Ramble about Io Sakisaka

 

Today, I feel like rambling about the three series available in English by a recently popular mangaka, Io Sakisaka.

Most know that I enjoy a plethora of manga, I try not to judge or compare but after a while, you start to since reading and collecting mangas since my early teens, I have finally figured out what I like and dislike. What I want from series. What I expect from series.

So, I am now at a stage where I want to talk bluntly how I feel by comparing the works of one creator amongst their title range. I plan to do this with other creators like Arina Tanemura (Sakura Hime, Idol Dreams, Gentlemen's Alliance Cross), Junji Ito (Uzumaki, Gyo, Tomie) and Maki Enjoji (SP Baby, An Incurable Case of Love, Happy Marriage), just to name a few where I have several of their series.

Let's begin with these three shall we.

Firstly, Io Sakisaka specialises in school life shojo, which is pretty common for most shojo series. I enjoy the art, find it very cute but the story is debatable, depending on which series we look at.
Some of her characters are very distinct but I have moments where I think they all look the same but that's more me than anything else, so I believe.
The covers are usually colourful and appealing to look at and it's one of the reasons why I picked them up, outside of a few amazing friends saying I should give her works a go.

I started with Strobe Edge, which I enjoyed but the pity about it is, I can't recall the series at all. 
Maybe, compared to the other two who is recently ongoing, it didn't stick but I know it hasn't caused any negative reaction.
It is ten volumes long, which seems to be the shortest of the three, I may reread it again just to write a proper review as an apology to why this was so poorly done.

I know, for a fact, the "coven" I speak to really enjoys this title.

Next is Love Me, Love Me Not.
This one is honestly my favourite so far of the three.
I enjoy the characters, the story is rather interesting. Despite how vol3 ended, I think it did a better job of confronting issues rather than bugger around with the characters causing issues which could be seen as basically manipulation.
I could almost relate to the characters, mainly Yuna since she is rather quiet, which I myself was in HS, though I never had a liking to shojo since I wanted to be one of those girls. Yea, those "I ain't like most girls" which I bet I was since people always wanted to go against the grain of societies ideals.
Anyway, back to the series that is only three volumes in, with a few characters feeling around how to deal with relationships and how they progress and develop as the story moves on.
This is currently in print with Viz and Shojo Beat, will complete at the twelfth volume.

The final title happens to be the worst one for me,
I started to read Ao Haru Ride for two reasons.
Firstly, I wanted to support any shojo releases in hopes of gaining more series, like Honey Lemon Soda or even Rainbow Days. Secondly, the synopsis sounded good. It did start off amazingly but it started to go sour for me due to how Kou treated, not just his friends, but the two love interests.
Like many try to debate with me, I get Kou had a shitty past but that, in my opinion, doesn't give a character the right to mess with characters.
You ain't sure on how you feel, tell them, try to be honest, don't mess with people, it hurts them more than just you. In reality, being a dick to people get you ostracised, especially when you purposely push them away. A few may stick around but more often then not, it doesn't happen. I should know, I was like Kou, I had a rotten past and pushing people away, not hurt them and made them ditch me but it hurt me. I hate how this manga romanticises that. He was even a dick to the people who wanted to help him but the Kou fan-girls found this endearing and makes me wonder if they really ever interacted with someone like him, cause I bet you my bottom dollar, they call him an arsehole and ditch him.
Again, that's my opinion.

Otherwise the story had potential, mainly in the back-up cast since they seem more solid and less vapid.
Even Futuba, the main female protag, was as shitty as Kou. Sure, Touma shouldn't have been okay with being a replacement for Kou, even offering that option to her was pretty cruel cause shee honestly needed to be alone to deal with the loss of Kou since he couldn't just chose one or even say "I'm not ready, I have to fix myself" instead of letting the things play the way they did, which involved him screwing with Futuba and making her break off a relationship, cause he now decides that he wanted her.

I really did not like the main characters, I liked the idea but not where it went and I cannot wait for the thirteenth volume to finish this series, which is slated for early November, just to say that I've read it. As I say, I always finish what I have started, especially with collections.

So, in conclusion.
Read them and judge for yourself for I will always be bias and dictate what I like due to how I feel.
Personally, I'd skip Ao Haru Ride but it's popular and easier to get compared to Strobe Edge, as well as being one from the end. Love Me, Love Me Not has great potential to be an enjoyable read and worthy of being collected, it's also super cute.

You can obtain them here
Ao Haru Ride BD: http://bit.ly/BD-AoHaru
Love Me, Love Me Not BD: http://bit.ly/BD-LMLMN
Strobe Edge BD: https://bit.ly/BD-StrobeEdge