The Bottom Line
If you're a manga reader, Haruka: Beyond the Stream of Time Volume 1 will give you an immediate sense of deja-vu. But that is this story's greatest burden: It will inevitably be compared to similar, superior works like Fushigi-Yugi and Inu-Yasha, but its weak storytelling and its whine-y, boring heroine will leave readers confused and uninterested in the characters' future adventures.
While its art is delicate and lovely and its harem of male characters are hunky, Haruka lacks the heart and soul that makes great manga worth reading.
Pros
- Pretty, nicely-executed artwork that creates a romantic fantasy world
- Lots and lots of pretty boy characters for bishonen buffs
Cons
- Akane is a blank slate heroine who gives readers little reason to identify with her
- Story unfolds abruptly, introducing numerous plot elements too quickly to convey compelling drama
- Haruka's roots as a video game may contribute to its soul-less, empty shell of a story
- The characters are predictable shojo manga stereotypes who have little chemistry with each other
- Compared to similar but superior works, Haruka's story simply falls short
Description
- Original Title: Harukanaru Toki no Nakade (Japan)
- Author & Artist: Tohko Mizuno
- Publishers:
- Shojo Beat / VIZ Media (US)
- Hakusensha (Japan)
- Shojo Beat / VIZ Media (US)
- ISBN: 978-1-4215-1771-1
- Cover Price: $8.99 US / $10.99 CANADA
- Age Rating:
OT – Older Teens, Age 16+
for mild violence, teen romance
More about content ratings. - Manga Genres:
- Shojo (Girls') Manga
- Anime Tie-In
- Bishonen
- Drama
- Fantasy
- Historical
- Romance
- Video Game Tie-In
- US Publication Date: April 2008
Japan Publication Date: 2000 - Book Description: 216 pages, black and white illustrations
Guide Review - Haruka: Beyond the Stream of Time Volume 1
A modern high school girl is transported to the distant past, where she becomes a priestess with a magical quest. If you're a manga reader, fantasy stories like Fushigi Yugi and Inu-Yasha will immediately come to mind. But that is Haruka's greatest burden: It will inevitably be compared to these similar, superior works, and will not measure up.
It's not for lack of beautiful artwork -- Mizuno-sensei's style is delicate and lovely. Haruka has a harem full of swoon-worthy bishonen to rival Fushigi Yugi's Seven Guardians of Suzaku.
But these embellishments are like layers of kimono with no one inside. Mizuno's artwork and characters are pretty, but they are empty shells with very little personality.
Haruka was originally meant to be an video game, where Akane is blank slate heroine whose personality and fate are determined by the player's decisions. That might work for gameplay, but it doesn't for manga. I found myself asking, "Why are these hunky men falling in love with this boring, whine-y girl, much less wanting to risk their lives for her?"
Mizuno is a fine character designer, but she lacks the storytelling skills to pace her story in a compelling way. Within the first few pages, Akane is sucked into the past. She gets the Dragon Priestess job. Her classmate Tenma fights bandits, becomes Akane's bodyguard and confesses his love for her. An evil female demon feeds men's flesh to bloodthirsty mermaids. Akane has several rendezvous with her nemesis, Akram, the masked demon. If you blink, you'll miss the hows and whys of these events, because this all happens at breakneck speed, sometimes only explained in dialogue instead of pictures.
All this makes reading Haruka a pretty, but confusing and emotionally empty experience. I don't often say this, but watch the anime instead... it'll make more sense.
