Ao Haru Ride Vol 3 by Io Sakisaka

At the conclusion of volume 2, Yuri confesses to Futaba that she may have started to develop a crush on Kou.  This volume focuses most of its attention on how Futaba can deal with liking the same person her friend does.  Does she tell her? Does she hide her feelings? Does she try to get over Kou?  In the middle, runs in to an old friend, Yumi, from middle school, and they talk about why they had a falling out.  Turns out, it was because Yumi thought Futaba liked the same guy.  From this, Futaba decides she can't tell Yuri because she can't afford to lose her friend.  In the end, she decides she can't keep a secret from Yuri and hopes that they can still be friends.  Murao is also part of the conversation, and she confesses to liking Mr. Tanaka, Kou's older brother.  Yuri and Futaba agree to continue their friendship and not get in the way of either one pursuing their feelings for Kou.

---

The whole conversation with Yumi seemed very plopped in the middle, and it was only there for the sake of Futaba figuring out what she wanted to do with Yuri.  In the end, Futaba decided against what Yumi had told her, so the whole section wasn't helpful at only distracted from the main storyline.  More time could have been spent on Futaba and Yuri discussing how they will continue to be friends or how they won't let a boy come between them, but there may be more of that in future volumes.  At this point, I am at a loss as to why either lady would like Kou because he is brash and rude, and there haven't been as many moments showing Kou's caring side.  Hopefully, we will get more into developing him in the next volume.  The illustrations continue to be a high point in this series, with much detail spent on each character and their environment.

Sara's Rating: 7/10
Suitability Level: Grades 7-12

Reviews of previous volumes in this series: vol 1, vol 2

Publisher: VIZ Media
Publication Date: February 5, 2019​
ISBN: 9781974702671 (Paperback)

Tags: Rating: 7/10, Suitability: Middle School, Suitability: High School, Manga, Realistic Fiction, Romance, School Life, VIZ Media ​