Ah, teenage love: when everything is far more complicated than it needs to be…
Creative Staff
Story: Io Sakisaka
Art: Io Sakisaka
What They Say
Futaba Yoshioka has encountered her first love again in high school, but he seems different from the boy she once knew. Futuba feels as though the distance between her and Kou has grown since he and Yui have started keeping in touch. Then something unexpected happens between Futaba and Kou at the school festival.
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
With Kou having rejected Yuri’s feelings, it appears as if Futaba is finally in the clear, even as she fends off interest in her from Toma. When the two accidentally kiss, it appears that they might finally bridge that last gap that has been holding them apart from the moment Kou moved back to town, but Narumi has her own interest in Kou, and she continues to plant seeds of doubt in Futaba. When Kou finds out the tragedy that Narumi is living with, he cannot help himself but attempt to help, and in doing so, he pushes Futaba away, possibly ending any possibility of the two of them finally being honest with one another.
We clear one hurdle just to be introduced to another. Such is the way of things. In some ways, the introduction of Narumi and Toma into this story complicates it in a way that I am not entirely sure was needed. Everything up to this point between Futaba and Kou has been built beautifully, and this threatens to step over the line into melodrama. Toma in particular comes off as a bit unlikable in this as it is fairly clear that Futaba not only is not interested in him but is also interested in somebody else, and yet he cannot help but keep pressing his interest. Even at the end of the volume, he admits that her lack of interest just makes him all the more interested. I’m pretty sure I can see where this is going in the near future, and I feel like he’s probably going to be somebody I will love to root against, but we’ll let it play out before I can say for sure.
On the other hand, the stuff with Narumi has been handled well to this point. She comes across as a nice person, somebody who puts her own pain aside in order to make those around her feel better. Still, she obviously has a bit of a manipulative side to her the way she reveals that she and Kou had once kissed, even if it meant nothing, and driving a wedge between Futaba and Kou. That said, there’s some real pain in her life, pain that is potentially driving her need to be manipulative, and so it is possible that she will become more of a sympathetic character as the story goes on.
In Summary
I continue to really enjoy Ao Haru Ride, though recent events are starting to take it into “Ugh…stupid teenagers…” territory. That said, most of that is still well done, and I’m more than happy to continue to see where it goes before I judge too harshly. A volume ago, it might have seemed like Futaba and Kou’s journey was almost over, but these new complications are likely to extend things for some considerable time. It’ll be interesting to see how it develops. Recommended.
Content Grade: A-
Art Grade: A
Packaging Grade: A
Text/Translation Grade: A
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: Viz
Release Date: August 6, 2019
MSRP: $9.99
