After a good couple of quiet chapters this one finally makes a blast!!!! Thanks to Lililicious again for the hard work!! I won’t give it away but this is a must read!! It’s ok if you haven’t been reading the previous chapters. You’ll catch on fine!!! *wink* I got quite a few giggles and squeals [...]
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Sanctuary built In the forgotten schoolyard: Midnight snow blooming.
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I admit that I have put Aoi Hana side since about 10 chapters ago…it started getting really slow and while I wanted the story to focus 90% on Ah-chan and Fumi, the mangaka goes off and ropes back in a number of other characters!! Correct me if I’m wrong as I haven’t been reading the [...]
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40 ‘Flower’ Songs: Color Bottle - Aoi Hana: <object width="610" height="494"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/cKTwYihP1Q8&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/cKTwYihP1Q8&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="610" height="494"></embed></object>
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 My last review of the Aoi Hana manga was almost a year ago. One year after the summer that I went crazy squeeing over the anime adaptation, I'm still in love with this story, whichever form it's in. ^_^ Having left off right after Fumi's confession to Ah-chan, volume 5 picks up with the Fujigaya Drama Club putting on their performance of Mishima Yukio's "Rokumeikan." Ah-chan hasn't rejected Fumi, but she isn't jumping into her arms either. (Although future chapters show promise. ^____^) Ah-chan does a great job as one of the leads in Rokumeikan after Fumi calms her nerves, and Kyouko also does a fabulous job. (Even better than Sugimoto the previous year.) Fumi also meets Haruka's big sister Orie and, somewhat enviously, picks up on the lovers' vibe between Orie and Hinako-sensei. (I'm really glad to see Orie and Hinako playing a larger role- especially the great advice scene between Fumi and Hinako that will appear in volume 6 when it comes out. But- aughh, I'm getting way ahead of myself!! >__<) Meanwhile, Kyouko's dealing with her family issues and Kou, shockingly, tells her that they should break off their engagement even though (or really, because) he loves her. I'm really interested in seeing what happens to them. (Does Kyouko suddenly want to marry him only because she wants to leave her family? Or is she also developing some feelings for him that he doesn't notice? Since he's always been there for her, and they have that "childhood friends" thing going on like Fumi and Ah-chan....) While taking a painting lesson with Kazusa, Kyouko learns that Yasuko's returning from her study abroad for ten days during summer break. On Haruka's invitiation, Ah-chan, Fumi, Mogii, Pon-chan, and Yassan make plans to go to Haruka's grandfather's ryokan- along with Orie and Hinako. (Whoohoo! ^^) I still staunchly believe that this is a fantastic series. The characters are as loveable as ever (not just "likeable"- loveable), with new insights and layers being added. The biggest insights in this volume have to do with Kyouko and Chizu's pasts- although I still don't like Chizu. lol Ah-chan, having never been in love with anyone, is walking a tightrope in trying to figure out her own feelings without hurting Fumi. Shimura isn't in any hurry to get them together (and yes, I am convinced that they will, eventually, get together), but the story still doesn't feel like it's moving too slowly. Not when it's this good. And of course, Fumi makes some progress in coming out from learning about Haruka's sister and Hinako. (Seeing someone older who has happily "traveled the same path" can make a big difference.) Chizu's story, on the other hand, serves as a parallel cautionary tale for what could happen if Fumi doesn't stay true to herself. And Yassan, Mogii, and Pon-chan, with their "outsiders' perspective", occasionally provide a nice break from the drama- even though it's freaking excellent drama. Another awesome volume. Bring on volume 6!! Story: A Art: B+ Overall: Amazing :) Ooh, if only this would be licensed.
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Besides the characters, I mean, who are fantastic. They all manage to make mistakes and achieve meaningful everyday successes through nothing more than the power of their own character traits, and they all remain more or less sympathetic throughout, which is a real achievement, as far as I’m concerned. But I’m not going to go [...]
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I haven’t really paid attention to the last few chapters as I find the story is just TOO slow!!! Am I the only person who thinks so?? BUT, it’s about time us yuri fans get back into Aoi Hana. Chapter 32 (as always, we need to thank Lililicious!!) brings in some new excitement into the [...]
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         For my next entry into the “12 moments of anime 2009” series I’m choosing Fumi’s confession to Akira that she’s a lesbian from Aoi Hana episode 4.         First of all, I have to say that I absolutely loved this episode, the range of human emotions and uncertainties displayed by both Fumi and Akira felt true [...]
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Album Title: Aoi Hana Original Soundtrack – Sweet Anime Title: Aoi Hana Artist: Takefumi Haketa Catalog Number: LASA-5009 Release Type: Soundtrack Release Date: August 26, 2009 Track List: Show » Track Title Artist Time 1. Hajimari no Toki Takefumi Haketa 1:49 2. Asa no Sakamichi Takefumi Haketa 2:13 3. Hikari ni Michita Jumoku Takefumi Haketa 1:58 4. Koukou Seikatsu Takefumi Haketa 1:55 5. Hirusagari no Benchi Takefumi Haketa 2:48 6. Shiokaze ni Nagarete Takefumi Haketa 1:23 7. Komorebi wo Kakeorite Takefumi Haketa 3:32 8. Katamukikaketa Hizashi Takefumi Haketa 2:44 9. Gekou wa Kimi to Takefumi Haketa 1:37 10. Ochokochoi Takefumi [...]
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Aoi Hana begins with a chance reunion between two childhood friends, Okudaira Akira (A-chan) and Manjoume Fumi. Attending two different high schools in the district, the two girls are quick to form a group of friends between the two schools. Fumi has just recently came out of a rather emotional illicit relationship, and was soon [...]
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What kind of ending was that?  >_< I was kind of hoping at least something would happen there between Fumi and Aa-chan ^^;  But, nope, no yuri love to be had between the two main characters.  Now I don’t know why I even watched the series xD  Time to finish up my next series: Bakemonogatari.  At [...] Related posts:Higurashi no Naku Koro ni SummaryAnime and waiting
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So! Kicking off on our new domain, here’s some Aoi Hana to talk and muse about! When [...]
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Aoi Hana I love slice-of-life series because it takes me into a leisurely pace without much heavy or sad emotions to worry about. Aoi Hana is one example of an anime that just walks you softly into a realistic world where love, while complicated at times, is just that… love. I would want to pace this [...]
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I thoroughly enjoyed Aoi Hana during its broadcast the past season. It deserves more credit for being the enjoyable life-like drama that it was. People should talk about it! It occur to me that one reason why I didn’t write much about it back then is because it just wasn’t very compelling. There’s some kind of [...]
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This is a series involving young love that includes female homosexuality, self-discovery and emotional growth. It is also one that delivers its emotional scenes with naturalness akin to Natsume Yuujinchou and Bokura ga Ita, and develop its characters in-depth with maturity and subtlety.
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Aoi Hana, or Sweet Blue Flowers, is a story about a teenage girl named Fumi who meets her childhood friend Akira again when her family moves back to the town they lived in ten years ago. Fumi had just suffered heartbreak when the cousin she loves got married, but she soon falls in love [...]
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A good, sweet ending to one of the better romance series I have seen lately. What I think this final episode reinforces most is how much stronger Fumi gets every day. Sure, she has a relapse of feelings for Sugimoto (a perfectly understandable, human moment), but she does not wallow in despair about it like she [...]
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It’s the final episode of Sweet Blue Flowers, and will Fumi finally discover the answer to Yasuko’s question about who her first love was? It’s time for the next semester of school to start again, and, after being late due to sleeping in, Akira talks about how quickly the summer seemed to pass by with Fumi [...]
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Damn. Best episode of the series so far. That screenshot says it all — Sugimoto got told by Fumi. But saying that, I must also add that I really appreciate how understated everything is in this episode. There are no overblown dramatics at Kazusa’s wedding. Sugimoto’s flashback about how she fell for the drama teacher is [...]
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. . . Wow. Before this episode, I had not considered the thought of Ikumi x Fumi for even a moment, but it is kind of interesting how hints of that have come about. This pairing does make a whole lot of sense if you think about it. They have the shared heartbreak of tumultuous relations [...]
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