At some point l stopped pretty much halfway and it was hard to convince myself to read further. I did force myself in the end and the second half of the story is essentially going in circles.
Kou is such a jerk too it's unnerving. Futaba isn't the smartest but at least she's trying.
It's so sad the secondary characters got such a got build-up, just to be discarded for the sake of the Kou/Futaba coupling.

All in all its probably dragging too much. I half expected a time jump forward to university years, given how we've followed them through the years from elementary, but no, and it was disappointing.

I didn't remember pretty much any of it...but I did remember I considered it at least good.
So I decided to binge the anime for a refresher as it goes to ch15. And my god, the anime is AMAZINGLY well done. The art is freaking fantastic, the voice acting is peak, the music is a perfect match (with the OP being specifically written for the characters and quoting actual lines of dialogue). It's really really well done.
It's a bit weird that the root of the story is what happened when they were in grade 7....That's like...12 years old? 13? That's weird. And now the story is about them at 16/17. But eh, I guess that's an issue that's common with manga.

Ok I'll write more when I re-read the rest and then finish it.

Edit: Ok, I caught up to where I was before and then just kept reading til the end.
Note: Remember to read the 3 extra chapters that were released with the blu-rays at volume 12. They're all prequel chapters, but very touching when read together, this is a really great story, guuys. They're called Awaken, you'll find them with a quick google. (some websites have them listed as being after vol 13 ch 49 as ch49.6-49.8 but really they were released at time of volume 12.)

Ok, so This story was really really good!
During the re-read I can see a little of why I stopped reading at ch29 but tbh, now that I've a new perspective on things I actually wholeheartedly appreciated the plot events up to that chapter and did not feel bored with them at all. The events of volume 10-ish, which is like ch30-35, I did feel was a dip in the quality of the overall manga, but it recovers and STILL is very very much worth a read.
And fuck, man, that fucking art is so freaking beautiful!!!! She says in her author commentaries how she'd look back at her previous works, even volume 1 of this manga, and be disappointed with her quality of artwork compared to now but man even volume 1 is amazing art-wise. And again I stress you should watch the anime, the art is amazing, music amazing, VA work great, it all elevates the work.

Anyways, some characters actions/motivations were criticised in previous reviews. But the thing is, from a literary standpoint, they don't deserve criticism. I mean as people they've done some bad things, mostly Yui and Kou, but the point of this manga from very beginning, as written expressly in the author's notes, was to write about flawed humans growing up in high school who are learning from their mistakes and pushing forward. Yeah, Yui is selfish but you can completely understand why. Kou himself completely understands why and can't blame her for it, he understands. Yeah Kou is kinda a bastard at the end (and asshole at the beginning) but though I can't condone, I can still understand, the mangaka makes it very clear his mindset and struggle and motivations behind the actions.

These are some very well-written characters.
I was dissatisfied by the Maruo plot's end, tbh. Though she's one of my favourite characters. But her side plot is a minor thing.
I really really liked how the friends are genuinely good friends in this, overall. They speak up, they're supportive, they're critical.
And how the second male love interest is a genuinely good guy, who's just a little desperate but very aware of what he's getting into.

This is a solid 9/10 series. It loses a couple points because occassionally things/dialogue are a bit overdramatic (mangaka felt that romance manga need that) and because one or two events are a bit too big on coincidence. Characters seeing each other in the neighbourhoods by chance, that type. Just a bit.
The review by meniel that makes it sound like the interruptions to the romance are far too contrived is exaggerated. One or two are, but mostly it's done well and when the characters don't communicate, care is taken to make it clear to the reader why they haven't done so.

Final edit: The author's final afterword gives a very good idea of what this story is about:

She 100% succeeded in this. You should read it.

... Last updated on May 12th, 2022, 7:23am

Futaba decides to change so that she is no longer the person she used to be, however when she meets her old classmate from middle school, Kou, who happens to also be her first love, she realized that she isn't the only who has changed.

Seeing how "Ao Haru Ride" was one of the very first manga that I read, I initially gave this a higher rating. Most shoujo manga have love triangles, timid female leads, "popular" male leads who everyone falls in love with even though they are jerks with bad pasts that don't justify their actions? Yes, this manga had all of these elements yet if frustrated me even more than other series that I have read.

I tried reading this a second time but could not get past the first few chapters, why? Well because even though the main leads got their happy ending, I was not satisfied with end. What about the second male lead, and all the other characters? Were they simply there so misunderstandings and drama could be created between Futaba and Kou? There were characters added towards the second half of the story, such as Kou's old friend and the guy who had a crush on Futaba but in the end, they are never mentioned again.

The art was very nice and it's such a shame that the story had so much potential and yet it was not to my liking.

... Last updated on March 21st, 2022, 12:48pm

I got told by two different guys that they can't read shoujo romance because the male protagonists are way too cool and it makes them feel uncomfortable. I didn't understand them well before reading Ao Haru Ride. I think Kou is indeed the biggest issue of this series. It's not like I didn't like him, but he feels like a Prince Charming in His Teenage Years. So so so fake.

The extremely dragged out romance is another big issue (and, again, that's Kou's fault for the most part). I love UST but this is on another level. Whenever the characters were about to confess their love, something happened and they couldn't. If the mangaka kept it up a little more, she would have used an asteroid crash or something- that's how realistic those scenes looked to me. At one point I was just exhausted and felt like even a kick in the stomach would be better than reading this. And if you're wondering which point, well... That's when I said "fuck it, I'm gonna throw this shit manga in the WC". But I was reading the digital edition so I had to give up.

I wish at least the sexual tension was well handled... but when it ends the manga ends too. Typical low-quality UST. And,

The "deep dialogues" felt as fake as everything else. They made my eyes roll several times. Nobody would ever say these things irl (I hope).

So... Why did I actually complete this? I'm sorry, people who think I have good taste. I actually liked it. In-between the moments I felt like punching the author (sorry Io Sakisaka, nothing personal), I liked it. The romance is cheap and stereotyped and I liked it. God please forgive me. But, this wasn't a complete failure of a manga. All the deep dialogues that made me roll my eyes where fundamentally (morally?) good. The author wanted to express something genuine and profound and I appreciated that. Counting on your friends and family, keeping hope for the feature, getting back up after falling down, having love and altruism in your heart, being true to yourself... I appreciated that. I think that year after year it's manga like this that help me believing in good things. So how can you not appreciate it? Even if it's already seen, stereotyped, unrealistic, whatever- I don't care, the message is good.

And lastly, I really loved that this was a manga about adolescence, and while the protagonists felt fabricated 9 out of 10 times, that 1 time left everything felt perfect. Some scenes (e.g. enthusiasm before a school trip, changing classes...) made me remember how I was when I was a teenager. I could empathise and go back to that time. Those parts were really good and I'm surprised an author who's not young anymore can make a manga that feels so young.

So, all in all, this manga has a lot of flaws but it also has merits, and it can be a nice read if you know you like this kind of stories and are not excessively annoyed by the dumb parts.

Am I being dramatic when I say that Aoharaido (Ao Haru Ride) is my favorite shoujo manga of all time (so far)? Maybe, but I seriously love this series and it has all the elements that tug at my heartstrings in a major way. I've finished this a long time ago (when the series was actually being serialized in Bessatsu Margaret), and I haven't quite found another shoujo that gives me the same feels as this had.

Before I go further - I know shoujo tropes are a very personal thing. We all have our own viewpoints and opinions and therefore some people hate love triangles and hate jealousy and all that. Well, I kinda love them (as long as it concludes in an ending that I like, of course). So I totally understand readers who hate that Kou acted out in jealousy so many times, or that Touma was a doormat for Futaba, etc. But the author, Sakisaka Io, really knows how to paint complex emotions that ebb and flow with time and circumstance, and I appreciate that she draws not only "perfect emotions," but an array of not-so-pretty emotions and how characters act out because of those emotions. This is totally rational (errr, irrational? But either way, normal) human behavior! This of course still has a very tidy, "pretty" ending, so there is that, but it does take you on quite a rollercoaster of highs and lows (and hair pulling and gut punching) throughout the 13 volumes.

If you are ok seeing jealousy, seeing main characters get into relationships with other sub-characters, and getting to each other in a very roundabout way, but at the same time seeing a ton of character growth and self-reflection happen along the way, then I highly recommend this series for you! I'm still waiting for a manga to come by and dethrone this as my top pick for shoujo.

... Last updated on April 19th, 2021, 10:03am

Ao haru ride is the story about a girl who was too cute and as such was ostracized in middle school. This also resulted in her unable to confess to her crush as well. So she changes her image to be more unattractive. So she can more easily get with the girls. But she meets the boy she was in love with back in highschool. Now the story unravels as she decides to become more herself and possibly reignite a love that was never ignited in the first place.

The series is better and underwhelming than i expected. It doesn't have anything that grabs your attention but it is interesting to watch unfold nonetheless. What surprised was how well the love triangle was done. The author did a good job making me want to root for both of the characters. Another thing i enjoyed was the MMC's growth. This series is somewhat known for people relating to the FMC's personal growth (Which means women are really into smelling necks), But i thought the MMC's growth was done really well. You could see him becoming a genuinely better person and i thought the author did an excellent making it not feel forced and natural.

When i watched the anime i wasn't really all that hot on the main love triangle. But the dude really grew on me. He was probably my favorite character in the series by the end of it. The other characters are really good too. Especially the short haired chick. She was adorable. I really liked all her interactions. The black haired chick was pretty nice too. Really every character was generally good to really good. The only character that didn't work was the *relatable* chick for the MMC. She just felt hollow. In fact she kinda pulled down the MMC's backstory too. But overall in terms of character development the author did a good job. Its noticeable but not in your face type. Its enough to be satisfying as well (most of the time).

Despite all the heavy praise im giving this series. This simply did not grab me. Especially in the middle where the dating aspect just felt drawn out. It wasn't bad but in the end it felt pointless. Other issues like the art not being as good. Some of the romantic interactions were wasted (most were good though). Honestly just in general im not impressed with this series. It does some things right but those are the things every series should be doing anyway. In the end the series is satisfying but if you walk you from this series you aren't missing anything.

TLDR: Sadly this isn't the goat romance that someone kept spamming me those words was. It is however pretty fun. 6/10 good time killer. The character development instead of ascending the series into 7/10 really solidified it to a 6/10

The story is cliché but I really love it because its pace is great. I like the art. I love how it started and ended. I love how it makes my emotions ASDFGHJKL. Kou Mabuchiiiii, 사랑해!!!

I did like the manga, but that love rival arc sort of ruined it for me. It just feels unnecessary, as if it was only placed there because there must be a love rival for some reason. I like to reread the manga from time to time, but I just ignore that pointless arc when I do.

I'm a fan. It was a very cute manga full of very likable characters and each of them were fleshed out people not just random side characters that have no dimension and exist soley to pop in for wacky shenanigans. The art is very good, the lead female is compelling and the lead males background story made me cry. The story is heavy on the love triangles (though through out the whole thing its still pretty obvious who she will end up with in the end so no real fear or confusion there) but if you're someone whos not about love triangles in the slightest or drama then you might not find this as enjoyable as I did (though I also am not the biggest fan of love triangles and still loved it) like another reviewer mentioned I would agree its very shoujo-ish but I personally love it. Really what holds me back from giving it a 10 is the ending. It was a good and cute ending but I would have appreciated more closure. Like a fast forward to them in 10 years type thing. If you're looking for a nice shoujo to read overall i say go for this one.

... Last updated on October 22nd, 2019, 4:35am

Perfect shoujo.

Love the relationship between the three girls. Love the relationship between Kou and Ayu. The author took time to craft and develop characters outside of Futaba and Kou. Kou and Futaba had thoughts going on in their minds beyond each other (although that was the focus).

Kou was frustrating when Narumi showed up, but isn't that the point? I think this poor child was still in mourning and felt guilty about moving forward with his life. It was painful, but he didn't want to feel like he was letting go of his memories. So, at the point where he was really moving on.. Narumi gave him a reason to cling to his memories and pain.

That being said he thought it would be "easy" to let go of Futaba, which is why I'm happy she dated Touma. It made Kou suffer for thinking she would be so easy to forget. Although he was determined they would be together in the end, his jealousy and seeing him fight for Futaba was worth it! No matter how hard they both tried they could not forget each other.

As for Touma. Ha! I don't know why people would feel sorry for a guy who outright says he plans to take advantage of a girl who is messed up because of another guy. Futaba was heartbroken and easily swayed by Touma acting like she's the center of the universe. She rejected his confession and he pushed her, promising that he would replace Kou and never hurt her. She was so desperate to heal her broken heart, she made herself believe him. He dated a girl knowing she was still in love with someone else and felt HAPPY whenever Kou pushed her away. She thought that would help her move on, but that's what you call a REBOUND.

No pity for Touma. I LOLed when he said Futaba had never even said she liked him. He got what he deserved in the end!