Manga Review: Ao Haru Ride, Volume 3, by Io Sakisaka

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: February 2019

Volumes: 13.

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 2. 4.

Goodreads Synopsis:

The popular shojo manga series that was adapted into the Blue Spring Ride anime!

Futaba Yoshioka thought all boys were loud and obnoxious until she met Kou Tanaka in junior high. But as soon as she realized she really liked him, he had already moved away because of family issues. Now, in high school, Kou has reappeared, but is he still the same boy she fell in love with?

Futaba Yoshioka has encountered her first love again in high school, but he seems different from the boy she once knew. She realizes her feelings for Kou are not because of who he was in the past but who he is now. When she discovers that her friend Yuri has a crush on him too, Futaba is unsure what to do.

Review:

Futaba tries to be in denial about her feelings, but that doesn't last very long. I really appreciate how maturely all of this is handled. Futaba accepts her feelings, and then she understands that she needs to be honest and upfront with Yuri. Despite how dramatic this could have been, it's handled in a really sweet manner. It's a little rough for both of them, but it ends up forming a nice friendship between the three girls.

Of course, it could go either way at this point. Love rivalry can be messy.

Despite how roughly the group started in the previous volume, they've somehow formed a rather close friendship, and they get together to try to help Kou up his grades, even if he protests and tries to keep them away.

It's a little iffy where this is going next, and we're close to where the anime ended, so I'm excited to see how it continues.

 A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!