This volume was freaking EVERYTHING I NEEDED YEP YEP YEP. I love first and I feel like this is what this was celebrating 🫶 young, first love :’) first boyfriend, first dates. I love it! it’s so hard falling for the 2nd Male lead tho lol Kikuchi is SO CUTE AND I LOVE HIM FOR FUTABA! I love how sweet he is to her and I know I’m going to b heartbroken lol but I’ll be happy for her for now :’) ALSO YURI GOT A BF AND ITS KIKUCHIS FRIEND I LOVE THT FOR HER THEYRE SO CUTE! So happy for her 🤍 I’m also loving murao and kaminato getting closer. But also kou is dumb for waiting so long lol I hope he isn’t selfish and let’s futaba be happy until she’s ready to move on! Anyways THIS WAS AMAZINGGGG.
Rating: 5/5★
Read: 7/23/22
I love me a class trip 🤭🤭 part of me is sad bc this had SUCH AMAZING CUTE FUTABA AND KUKICHI MOMENTS. I’m happy bc I like them together but cmonnn I know they aren’t endgame 🫡 anyways, I rlly do feel like he is such a good guy it hurts me! I also love this season of growth for futaba. she’s rlly trying to move forward from kou (as she should) and focus on Kikuchi! It makes me so happy for her ugh THEYRE so cute. Loved the content we got here. I also love the friend group content as well💓 the core five have my heart and I’m happy they can add this to their list of memories hehe I’m also happy we see a little bit of growth on kou’s part. I hope he opens up and grows a lot faster bc I’m TIREDDDD of the games.
Rating: 4/5★
Read: 7/23/22 – 7/23/22
Feeling: conflicted lol don’t get me wrong, I love kou and futaba together and I’m glad kou is finally starting to understand his feelings and go after what he wants to move forward, but I hate that it’s out of kikuchi’s expense. I rlly like him :(( he’s so cute and so sweet and it makes me sad to see his feelings get hurt. I just think there should’ve been more respect for the relationship futaba had with Kikuchi on both sides. You really see how much Kikuchi and kou care for futaba and I love them both! Aside from this little love triangle, I loved the kominato and murao content! I hope they end up together bc I would be so happy for them :’) & shoutout to my fav girl trio I love them! They are girls girls who just wanna see their friends win and I WANT BEST FRIENDS LIKE THT! Onto the next volume 💌
Rating: 4.5/5★
Read: 7/24/22
This volume gave me whiplash. I WAS ALL OVER THE FIRST. starting from the beginning, kou did what he needed to and decided to go after futaba. While I was upset bc she was still in a relationship, it was so refreshing to FINALLY see him take initiative and show her how he feels! Like we needed this energy from u, kou! Meanwhile, my Kikuchi heart hearts💔 I rly loved him sm and I’m so sad tht he got his heart broken… but at the same time I’m happy for futaba and her pursuing her own feelings as well. She was never going to be able to develop feelings for Kikuchi bc kou already had her heart. Fast forward a little towards the END WHAT. THE. HELL. I HAD A HEART ATTACK AND I WAS ABOUT THE HAVE AN OUT OF BODY EXPERIENCE. but everything turned out ok and we got a love confession that I adored and I LOVE KOU AND FUTABA YEAHHHH🫶 happy to see my people FINALLY have the right timing and be together! Futaba has kou and I have Kikuchi😜
Rating: 5/5★
Read: 7/24/24
THIS. IS. SO. BITTERSWEET. I’m sad. I’m heartbroken. How will I move on from this series? I’ve seriously grown so attached to these 5 characters: futaba, kou, kominato, murao, and yuri I LOVE YOU ALL🫶 I’m so happy we got to them all happy. First yuri: her and her bf r so cute! I adore them so much 🙂 kominato and murao: IVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS!! So so so happy they’re together and the growth they went through throughout this whole series, it was so worth it to them together in the end! They suit eachother so nicely and I absolutely love them 💞 now kou and futaba: im so happy it didn’t just end at the last volume. Im happy for the couple content we got and all I have to say is THEY ARE SO FREAKING CUTE. I LOVE THEM SO SO SO MUCH! Seeing them from Vol 1 to now: I am so so proud of them. ALSO CAN WE TALK ABOUT WTF WAS THT DREAM I WAS LITERALLY READY TO THROW UP, CRY AND RIOT BC WTF I GOT A HEART ATTACK. anyways, kou made me so proud! Loved how he called futaba by her first name and changed his last name. So proud of him. I feel like what was really special about this manga series was that, futaba was pretty much kou’s knight in shining armor 🙂 or as he described her: “his hero” 💜 she didn’t save him from a dragon or anything, but she saved him from himself and I think that’s so special. This story is so special. This group of friends is so special. And I loved every second of it. Definitely one of my all time favorites<3
