I've been a dedicated fan of Fly's work since <i>Eclair Blanc</i>, and <i>Chasing After Aoi Koshiba</i> does nothing to change my mind. The story - which follows Sahoko in her crush on Aoi Koshiba, another girl at her high school - relies on both a framing device of a four-year school reunion and on Sahoko's uncertainty about just what it is she feels for Aoi, and both of those plot points require an art style heavy on the speaking glances, body language, and quiet moments of emotional turmoil.. Fly is certainly up for all of that.

What's interesting about the romance itself is how uncertain it is about whether or not there's a romance happening. Sahoko has consciously remade herself from an angler fish into a dolphin, but that strange dark-dwelling form is still inside of her, and she has to be very aware of how it struggles to escape. Aoi, she thinks, has the sort of easy flair that she lacks, but to Aoi, it's Sahoko with all of the gifts. Do they like each other? Are they simply envious of each other? Even if there's no happy ending for these two, it looks like this will be a journey worth taking.

2.5 stars*
This sapphic manga is an enjoyable read, but as it is the first in a series, it'd hard to get much out of just the first one. The characters weren't fleshed out, and the main character wasn't likeable at all, but those things could also come with time. Overall, I think this is an enjoyable read, but I would wait to read until a few more volumes are out to start, as the first one doesn't leave the reader with much. Also, the blatant fatphobia grossed me out and brought it down a half star for me, it was unnecessary and just served as a reason for me to dislike the main character even more.

I debated between two or three stars, but I decided to be generous, because I can’t say it was bad. It can stand on its own feet, and can be enjoyable, but I personally wasn’t enchanted by it.

It started off strong. The first chapter grabbed me with intrigue, at what happened between our titular characters during their high school years that brought the distance between them, but when it got to the high school years, I wasn’t that invested.

Our main character is a finicky person who I didn’t care for. Although her crush on Aoi was cute, but her superficial motivations and personality grated on me eventually. It didn’t help that the mangaka wasn’t subtle about the fan service injected in.

And for a romance, it needed a bit more, you know, interaction between the love interests. We took so many detours with other characters that I kind of forgot this was suppose to be a romance. It was only towards the end did we see some interaction, and by then it wasn’t enough to convince me of their connection.

Also, there’s suppose to be a girl who is known as sumo girl because she’s fat. One, rude, and two, how the hell was she fat? I literally couldn’t tell the difference.

And I smell a love triangle a-brewing, and I really hate those.

Overall, I can’t say it’s bad, but I’m not sure if I would continue with the series. Maybe it gets better, but I wouldn’t actively discourage it if anyone was looking for a yuri love story.

The publisher kindly provided me with an arc through netgalley.

This was my first manga but I really didn't like it. The characters were bland and shallow. All it was about was about being popular and fitting in and who was good and who was bland and boring. It felt very childish and just not at all for me. Won't be reading the next volume.

I was excited to read a sapphic manga, but unfortunately I was not a fan of this. There were some parts of this that were fine, but I didn’t really connect to any of the characters and I actually really did not like the main character. I know she’s still figuring herself out, but she was a very judgmental person and the often mean thoughts she has about other students were never challenged in the text. One of the comments was also very fatphobic, and if that was going to be included at all I think it should have been addressed in text and in this volume.

I also really did not like the main couple - the main character kisses the other girl out of nowhere and without consent. This made me very uncomfortable and reading the rest of the manga didn’t really address that the way I would have liked it to. I know the main character is struggling with her sexuality, but I did not like the way this manga presented that or how the main character acted,

Future volumes may develop the characters more and address the issues I have with the first volume, but I will not be continuing with this series,

2.5 Stars

I read this and then decided to write the review later and when I came back to it, I couldn’t remember most of the story. That’s probably not the best-selling point but I did remember after I re-read the first couple of pages.

Overall Chasing After Aoi Koshiba is nice but not outstanding. I liked that the story begins after everyone is grown up and flashes back to their time in school. Sahoko created what she viewed as a popular version of herself and this is how she behaved at school, the crack to that is Aoi Koshiba, who makes her behave “embarrassingly”.

From the introduction you know that is a love story and the first volume sets up some foundations for that. Sahoko comes across as a caricature ditz which put me off, I’m not sure I like the characters enough to be invested to continue. That said I do like the idea of flashbacks to tell this story so I want to see how this continues in the next volume before I make up my mind.

** A copy of this book was provided for free from NetGalley.com in exchange for an honest review.

What I love most about this book is that the way it comes full circle while still leaving unasked questions making you want to dive into the next volume. This book in its short pages touches on so many things that keep you invested.

At the first of the book, we see Sahoko at a class reunion, looking for someone named Aoi who isn't there, leading to the flashback of Sahoko in high school.

You follow Sahoko, a young teenager who has a large following on social media who is coming to understand her sexuality and coming to terms with the fact that she's attracted to women, specifically a fellow classmate Aoi.

Following Sahoko as she figures out that she has a crush on Aoi and does everything that she can to spend time with her as Adorable.

I'd like to take a moment to mention that the art in this is amazing! I'm looking forward to the next book in this series and can't wait to read it!

Thank you Netgalley and Kodansha for this arc!

My honest review:
It was entertaining, not so much but it could become more in the future. Its not that I didn’t liked it though. It just wasn’t all that hooked to me. I think I would like to know what happens next but I’m not dying to know.
The characters... are not very defined yet so I couldn’t say much on that. What I do can say it’s that the main character didn’t get too much into me. I didn’t liked her so much, at least for now. I get that she is designed to be a superficial teen girl but either way.
I hope it’ll comes to better.

That’s all! ✨

Starting with our protagonists in university and giving us flashbacks into their high school years, we are introduced to Sahoko, a teen invested in being in the popular group, who is fascinated by Aoi's cheerfulness and decides they should be friends. What follows are silly plots to get close to Aoi as Sahoko's admiration only seems to grow. An awkward, first encounter does not help the situation.

It is made clearer from the grown-up Sahoko that they are no longer in touch but she desperately wants at least one more meeting to clear up her own feelings. We see some of those emotions already in her teenage self, little doubts, her interest in Aoi, and other interactions that make it clear she might not be heterosexual. Aoi also has her depths and we get a first glimpse into her home life and overall situation to keep us invested.

While the transitions to a new setting were a bit abrupt at times and many things were started but not properly followed through (like the club situation), it was enjoyable to watch Sahoko be so clear and enthusiastic in her choices and that she and her friends do not fall into common "mean girls" tropes.

I love this & Sahoko, she’s so fucking cute!! It’s funny to see that she actually thought she was straight, whilst she is completely obsessed with aoi. When she asked her if Sahoko “swings that way” and she said no, i lost it. However, she has very obviously a crush on aoi which was so cute to read about even though she doesnt admit it.
I flew through it in one sitting (i do that to most yuri mangas but still!) & the art was also very cute.

I cant wait for the next installment in this manga series & if u like yuri or u want to start reading that genre, i recommend checking this manga out!
(Thank you netgalley and the publisher for an e-arc of this manga!)

This is a really nice first volume. We discover Sahoko and her friends, Anna and Riko, at a high school reunion and we're instantly intrigued about who Aoi is and what her relationship with the protagonist is.
I love the dual timelines, it makes you want to know more about all the characters and what happened between them and why Aoi isn't at the reunion.
Sahoko is so cute when she's all flustered by Aoi, their relationship is a bit weird for now, like they don't exactly know how to act in each other's presence but I'm looking forward to seeing their friendship/relationship evolve. We can see Sahoko is battling with her feelings, which I hope we'll be dealt with in the next volues. And it was so nice to see Aoi being so OK and open with the fact that Sahoko might like girls and not feeling weird about it.
And that ending! A kind of little cliffhanger that leaves you wanting for more!
I'll definitely be on the look out for the next book!

Chasing after Aoi Koshiba is sweet, a bit silly girls love manga that I've expected to get when I requested this ARC. Both protagonists are cute and honestly, I loved how petty and self-obsessed Sahoko was and how we can clearly see that it had changed over time. As a person who when I went to high school tried to hide all my interests from my friends to not be labelled a nerd again, I can relate to some extent. Sure, her actions weren't always logical but I don't read girls love manga for logic. I'd love to read the next volume to see how it progressed and I'm especially curious about the university timeline part of the story.

I also have to mention the art style - it was absolutely adorable but also not cutesy enough to seem infantilizing, which is a reason I often avoid certain gl mangas and anime. I'd absolutely recommend it to my friends.

This was a pretty good first volume. It has set itself up for future volumes really well, and I absolutely adore the art style. The plot was pretty generic however, and this rating would have been a lot higher if not for some of the fat-phobic and judgmental tendencies of the main girl. I understand that the main girl is meant to be this shallow popular teenager, but the volume doesn't even try to make it obvious that her fat-phobic comments are bad, it makes it kind of natural and without backlash. However, that being said, it was still an enjoyable read and I'm curious to see where it'll go.

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't interested in this series' development, and would love to see how the relationship blossoms.

Initially starting out at a High School Reunion, Sahoko reminisces her previous years and how she got to where she is.
Sahoko has finally risen in the popularity rank; making popular (and good) friends, making sure she looks attractive, and most important of all, not doing anything that will label her as 'unpopular'. Her life is going well, and things are looking up...until she meets Aoi. Whenever she's near, Sahoko isn't right...she overthinks, can't focus, and her face keeps blushing. While she's sure if she just avoids Aoi everything can stay normal, but she just can't stay away.

4.5 sparkling stars!

"Chasing After Aoi Koshiba' is an incredibly gripping story about 4 high school girls, however, it also shows them in the future too. I loved the idea of portraying the women's lives in the future, as usually in shoujo manga we almost never see what happens next. Overall, this was an exceptional and refreshing read that I recommend to any romance or graphic novel fans!

(Thank you Netgalley and Kodansha Comics for providing me with an e-ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.)

Thank you to NetGalley, Kodansha Comics, and Hazuki Takeoka for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I like how this book started with the main girls in university and then back-tracked to the high school days, but I felt like the start to the high school part was a bit slow. Sahoko is extremely intrigued and inspired by Aoi. When a chance kiss happens, Sahoko tried to make amends and aims to be Aoi's friend. As their relationship blooms, an assortment of complicated emotions, situations, and feelings arise as Sahoko gets to know Aoi, and sees that she isn't quite what was expected. The manga ends full-circle with a conclusion back in the university days and a cliffhanger indicating a potential rivalry or drama when it comes to Aoi and mingling with Sahoko's group of friends.

Once this manga picked up and the character development really started to show, it was rather dramatic and interesting. The cliffhanger leaves the reader wondering just why Sahoko's friend seems to have a grudge against (or hatred of) Aoi. Great for fans of high school drama, high school romance, and yuri.

Sahoko was one of the popular girls in high school and its been years since then, now she's at a school reunion looking for the on person she wants to see more Aoi.

I wasn't sure what I was getting myself into when coming across this book I figured I'd go into it blindly and see how I feel. This book turned out better then I expected, it was pretty sweet. Sahoko was pretty ditzy and obviously had a thing for Aoi but wasn't really sure how to go about that. It was sweet watching how things played out though. I loved how this book played out with what was going on currently and back flashing to how things started and I'm really looking forward to seeing more. Sahoko is now an adult clearly looking for Aoi and I'm curious to see what happened that they stopped communicating and what will happen once they see eachother again.

I'm always on the lookout for new yuri manga, and this is a great addition to the genre. Chasing After Aoi Koshiba volume 1 is kind of a slow start, but it also makes me very excited for more of the story of Sahoko and Aoi. Most of this volume goes into the two of them starting to get to know one another after Sahoko kisses Aoi accidentally, then joins the home ec club in order to get close to her. Sahoko sees Aoi as effortlessly popular and Sahoko wishes to be loved by her classmates. When she learns Aoi is taking care of her younger brothers after the death of her mom, she realizes that's why Aoi is no longer playing basketball and wants to help her out. This is a very soft story and I'm very interested in seeing where things went between second year of high school and Sahoko's third year of college that they are no longer friends or close. Plus, the art is very cute and works really well for the story.

This Manga is a Yuri, about a girl named Sahoko whose popular in just about every way! One day a girl name Aoi catches her eye, but not quite sure what she’s feeling. To Sahoko, she feels as though Aoi is someone she wants as a friend, especially after seeing how cool natured she is.

I enjoyed how the manga starts off present day and gives us a flash back with some background on Sahoko and Aoi. Personally, I think the back and forth time hopping is a great way to allow both younger and older readers to be able to relate to the characters more.

I did feel it was a short read, or perhaps it was just so good I zoomed through lol. The ending left me wishing I had volume 2 in hand to continue reading where the story will go.

•A R C•B O O K•R E V I E W•
2021 Book #51 out of 80
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CHASING AFTER AOI KOSHIBA by Hazuki Takeoka
Volume 1
Publication date May 24, 2021
⭐️⭐️ out of 5 stars
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QUICK SYNOPSIS:
A manga focusing on the development of relationships from high school and the lasting relationships from the teenage years to adulthood. Sahoko, the main character, participates in her high school reunion and is searching for Aoi. While waiting, flashbacks of their high school life return to how their friendship has developed through those years.

STORYLINE & THOUGHTS:
~ I was not a fan of the manga's plot at all. I thought I understood what was going on in the story. But once I got to the final chapter in the manga... I was wrong. I thought the high school portion in the story was present in the story's timeline, but I guess I missed that.
~ LGBTQIA+ representation from the two leading female characters.
~The overall style of the book was cute, but from my reading experience, I would not recommend it.
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Thank you to @netgalley and @KodanshaComics for this ARC Ebook. All reviews are fair and honest reviews. All opinions are my own.
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