Hazuki Takeoka

Chasing After Aoi Koshiba is a sweet manga packed full of romance and incredible illustrations.

The cover photo and internal coloured pictures alone make this book stand out. It's so pretty and elegant for being a manga. I like seeing these kinds of books around! Then throw in some LGTBQ representation, a sweet and romantic storyline with those illustrations? This book just screams awesome. On top of all of that, I just really enjoyed it. I wish I had the opportunity to sit down and slowly read through a print copy, it's that sort of good. You'll soak yourself up on this fantastic story and not want to leave.

Side note: I like the dresses in this book. It's a weird, quirky thing that stood out to me. Pretty manga dresses = my thing.

This book is going to be hit or miss for some people. It's definitely a more artsy book with a "will they? won't they?" story line. Overall, I think it's just a fun manga read to slip away from reality into.

Three out of five stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.… (més)

This series just cannot break out of the slow and dull storytelling in which it is mired. The big deal for this volume is that the protagonist is worried that her high school classmates may find out that she has been lying about her popularity in middle school because (gasp) really she was nerdy and didn't have a boyfriend! Oh my! Such a scandal! Not.

What next? We find out she stuffs her bra?

There's nothing really bad here, but it's so low key and childish that I just don't care if I never come across another volume again.… (més)

Hardly anything happens in the present day at the class reunion, while the flashbacks firm up a romantic triangle that is probably meant to make the book more interesting, but just adds to the melancholy tone that threatens to suffocate the characters and the story.

The art is very well done, but the story is so thin and lacks any innovations or hooks or even tension thanks to the split timeline revealing where everyone ends up. I have another volume on hand, so I'll read it, but it may be the last one for me unless the series concludes soon.… (més)

A questioning college student returns to Tokyo for a high school reunion looking for a chance to reconnect with the woman upon whom she had a confusing crush in high school. Most of the book flashes back to her high school days and her awkward pursuit of Aoi Koshiba which gets a little nonconsensual, harassing and stalkery at times but is not entirely unwelcome.

The scenario is a bit too mild and the set up a bit too dull by just a hair. The characters seem promising, so I'll try a couple more volumes in because-it's-there mode.… (més)