Love and friendship have become quite complicated for these four friends. Akari and Rio’s father is being transferred overseas. Rio wants to stay in Japan to be with Yuna, but Kazuomi thinks Akari should go live abroad even though they’ll be apart. What will Akari ultimately decide?
Io Sakisaka (咲坂伊緒) is a Japanese manga artist. She also designed the characters for the anime movie HAL. Her works are:
-Call My Name (2001) -Watashi no Koibito (2002) -Bye-Bye, Little (2002) -Blue (2006) -Mascara Blues (2007) -Strobe Edge (2007) -Ao Haru Ride (2011) -Sono Omokage o Shitteru (2013) (oneshot) -Omoi, Omoware, Furi, Furare (2015) -Otome no Itari (2020) (oneshot) -Sakura, Saku (2021)
Honestly? This series didn’t have such a great ending. It was cathartic, yes, but it’s a whisper rather than a bang to the heart. I was a little disappointed.
Man, this series really went out on a whimper. Reading this ending and then reflecting on the way Akari and Kazu getting together was streeeeeeeeeeeetched out over the last few volumes (heck, the whole series) it sort of feels like Io Sakisaka didn’t have a whole lot of story planned out here.
The initial concept of the main foursome meeting and intermingling was so strong! Yuna and Rio’s initial relationship trajectory was also very satisfying. But… there was really no serious conflict that any of these characters had to overcome. Yuna and Rio’s last little plotline with the nosy neighbors seemed like it was thrown in to keep them from fading into the background once they were established as a couple. And considering how easily it was resolved, the “moving to America” issue really seemed like… not much of an issue at all.
Yeah, this didn’t need to be 12 volumes. It still gets 3 stars, though, because Io Sakisaka’s art remains supreme, and it wasn’t UNPLEASANT to read. I hope her newest series gets translated soon!
"Who you were before doesn't matter. I'm sure you had your reasons back then. But you're different now."
This is everything you want a final volume to be.
I cried reading it for different reasons, but I loved it so so so much! I'm not even quite sure how to put it all into words, but I will be so deeply thankful that I read this series. It was wonderfully and masterfully told and made me feel so many emotions with each volume.
Definitely and strongly would recommend reading this series! I thought Ao Haru Ride was the best by Io Sakisaka, but this series was so much more (even though I still really love that series, and Strobe Edge too!)!
Beautiful and heartfelt, this will be a series I will for sure be reading again!
Me ha encantado de principio a fin, no me ha parecido que ningún tomo sea de relleno o que tuviese momentos sin sentido alguno, al contrario, todos los personajes han crecido y cambiado con el tiempo y así sus situaciones! Les he cogido un cariño increíble a todos y me va a dar mucha pena no poder leer más sobre ellos, aunque aún tengo la peli que se estrena en nada!!!! *-* De verdad, si estáis buscando un shojo no demasiado largo pero bueno, aquí tenéis este! No os vais a arrepentir en absoluto!
Mil gracias a toñi por haberme dejado TODOS los tomos y además al segundo de leerselos ella, ily bb♥
With everybody in love, it’s the final volume for Rio, Yuna, Akari, and Inui, but there’s still the lingering Sakisaka twist that Rio and Akari’s dad is moving to America. Is this the end of all that hard work or can love conquer all?
As is typical for shojo stories and especially Io Sakisaka’s, now that everybody is dating, the series must end. In a way, it’s a natural stop, but while our mangaka trades in dragging things out and high melodrama, she actually writes relationships really well.
We at least got to see some of that with Rio and Yuna, who remain as cavity-inducing as ever, but we don’t get nearly enough with Akari and Inui after all their travails. Especially when the part where Inui breaks Akari’s brain is literally one of the cutest things Io Sakisaka has ever done. More please!
As noted, there are some last minute swerves here that are… okay. The gossip storyline for Rio and Yuna is one of those cultural divides that still makes me shrug as a western reader. I would have had to wear a scarlet ‘A’ for ‘affectionate’ if I lived anywhere near that place.
Akari and Inui end up in trouble again, partially due to Akari being indecisive and Inui being too deferential to his own desires. It at least makes sense and I do like the way that Inui takes a page from Rio in trying to do the right thing, but the way these two tend to get in a snit at one another probably doesn’t bode super well.
It’s also worth acknowledging that even with two couples instead of one, both these relationships felt unique and while I do give the mangaka a fair amount of grief (from a place of wanting her best work, since her best is often amazing), it says something that she pulled this off.
Smartly, since it was apparently the point of the series, we also get a nice chunk of time spent extolling the friendship between Akari and Yuna, two different girls who had a really great bond. Their interactions were some of the best moments the story had to offer so it’s nice to see it get some recognition at the end.
The cynic in me thinks the ending-ending is a little too unlikely, but at the same time, I think the author’s aware of that too and goes to pains to make it at least feel plausible, which is definitely appreciated.
Without going back for re-reads, my default thought is still that Sakisaka was strongest in Strobe Edge, pretty darn good in Ao Haru Ride, and, for the most part, pretty solid here. She has her strengths (and her narrative crutches) and she continues to play to them.
4 stars - it’s a solid ending to the series. Not the first story I’d recommend from this mangaka, certainly, but if you are a fan of her work this won’t ultimately leave you disappointed.
This series went on way too long. There wasn't enough story to fill all 12 volumes and this last volume was just kind of boring compared to how good the series was at the start. It wasn't bad though, so I'm still gonna read Io Sakisaka's next series the second it's translated into English.
2 stars for this volume, 3 stars for the overall series.
Okay allow me to review the entire series and its ending.
The series started as a really cute manga with lots of moments that make your heart go "doki-doki". I loved seeing the relationship of the four of them continue to develop. When Yuri and Rio finally ended up being a couple I was so happy, and I honestly wanted Akira and Kazui to become a couple again. However, them being a couple took a long time to happen and when it did, I'm not sure if I can say the wait was reeeeaaally worth it. Nonetheless, that was still a highlight of the series for me. And that is now where my main problem really begins, instead of the author ending the series there with an already happy ending for the 4 of them, for some reason I don't quite understand, she decided to elongate the series a bit and give the couples a bunch of problems that really didn't need to happen and did not help the story at all. The gossip-y neighbor was completely unnecessary and the point of Akira moving to the US was also..... idk..... In the end, these last few chapters and how they also decided to extend Akira and Kazui's "confession"/officially becoming a couple left a sour taste in my mouth. If you were to read the series, I recommend reading only the first half.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Was this the ending that I was expecting? No. Was it satisfying? It could have had been more. Was it hella cute tho? Ummm YEAHH!!!
This manga series was so romantic and cute. Io Sakisaka really knows how to write/draw (I suppose) a good Shōjo manga. After reading Ao Haru Ride, I really wanted to read more of her work and I was not disappointed.
Overall the characters are so cute. My fave couple has to be Yuna and Rio, like the relationship that they have is my ideal relationship. Now as for Akari and Kazu, they were dense af. They couldn't get their feelings put out for each other which made me really irritated but they are still cute.
I've heard that there is an anime movie (?) of the series so i should watch that now and that there is one more manga series by Io Sakisaka that I should get my hands on but because it is one of the old ones it will be hard to get physical copies. Oh well!
Overall it was a good read I guess? The art is stunning! It is so dreamy and the few coloured pages were genuinely mesmerizing .
The story started off good but I found that nothing really stood out for me . I really liked Akari and kazu’s chemistry the most the angst was pretty good ngl. But their relationship arc was a bit drainy and was dragged for way too long.
Yuna is very cute and wholesome and later in the storyline her relationship with rio is quite cute.
But overall I feel like so many characters were very insecure and tbh that’s actually really accurate for high school kids but it got a bit irritating after a while .
Overall I know as a kid I would’ve loved a story like this , but as an adult I wanted something a bit more.
Still a good light read and I finished the whole series in one or two sittings so it wasn’t bad.
He llegado a un punto donde aunque me gustan los romances escolares, ya no me identifico tanto con ellos, o siento que ya no tengo la edad adecuada para leerlos. Pero la verdad Io Sakisaka siempre logra enamorarme y esta historia se me hizo muy linda porque la sentí un poco más madura que otras de ella misma.
No diré nada más porque creo que comenzaría soltar spoiler a, simplemente diré que estoy satisfecha en cómo terminaron las cosas para los cuatro
Final volume of the series and it's time to say goodbye with an arc focusing more on my fav couple, Roi and Yuna, who were all cute and sweet. The ending was okay, kind of bittersweet. Overall, the first part of the series was better than the second one, but it was a sweet ride.
Más que feliz con este final, no era lo que esperaba pero igualmente me gustó. Los protagonistas están bien desarrollados, la historia en varias ocasiones me sorprendió para bien, es entretenida y tiene un toque de drama ✨
IO SAKISAKA tiene una calidad para escribir y dibujar, se ganó un lugarcito en mi corazón ❤️
Byłaby lepsza ocena gdyby nie zakończenie. Było spoko, ale czegoś mi brakowało, dodatkowo przebieg akcji z końca 11 tomu do końca tego był bardzo szybki. Cała seria ma średnie tempo, a tu całą akcję dostajemy na przyspieszeniu przez co nie można poczuć nawet tej niepewności typu "co będzie dalej?"
The progression of this story each volume has been amazing, and the ending was incredibly nice while also being quite a realistic one.
This series has been my favorite one of Sakisaka Io, so I’m very glad that I didn’t drop it in the beginning. I am still impressed over how much the story improved from that starting point.
I would definitely recommend it to any fans of shoujo ✿!
The last 3 books in this series were just so annoying. They are all dense! Everything felt forced and at the same time nothing happened? Like hello?? Such a disappointing end.
Mi manga de Mayo 2021. Lo comencé porque soy fan de Aoharaido. Recuerdo que hace tiempo vi en un grupo de internet que iban subiendo las opiniones de los capitulos mientras estaba el manga en emision, pero mi experiencia con Aoharaido me hizo esperar hasta ahora que estuviera la historia terminada para comerzar a leer. La historia es sencilla porque no tiene tantos personajes, pero compleja porque empatizas con sus sentimientos (como buen shojo que es). Me gustó mucho como presentaron a Yuna y a Akari, dos chicas con conceptos de amor completamente opuestos. Los personajes crecen y evolucionan bien, sobre todo Yuna. El comic completo esta lleno de clichés, lo que lo hace un poco predecible pero Sakisaka Io les da un toque distinto para que quede un sabor a sorpresa al rematar los arcos. LO QUE MÁS ME GUSTÓ DE LA HISTORIA: fuera de el circulo de sentimientos obvios y super adolescentes de cada protagonista, el mensaje que me dejó es que debes intentar dar lo mejor de ti siempre aunque las cosas no salgan como te gustaría, la sinceridad es la clave para una vida sin peso en la conciencia. Al final solo le doy 3 estrellas a todos los tomos porque igual sentí que el manga tenía poca fuerza, que lo disfruté mucho pero no lo volvería a leer y que tal vez lo olvide en un futuro.
Wow, I actually finished it! While this final volume was a little bit of a letdown, too much drama squeezed into the final story isn't always a good idea, the series overall was pretty good. I don't think this is my favorite work by Io Sakisaka, that would probably be Ao Haru Ride, mainly because after Yuna and Rio became a couple, about halfway through the story, my interest decreased a bit. I never found Akari and Kazuomi to be the most compelling, in fact they were mostly just frustrating. I love the friendships we got to experience though! It was always really nice to see how they would be there for each other, being a pillar of support. My favorite characters, and couple, were definitely Yuna and Rio, even though that was pretty obvious from my previous statement though lolol. I just think that they complement one another so well, and have such a great story arc. Plus Rio is the most charming (and just overall best) boy. Now I'm going to go watch the movies! I wonder if I'll prefer the animated one, or the live action?
overall, I adored this series. I couldn't put it down! the way these characters evolved and matured over the series was heartwarming to read! I ADORED how Yuna and Rio were together, they were just the sweetest couple ever. it's nice to see a male in this type of manga being expressive, and getting jealous over his partners best friend whenever they spent time together. they were just the cutest thing!!!
however, I didn't quite like Akari and Kazus relationship? and I'm not sure why? I was also disappointed by how much Kazu matured. I loved him more when he was that ditzy guy who had his head in the clouds. ig because it felt like they were a great couple, because Akari was so mature for her age since she had to grow up quickly. they complimented each other, while also being complete opposites. but as the series continued, he started maturing, which they all were, but in doing so he became...bland? like any stereotypical male protagonist.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Terminar esta saga del amor hermoso😩💔🤧🤧 Esta es una historia llena de amistad, una amistad hermosa😻✨ de crecimiento personal de cada uno. Con 4 protagonistas adolescentes que sus caminos se mezclan entre sí y todo fluye entre ellos armoniosamente 💓 ellos se superan cada vez a sí mismos (y de verdad), y cuando te hace pensar que la autora va a recaer en los clichés de siempre, pasa algo que lo cambia. En esta no hay triángulos amorosos per sé y me gustó mucho que la historia no decayó en ningún momento. Ni siquiera en el último tomo o final que es dónde suelen decaer. Un placer seguir leyendo a Io sensei💓✨
OOOH lo siento mucho a este ultimo volumen si le dare 4 estrellas T.T Ya con todos siendo felices y demas el plot twist que le dio sakisaka hacia este tomo parecia algo apresurado? yo de verdad queria ver de mas momentos de Kazu y Akari como pareja finalmente despues de tanto que les costo estar juntos (por malentendidos, falta de comunicacion etc lo que quieran) y no podia creer lo que estaba leyendo, especialmente me asuste en donde Akari le dice a Kazu que si se iria :(
y ni que decir de Rio y Yuna son absolutamente ADORABLES!!!! todo lo que esta bien en una relacion!! jajaja
de todas maneras disfrute muchisimo este manga y claro que se los recomiendo!