Ai Yori Aoshi   Japanese title 藍より青し Manga-ka/Author 文月晃 Kou Fumizuki Genre romance, drama, comedy, shounen Volumes: 13+ Distributor: Tokyopop Classification: 15 Originally serialised in ヤングアニマル Young Animal Rating   Introduction to the story   University student Kaoru Hanabishi is a loner. A refugee from his past, he lives alone in a small apartment in the suburbs of Tokyo. However, all this changes when he comes across a traditionally-dressed young lady, lost and in distress at the train station. After fixing her sandal strap he decides to help her with her errand, and discovers that she is Aoi Sakuraba, the girl who was betrothed to him as a child. She has run away from home (though he did not know this at first) to find him after all these years, and begs him to marry her. Obviously taken aback by this turn of events, Kaoru nevertheless lets Aoi stay the night. The next day, Miyabi Kagurazaki (Aoi's mentor and guardian) arrives suddenly to take Aoi back home, but Aoi refuses repeated attempts by her family to part her from Kaoru. As a compromise, Aoi's mother agrees to let Aoi and Kaoru live together at one of the Sakuraba houses with two conditions: Miyabi is to live with them to oversee the situation, and Kaoru has to live simply as Aoi's tenant and keep the true nature of their relationship secret, to avoid a scandal. As Aoi and Kaoru's feelings for each other grown, the pressure is on to keep their love secret from Kaoru's university friends and also to stand firm together against the disapproval of Aoi's family and the harrowing memories of Kaoru's past. Can Kaoru and Aoi convince them all that their love was meant to be?   My thoughts   Ai Yori Aoshi is a sweet and heartfelt love story with memorable characters and a gradual yet compelling plot. Japanese to the core, this series is both funny and deeply moving, and it is easy to relate to the feelings of the different characters. I like Ai Yori Aoshi a lot, because while younger readers would find this series boring, mature readers will find it a warm and refreshingly different take on the 'harem-style' shounen romance. Some of the illustrations are a little too explicit for my taste, but that aside, this manga is a gem.   Where to find it   Manga Ai Yori Aoshi is produced by Tokyopop and still ongoing in the West, while it has ceased in Japan, in the magazine Young Animal in which it was being serialized. Some illustrations (notably the chapter covers) are a little explicit and so this series is for older readers only; however, it is definitely not hentai and will still appeal to those who don't like hentai.   Anime There are two offerings of Ai Yori Aoshi in the anime format; firstly there is an anime series of the same name (24 episodes) and a sequel, Ai Yori Aoshi ~Enishi~ (13 episodes). Both are available on DVD in the West and are much more child-friendly than their manga counterpart. The theme music for the first series, Towa no Hana, is one of my most favourite songs.   Related web sites   If you are interested in Ai Yori Aoshi, check these web sites out. http://www.younganimal.com/aiyoriaoshi [Japanese] The official Ai Yori Aoshi manga page at Young Animal magazine http://www.aiyoriaoshi.com [Japanese] The official site for the anime series http://aiyori.pioneeranimation.com The official site for the anime series in the West http://www.aiyoriaoshidvd.com The official site for the sequel, Ai Yori Aoshi ~Enishi~ http://www.aiyoriaoshi.org The AnimeFanlistings.org approved fanlisting for Ai Yori Aoshi