Chasing After Aoi Koshiba, Vol. 1
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- Create Date：2021-06-21 07:51:29
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Hazuki Takeoka
- ISBN：1646511867
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
Sahoko had lots of friends in high school， so there's no shortage of people to catch up with at her reunion。 But the one face she wants to see is missing: that of Aoi Koshiba， her classmate and first love。 A star of the basketball team， Aoi caught Sahoko's eye as an easy way to score social points。 But when Aoi quits the team， an unexpected kiss pulls Sahoko closer to her than she intended to be。 With a difficult home situation， Aoi is in need of more than just a cynical social climber。 She needs a true friend， and something more。。。
Reviews
Tala
，
**Provided ARC by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review The illustrations were beautiful and the story was very cute。 It is only really getting started。 I'll check out the rest when they become available **Provided ARC by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review The illustrations were beautiful and the story was very cute。 It is only really getting started。 I'll check out the rest when they become available 。。。more
hanni
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2，5 ★I can't even exactly pinpoint what bothered me but overall the story felt a little all over the place; starting from the protagonist Narita's very sudden urge to befriend Aoi and the way she approaches her。 There is no build-up in their relation-/friendship and there is no chance for the reader to really get to know either of them。 I absolutely understand the insecurities and the wish for acceptance in your high school years which are being addressed with Narita’s character but her way of t 2，5 ★I can't even exactly pinpoint what bothered me but overall the story felt a little all over the place; starting from the protagonist Narita's very sudden urge to befriend Aoi and the way she approaches her。 There is no build-up in their relation-/friendship and there is no chance for the reader to really get to know either of them。 I absolutely understand the insecurities and the wish for acceptance in your high school years which are being addressed with Narita’s character but her way of thinking and acting makes her rather unlikeable and shallow and draws too much of a strong contrast to Aoi’s seemingly perfect character。 As someone who isn’t generally bothered by overused tropes or plots， I thought the main idea was great and I was really looking forward to a beautiful sapphic manga but unfortunately it was rather poorly executed - at least in the first volume of the series。 The art style， however， is really beautiful and a major plus！ Overall， this was still a nice and quick read as the first installment of a series and I am actually interested in finding out what happened between the main characters during the time skip but I don't exactly see myself rushing to read the next volume as soon as it comes out。Thank you to Netgalley and Kodansha Comics for providing me a free copy in exchange for an honest review！ 。。。more
Trisha Tomy
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Blog Review: https://trishadoeseverythingbutstudy2。。。I received a free e-ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review！I liked it！I found this book so hard to categorise in my shelves; I try to categorise by trope， but I couldn't put it in anyone。 The reason for this is that even though we had a romance， I don't think we were given enough to go off on。Aoi Koshiba and Sahoko become good friends yes， but we never get to know if they ever get past that。 There was one kiss， and then I think th Blog Review: https://trishadoeseverythingbutstudy2。。。I received a free e-ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review！I liked it！I found this book so hard to categorise in my shelves; I try to categorise by trope， but I couldn't put it in anyone。 The reason for this is that even though we had a romance， I don't think we were given enough to go off on。Aoi Koshiba and Sahoko become good friends yes， but we never get to know if they ever get past that。 There was one kiss， and then I think they were only friends， which makes it so hard to write this because WHAT DO I EVEN WRITE。 What I was waiting for was only hinted， and the present bits didn't completely make sense because， again， things were only hinted at。I loved the pining， and the awkward bits， a bit of the meeting the family， and l ots of doing stuff you're not even interested in to feel close to the other person， but we had like no romance。So， this is a seriously short review （I can't believe this is only 5 paragraphs）， but I'm definitely waiting for more。 。。。more
Laura
，
*sighs* My first time reading a GL manga， and it was a bit of a disappointment。 I knew GL is traditionally marketed to boys/men， but I thought I'd still like it。 I did not。 I felt like I was inside the mind of a man， looking through his eyes， holding the infamous "male gaze"。 Even in the most plain of situations， the girls' chests were emphasized way too much for my taste （not in an unrealistic way， but still - they are high school girls）。 That wouldn't have bothered me so much if the plot could *sighs* My first time reading a GL manga， and it was a bit of a disappointment。 I knew GL is traditionally marketed to boys/men， but I thought I'd still like it。 I did not。 I felt like I was inside the mind of a man， looking through his eyes， holding the infamous "male gaze"。 Even in the most plain of situations， the girls' chests were emphasized way too much for my taste （not in an unrealistic way， but still - they are high school girls）。 That wouldn't have bothered me so much if the plot could compensate for it， but it was just unrealistic， and not in a comic way。 I did not laugh， I just felt uncomfortable with how weird everything was being developed。 I was interested in the fact that Narita is a popular girl， and that part of the story was fun to see， but that was too little to carry the whole insanity that this manga is。 Nothing's natural about the way the relationship between Narita and Aoi is built， and I get it that many mangas use strange plot devices， but one thing is using weird situations to prompt development in a realistic way， and another thing is having the whole development be unrealistic。 Also， the "incident" was totally fanservice （like， come on， girls know where they are grabbing， and that fall。。。？）。In summary: I enjoyed reading about one of the popular girls in high school （I feel like I tend to read shoujo's in which the main character is the outcast）， but that wasn't enough to make me enjoy the manga。 。。。more
Kirra-Rose Lewis
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*I received an advanced reading copy of this volume via NetGalley， all opinions and thoughts are my own。 The first instalment of Chasing After Air Koshiba dove into the youth of our main character， Sahoko， who’s reminiscing about an old friend， possibly someone more than a friend， at a school reunion。There were a couple of issues that I had。 The first was the pop culture references， particularly regarding social media。 Although the use and the focus of social media contributed to the realistic n *I received an advanced reading copy of this volume via NetGalley， all opinions and thoughts are my own。 The first instalment of Chasing After Air Koshiba dove into the youth of our main character， Sahoko， who’s reminiscing about an old friend， possibly someone more than a friend， at a school reunion。There were a couple of issues that I had。 The first was the pop culture references， particularly regarding social media。 Although the use and the focus of social media contributed to the realistic nature of modern teen culture， I did find it a little annoying as it was constantly mentioned。 My other issue was with the main character。 I found her quite shallow at times and her mindset was repetitive， which put me off a little。 Being the first volume， and the setting being mostly during Sahoko’s schooling years， I hope we see character development。 She made a rather insensitive comment about a side character’s weight， which wasn’t addressed。 The sudden， non-consensual kiss between her and another character was also glossed over a little too much。 I hope to see less in the rest of the series， or at least it is properly addressed。 I enjoyed the pacing of the volume as it was quite fast， I finished it in about 20-30 minutes。 The final few pages of the volume were really interesting and compelled me to want to continue with the next volume。 Whether I continue with the series will depend on how much I enjoy the direction in volume two。 It’s nice to see queer representation in manga and believe this series has the potential to become a great addition to the sapphic manga genre。 I’d recommend picking up this volume to anyone looking for a manga involving sapphic characters， with a slow burn， blossoming romance。 I gave this volume 3 stars。 。。。more
D
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Thank you Netgalley for letting me read this book in return for an honest review。This volume is definitely a first volume where it gets the reader interested and wanting more。 I personally can't wait to read the future volumes because I want to see more of what happened between these two characters。 The first volume flips back and forth between past and present and I can only assume that volume two will as well。Rating: 3⭐Would I Read It Again？ YesWould I Recommend it？ Yes Thank you Netgalley for letting me read this book in return for an honest review。This volume is definitely a first volume where it gets the reader interested and wanting more。 I personally can't wait to read the future volumes because I want to see more of what happened between these two characters。 The first volume flips back and forth between past and present and I can only assume that volume two will as well。Rating: 3⭐Would I Read It Again？ YesWould I Recommend it？ Yes 。。。more
Veronica
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ARC via Netgalley。 It's hard to review this one because the story has only just barely started by the end of the first volume！ Our protagonist is at her high school reunion， hoping to see her maybe-ex-girlfriend， and then immediately the flashback launches。。。 I did like the designs for both Sahoko and Koshiba-san。 I'm a huge sucker for a "popular girl but really I'm faking my persona for social clout" plot， and I'm curious to know more， I just found it a little frustrating that there was so much ARC via Netgalley。 It's hard to review this one because the story has only just barely started by the end of the first volume！ Our protagonist is at her high school reunion， hoping to see her maybe-ex-girlfriend， and then immediately the flashback launches。。。 I did like the designs for both Sahoko and Koshiba-san。 I'm a huge sucker for a "popular girl but really I'm faking my persona for social clout" plot， and I'm curious to know more， I just found it a little frustrating that there was so much flashback and the present-day timeline couldn't get its feet off the ground before the volume ended。 Cute art！ 。。。more
Jossellin Chevalley
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I had just gotten into reading manga as of recently because of anime， and I am excited to say that I loved reading this manga。 The illustrations and storyline is really cool and interesting， especially since there is some LGBTQ+ representation in It， which you don't see much。 I will 100% want to keep reading and seeing how the story continues。 A big thank you to NetGalley and publisher for an ARC of this manga in exchange of an honest review！ I had just gotten into reading manga as of recently because of anime， and I am excited to say that I loved reading this manga。 The illustrations and storyline is really cool and interesting， especially since there is some LGBTQ+ representation in It， which you don't see much。 I will 100% want to keep reading and seeing how the story continues。 A big thank you to NetGalley and publisher for an ARC of this manga in exchange of an honest review！ 。。。more
Joe Kerr
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This is interesting， and shows promise。However， as the story flips between "University Third Year" and "High School Second Year"， its obvious from the beginning that something terrible has happened between Aoi and Sahoko。 It seems like Sahoko is torn over mistakes she made， and it's implied she badly hurt Aoi at some point。 At the reunion， at the end of the volume， Anna， Sahoko's high school "cool" friend makes it clear her disdain for Aoi， saying it would be best if she didn't show up to the re This is interesting， and shows promise。However， as the story flips between "University Third Year" and "High School Second Year"， its obvious from the beginning that something terrible has happened between Aoi and Sahoko。 It seems like Sahoko is torn over mistakes she made， and it's implied she badly hurt Aoi at some point。 At the reunion， at the end of the volume， Anna， Sahoko's high school "cool" friend makes it clear her disdain for Aoi， saying it would be best if she didn't show up to the reunion。 However， is she saying this because of her displeasure with Aoi？ Maybe Aoi also did something to Sahoko？ Or， could it possibly be that Anna has unresolved feelings for Sahoko？ I suspect this story is going to be fraught with emotions， and I also suspect there are going to be some very tear-inducing moments， so get the Kleenex ready， my friends！ I can't wait for the next volume， to see what happens next！ 。。。more
Eliani
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This story is sickeningly sweet and dorky。 I loved it。Sahoko reinvented herself for high school to be confident， cool， and collected。 AKA popular。 Which is working out， until she meets Aoi， who doesn't have to do any of those things to be well liked。She simply is "herself"。Everyone that knows her， likes her。She makes things Sahoko embarrassing by， look not as embarrassing。Envy grows into curiosity， to possible romantic feelings。 Especially after an "accidental" kiss happens during the early stag This story is sickeningly sweet and dorky。 I loved it。Sahoko reinvented herself for high school to be confident， cool， and collected。 AKA popular。 Which is working out， until she meets Aoi， who doesn't have to do any of those things to be well liked。She simply is "herself"。Everyone that knows her， likes her。She makes things Sahoko embarrassing by， look not as embarrassing。Envy grows into curiosity， to possible romantic feelings。 Especially after an "accidental" kiss happens during the early stages of their budding friendship。This series of events jumps around from the future， adult version of the characters， to past high school versions of themselves， with such ease。The story is easy to follow and left me needing to read more！**Thank you to Kodansha Comics and NetGallery for an ARC in exchange for an honest review。 ** 。。。more
FoxClouds
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“Chasing After Aoi Koshiba” is a story about a popular girl in high school， Sahoko， that intentionally and successfully turned herself into a popular girl。 She has Instagram that gets a lot of likes。 She gets a lot of attention for how she dresses and looks。 She became friends with two other popular girls。 Sahoko wants to be a main protagonist in her story and she often calls other people side characters or losers。 She was one of them but not anymore。 She has it all figured out， it seems， until “Chasing After Aoi Koshiba” is a story about a popular girl in high school， Sahoko， that intentionally and successfully turned herself into a popular girl。 She has Instagram that gets a lot of likes。 She gets a lot of attention for how she dresses and looks。 She became friends with two other popular girls。 Sahoko wants to be a main protagonist in her story and she often calls other people side characters or losers。 She was one of them but not anymore。 She has it all figured out， it seems， until she meets Koshiba， a sportsy girl， who seems not to care much about images。 Koshiba hangs out with boys， is not bothered by getting her uniform wet， and also is quite forward。 She is not like Sahoko， and Sahoko is very intrigued。 She wants to become friends with Koshiba， for the reasons she can’t even explain to herself。 The manga opens up with scenes ahead in the future， when Sahoko is a third year university student at the graduation reunion party。 And then the story switches to the past and her years in high school。 Although the artwork is cute and nicely done， the narration is quite choppy。 It’s hard to understand the logic behind Sahoko’s behaviour。 She wants to become friends with Koshiba， but then she misunderstands her， is embarrassed， and when trying to apologize makes things even more confusing by kissing Koshiba。 Completely out of blue。 There is no buildup to the way Sahoko feels about Koshiba or how they first met （it’s mentioned in passing that they sat next to each other in one class once）。 Why she gets so fixated on finding Sahoko to invite her to hang out， and then to apologize， that she starts stalking her and even joins the culture club， meanwhile claiming that she is not “like that”。 Sahoko behaviour confused me。 I didn’t like the way she viewed others as side characters or that she created this popular personality。 She seems like a nice person but her motives are questionable。 I feel like there was a lot of left out from the story and obviously there will be a sequel， but it was just too choppy for me to get really into the plot。 。。。more
Pippa Reads Manga
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"Chasing After Aoi Koshiba" is a pretty satisfying read。 The story opens in the present day at a high school reunion with Sahako anxiously awaiting the arrival of her former crush Aoi who she seems to have carried a torch for even all these years later。 She begins to recount their story and the reader is transported back to their high school days。 where this entire love affair first began。 The parallel story-telling is a fun aspect of the story because the reader is left guessing how the plot th "Chasing After Aoi Koshiba" is a pretty satisfying read。 The story opens in the present day at a high school reunion with Sahako anxiously awaiting the arrival of her former crush Aoi who she seems to have carried a torch for even all these years later。 She begins to recount their story and the reader is transported back to their high school days。 where this entire love affair first began。 The parallel story-telling is a fun aspect of the story because the reader is left guessing how the plot threads will come together， and although we know these characters have a past， we know for sure that they aren't together in the future。 Just like Sahako， we are left wondering if Aoi will even show up at the reunion， but we'll have to read the next volume to find out。The chapters that are set in the past provide a lot of well-needed character development。 We find out that Sahako was the kind of high school girl who was obsessed with being cool， and this idea slowly unravels her as a person。 The wannabe narrative is one that I think many people can relate to。 It's hard being someone you're not and living up to the expectations of others， and in that way， I think Sahako proves to be an interesting character。When she meets Aoi， who is just so effortlessly cool and somehow seems completely herself， Sahaoko is very intrigued。 This leads to lots of fluffy romantic scenes。Overall， I think this was a fun read。 It's not something that I personally would have picked up off the shelf to read， but I'm pleasantly surprised by it。 I do think some of the romance aspects and characterizations are a bit heavy-handed， but this story isn't going for subtlety。 。。。more
Jess
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ARC provided through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。 Chasing After Aoi Koshiba is a typical yuri manga set in high school in which a snotty popular girl falls for a sweetheart who's rough around the edges。The main character， Sahoko， is very flawed。 Arguably， too flawed。 I understand people who were turned off by the series due to how unlikable she is。 She's pretentious， places her worth on how popular she is， and does not understand others who view the world differently。 There were ARC provided through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。 Chasing After Aoi Koshiba is a typical yuri manga set in high school in which a snotty popular girl falls for a sweetheart who's rough around the edges。The main character， Sahoko， is very flawed。 Arguably， too flawed。 I understand people who were turned off by the series due to how unlikable she is。 She's pretentious， places her worth on how popular she is， and does not understand others who view the world differently。 There were also a couple of fatphobic comments made by her that went unaddressed。 I sure hope that the series intends to improve Sahoko's character through her friendship/relationship with Aoi。Based off of this singular volume， the plot is much like many other manga in this genre。 The manga is cute and has beautiful art， but is perhaps too conventional。 I hope to see much more character development and added depth to future volumes。 。。。more
Siina
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Chasing After Aoi Koshiba is wonderful in every way and one of the best yuri mangas I've read。 It starts from a high school reunion and Sahoko wanting to meet Koshiba after so long。 Then we plunge into their school days and how Sahoko desperately wanted to be the cool girl's friend。 Sahoko used to be a nerd of sorts， but now is well liked。 Koshiba is boyish and used to play basketball， but cannot now because of family reasons。 Slowly these two girls get to know each other and it all started with Chasing After Aoi Koshiba is wonderful in every way and one of the best yuri mangas I've read。 It starts from a high school reunion and Sahoko wanting to meet Koshiba after so long。 Then we plunge into their school days and how Sahoko desperately wanted to be the cool girl's friend。 Sahoko used to be a nerd of sorts， but now is well liked。 Koshiba is boyish and used to play basketball， but cannot now because of family reasons。 Slowly these two girls get to know each other and it all started with Sahoko's accidental kiss。 This is a slow-burn series and very realistic。 We get into Sahoko's head， which is wonderful， but at the same time we meet other students and the characters actually have their own personas。 Such a wonderful start with a hint of sadness。 This is truly girls' love for girls （and not for guys like these usually are）。The art is so nice and lively too。 It's light， but profound and heartwarming at the same time。 I have to keep reading this， really。 I want to know what happens and I hope this will keep the adult feeling to it， the steadiness。 I wish we get to see them old too， that'd be perfect。 。。。more
☆Pelumi☆ （On major hiatus）
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EDIT: Happy publishing to this beautiful book！ Y'all should go check it out！！！！Thanks to Netgally and the publishers for the ARCAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHThis was so fun to read。 If you're an anime or manga fan and you love yuri stories then I'd highly recommend。 This one talks about finding lost love， self - discovery and overall， it adorable。 I liked the drawings， the artist did the characters really well。There are lots of flashbacks in this as the MC takes us back to when she and the EDIT: Happy publishing to this beautiful book！ Y'all should go check it out！！！！Thanks to Netgally and the publishers for the ARCAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHThis was so fun to read。 If you're an anime or manga fan and you love yuri stories then I'd highly recommend。 This one talks about finding lost love， self - discovery and overall， it adorable。 I liked the drawings， the artist did the characters really well。There are lots of flashbacks in this as the MC takes us back to when she and the love interest met。 I loved that aspect as it helped with the buildup。 Can't wait for the next one！I highly recommend this。 Vey interesting！ 。。。more
Oliver
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This was an ARC I received from NetGalley， another LGBTQ manga that I was intrigued by。 Unfortunately， this one fell a little flat for me。 I enjoyed reading it， the art was great， but the characters were too much like the girls in high school who made my years of school miserable。 Other than Aoi Koshiba， none of the characters were particularly likeable， especially not Narita。 I was also not super fond of the moment of fat-phobia， （though it was quite small）， that took place。 I'm not against rea This was an ARC I received from NetGalley， another LGBTQ manga that I was intrigued by。 Unfortunately， this one fell a little flat for me。 I enjoyed reading it， the art was great， but the characters were too much like the girls in high school who made my years of school miserable。 Other than Aoi Koshiba， none of the characters were particularly likeable， especially not Narita。 I was also not super fond of the moment of fat-phobia， （though it was quite small）， that took place。 I'm not against reading the next volume when it comes out， but I'm not really in a rush to read it。 。。。more
Briar's Reviews
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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 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。 。。。more
Inês
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So cute， funny and heartwarming。The art style is so gorgeous。I just want more of it please。If you’re looking for a sapphic manga， this is it！Go read it！Disclaimer: I received a copy of Chasing After Aoi Koshiba， volume 1 in exchange for an honest review。 All opinions expressed are my own。
XangemXV
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Thank you to Netgalley and Kodansha for letting me read this book in exchange for an honest review！Chasing After Aoi Koshiba volume 1 is a pretty good start to the series。 Sahoko is your standard ditzy main character that's very concerned with staying popular， even though she feels like she's hiding her true self。 When she notices Aoi， she immediately begins to admire her for her honesty and tries to befriend her。The overall mood of the story seems like it'll be a bit angsty or bittersweet， whic Thank you to Netgalley and Kodansha for letting me read this book in exchange for an honest review！Chasing After Aoi Koshiba volume 1 is a pretty good start to the series。 Sahoko is your standard ditzy main character that's very concerned with staying popular， even though she feels like she's hiding her true self。 When she notices Aoi， she immediately begins to admire her for her honesty and tries to befriend her。The overall mood of the story seems like it'll be a bit angsty or bittersweet， which has really piqued my interest。 However， some plot points that bring Sahoko and Aoi together seem a little forced。 Nevertheless， I am looking forward to reading more about them。 。。。more
Arianne Cerilla
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It's really difficult to like Sahoko because of her self-centeredness and hunger for popularity。 However， these negative traits leave a lot of room for character development。 I really like Aoi's character but I don't see any chemistry right now between her and Sahoko。 I might read the following volumes just to see if there's something going on with Anna。I hope we can see Sahoko's growth in the following volumes。 It's really difficult to like Sahoko because of her self-centeredness and hunger for popularity。 However， these negative traits leave a lot of room for character development。 I really like Aoi's character but I don't see any chemistry right now between her and Sahoko。 I might read the following volumes just to see if there's something going on with Anna。I hope we can see Sahoko's growth in the following volumes。 。。。more
bookcaked
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2。5\5 Personally I did not enjoy the plot of Chasing After Aoi Koshiba， and I can’t see myself continuing with the series。 Sahoko is insufferable， and I don’t find myself rooting for her whatsoever。 However， at her age， I understand her struggling and being more judgemental of others because she does that to herself， but her attitude really takes away from the story to me。 I think it is more realistic （along with the conversations characters have） but that isn’t enough to keep me going。I think（？ 2。5\5 Personally I did not enjoy the plot of Chasing After Aoi Koshiba， and I can’t see myself continuing with the series。 Sahoko is insufferable， and I don’t find myself rooting for her whatsoever。 However， at her age， I understand her struggling and being more judgemental of others because she does that to herself， but her attitude really takes away from the story to me。 I think it is more realistic （along with the conversations characters have） but that isn’t enough to keep me going。I think（？） this is a yuri series， but we start it with a weird accidental kiss following an awkward conversation。 I like the potential romantic interest， she is really sweet but this first volume doesn’t really give us a feel of the characters outside of surface level assumptions。 Even though Sahoko is thinking some more complicated things， I can’t help feeling detached from the characters。 I think others may enjoy this more than me， especially if the plot and character development improve！Thank you to NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for the Arc！ 。。。more
Marianne Vadney
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Sahoko is your average pretty teen who is focused on popularity and her looks until she finds herself drawn to another female classmate， Aoi。 At first she thinks it is just admiration and a longing to be her friend but after accidentally kissing her she struggles with her feelings might be more than friendship。 The manga is interesting since it starts with Sahoko as an adult remembering her time in high school as she anxiously awaits Aoi to show up at their high school reunion after being estran Sahoko is your average pretty teen who is focused on popularity and her looks until she finds herself drawn to another female classmate， Aoi。 At first she thinks it is just admiration and a longing to be her friend but after accidentally kissing her she struggles with her feelings might be more than friendship。 The manga is interesting since it starts with Sahoko as an adult remembering her time in high school as she anxiously awaits Aoi to show up at their high school reunion after being estranged for several years。 A realistic look at young love drifting a part and I'm curious to see how their lives will merge once again。 。。。more
Kaz
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This isn't the most original plot I've ever heard of but it was executed very decently that it managed to keep me interested through the entire volume。 The art was definitely stunning and Anna's words at the end definitely made me want to learn more about what happened between Sahoko and Aoi。 Perhaps Sahoko will learn to be less mean to people she deems "unpopular"？ Overall， so far it's a sapphic manga that has lots of potential。 I definitely look forward to the second installment！ This isn't the most original plot I've ever heard of but it was executed very decently that it managed to keep me interested through the entire volume。 The art was definitely stunning and Anna's words at the end definitely made me want to learn more about what happened between Sahoko and Aoi。 Perhaps Sahoko will learn to be less mean to people she deems "unpopular"？ Overall， so far it's a sapphic manga that has lots of potential。 I definitely look forward to the second installment！ 。。。more
Benicia Noia
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Un agradable， fresca y cómica historia de amor que va surgiendo poco a poco entre dos chicas de secundaria que， desde la primera página， nos damos cuenta que sucedió algo que las hizo distanciarse años después de la graduación。 Esto hace que me quede con la intriga por saber qué ocurrió con ellas， porque se las ve tan bonitas y pareciera que todo marcha bien。 Este es un manga muy fácil de leer， ligero y con mucha comedia。 Me resultó agradable y me aseguraré de recomendarlo cuando salga a la vent Un agradable， fresca y cómica historia de amor que va surgiendo poco a poco entre dos chicas de secundaria que， desde la primera página， nos damos cuenta que sucedió algo que las hizo distanciarse años después de la graduación。 Esto hace que me quede con la intriga por saber qué ocurrió con ellas， porque se las ve tan bonitas y pareciera que todo marcha bien。 Este es un manga muy fácil de leer， ligero y con mucha comedia。 Me resultó agradable y me aseguraré de recomendarlo cuando salga a la venta。 ¡Espero leer la segunda parte！ 。。。more
Hal
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arc provided by the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest reviewDNFThis one sounded so good！ A sapphic love story that went back and forth between the past and the present but unfortunately， I just didn’t enjoy my time with it and decided to stop reading it about halfway through。I just got tired of all of the fatphobic comments， all the “loser” comments and the insults our main character kept saying to herself about everyone and just overall， I didn’t like the vibes of her and the st arc provided by the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest reviewDNFThis one sounded so good！ A sapphic love story that went back and forth between the past and the present but unfortunately， I just didn’t enjoy my time with it and decided to stop reading it about halfway through。I just got tired of all of the fatphobic comments， all the “loser” comments and the insults our main character kept saying to herself about everyone and just overall， I didn’t like the vibes of her and the story。I still implore you to check this out if you’re interested！ This wasn’t the manga for me but it might be the one for you！ 。。。more
365801
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"Chasing After Aoi Koshiba" Volume 1 by Hazuki Takeoka & Fly is the first Yuri title I have picked up in about a decade。 I always shyed away from Yuri titles due to the predominance of the male gaze， which is not to my taste。 This is not in any way like that but certainly has a 'gaze' in the characterisation， panelling， composition of shots， etcThe story follows Sahoko Narita， a third year at university， attending her high school reunion and feeling disappointed to learn that Aoi Koshiba will no "Chasing After Aoi Koshiba" Volume 1 by Hazuki Takeoka & Fly is the first Yuri title I have picked up in about a decade。 I always shyed away from Yuri titles due to the predominance of the male gaze， which is not to my taste。 This is not in any way like that but certainly has a 'gaze' in the characterisation， panelling， composition of shots， etcThe story follows Sahoko Narita， a third year at university， attending her high school reunion and feeling disappointed to learn that Aoi Koshiba will not be attending。 We then travel back to second year in high school to see how the two first met。 This first volume is set mostly within high school and only starting and ending with present day。 High school Sahoko wants to be popular， pretty and fawned over。 She wants to be with the cool kids and takes great effort to make everything appear effortless。 She is drawn to Aoi who lives life like a free spirit。 But do opposites attract？I have to say that as a predominantly BL reader I could see this being done as a BL and I would eat it up with a spoon！ The side characters are the main strength of this title， though！ The friends have personality and interest and there has to be a side story spin-off in the works for the female teachers that help guide the teen versions of the characters。 If not， we should start a campaign or something！The set-up， side characters， and promise of character growth and relationship progression has me itching to read more。 That hasn't ever happened before for a Yuri title。 Well done， Aoi Koshiba！ Well done！ 。。。more
Mary
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**Was gifted this digital manga via @netgalley ， @kodanshacomics 。 #ChasingAfterAoiKoshiba1 #NetGalley **"Sahoko had lots of friends in high school， so there’s no shortage of people to catch up with at her reunion。 But the person she wants to see most is missing: Aoi Koshiba， her old classmate and first crush。 Years ago， Aoi was the basketball team’s rising star， and caught Sahoko’s eye as an easy way to score social points。 Sahoko later learned， however， that Aoi had long quit the game due to a **Was gifted this digital manga via @netgalley ， @kodanshacomics 。 #ChasingAfterAoiKoshiba1 #NetGalley **"Sahoko had lots of friends in high school， so there’s no shortage of people to catch up with at her reunion。 But the person she wants to see most is missing: Aoi Koshiba， her old classmate and first crush。 Years ago， Aoi was the basketball team’s rising star， and caught Sahoko’s eye as an easy way to score social points。 Sahoko later learned， however， that Aoi had long quit the game due to a difficult home situation。 When an unexpected kiss pulled the girls closer together one day， it became clear that Aoi was in need of more than just a cynical social climber—and perhaps， Sahoko was the one。"--Okay， WOW。 I adored this。 I will admit that this was my first yuri-manga， and I was so excited to be chosen to read it。First - The art style is absolutely beautiful。 I have this horrible tendency to not read any manga where I am not already interested in the art style。 It adds so much to a story， therefore it can take so much away。 But never fear， Chasing After Aoi Koshiba #1 did not disappoint。 Second - I really love the trope of Sahoko being this ditzy， pretty girl who cares about her popularity。 Because， she genuinely does， but there is clearly some sort of driving factor behind it， she's not an "airhead" type character， which I appreciate。 Koshiba is a character I see myself relating to right from the get-go。 Perhaps not from her popularity or exact home life situation， but from the way she feels pressure to continually conform to her "tomboy" image， and how doing more "feminine" things means everyone will make fun of her。 As someone who is queer and strays towards a more masc appearance， I can totally relate to this feeling， especially in Highschool where this takes place。Third - It's honestly been such a long time since I've read a manga that I genuinely want to continue and am invested in from book one。 It's cute， it obviously has some hidden layers to it （that I cant wait to discover！） and there's almost 100% chance of heartbreak in some form or another， and my romance-loving heart knows it's going to hurt， and I'm here for it。Thank you once again to the publishers and to netgalley for making this read possible！ 。。。more
Lauren
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Thank you NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for my e-arc！This was such a cute first instalment！ I'm hoping as the volumes go Sahoko learns to be less judgemental， because at the moment her inner dialogue is hella mean -，-" and bugging me big time。I really enjoy the time skip/flashback aspect of this story， it has me really curious about what happened between Sahoko and Aoi in the past and how it's affected them in the present （also super curious about how certain side characters were involved （keepi Thank you NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for my e-arc！This was such a cute first instalment！ I'm hoping as the volumes go Sahoko learns to be less judgemental， because at the moment her inner dialogue is hella mean -，-" and bugging me big time。I really enjoy the time skip/flashback aspect of this story， it has me really curious about what happened between Sahoko and Aoi in the past and how it's affected them in the present （also super curious about how certain side characters were involved （keeping it spoiler free haha， but if you know you know）。Overall， a super cute first volume with plenty of potential for the rest of the series。 Can't wait to read on and find some answers （and possibly shed a tear or two because I can totally see the potential for that too）。 。。。more
Trisha Tomy
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Blog Review: https://trishadoeseverythingbutstudy2。。。I received a free e-ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review！I liked it！I found this book so hard to categorise in my shelves; I try to categorise by trope， but I couldn't put it in anyone。 The reason for this is that even though we had a romance， I don't think we were given enough to go off on。Aoi Koshiba and Sahoko become good friends yes， but we never get to know if they ever get past that。 There was one kiss， and then I think th Blog Review: https://trishadoeseverythingbutstudy2。。。I received a free e-ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review！I liked it！I found this book so hard to categorise in my shelves; I try to categorise by trope， but I couldn't put it in anyone。 The reason for this is that even though we had a romance， I don't think we were given enough to go off on。Aoi Koshiba and Sahoko become good friends yes， but we never get to know if they ever get past that。 There was one kiss， and then I think they were only friends， which makes it so hard to write this because WHAT DO I EVEN WRITE。 What I was waiting for was only hinted， and the present bits didn't completely make sense because， again， things were only hinted at。I loved the pining， and the awkward bits， a bit of the meeting the family， and l ots of doing stuff you're not even interested in to feel close to the other person， but we had like no romance。So， this is a seriously short review （I can't believe this is only 5 paragraphs）， but I'm definitely waiting for more。 。。。more
Athira
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