Ao Haru Ride

Yoshioka Futaba and Tanaka Kou once had a blooming romance in junior high. However Futaba is self-conscious about her image to her fellow girls and one statement Kou overheard one day turned him away from her. Kou and Futaba planned to meet at a summer festival but he never showed up.

Now that Futaba is in high school, she's more determined to change her image so she won't be left out and bullied by girls jealous of the attention she used to get from the boys. But as fate would have it, she meets Tanaka-kun again, who now goes by the name of Mabuchi Kou and tells her he felt the same way years before, but claims it is no longer possible to be lovers. This only adds fuel to her curiosity and soon she feels that the new Kou, cold and cruel, is as attractive as the gentle and timid Kou from years before.

Kou and Futaba in one of their encounters in junior high

Futaba and Kou

Ao Haru Ride is not without similarities to most romance series --- the setting is in a school, the girl is chasing after the boy, the boy has some troubled past he hasn't dealt with yet, the boy is cold but kind while the girl is energetic and persistent. What made it slightly different is the past encounters of the main female and male protagonists. It was made clear that Futaba and Kou were in love years before, although they were not officially a couple. The point of the series therefore is not starting a new, and often fast, romance but to give both a chance to puzzle out the possibility of starting over again.

It is also unusual that the series sometimes switches to the point of view of the male. This 12-episode series has plenty of romantic and heartwarming scenes for the young and young at heart. Some scenes will get you frustrated, while some make you almost convinced that the two will finally admit they still love each other.

The animation is beautiful and some of the supporting cast are interesting but unlike other romance series they will not get a lot of screen time (which is good enough for me). If you're looking for a slightly different romance series, Ao Haru Ride will deliver. Just don't expect a clear ending however (which is to be expected nowadays).

Rating: 8 out of 10