Blue Spring Ride

At the end of her first year of high school, Futaba Yoshioka suddenly has a chance encounter with her first love, Kou Tanaka. Three years ago, he transferred schools before she was able to say how she felt about him. After meeting each other again, Futaba realizes that he has gone through many changes. He acts more cool and even had his last name changed to Mabuchi. Gradually the two rekindle their love while piecing together what had happened in the time that they were apart.

Blue Spring Ride (2014) is a Japanese animated shoujo romance series produced by Production I.G and aired on TOKYO MX, adapted from a manga. Its single season of twelve twenty-three-minute episodes follows Futaba Yoshioka (voiced by Maaya Uchida), who meets her first love Kou Tanaka (voiced by Yuki Kaji) again at the end of her first year of high school. He left three years earlier before she could say how she felt, and now he returns cooler and changed, under a new family name, Mabuchi. The engine of the story is the slow rekindling of their bond as Futaba pieces together what happened during the years they were apart, while friends and rivals drift through the frame, including Yuuri Makita (voiced by Ai Kayano) and Aya Kominato (voiced by KENN). Each episode is built from small school moments, quiet confessions, and awkward hesitations rather than big plot machinery. The setting is a contemporary Japanese high school town, rendered with soft, warm color and gentle pacing. The mood is wistful and sincere, with a nostalgic ache for a confession never made. Fans of Your Lie in April, Toradora!, and Kaguya-sama: Love Is War will find resonance in its blend of school life, romance, and emotional restraint.

Audiences rate the single season positively for its nostalgic romance and emotional pacing around a rekindled first love.

• Kaguya-sama: Love Is Warshared shoujo romance tones, first love reunion, high school slice of life
• Your Lie in Aprilshared nostalgic school romance, unrequited first love, gentle emotional tone
• Toradora!shared high school romance, rekindled first love, slice of life format

Release Date

2014-07-08

Episode runtime

23 min

Rating

7.5 / 10 (363)

What is Blue Spring Ride about?

A high school girl reunites with her first love after he transferred away and changed, and the two slowly rebuild their feelings while uncovering the years they spent apart.

What is Blue Spring Ride like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Blue Spring Ride as measured, its intensity as mild and its storytelling as simple.

Is Blue Spring Ride violent?

No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Blue Spring Ride.

What did critics think of Blue Spring Ride?

Audiences rate the single season positively for its nostalgic romance and emotional pacing around a rekindled first love.

Which shows are like Blue Spring Ride?

Shows with a similar feel include Kaguya-sama: Love Is War, Your Lie in April, and Toradora!.

How long is Blue Spring Ride?

Blue Spring Ride: 1 season, 12 episodes.

Is Blue Spring Ride still running?

No, Blue Spring Ride has ended.

Where can I watch Blue Spring Ride?

In United States, Blue Spring Ride streams on Rakuten Viki.