Ai Yori Aoshi Vol. 1: Faithfully Yours
Synopsis
Kaoru Hanabishi just wanted to help. Aoi Sakuraba just wanted to find her first love. They never realized they were looking for each other. Ever since their arranged marriage 18 years ago, Aoi had been in love with Kaoru, but she traveled to Tokyo to meet him when she learned the marriage had been called off. While Kaoru’s impressed by Aoi’s loyalty, innocence and beauty, to accept her affection, he might have to return to the Hanabishi Clan and the emotional and physical pain he suffered during his childhood… Their self-control and their love will be put to the test when she moves in and he tries to stay a gentleman!
Review
Here in Ai Yori Aoshi (Bluer than Indigo), we are put into what seems to be a modern anime version of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. There are two families, Hanabishi and Sakuraba. Hanabishi Kaoru, who ran away from the Hanabishi family, is a college student who has supported himself ever since he left the Hanabishi. Sakuraba Aoi, is a childhood friend of Kaoru and she was arranged a marriage with Kaoru at a very young age. The arranged marriage was later cancelled, because of what had happened. Aoi, a very well mannered young lady cannot possibly forget someone who she have spent her childhood years so happily with. She even promised to herself that Kaoru will be the only person that she will love. With this state of mind, Aoi runs away from her home, the Sakuraba in hopes to find her childhood sweet heart Kaoru.
Having only a little memo with Kaoru’s address on it, Aoi arrives and she immediately notices the difference of lifestyles. As she looks for help, she gets bumped by someone and falls to the floor. Kaoru helps her up, but Aoi does not know who this person is. Being a kind person that Kaoru is, he continues to help Aoi to find the person she is looking for and he does exactly just that.
I stated above that Ai Yori Aoshi seems to be a modern anime version of Romeo and Juliet, because we have two families whose statuses are similar, and two lovers who are separated, because of their status difference in the present time of the show. I said, ‘Seems,’ because Aoi and Kaoru get to see each other, and be with each other, but they have to keep their relationship hidden or else it will cause uproar within the Sakuraba.
Kaoru is no longer a member of Hanabishi; therefore he is a person without any status. Without the status of the successor of the Hanabishi family, the Sakuraba family will not hand over their daughter to a nobody. The husband of Aoi will become the president of the Sakuraba. This is where Ai Yori Aoshi separates from Romeo and Juliet. Both families do not dislike each other. This was shown, because of the childhood memories that Aoi and Kaoru possess. If that was the case, Aoi and Kaoru would not have played with each other when they were kids.
When Ai Yori Aoshi first appeared, it was often compared to Love Hina. The first thing I noticed that was different from Love Hina is what others have been saying as well. Ai Yori Aoshi is definitely a more matured version of Love Hina. The way I see mature is how the main character is not being kicked around and have things done to him that would have normally killed anyone. That is where the maturity is at, when people hear that (Ai Yori Aoshi is a more matured version of Love Hina) they start to think it has more fan service. To me the fan service of both series are quite on the same level if not equal.
The Breakdown
Break down? I will have a break down if volume two does not come soon enough!