stark.hazel - 2015-02-18 13:47:01

There is shoujo anime, and there is shoujo anime done right. This is the latter.

Ao Haru Ride will definitely take you for a 'ride'. A visual and narrative experience that will leave you wanting for more yet felt satisfied enough with the given conclusion. 

Futaba Yoshioka may not be your typical shoujo MC since she is stubborn from the get-go yet manage to be likable. She has an infatuation with her middle school classmate Kou Tanaka. After a certain unfortunate event, they never saw each other for quite some time. 3 years later, while walking down the hall, she met Kou again, but he is no longer the same boy he used to like. He changed his name to Kou Mabuchi after his parents divorced and is now acting different from his usual calm and reserved self. He is now very straightforward and really obnoxious, to the point that Futaba questions herself why she liked him in the first place. What follows is a story of love, friendship, family, and finding yourself with the help of others.

Along the way they meet Yuri Makita, a cutesy girl who is avoided by many girls because of her rather plastic attitude that attracts unnecessary attention. Shuko Murao, an introvert who really likes to exclude herself from other people for some still unknown reasons. And finally, Aya Kominato, the stereotypical "other guy" in any shoujo anime. Majority of the episodes will revolve among the lives of our main characters and these would be circle of friends. Part of the cast (and plot progression) is Youchi Tanaka, Kou's older brother and a teacher at their school. He is the very supportive adult in the cast and I'm glad they have such character in an otherwise teenager driven show for he is a breath of fresh air and adds to the often well placed tension. Just go watch the show to find out what those are.

Overall the story is very well executed. In fact even though each episode is not exactly a rampant cliffhanger at the end you will still be curious enough to watch the next episode in a heartbeat. Yes, its that good. The great pacing along with witty dialogues that are not overly cheesy nor pretentious greatly improvise this otherwise cardboard cutout genre. And its not just standard romance cheese either. There are drama to be had in here. The other issues at hand are about friendship and family. These are not thrown at our faces right away and are just hinted at the first half, but they went full blown in the later episodes, making their inclusion very well done. Rarely do I see this good mix of drama and romance that jive well together.

Production quality, although a hit-and-miss at some point, is endearing. Animation is nothing stellar but when it calls for sudden burst of movement you can see the characters spring into life. I like neat touches like that. Artwork is very high quality. Heck even the flashbacks look very pretty. For the music, I cannot emphasize it enough, but the music in this show is amazing. From the upbeat opening that you will not skip all the way to the acoustic ending that leaves you feeling satisfied after each episode. This accompanied by some really nice BGM and an insert song you will not grow tired of listening to and we have a grand audio experience. 

Overall I cannot recommend this enough, go see it for yourself. It may not change the way you look at shoujo anime, but it will give you an insight on the potential of this genre to be really great if given proper effort.

juliet.jones - 2015-02-09 04:48:59

Ao Haru Ride - A Review

[Introduction]

When approaching a new experience it is usually, well at least my own personal opinion, good to be open-minded.  Things such as hype, praise, or even general dismissal of a work can greatly subtract from the experience that it could have been.  Not comparing a work to others or the opinions of the masses lets it stand on its own, and rightfully so.  That being said, despite what I believe, I couldn’t help but to be underwhelmed after watching Ao Haru Ride to say the least.  Some moments I was annoyed, some I was indifferent, and some I thought were actually pretty good, but even those I couldn’t but to think of other cases where it was done ten times better.

[Background]

At the time of this review, it is relatively contemporary.  Ao Haru Ride is a 12 episode romance drama series based on the shoujo manga by Io Sakisaka of the same name.  Released in the spring season of 2014, Ao Haru Ride was produced by Production IG and directed by Ai Yoshimura, this show being Yoshimura’s debut as a full fledged director, previously working as on storyboards or as an assistant director on other shows, most notably Gintama and AnoHana.  This being Yoshimura’s first  work I cannot be too hard on it, as the show isn't bad at all.

[General]

Like most shoujo, Ao Haru Ride doesn’t strive to progress the medium or makes waves by presenting something game-changing to say.  Instead it focuses on refining things already set in stone within it’s genre.  It doesn’t stray from the formula that far, but in doing so it produces something that is effective and solid.  On the production side of things, Production IG once again proves they are the OG’s...I’m sorry about that.  Everything visually looks up to snuff, but that doesn't mean that everything was executed perfectly.

[Story] / [Characters/Character Interactions/Characterization/Character Development]

If you’ve seen a shoujo before, you probably already knows what goes down here.  Girl meets boy.  Boy is too cool.  Girl somehow wins over Boy.  Rejoice. Rinse. Repeat.  However, the format of the medium often leads to unsatisfactory resolutions to series that were originally intended to run for longer than the current 12-13 week cour allows for.  This leads to either cutting insignificant content to reach a satisfying conclusion, or just stopping at an awkward point and only hinting at one.  Ao Haru ride takes the later of the options as at the end of the 12 episode run, the audience is left with only a simple suggestion of an ending.

The aforementioned issue is only minor and happens quite often so picking on it wouldn’t be fair.  However, I have completely other reasons why in some areas Ao Haru Ride has missed potential.  The characters are nothing new, cute girl, stoic yet caring bishounen, dandere classmate, and bombastic girl.  I must applaud Ao Haru Ride for having a main character that is not only bearable, but also more likeable than compared to some other shoujo protagonists (Say I love You’s Mei), and it is interesting decision to place such a character in the heroine’s role as such a character is often reserved to be cast as a supporting character.

Ao Haru Ride does a little bit better character development department.  Yoshioka does have that little stint at the beginning where she resolves to be her own person and not placate to others just to be liked, but there’s not much else.  Kou does have that reveal near the end explaining why he refuses to allow himself to care for things and that does add to his character’s complexity separating him from other incarnates of the similar strain.  In all, I don’t feel like any of the characters grow substantially from the beginning to the end.  

There are many clear problems with the characters though.  Besides Futaba Yoshioka’s backstory, her character is bland and doesn't feel very unique.  None of the other character’s are amazing either.  You have cute girl who is ostracized, other girl who is in love with her teacher and… well, ok, that's about all she has to her character, but you get the point.  I guess there is this feeling of being alone, but the reasons so (being too cute… really?), are dumb and lack depth.  Subverting the usual anime high school idea of everyone having friends and being buddy-buddy is interesting, and I initially liked this, but the premise leading up to is shallow and could have been so much more. None of these character’s are particularly deep or complex.

That being said, they are characterized well, as their personalities stand out from each other and only highlight contrasts between themselves making them seems like a group of individuals rather than an individual group.  For example; the cute girl has a high voice, gets excited easily, and is easily flustered, well lets be honest, they all get easily flustered; on the hole, it’s not great but it works.

A common trope in shoujo romance is that of a love rival.  A competitor that also wants “the D” of your hubby.  This is done in most cases by utilizing a completely unlikable rival that makes you sympathize and root for the main character.  In Ao Haru Ride, this is not the case.  The love-rival is a friend and this creates problems, tension, and interesting character dynamics.   

I would have hoped for this to be a chance to test the characters’ friendship and see if it meant as much to them as they it was built it up to be in the show’s context, but the notion was only flirted with as this was tossed away after only briefly pausing.  Despite that disappointing note, this does create the opportunity to showcase the jealousy and hopelessness that accompanies this role.  Being aware that the boy you like likes someone else and that you haven’t got a shot is an interesting concept that hasn’t been dissected that often in anime, and as such it will stay that way as Ao Haru Ride only briefly touches on it and then moves on to more blushing and monologues.

There is one aspect of the show I would greatly like to praise, that is if it didn’t shoot itself in the foot so often.  Character interaction is very important, as even the most diverse and well developed cast means nothing if the character interactions aren’t realized fully or handled with care.  Several scenes show this spectacularly as character’s moods or emotions would be shown through facial expressions or body language. In short, "show don't tell". Even when characters are talking, their gazes may shift or avoid eye contact conveying that they may hold a sense of guilt or whatever.  Realizing how characters interact and capitalizing on it was an amazing feat on the behave of Ao Haru Ride...is what I would have said if they only realized this.  Every moment where there are cases of indirect characterization happening, the show will outright explain it to the audience through the uses of flashbacks or a straight up monologue, sometimes attempting humor.  I absolutely despised this as it turned a great aspect into one that not only ruins any subtlety of the scene, but also is insulting to the audience.  If a character looks uncomfortable on screen, I damn well can tell that, if I can’t then the production studio didn’t do a good job, but IG aint slacking.  Explaining it to me does nothing.  It only confirms the fact that you know and I know and you have now ruined this scene.  People don’t stop every few moments to think and recap what everyone’s feeling, it’s not fluid and it’s not natural.  I’ve spent too much time talking about this so I’m just going to make it clear, the obsessive over explanation of the status-quo is insulting to the audience and stunts the pacing of key scenes meant to have emotional impact.

[Aesthetics/Sound/Sound Design]

Disregarding some of my qualms with some of the show, I must say the presentation is handled quite well.  Everything is clean and well animated.  There’s nothing too ambitious or outstanding but it is executed quite well.  The character designs are distinguished from one another and are polished.  How scenes are presented is kept safe, and in doing so no moment really stands out that much as memorable in the show.  Despite this, backgrounds and characters do look good, I guess that’s alright.  I would also like to point out that scenes where the wind is blowing are very fluid and show much attention to detail, the characters’ hair blowing in the wind looks great.  These scenes are meant to be set pieces and as so as they contribute to the overall theming of the show, but I’m getting ahead of myself.

Another point worth complimenting is the flashback scenes, to their middle school days specifically.  Whenever a flashback to the days of middle school happens, the art style shifts.  Cell shaded models are replaced by watercolor-esque rendered figures and backgrounds.  This was an amazing decision and something I would like to give props to.  Instead of blurring the edges of the screen to convey a dream-like and nostalgic state or flashback as done in most other works, this is conveyed directly through the art style.  Textures as well as desaturated and bright colors help convey a sense of childlike innocence and help to sell the scene better than any blurred edges ever could.  Similar direction was used in shows such as Hourou Musko and Usagi Drop, and while I’m not saying they are similar to Ao Haru Ride in any way, the choice to revert to this style specifically for flashbacks was a genius decision.

In some moments the characters will revert to super deformed to crack a joke or something in scenes that will otherwise be serious and I personally think that decision was an ill made one.  I don’t think the show’s tone pairs well with this harsh transition.  It is distracting at least, and seriously diminishes the impact and continuity of certain scenes at most.  

The soundtrack was nothing too special, but that is not to say it was terrible.  One or two tracks stand out and I really do enjoy the OP as the visuals and song are masterful, but those are hard to pick out while watching the show.  Here we reach yet another problem I have with the show.  Looking at the director, Ai Yoshimura was also episode director for episodes 3 and 8 of Anohana, and it shows.  There's a certain theme that plays whenever the emotions swell up and the faces get all blushy.  And I would’ve been fine with it, after all, attaching an emotional song to a scene only heightens the payoff as seen in movie and other mediums, if not for how often it plays.  I swear, it seems like every episode plays this song at least 2-3 times, and that’s not including the several variations of it such as on piano or strings (I actually liked the strings variation but that's besides the point).  The scenes became homogenized and I quickly grew annoyed at the sheer and absurd frequency of it.  Sometimes it made sense, yet at other moments it seems outright arbitrary.  AnoHana did this as well, using the song as a primer to remind the audience of all the feels and such.  However, at the end of Anohana the song was played in full and served for a mass emotional payout; Ao Haru Ride has no such luck.  I can tell Yoshimura probably learned things from working on Anohana, or at least someone did because the utilization of songs to play to the audience’s emotions is very similar between the two.  Shows like Gurren Lagann also use their songs to exaggerate scenes and make them stand out, whereas whenever the song played in Ao Haru Ride I just felt like they got lazy.  As a result the oversaturation of the song resulted in the rest of the soundtrack lacking any moments to stand out.

[Best Girl]

I don’t like any of them.

[Themes/Theming/Writing]

I’m going to come right out and say it, I don’t think the writing in this show is very good.  At some parts it can have its moments, if not ruined by flashbacks or monologues, but I feel like most of it is lazy and didn’t have much thought put into it.  Now one could argue that comedy slice-of-life shows are the same, but one would be wrong.  Those shows deliver in other ways.  They are meant to either be just funny or intentionally not very deep as that is how everyday life plays out.  Ao Haru Ride brings none of that, and as such pins everything on telling a compelling story of drama and romance.  While Ao Haru Ride does have some moments of comedy, it was never meant to be the main focus and I doubt that, if asked, the creator would say that comedy was probably an after thought or something supplementary rather than essential.  With this in mind, some scenes are grating in my eyes.  In many cases, scenes will boil down to a monologue where the main character will just gush over how hot the love interest is.  This happens on several occasions and does hinder the scene as moments before or after would often have captivating dialogue.  Yoshioka will go on and on about the nape of his neck, or his smell, or literally even his eyelashes after he cries.  It all feels like pandering and just serves to try and convince the audience that this dude really is hot guy.  In Nagi No Asakura, Hikari stops briefly to comment on how he notices how thin Manaka’s legs are.  This wasn’t just some random decision made to make us think she’s hot, it was meant to show Hikari beginning puberty and his awareness of the world around him slowly changing, tying into the themes of the changing times.  It had meaning, it had substance, and it was subtle about it.  We already know she likes this guy, and yeah, we get it, he’s hot, but it doesn’t to add to the situation, scene, or story.

Besides that, the writing isn’t bad per say.  As mentioned before, the presentation of isolated individuals was handled well, but I already stated my problems with those before.  None of the extended conversations feel very forced and actually come out as somewhat natural. In the scene where Kou reconciles with his family is one in which I thought stood out. The way his father slowly walks into the room. The way they interact, him welcoming his father home and his father announcing "I'm home". Everything about this scene was handled extremely well and, in my opinion, was the best executed as well as my favorite scene in the entire show. Despite some outstanding moments, I can’t in conscious say the writing is spectacular either.

The general theming of Ao Haru Ride is intriguing at best.  Yoshioka is trying to recreate herself and become a better person sweeping up the people around her and inspiring them to do the same like a storm or something, I don’t know.  This is just a general consensus I had given some key dialogue choices made by some characters, along with the final scene and the OP leads me to this conclusion.  I might be wrong, and I very well may be, but I just don’t care enough to go back and confirm this.

[Final Thoughts]

I’ve seen a lot of shoujo, it is actually one of my favorite genres, and I would be lying if I said I wasn’t looking forward to this show or holding high expectations for it.  While writing this review it was a little bit upsetting to find out how much and easily I could point out negatives about the show as I don’t truly hate it; I'm actually leaning more towards liking it.  Ao Haru Ride just disappoints me and I see its wasted potential everywhere.  This show could have been something good, yet it blunders at key moments and ends up average.  Comparing Ao Haru Ride to other shows is not favorable, as many of the others accomplish what it tries to do despite in most cases being outside the genre.  It can be generic and character’s are usually one-note, but does characterize them well.  The show does look good overall, but keeps it safe and lacks the flair and style of other shows.  The most I can say about Ao Haru Ride that it is an average shoujo show with good production value.

[Recommendation]

alice26 - 2015-01-15 13:32:39

Ao Haru Ride is story about reality and sorrow,friendship and love. This is my favorite anime and it has special characters like Kou and Futaba. Kou has problems and want to hide that but Futaba wants to help him and make him happy again. 10/10

dietrich.lucienne - 2015-01-09 17:58:34

Toramelle reviews...

To start of this review lets talk about what a shoujo is. It’s a type of media targeted towards girls of different ages depending on the content it discusses. Most shoujo shows center around a female lead and her struggles with our male protagonist, and they all usually end up with our leads in a relationship. What drags a shoujo down is the fact that they are character driven stories. So if you do not like a majority of the characters, or the drama the show presents, most likely you won’t like the show. Normally the story is what helps develop our characters to make them seem more human and likable. It doesn't have to be our female lead either, sometimes it is the males that you get to watch grow with her.

Ao Haru Ride (Blue Spring Ride) is a 12 episode series that aired summer 2014, and has two must see OVAs, making it a total of 14 episodes. However since the manga is ending February 2015, a season two might emerge, however to this date nothing is for sure. This anime was directed by Ai Yoshimura who has worked on Daily Lives of High School Boys, episodes of Gintama, and AnoHana. And is based off the manga written by Io Sakisaka that is published in Bessatsu Margaret

Opening if you can't see it.

Story Overview 

Ao Haru Ride starts out with our main female lead Futaba Yoshioka,in middle school as she finds her first love interest, who is our male lead Kou Tanaka. At first she doesn't think much of him, and it takes her a while to realize that she actually has feelings for a boy, even though she hates boys like a typical middle school girl. However one day while playing Cops and Robbers with some friends, she finds a spot to hide but finds Kou there already. About to leave Kou tells her to stay and after that event he asks her to go to a festival with him over the summer break. However as she leaves the classroom some boys tease her, making her yell out how she hates boys. Kou hearing this looks down and walks away from Futaba as if he is disappointed. Later Futaba waits for him to come to the festival, and he never comes, and ends up moving away over summer break.

However during her third semester in her first year of high school, she finds Kou again, however his last name changed from Tanaka, to Mabuchi making her believe it wasn't really him. However later on she spots him again as she takes shelter from rain in a shrine, and he comes out saying how he is the same Kou from three years ago. The story progresses as Futaba tries to earn Kou’s trust as she worries about him and wants to know what happened during his three year absence.

This series acts kind of like a big ongoing drama as later on we are introduced to extra characters who help, or interfere with Futaba’s relationship as she finds out, that she still has feelings for Kou. As someone who read the manga, it really did adapt the manga to a “T” not leaving anything out to its stopping point, and improving on the paceing. It ended in a nice way also that leaves you satisfied, but also makes you want more depending on how much you enjoyed the show.

If you want to watch this show I recommend watching the first OVA, then the series, ending with the second OVA. This way you get the full backstory since the first OVA is that middle school experience in detail, making it more chronological as you watch the series.

Characters

Lets start off with Futaba our main female lead. She is a clumsy girl, who has a big heart, and always puts her friends before her. She is also a risk taker, wanting to change herself for the better. As she first entered high school she had no friends and had to force herself to make friends by changing her personality who in the end didn’t treat her like a equal. She lost her fake friends early on, because she talked to and befriended Yuri Makita, who is Futaba’s best friend. She is a cute girl who gets boy’s attention even though she doesn't want it, but since its is Japanese high school, none of the girls like her for it she is talked about in class and doesn't have any friends either and usually sits outside alone.

Kou Mabuchi is our male lead, and he is a calm and collective character who has a hidden soft spot that is hinted at as the series progresses. He loves to tease Futaba for a variety of reasons, and doesn't treat her like a princess but more like a friend. Also he is willing to help others in need, and has proven to be quick on his feet when it comes to a problem. He is a blunt guy who isn't scared to be straight forward with Futaba and doesn't sugar coat anything which helps her develop into a stronger lead. To be honest I can see why people don't like Kou, however he is the most realistic male friend character I have ever seen from my perspective. Normal guys pick on their female friends from my experience since, it gives that vibe of we are comfortable with each other where we can disagree and make fun of each other.

There are also some other side characters like two other classmates and Kou's older brother who helps as a "righ-way-path" for him.

Animation/Music

This series is animated by production IG, and does not fail you in the slightest. It also keeps its quality throughout all the episodes and even in the OVAs. Another cool thing about the animation is how in the flashbacks there is a splash of watercolor texture, and even a little fancy border to let you know this was in the past. The visuals where all really pleasing along with the beautiful backgrounds that helped me appreciate IG even more.

Sound quality was also amazing. As the opening and ending where both some of my favorites of the summer season, and I never watch endings. The soundtrack fits really nicely being made up mostly of piano pieces to go with the melodrama setting and attitude the show likes to give off. It helps us feel good during the comedic moments, but also brings us down during the more depressing times.

Final Thoughts

Ao Haru Ride isn't for everyone. In fact its hard to be a fan of shoujo anime since it can be so different across the board and mostly depend on how much you like the characters and the drama that happens. Unless you just love romance and drama because then you will probably enjoy this. Most of the people I know that have seen Ao Haru treat is as average shoujo that isn't much more, when at times you aren’t wrong, but this was the first anime to almost bring me to tears by episode two as a could relate to Futaba and her troubles. I was never a fan of romance since to me they all seem generic and boring, but when my good friend told me to try out this show because it was cute, I never regret my choice half way through episode one. As the manga comes to a end I am sad to see another beloved shoujo leave my list of reading, but this increases my hope that IG will animate the rest of this heart touching story.

Ao Haru Ride isn't going to appeal to everyone’s taste but I hope you find something in this show to your liking as it is more about the journey then the end. At the time of this review you can watch Ao Haru Ride on Crunchyroll, and it is licensed by Senai Filmworks, however the dvds have no release date as of now.

Positives 

+wonderful realistic characters 

+Kou… just him in general.

+Animation was fluid

+Soundtrack was fluent and helped set up the mood when needed

Negatives

-have to watch the final ova for a better ending

-Some characters wont sync well with viewers

-generic and predictable at times

For similar anime recommendations If you are interested in a more colorful cast of characters that has more humor involved than drama, you can watch My Little Monster. For a shoujo where all the characters are likable and everything ends off on a more likable ending romantically, you can watch Kimi ni Todoke

Thats it for me, I hope I convinced you to try out one of my favorite shoujo anime to date, and if it isn't you cup of tea that is find also. However I think everyone should attempt this show if you are a fan of romance.

Thanks, Toramelle

vella23 - 2014-11-20 00:02:38

I found Ao Haru Ride to be the perfect watch for some slice of life romance and drama. Not overwhelmingly intricate, it offers a unique view of first love, the trials of friendship, as well as growing up and navigating one's own thoughts and feelings. For only a couple episodes, the characters and plot are well developed allowing this anime to be realistic and relatable. My only issue with the series really, is the cliche dramatics that propel the story onwards. In that sense, the series fails to be genuinely unique. Despite that, I enjoyed the tugs on my heartstring and found their youthful confusion to be refreshing in a way.

andy65 - 2014-11-06 16:53:04

ao haru ride is my fav manga of all times kou is all the fab in the world i find the anime a lil bit weird idkw even though i was so excited lol the op is so fit to theme thou so catchy love it 

dach.felicita - 2014-10-28 01:33:04

Ao Haru Ride has been on my "plan to watch" since I fist heard of it. However I waited to watch it because I prefer to sometimes "marathon". Ao Haru Ride did not do anything out of the ordinary, but it did excel at producing a normal, wonderful romance anime. It was a slow and enjoyable anime which needs more episodes, hopefully a second season. 

Give it a watch, there is nothing to lose, and everything to gain! 8/10

laila.rempel - 2014-08-17 19:04:29

This anime is sooooo cute ;~; I want to huggle all these precious babies and tell them to stop being so cute and tsun.

But really, I don't watch romance anime all that much, but I really enjoy this one. The characters and their interactions are so adorable, and the different relationships between them seem promising for an interesting plot. I started reading the manga just so I can keep enjoying it even after the anime ends.

bosco.ubaldo - 2014-08-08 12:04:57

Ao haru ride...

It just took my fangirl heart and brain and smashed it into pieces.

It is a very light series. At time it is silly and pointless, but, the story is just too goddamn cute. I mean, JUST LOOK AT THE TWO BLOCKHEADS of protagonists.

I have doubts if there were intended fanservices, but this guy is the ultimate fanservice for any girl who loves a good period drama/anime like Kimi ni Todoke

(just...look...at...him..swoons)

If only one lives in the anime-verse

mac93 - 2014-07-26 12:23:12

One of the best anime during this season. I recommend it if u want to watch a good romance anime! ^^