Characters
Ao Haru Ride () is a shojo manga series written and illustrated by Sakisaka Io, published by Shueisha under their Bessatsu Margaret imprint from February 2011 until February 2015 before being adapted into Blue Spring Ride anime in 2013. Shueisha also publishes an illustration collection by Sakisaka under Strobe Edge imprint; Ao Haru Ride series currently remains in hiatus until further notice; below are its main characters.
Synopsis
Futaba Yoshioka struggles to fit in with her female classmates due to an unfortunate event from her past that left her outcast. To compensate, she acts out unfemininely; this only results in more bullying from classmates. Consequently, Futaba develops an intense dislike for most boys – except Kou Tanaka whom she eventually befriends and forms an emotional attachment towards. Unfortunately when Kou invites Futaba to his summer festival she impulsively claims she hates all boys due to previous harassment from one individual boy; never reappears again!
Once she’s moved forward, she enrolls in high school where she encounters Kou again and discovers she still harbors feelings for him despite their separation. Meanwhile, she makes friends with Yuri Makita, Shuko Murao, and Aya Kominato; who make a great addition to her circle of close companions due to their complementary personalities.
In this volume, there’s plenty of character development, making for some engaging storytelling. Unfortunately, however, not every panel features great artwork; there are a few that feature some poor shading which appears rather garish; fortunately they don’t come up too often.
Ao Haru Ride (commonly referred to as Blue Spring Ride in certain territories) is an exciting and captivating manga series with an innovative take on traditional shojo tropes, providing plenty of drama, rivalries, and mystery for readers to enjoy. I found Ao Haru Ride to be quite the enjoyable read and can’t wait to continue exploring its pages further!
