(L+CR) Ao Haru Ride

[Flower]

Source: http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news...-gets-tv-anime

Summary for the manga:

Yoshioka Futaba has a few reasons why she wants to "reset" her image and life as a new high-school student. Because she's cute, she was ostracized by her female friends in junior high, and because of a misunderstanding, she couldn't get her feeling across to the one boy she has always liked, Tanaka-kun.

Now in high school, she is determined to be as unladylike as possible so that her friends won't be jealous of her. While living her life this way contentedly, she meets Tanaka-kun again, but he now goes under the name of Mabuchi Kou. He tells her that he felt the same way as she did when they were younger, but now things can never be the same again. Will Futaba be able to continue her love that never even started from three years ago?

For a little more info about the anime proper:

The February issue of Shueisha's Betsuma magazine is announcing on Saturday that a television anime adaptation of Io Sakisaka's Ao Haru Ride (Blue Spring Ride) shojo manga has been green-lit. The anime will star Yuuki Kaji (Attack on Titan's Eren, Guilty Crown's Shū) as Kō Mabuchi, and Maaya Uchida (Pretty Rhythm Rainbow Live's Wakana, Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions!' Rikka) as Futaba Yoshioka. More cast for the anime will be announced in the next issue of the magazine.....

Ao Haru Ride revolves around Futaba, a girl who was in love with a boy named Kō Tanaka in middle school. However, after a misunderstanding, their relationship as friends ends when he transfers schools over summer vacation. In high school, her world is turned around once again when she meets Kō again, this time under the name of Kō Mabuchi.

And yes - this is generally regarded as one of the best current shoujo manga out there at present....

[mistress_kisara]

Originally Posted by TheSix

News! According to Crunchy, the series is to be animated by Production I.G., with Ai Yoshimura (Oregairu) directing and Tomoko Konparu (Kimi ni Todoke) on composition.

Yay!

and more cast revealed

Kominato Aya - KENN
Makita Yuuri - Kayano Ai
Murao Shuuko - Komatsu Mikako

[mistress_kisara]

Animated PV

YouTube

https://youtu.be/U0mrFMj3wLQ

Sorry; dynamic content not loaded. Reload?

Starts July 7

[Flower]

Licensed by Sentai: http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news...-titles/.76300

[Kaoru Chujo]

I've made a characters/seiyuus page for this show, but it's pretty brief: only the two stars have character pics on the official site, so far. I've put in info about the other four main seiyuus, but with no pix yet.

Originally Posted by Pocari_Sweat

Yeh, I am pretty wary of Kaji voicing the male main lead in a shojo series... hopefully he won't come out as whiny....

I worry, too, but I'm summoning all my optimism and trusting that his evident popularity with producers means he has the skills.

Originally Posted by Pocari_Sweat

I always considered Nana a josei manga/anime but you're right (Haohmaru), after that and BgI there hasn't been any shoujo drama-centric series of a high calibre. There's been a few romcoms that were great (Tonari no Kaibutsu-Kun being one of the most recent ones) but they are not really the same.

Full agreement. NANA is a masterpiece anime, for me, and I just adored Bokura ga Ita. I know NANA is from a shoujo magazine and a shoujo author, but I think of it as somehow josei, as well, probably because of its emotional intensity and depth.

[LKK]

Crunchyroll will carry the stream under the title Blue Spring Ride for North American audiences starting Monday, July 7, at 11:30 am PT. [Source]

[MisaoFan]

Spoiler for Episode 1:

Watching the episode made me feel like I was watching One Week Friends except it feels more lighthearted in comparison. The main pairing's roles are also reversed and unlike the former, this one is actually based on a shoujo manga. It's not just that, they both have pastel-colored backgrounds and a generally calm and quiet highschool setting. I'll see how it goes, though I can also imagine being a bit predictable as the story direction is concerned.

[kuromitsu]

Well, this was exactly what I'd expected, which is not really a good thing. Pretty much paint-by-the-numbers high school romance shoujo manga*. Ugly-duckling-but-really-pretty-princess heroine who tries to fit in (I so called her friends betraying her, because they're not pretty so clearly they're horrible people and shouldn't hang out with the beautiful elite, I bet they'll be sooo jelly); the "cool" jerkass-but-caring-in-his-jerkass-way (also likely has a horrible backstory) designated boyfriend whom I'll inevitably end up hating although at least in this case the voice gives him an advantage; pretty girl who everyone thinks is full of herself but I bet she's actually really awkward and just wants to fit in; and so on. (I can already tell I'm going to like the blond boy from the ending - he's the one who'll fall for the heroine and he's a really nice guy who honestly loves her, but of course she can't move on from the jerkass designated boyfriend so blond guy will eventually get together with one of the other cute girls who is secretly in love with him and pines after him.)

(*Why is it always these that get adaptations? (<-- rhetoric question, I know why) This is why "shoujo manga" keeps being reduced to stereotypes...)

The whole setting makes me roll my eyes and the story is more predictable than not (except perhaps the inevitable convulted backstories and misunderstandings and other teenage drama horrors that will emerge), but at least it looks kind of nice and I really like the seiyuu (Uchida Maaya sounds so adorable it should be illegal). So, watching for the time being.

[ookamigirl]

Interesting and sweet.
It's hard to put it to words.
Just kinda sucked me in.
Couldn't stop watching it.
The hot-cold thing was intriguing.
Will give this a try.

[Flower]

I agree with kuromitsu that this was exactly what I expected it to be, but with the exception that for me that is a GOOD thing.

But I am definitely partial in this. I happen to be very fond of "classic style" shoujo of this sort (or stereotypical, I guess), and few studios do it better than I.G. I guess for me it is not so much an issue of whether or not the common elements of a genre are used or no but whether or no they are used effectively, and for me this was an effective use.

The visuals, the bgm and the ED (OP?) all accompanied the narrative very well indeed, I thought, and I hafta agree that Futaba's VA did a very good job!

In fact, I would go a step further and say that I actually found it more engaging than the manga, which I set aside after a while. So I guess for me the crux will be how well they are able to adapt the story. If they do this will definitely be a big winner for me this season, and since I happen to really enjoy shoujo stories like this (my last fix was the lovely Sukitte Ii Na Yo), I am hoping it will work.

Insta followed. ^^

[HandofFate]

Very shoujo.
Not a fan of the male lead though character design though.
He seems to pop up a lot as the standard character design type for the past standard romance shoujos in the past year or so.

I think its kind of fugly. But what do I know, I guess that's what's popular with girls.

Argh, hate Futaba's "friends" Why are girls so evil in shoujo mangas? They make demon kings in shonen hide in the corners.

[Flower]

Actually that is essentially asking for spoiler material of future events, which is not permitted in anime threads. You shoukd ask your questions in the manga thread, which can be found here:

http://forums.animesuki.com/showthread.php?t=114466

[DOmus]

my bad, srry, just wanted to know if the anime will reach that part or not

[cleo]

I'm with Flower. I've got nothing against standard Shoujo if it's done well, and this first ep pleased me a lot. Very nice OP & ED, and lovely art very reminiscent to Kimi ni Todoke. I'm impressed with both VA's. Kaji manages to subdue his voice, which fits the character quite well.
I haven't read the manga, so I was surprised Futaba actually told Tanaka he was special. I expected a lot of blushing and beating around the bush, so it was nice to see her being so upfront. I'll certainly follow it.

[Grifis]

Oh, how I want to go back to those days and see him again as well... Anyways, I like this as expected (and 5th one this season.) Nice characters designs. I'm cool with main pair as I find them likeable so far. Will definitely follow.

[MCAL]

The premiere was decent I suppose. It didn't really leave that much of an impression on me to be honest. It was surprisingly slow-paced for what's only going to be one cour. Will definitely need the three episode rule.

I would say my favorite moment was in the beginning. Having been a pretty shy person myself, I thought they perfectly captured what its like it try and make small talk with someone. It feels like an eternity.

[Master_Yoma]

Hmmm not to bad of a start this seems like to being to be anther play by the numbers

[Mr Nr]

That was pretty good. It felt very old school shoujo storytelling but that might not be a bad thing. A little annoyed with the main girl and her attitude she decided to put on in High School but hopefully she changes (I reckon she will though). Production IG did wanders creating the look of the show especially the opening having a color pastel look to it. Well see where this one goes.

[Horse]

If the whole show kept the look from the opening 5 minutes I'd consider suffering some more but as it is... Nope. The girl annoyed me to no ends.

[Pellissier]

Yeah the first 5 minutes were really old style kind of shoujo romance, I was kinda surprised of the choice of that kind of retro look ... and in fact it was just to illustrate a flashback, the actual look is more modern (closer to Kimi ni Todoke from the same studio). I wouldn't have minded the flashback part taking the whole episode, as if it was the real setting, and then end with the revelation that it wasn't.

But so far I'm liking the direction taken, I could feel the connection between the protagonists and that is already important. I feared Kaji Yuuki's voice impact on this series, but if he keeps that low tone with no excesses (Accel World, Nisekoi and oh so many others) it should be all good. No doubts about Uchida Maaya who can deliver in any role, from the psychotic to the kind type, from the snotty to the anti-conformist.

At any rate I'm moderately happy with what I've seen in the first episode and I am looking forward to see the rest, including how the new characters will blend in.