Strobe Edge by Io Sakisaka

Here are my individual reviews/thoughts for volumes 1-10 of Strobe Edge! 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: 9/26/22

Ok I trust anything by io sakisaka🫡 volume 1 HAS ME HOOKED IM SO EXCITED TO SEE WHAT HAPPENS NEXT!! Right off the bat all the characters r super likeable (the only thing that bothers me is tht ninako makes a duck face ALL the time I’m like why lol) the biggest cliche: girl and guy are long time friends. Guy likes the girl, girl falls for someone else. Poor friend. She finds something out about the guy she falls for and when I tell u I was SHOCKED LOL I WAS NOT EXPECTING IT?? Ren def gives me im cold on the outside but I’ll be soft for that one girl haha I’m excited to see more of his and ninako’s character development as well as get to know the rest of the characters more. I think this is going to be another cute story about what it feels like to be in love for the first time 🥰 and I think those moments r super cute and special! I’m excited to see what happens next in the story.

Rating: 3.75/5★

Read: 9/26/22 – 9/27/22

 have mixed feelings for this volume. I almost gave it 3 stars but the bonus story with how ren and mayuka met and started dating saved this volume so let’s talk about that first. I really liked their little story, it was so cute! I think understanding how they got together makes their relationship super special. I already liked mayuka bc I thought she was nice and seeing how ren treated her?? Love it! He tried to act more mature so she felt comfortable sharing her feelings🥹 I think they’re so cute and this just made me more annoyed w why I was annoyed with this volume in the first place lol I hateeeee how ninako is still acting even though she knows he has a gf. I know she isn’t necessarily making a move but I feel like she’s trying to play the victim of her being upset all the time bc he has a gf and it’s like??? HE HAS A GF LIKE MOVE ON. Idk that just rlly bothers me lol & ren kind of continuing to entertain it. I do, however, like the added mix of ando. I hope ninako just goes for him bc I’m a lover for the reformed playboy but i think ando is going to end up pushing ren to break up w his gf and go for ninako. Idk, I have very mixed emotions lol

Rating: 4/5★

Read: 9/28/22

Feeling: conflicted lol there’s so many things going on I’m like AHHHH. First, ren. This boy is soooo CONFUSING. He has a gf and just needs to distance himself from Ninako. Even his friends made a comment that ren acts different around her. He lets lose and acts more like his true self. I feel bad but cmon😵‍💫 second, ninako is kinda dense (sorry) lol she needs to stop being upset with ren when he spends time w his gf! Like YES I get it. You love him but you know he has a gf so ur just setting urself up for heartbreak? I feel rlly bad for ren’s gf, mayuka, bc I think she senses something *sigh* she’s so nice. But I can see her relationship w ren is VERY surface level. They’re both very different and don’t seem compatible. Third, ANDO. HE IS SO CUTE HAHA I love the whole reformed playboy and I know he’s the second male lead but I love him. He SCREAMS toma from ao haru ride bc he’s “the guy she’s using to get over the first guy” so I know this isn’t going to end well for him lol he’s a very sweet guy so I hope he gets a nice ending. I’m interested to see what happens in the next volume! Side note: sayuri and daiki R SO CUTE I LOVE THE LITTLE SNIPPETS OF THEM🫶

Rating: 5/5★

Read: 9/28/22

Wow this volume had ALLLL THE DRAMA. I feel like I’m facing an inner battle of what’s wrong and what’s right lol. I love ando tbh hahah I feel like his character has changed really nicely and even though it was kinda insta love I like where his feelings for ninako are at. He is rlly sweet to her and I love it! Very much “I hate everyone but you” hahah I like that he’s jealous and willing to fight for who he loves! We love that🤭 he made sure he told ren how he feels bc EVERYONE can see ren feels some type of way for ninako. In this volume you definitely see that he notices the effect she has on him as well. He’s trying to distance himself bc he knows it’s wrong to feel this way when he has a gf. He definitely acts more free when he’s with ninako and it seems like mayuka kinda holds him back. This just gives me weird feelings for ninako bc yes I know she likes him but I HATE when other girls can’t respect that the guy they’re into has a gf idk😭 Idk where her intentions are. I just feel like they’re a mess lol but other than that crazy love square going on, I ADORE DAIKI AND SAYURI🫶 they’re so precious and I love love love their relationship!! They make such a great addition to the story I want more of them :))

Rating: 3/5★

Read: 9/30/22

Tbh I didn’t know what to expect but it definitely wasn’t THAT lol ando is def giving majorrrr toma vibes from ao haru ride and I loveeeee him 😩😩he’s so fun and so cute I want ninako to choose him! But her feelings rlly confuse me lol everytime she talks a about ren she talks about how she shouldn’t love him but she can’t help it and just cries like girlllll u know he has a gf idk why ur THAT upset 😭 anyways I’m curious what will happen now between her and ren. Overall this volume was ok, nothing that really kept my attention BUT I LOVED THE BONUS STORY!🫶 team ando frrrrr

Rating: 4/5

Read: 9/30/22 – 10/2/22★

Ok this definitely made up from last volume! I feel like I just liked this story soooo much more now that *SPOILER ALERT* ren is single. I think that makes me have a clear conscious lol one of my favorite things was actually ren and andos friendship. I hate how it was ruined in the past by a girl but I feel like in this volume, they created a path to become good friends again and I’m honestly hoping that we get to see it happen bc I love it! There were also a ton of cute ren and ninako scenes! I feel so much better now that he’s single but I’m wondering why they both won’t admit anything now?? Nothing is stopping them so they can go for it! I still feel really bad for ando lol he changed his player ways to try to be with ninako but she could care less about him romantically HAHAAH poor ando! Also manabu is so cute lol I literally love him, I need a one shot for him! also the ending??! What is the tea there! This volume made me have a ton of questions!! Onto the next volume🫶

Rating: 5/5★

Read: 10/2/22 – 10/3/22

OK I THINK THIS WAS MY FAV VOLUME SO FAR OMG!!! The school trip chapters are ALWAYS MY FAV! I love how ren asked ninako to be in a group and their friends did whatever they could do they could get alone time heheh🫶 love supportive friends! I also just rly liked how comfortable they are with each other. Things just seem to flow so nicely for them and I just love seeing them get more comfortable and development a close bond w each other 🙂 I think it’s so so so sweet I love it! Ren is deffff getting out of his shell more and it makes me so happy to see how much he likes Ninako. SO WHOLESOME !! I also like how we focused a lot on Sayuri in this volume I LOVE HER SO MUCH and I’m so happy there’s no trouble in paradise for her and daiki. I love them together so much <3 I rlly enjoyed learning about her past. THE BONUS CHAPTER OF HER AND YU!! So so so cute. I literally love her so much. But I can tell there’s going to be trouble for ren and ninako I feel something coming 😩😩 need to read the next volume NOW. side note: THEY MENTIONED THE KIMI NI TODOKE ANIME I FREAKED OUT JAJSJSJSSHSJ <3333

Rating: 4.5/5★

Read: 10/3/22

This was soooo good! I feel like in the last two volumes, especially this one, we get a new side of ren and I LOVE IT! He’s very assertive and explains his feelings a lot more. I feel like he’s making more of an effort to go after ninako and I love it 🤭 him listening to a song just because she hummed it, sticking up for her infront of the class, taking her to the nurses office. SO CUTE! The only thing is, ANDO IS CUTE TOO. I love how he talks about ninako and just puts himself out there! He helps her with cheer (and says the cutest things) and IS SO DEFENSIVE WITH HER I LOVE IT. he gives me “touch her and I’ll kill you vibes” on top of that, I rlly love ando and ren’s friendship. So I can def see why ninako is acting the way she is. She’s putting their friendship first over her feelings. I’m feeling so conflicted bc thats very nice of her but I want her to be w someone but I also don’t know who I want her to be with 😩 this is so hard. A good love triangle makes it so hard to choose who you want to be endgame and this is def one of them. Lastly, SCREW ANDO’S EX I HATE HER 😄😄 lol onto the next volume <3

Rating: 4/5★

Read: 10/3/22

GIRLLL BYE THIS VOLUME GAVE ME WHIPLASH WHAT THE HECKKKKKK. Ninako what r u doing!!! REN OMG I CANT BELIEVE U FINALLY DID IT 😭😭 & ando.. STOPPPP HE DESERVES EVERYTHING I WANT HIM TO BE HAPPY 🥺 I’m feeling so conflicted rn. I JUST WANT A HAPPY ENDING FOR EVERYONE PLS IM STARTING THE NEXT VOL NOW I might add onto this review later HAHA BUT IM SO INVESTED THIS VOLUME JUST MADE ME KEKJEJEJSH BYE

Rate: 4/5★

Read: 10/4/22

I immediately had to start this volume after finishing up Vol 9. The cliffhanger?! Overall, I enjoyed the end to this series. I felt like seeing them together was a long time coming and a great grand gesture. I loved how their friendship developed from the beginning to now. I also think everyone got their own happy ending! Sayuri and daiki🫶and even ando! I loved seeing everything wrap up and I also enjoyed the bonus stories at the end! I’ve loved manabe from the start and I rlly enjoyed his bonus story hehe overall I’m pleased with the way strobe edge ended and liked this series overall! (However I do prefer ao haru ride hehe)