So as a person who rarely watches Shoujo anime this was a first for me, so keep that in mind.
Ao Haru Ride/Blue Spring Ride/アオハライド ; 12 episode a 20minutes, aired from July to September 2014; Comedy, Drama, SoL, Romance, Shoujo, School; licensed by Sentai Filmworks
Ao Haru Ride starts with a premise that seems typical for this type of anime - a slice of life show that wants to show the development of a romance and of the characters. The story is set in high school and focuses around a small group of teenagers. Mostentimes, these kind of animes are made by the nuances, the art and the soundtrack since the story is mostly very linear, predictable or repetitive. This is partly the case here aswell.
Story: 7/10
Like I already mentioned, the storyline of this type of anime are very linear and predictable, and this is also the case here. It could honestly be worse, but I wouldn't call it an extremely sophisticated and good story. But it surely isnt bad. It revolves around the classical trope of re-meeting a past lover in your 2nd life/later life, and this is also the case here. Futaba meets Kou again after they spent a term in middle school together and fell in love. However, both of them changed, but the feelings obviously remain. The anime does a good job in focusing around their relationship and its development as they get to know each other and learn what happened in the time they missed. Sadly some interesting side characters are a bit left out in the story development - Murao, Kominato - but its only natural for the plotline.
Art: 10/10
I dont know too much about the producing studios so I cant tell much about their reputation/part in the production of the art, but it sure is good. In the beginning, I thought some parts of it were strange, but in the end I was fully captured by the beautiful color selection and the well-animated motion scenes. I gave it a 10 because it felt like the art was very much perfect for the vibe the story had created. You will not be disappointed by the art thats for sure.
Sound: 8/10
I'm not a particular fan of the japanese music nor of anime music, so normally I dont give particularly good ratings for the sound. However the OP and ED were both very fitting and enjoyable, and the music choice in the series also just perfect for the situation. Funny fast music for comedic sccenes, slow and monotone for dialogues and thinking and enjoyable and vivid for love and happiness scenes.
Character: 8/10
While I think the characters are all extremely realistic and well-portrayed, the predictability and the underdevelopment of very interesting characters steals quite some points here. Others may disagree, but oftentimes a shift of focus onto the supporting characters, especially in the later part of the series, would have helped a lot to show the progression of the group of friends. But the two main characters are explained and focused very deeply which adds more spice and sense to the storyline, which is a really good thing (uff phrasing).
Enjoyment: 9/10
I personally would call this an "anime oozing with love, cuteness and understanding" but that wouldnt exactly be true. However, its the part which made the series so good for me: just a lot of romance coupled with the problems of everyday life and battling with depression. The mutual help the two mains give each other to overcome their problems is portrayed in such a good and convincing way, the romance was just bound to come. It all felt very realistic and the extremely good portrayal of such deserved to get a 9/10.
Overall: 8/10
Shortly said: The predictability and linear part of the storyline was largely compensated by the amazing art and the well-thought character development. Depening on your personal feelings and attitudes, you will enjoy this anime or enjoy it a lot - its open to you. I would suggest everyone who likes romance and school SoL animes to watch this show, its really good.
Forecast: I won't read the manga, but what I heard and read about it it seems to be really good and clearly adds a deeper thought and process to the relationship between Kou and Futaba. To my knowledge it has already ended or atleast it will this spring, but I'm not entirely sure. Also I predict that this anime will get a 2nd season - the ending of the first clearly leaves a lot of room for story improvement.
**This is my first review, nor is english my native language so bear with me. If you have any feedback PLEASE tell me so I can improve. I will write a review for every anime show I watch from now on, so I do want to write good quality reviews. Thanks for your reading!
