Ao Haru Ride/Blue Spring Ride Review

Name – Ao Haru Ride (Blue Spring Ride)
Genre – Romance, Drama, Slice Of Life
Director: Takahiro Miki
Duration  – 2 hours
IMDB Rating – 6.9/10

Story – In a middle school, Yoshioka liked Kou who was unlike the other boys and quite gentle. Kou then moved away and they lost contact but in high school she meets Kou again. But now, he is not the same person anymore. *Source IMDB

My Review/Thoughts – I usually don’t prefer watching Live action movies, but I decided to give this movie a try anyways since Ao Haru Ride was one of my most favorite Anime. I wasn’t expecting much to be honest cause I have already watched quite a few Japanese live action movies and I know most of them turns out to be a disappointment. However Ao haru Ride surprisingly lived up my expectation. Despite all it’s flaws, I didn’t feel it was a waste of time to watch it. 

The acting was okay. Nothing extraordinary, but good. The male lead ‘Masahiro higashide‘ totally had this ‘Kou Mabuchi‘ vibe around him. While watching the movie I had completely fallen for him. Aww he looked soo amazing and his acting was really worth the compliment. ‘Tsubasa Honda‘ as Futaba was not so bad either. She was adorable but unlike Masahiro her acting didn’t seem natural to me, which kinda felt disappointing. The supporting casts were quite good and I loved their friendship all together.

The direction and cinematography were the main attractions of the movie. It was kinda slow paced but the beautiful execution of few emotional moments is what made the Live action special. The flashbacks & the most special scenes from the Manga were beautifully put into the story. Since it’s impossible to combine the story of so many chapters into a 2 hour film, Live Actions are always rushed. Lots of scenes from the Manga/Anime were skipped in this film as well, which couldn’t be avoided I guess but  could’ve brought more depth into the characters and the story.

Final Review – If considered as a stand alone movie I’d say the Live Action was quite good. The Anime/Manga was definitely better, without an inch of doubt, so don’t even compare or else you will be heading for disappointment. 😛 As long as you keep that in mind, you’ll not be bored to watch this show.

My Ratings – 

Story – 7.5/10
Direction – 8.5/10
Acting – 7.5/10
Enjoyment – 8/10

Overall – 7.8/10

P.S – This review of Ao Haru Ride movie is completely based on my own perspectives. Your’s may be different than mine. So do keep that in mind okay ~