Some family circumstances brought Suzume Yosano, a 15-year-old girl, to move in Tokyo with her uncle. Coming from the countryside, Suzume easily gets lost in the labyrinth of Tokyo, so one day she meets a mysterious man who helps her get out of trouble. Turns out that the stranger who saved her, was actually her Satsuki Shishio, her homeroom teacher, besides her uncle's best friend. How will the situation change, when Suzume realizes she has a crush on him?

Hirunaka no Ryuusei and Ao Haru Ride are both shoujo series, set in school. Suzume and Futaba are similar, as both of them break the pattern of a cute heroine, showing a tough and determined side, and acting like a tomboy. Plus, Ao Haru Ride includes a character who is in love with a teacher, which is the main theme in Hirunaka no Ryuusei. Throughout the series, both our heroines are involved in love triangles, and struggle with their feelings; not only that, the readers witness the growth of each character, and how their relationships with the other characters develop. Hirunaka no Ryuusei and Ao Haru Ride are both amazing shoujo manga, with charismatic heroines and romance. If you enjoyed one, you'll enjoy the other for sure!

It's during junior high that Mitsu had her first crush on someone, and at the same time her first heartbreak. Now a university student, she keeps the memory of that boy who broke her heart, with whom she never solved things. Determined to live a university life full of love, Mitsu really hopes to find a boyfriend. The destiny gives an answer to her wishes. In fact, Kaede, the same boy who broke her heart during junior high, is now her new neighbor. He is exactly the last person Mitsu wished to have a reunion with, but how will the situation turn, when their paths crossed again?

Motokare Retry and Ao Haru Ride share the same premises. A boy and a girl who had a crush on each other, and yet ended things without an explanation; then, the two of them reuniting after years, and trying to pick up the pieces of their past feelings. Initially, both our heroines, Mitsu and Futaba, are willing to forget what they felt for Kaede and Kou; yet their relationship will develop step by step, in a different, and more mature light. Both these manga have a lighthearted feeling to them, but at the same time they're so catching that make the readers stick to the pages. If you enjoyed Ao Haru Ride for its good vibes, you'll love Motokare Retry for the same reason!

Hana got to meet Yuzuru on the day she was visiting her mother's grave. Their meeting turned to a good friendship, but Hana fell in love with Yuzuru, and promised him that they would be together forever. Because of some circumstances, though, Hana had to move overseas. Returning to Japan after a few years, Hana realized that Yuzuru was no longer there. Resigned to the fact that they wouldn't probably meet anymore, Hana decides to move on with her life. One day, though, a boy with some resemblances with Yuzuru appears before her eyes...

As you can see, Boku ni Hana no Melancholy and Ao Haru Ride share the same premises. Hana, like Futaba, met her first love when she was very young, but some circumstances divided them. Years later, Hana meets a boy similar to Yuzuru, and that's exactly the same pattern Futaba lives with Kou. What's more, Yuzuru and Kou share a similar personality, although Yuzuru is less aggressive. All in all, we can safely state that these two series share the exact same themes, they're both cute romances involving love triangles, hardships, and comedy as well.

Yuna Kagami is a high school girl without faith in love. She had her heart broken by her first boyfriend, Takumi Hogaka, who disappeared without a good explanation. Now, Yuna just wishes to live a peaceful high school life. Hayato Shiina is in love with Yuna from grade school; being Yuna reluctant to form relationships, he had to struggle before finally going on a date with her. Step by step, Shiina manages to win Yuna's heart. Destiny can be cruel, though: Takumi Hogaka comes back and enrolls the same school as Yuna. Will Yuna's feelings toward Shiina overcome the hardships to come?

Kimi to Koi no Tochuu and Ao Haru Ride are shoujo romance in a school setting. Yuna and Futaba abruptly lost contact with their love interests, only to meet them once again during high school. Throughout both stories the truth about their male counterparts – Takumi and Kou – that caused the misunderstanding is uncovered; yet in the meanwhile Yuna and Futaba had already left room for another person. Both Kimi to Koi no Tochuu and Ao Haru Ride are cute stories, with a love triangle and all the hardships of the teenage years. Consider Kimi to Koi like a shorter version of Ao Haru Ride!

Momoka Usami is a shy middle school girl, with a passion for rabbits. When the class is changing seats, she ends up sitting behind Takahiro Narumi, considered weird by everyone. Rumors has it that he is cursed, and who sits behind him is bound to be unlucky in love. Momoka is scared of Narumi, as he actually gives off a bad aura. Yet, step by step, she gets to know him better, only to realize that he is just the opposite of what he looks like. She falls in love with Narumi, but the summer after graduating, he moves away...

Namida Usagi and Ao Haru Ride are both shoujo manga in a school setting, where our heroines fall in love with a boy during middle school. In both, some circumstances take Narumi and Kou away for a few years, leaving our heroines wondering what happened. Both Narumi and Kou are not what they look like, and step by step their true personality is uncovered. Momoka and Futaba, on the other side, both still hold feelings for their first love, but they have to face the consequences of years of distance. We are sure Namida Usagi will keep reminding you of Ao Haru Ride!

Mikihiko Inaba is a middle school boy with an ambition: to be accepted into a Tokyo private high school, together with his three best friends. He is sure he will do it, so he keeps studying with the certainty of passing the entry exams. Something goes wrong, though: he fails and is forced to enroll the public high school in his hometown. But one day, he stops going to school altogether, becoming a recluse. Keiko, one of Mikihiko's childhood friend, discovers the truth, and she does her best to try to restore their previous lives: by doing so, she realizes how much Mikihiko changed in that meanwhile...

By these premises, Country Girl and Ao Haru Ride don't seem to share too much. Looking below the surface a bit, though, these two stories actually share a lot. If not in the plot, these two manga are similar in their main, fundamental themes. They're both about the inevitable changes people go through during their lives: there are wins, and losses, but some losses are hard to swallow, and so people change in order to adapt, or to run away and hide. Country Girl and Ao Haru Ride both revolve around the world of adolescence, in a tender – and at times touching – way, that's why you're bound to love one, if you loved the other.