[MANGA/ANIME] Ao Haru Ride

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Also known as AoHaRaido or Youth Ride

By Sakisaka Io

Summary

Yoshioka Futaba has a few reasons why she wants to "reset" her image and life as a new high-school student. Because she's cute, she was ostracized by her female friends in junior high, and because of a misunderstanding, she couldn't get her feeling across to the one boy she has always liked, Tanaka-kun.

Now in high school, she is determined to be as unladylike as possible so that her friends won't be jealous of her. While living her life this way contentedly, she meets Tanaka-kun again, but he now goes under the name of Mabuchi Kou. He tells her that he felt the same way as she did when they were younger, but now things can never be the same again. Will Futaba be able to continue her love that never even started from three years ago?

 

Volume: 13 (Completed)

Anime Episodes: 12

*This series has also live action film

 

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I started this two days ago and I'm already caught up with the series.

It was great and it has been a long time since a series can engage me and make me *feel* a lot like this one did.

I felt like I was starting to read shoujo manga all over again.

I like the story a lot and I think everyone who likes shoujo should give it a try.

Also, I first came to find out about this manga through the soompi manga recommendation thread. A lot of people seem to be reading it. And it's ongoing so I thought it'd be nice to have a place to discuss new chapters

[Guest sunye~]

I love this author's works! Ao Haru Ride is one of those shoujo works that I actually like -- story, art and the characters. It's light-hearted (well, mostly) and a cute shoujo read.
 I can relate to Futaba and some of the other characters too. It's nice that the manga's not entirely focused on just the romance of one couple. You can see the complexity of kou, etc...

Although [*spoiler] I was a bit skeptical of yuuri and futaba's lasting friendship.. yes, it did waver, but I expected more drama because of their competition for kou.
anyway, [*spoiler ] I'm so excited about kikuchi's appearance!! haha. now there's going to be more drama and kou has to be more bold if he doesn't want to lose.

If you like this manga, you'll definitely enjoy Sakisaka Io's other mangas!

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^

The spoiler below is a response to the spoiler above so please don't read if you don't want the story spoiled!

[-Spoiler] Yes, I like the complexity of the characters too. My favorite is Futaba. I was very interested in her "restart" and was happy when the main "five" finally got together. Yuuri and Futaba's mutual like for Kou was uncomfortable to read but it was cute when they said they said that they loved each other that one time. I think it was on the roof. But I doubt any thing like that can happen in real life especially between two girls who started to be real friends about three months ago. But I like the talks between the three girls.

I like the other girl and guy (forgot their names right now). It's interesting to see because I have no idea if the black haired girl is going to end up with the hyper guy (who I love, he's so loyal and nice) or the sensai (who is cute and cool in his own way although he did lead her along that one time which was a bit jerky imo).

Obviously that "friend" of Kou's whose family is going through a hard time is a girl. Which will complicate the story. :/

But I'm also very very excited for Kikuchi's appearance! He and his two friends are so funny! I think he's a very interesting character. And it's time for Kou to get jealous. Although this is not the first time he has. He's pretty possessive! But I LOVE IT! Hahaha~ *fangirl moment* [-End Spoiler]

I was thinking of reading another of Sakisaka's mangas. Particularly Strobe Edge because I think it's the most famous one. And it's completed! Which other one should I check out?

[Guest sunye~]

Strobe Edge was a pretty cute story you should read it! The love triangle will definitely get you fangirly haha
I read this when it was on-going, which was a while ago..  The main girl, niina??, is cute as a button. I remember...near the end, I was rooting for the third wheel. Weirdly, I liked all of the characters in their own way. Now that doesn't happen often.

but I also recommend her  short stories. (hmm.. sorry it's been a while since I read all of these so I don't remember all the details... I should reread these again x.x) They're simple, short and relatable, so I ended up reading them several times.

I liked the 2nd and 3rd one shots in mascara blues: the 2nd one is just adorable! This one has that tough cookie-type guy that I can't help fangirling for lol.  The 3rd one was a surprise (and I think the most serious one?).  This is just my opinion, but the 1st one shot really didn't hit me.

Bye Bye Little: The first one shot is refreshing too, with cute romance. I especially liked the touch of parent-child relationship in the story.
The other two one shots in Bye Bye Little didn't leave an impression on me... they seemed like typical  shoujo (I mean, they're still ok to read but for some reason they don't give me the fangirl moment as much as  the other stories)

Blue: rather than the main girl, I was fascinated by the main girl's friend, Rumi-chan. (you'll see why... now she was a surprise too) This one is a cousinxcousin relationship and it was a nice read, but I couldn't help getting frustrated by how expressionless the main guy is until the end. The story is told by the main girl's perspective so obviously you can't look into the guy's perspective, but I was just irritated when the girl seemed to be struggling quite a lot while the guy seemed to just breeze by.

Watashi no Koibito: Like all of her other stories, the main girl's issues are relatable.

Most of these stories won't make the readers bawl or anything, but they're a nice breather. Sakisaka Io reminds me of Usami Maki, who also writes/draws the same type of light-hearted stories.

[spoiler response] haha oops! how could I forget the hyper guy! he's adorable. I've never read a lot of teacherxstudent relationship mangas so this was something new.  I wonder how it'll turn out?  oh gosh, another girl chasing after kou in the story will be one headache.. well, more drama is interesting though. haha let me join your fangirl moment!! being the selfish reader, I get kind of annoyed when there's a rival girl in the story (probably b/c I get absorbed into the main girl's perspective or whatever)  but when there's  a rival guy fighting for futaba, gets me all fangirly! XD

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Thank you so much for writing this out for me and going through the trouble to go back and remember what the mangas where about! Thank you!

I actually finished Strobe Edge last night. I read it in about two days. Haha [strobe Edge spoiler] It was nice but you know, I didn't love it as much as I love Aoharaido. I guess it was the plot. It was painful that Ninako (is her name and she was really really cute, I liked her!) had that one-sided love for such a loooong time. I don't think I've ever read a manga where the main lead had to endure it for such a long time. The ending confessions didn't make my heart skip beats. I guess because both of them (Ren and Ninako) already kind of suspected that the other like them. Except for when Ninako turned down Ren and then he found her sitting at his desk and then he cornered her in the classroom!I That made me fangirly! Made my heart race, haha~ In the end the third wheel, Andou, got hurt. It made me really sad because like you I also liked him a lot. I was actually rooting for him since he started getting feelings for her. But early on I could tell it was probably not going to happen. I just hoped he didn't end up hurt. But he did. I like how we saw feelings develop and what drove everyone to be how they were. When Ren broke up with his girlfriend, I thought it was sad and so clever how the manga-ka expressed their feelings. Ren's 13 year old self appeared to him and said "What did you do? She was my first love." I thought it was amazing because it's true. When you break up with a person, even if you know you didn't like them as much as before, it still hurts because you think about the things you had in the pass and feel a loss regardless. I loved the side characters too! Particully, the hyper friend of Ren's (his eyes were so cute!) called Gacchan and the friend of Ninako's with the curly pony tail and the hoop earrings. They were both  very nice and earnest. Overall, it was a nice manga but it didn't make my heart skip a beat as much as I hoped. It reminded me in some ways of Peach Girl and I liked Peach Girl more. [End of Strobe Edge spoilers] But still, I don't regret reading it

I'm going to check out the oneshots you mentioned above next. I also like Usami Maki and have read quite a few of her oneshots! Thank you much again for writing all that out.

Now back to Aoharaido! lool Totally off topic with the giant Stobe Edge paragraph above.

I have only read oneshots on teacherxstudent relationships. But they never make me fail to make me nervous and feel painful with the whole if we get caught sensai will lose his job and it'll become a scandal so we have to keep it a secret and then at one point one of the two will break up with the other person to protect them but it really hurts them, etc. lol I was quite shocked when the sensai in Aoharaido told the girl with the black hair that he had never been bothered by her feelings with the flirty smile! I have noo idea where that is going.

Oh my gosh! The same thing happens to me! If some girl will hit on Kou I'll want to kill her. But if it's Futaba getting attention from another guy it'll make me happy XD It's so messed up. lol Can't wait to see Kou more jealous!

This manga only comes out once a month right?

[Guest chocolina]

I really like Sakisaka Io's works! Strobe Edge was cute and I enjoy reading Ao Haru Ride each month. :)I think I've only read Blue and Mascara Blues, but it was a while ago. I remember liking them. x) 

And as to your question, yeah I think it's published monthly in Betsuma? not sure thoughThere's a lot of speculation regarding to Kou and his classmate from his hometown! 

[Guest sunye~]

hope you guys liked the other works

yay! ch. 18 got updated!

I'll be back after I read it ^^

edit:

[spoilers] geez, how cute can they get? lol. Now this chapter was full of fangirl moments for me! I can't help rooting for Kikuchi now, since he's starting to get aggressive (that snack moment!!!!!!) ..and Kou's not entirely going in the right direction...

ugh that phone call! It has to be a girl!
That last ominous thing he said: "This is just how it is with us, huh?" is bugging me. One minute ago, he was all tender to Futaba and then soon after, he's crawling back into his own shell again.

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Thanks so much for the heads up! I found out about the update so quickly thanks to you! [spoiler below]
 
Kikuchi!! OMG! I love him right now. He’s so awesome and so bold. I love how he’s really putting himself out there. The scene with the chocolate stick!! His blushing face! And cute and super nice compliments to Futaba! And his friend’s comments! Those friends of his are hilarious~~ lmao! I looove them! *squeeze*
 
On the other hand, Kou is annoying me to no end. I think what he means with “This is just how it is with us, huh?” is that their timing is never right. But if he would just man up and make a move, and set the mood himself, then it wouldn’t matter! It’s like he’s giving up on their potential relationship for such a stupid reason. It annoys me so much. He’s so unreliable, like one day he’s going to tell her that things are just not going to work out between them just because a few small hardships.

I dunno if he’s still in a “difficult time of his life” but I don’t see what is holding him back any longer. I can’t figure him out!!!!!

And yes, the voice on the other end of the line was that of a girls! 99.9% sure. I want to read the next chapter!!
 
About the one shots! I read Mascara Blues, Bye Bye Little, and Watashiwa no Koibito. Still haven’t read Blue.
 
Mascara Blues:
 
Story 1 The one where the girl falls in love really easily but once she confesses she stops liking the guy.
 
Story 2 The one where the girl trips trying to reach the bus. She falls and a guy helps her pick up her things and get to the bus.  A year later she thinks the same boy is in her class but he is a very cold guy.
 
Story 3 The one about the girl who hopes her actual life is a dream she will wake up from soon. She isn’t happy with what she is, and her feelings are amplified when she meets a guy she likes.
 
This is what I thought so it contains spoilers:
 
Story 1 Okay, I was in love with the guy in this story for some reason. He was just so friendly and reliable. What I admire about the mangaka is how she makes boys who are very true to life and likeable. I thought the story was interesting and had a lot of potential but somehow towards the end I lost it. The confession wasn’t satisfying and her make up face was a little bit not cute. Maybe if the mangaka had focused more on his feelings more (since he had been holding back all this time) during the confession it would have been better.
 
Story 2 I loved this guy too! So rough around the edges! A very cute story. It also had a few uncomfortable moments around the end and the ending was not too conclusive but cute J
 
Story 3 I never expected a story like this. The fact that she even attempted to write a story on this topic is really neat. I liked the message behind this story a lot. And liked the vague ending in this one. Haha Because I didn’t want to see the protagonist get hurt.

Bye Bye Little
 
Story 1- The one about a reliable girl who has to take care of her little brother and tend the house since her dad passed away and her mother works. She never relies on any one but herself until she again meets a childhood friend who has changed from a cry baby to a reliable young man. She used to take care of him but recently he has been returning the favor, evoking both painful feelings about her past and romantic feeling in the present.
 
Story 2- The one about the girl who confesses to the guy she likes and is accepted. However, he is very detached with her and her feeling begin to fade without her notice. She begins to like her boyfriend's friend instead.
 
Story 3- The one where a noncute girl falls for her close guy friend who only likes cute girls.
 
Story 4- The one about a couple who are perceived by outsiders as perfect but who in reality have a lot of problems in their home lives.
 
Spoilers below:

Story 1- I really really liked this story. I was very sad when she said she had promised her dad she wouldn’t cry. I LOVED THE BOY IN THIS STORY! Such a cute mole, and eyes, and hair. And he was so reliable <3 I wished I could have seen a little bit more of what happened after she confessed to him!!!
 
Story 2- I liked the break up scene because they both acknowledged that they had changed and their feelings had changed. The rest of the story overall didn’t do it for me. Haha

Story 3- I didn’t like this one too much because the guy was stupid. Haha~ and her confession in front of their mutual friends was embarrassing.
 
Story 4- The ran away from home. The end. WHAT!!!?! Where is the story? Lol I didn’t like this one too much.

Watashi no Koibito
 
On thing that I really like about this manga-ka’s works so far are the really unique and cute and awesome boy characters she comes up with. And wow! So many of her works deal with unrequited love! She HAD to have her own unrequited love in her life before. Because she writes about it A LOT! I liked the love rival. Very cute eyes and I liked his personality. I wished the main girl who have accepted his confession instead! I could see the thing about the sister being adopted coming. But as a little sister myself I could appreciate a story about sisters. The confession was pretty cute. But I would have stayed with the other guy! Lol (I’m getting too attached to the boys this mangaka creates X))
 
Story at the end of Koibito:
 
I loved this story! The protagonist was so bold! I could not believe my eyes during the cake incident! And then I cracked up! And then the very short story without words. Very cute.
 
So I liked Story 1 and 2 in Mascara Blues. Story 1 in Bye Bye Little. And the story at the end of Watashi no Koibito (more than the main story itself).
 
 And I’ll be trying out Blue soon ^.^

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I really really enjoyed Blue! :x I thought it was a really good story. I had never read a manga with both of those topics. MAJOR SPOILER(Cousin/Cousin and GayBF)MAJOR SPOILER. Thanks again for the recommendations! No more works by Io ( hahaha I'm glad we still have Ao Haru Ride.

[Guest sunye~]

^ you brought up a good point! sakisaka io's boy characters this interesting dimension to them. You read these stories in more depth than I did~ ^^
I just finished some mangas with aberrant characters with obsessive, controlling natures (they're really interesting to read, but sometimes a little bit heavy) so Sakisaka's male characters are so.. refreshing! haha
her characters are full of youth and innocence that makes you smile time to time

Ahhhh since I'm eagerly waiting for Ao Haru Ride updates, I've been reading all these other shoujo mangas by Suzuki Julietta and Takagi Shigeyoshi to pass time..

[Guest xDollars]

I just started reading it today, after a recommendation from a friend.
I love the story line, and as cheesy as it sounds, Yoshioka inspries me to be more outgoing once school starts again. xD I read Strobe Edge a while ago and loved it as well! Looks like I'll be checking out Sakisaka sensei's other works soon too. 8D

[fortyone.]

i'm reading this too!w/e there's updates...
i really like it.its a bit of a different pacing to strobe edge, but its still pretty good. ^__^

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It's actually only Chapter 19 that is the new one. Voice of reason = Kominato and Kikuchi-kun gets cuter and cuter. And someone new enters dun dun dun. I think she's pretty cute. DANGER DANGER. Kou is an idiot. Haha

[Guest _YooMi]

omgosh, I love this manga! I was looking for a good school shoujo manga with a strong female lead, now i'm totally hooked! The only thing is i hate waiting for new chapters -super impatient- T____T

and i must say, i adored kikuchi's pocky action. omg.

[Guest sunye~]

yay Ch. 20 is out!

I know Kou and Futaba are the main couple but I can't help cheering for Kikuchi-kun!

spoiler:
This chapter is so intense with everyone's jealousy. It's so cute how Kikuchi-kun is approaching Futaba.. even accidentally calling out her name with the microphone! haha
Kou's side glances at Futaba and vice versa...

Narumi annoys me a little bit, but it's understandable that Kou would have another close friend (it seems like she likes him though), especially if they've gone through the same situations. Seeing how Futaba acts throughout the manga, I'm sure there won't be a nasty cat fight but I want some more drama coming.

holy hell that last part made me jump literally. Where did that kiss come from!? AAHHHH

[Guest savemebarry]

hello there gonna join you guys here because i'm also reading and loving this manga
i adore sakisaka io's way of drawing and i believe that ao haru ride's storyline's great, too! it's not totally predictable and mushy like most shoujo manga and all the characters are so adorable! ; A ;i especially like futaba, she's a really great heroine! she's cool, smart and actually reflects on her actions and realises her mistakes. great character development, too.
and yeah, i'm totally shipping kou x futaba, but i'm rooting for touma, too. he's so cute and i kinda feel sorry for him.
anyway, i just read chapter 20 and here's what i think:
SPOILER
so yeah, i really enjoyed this chapter made my heart go all doki doki and stuff ldsksdfjdlfji think the kominato x murao scene was really adorbs ^^ and the way touma approached futaba! the mic scene and the way he blushed and smiled on seeing futaba laughing! ; A ; ahh meltinggg
AND THEN OMG THE LAST PART LKJLOJKLOlkchjdlfcjeöfökeöfkköeked unnnnng myy heeeart! ; A ; wtf kooou stop doing such random things! my heart almost stopped beating when he kissed futaba! ;///; but hey, they finally kissed! ; A ; even though it was probably just an accident... WHY DID IT HAVE TO END THERE?? ahhhh can't wait for the new chapter! ; - ;
and... i don't like narumi. she seems nice and all but for some reason, i just can't accept that there's another girl in kou's life hahaand yeah, she definitely likes him. i think.

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So there is supposed to be a new Chapter 21 out by ChibiManga (according to Baka Manga) but I can't find it anywhere. Has any one been able to read it?

[Guest sunye~]

ahhh I wish I could read the new chapter but I've been living in a place where I'm probably not supposed to go read online manga...

[cutiek028]

^ That's crazy! (lol) I hope you get your manga dose soon!

I was finally able to download Chapter 21 from Manga Traders.

I'm not sure how I feel about how *that* happened. It did make my heart skip a beat but after soo much build up... Plus now I really like Kikuchi!!! And that childhood friend is a big witch . At least  Kou finally got the balls to be proactive!