Is this story cliché? Yes. Is it vanilla? Absolutely. Does that mean it can't be good? Not at all.
Ao Haru Ride is a great romance manga for many reasons, but the top reason is pacing for me. The story has such a natural progression throughout and I never felt like it dragged or was moving too fast. And it ended at the right time, not dragging the story longer than it needed to. I really enjoyed it.
There is a part with a love triangle that felt somewhat forced for the sake of having problems. The story can be a bit too dramatic, but at the same time that's what a shoujo romance is for I guess.
Pros:
- Characters are great to learn about and fun to read
- Artwork is very clean, even if it may be similar to Sakisaka's other works
- Fast paced story
Cons:
- Can be over dramatic
- A specific love triangle felt forced (early story)
