I don't know if this manga was really good or did the translation really suck. Cause according to my reading, oh gosh, everything was just all over the place.

And I don't really have the soft spot for the strong female leads in the old eras anymore. And that typical *back then* she's got everything from personality to look to the guy.

So I dropped.

I just loveeee this manga sooo much...
the story is strong, i love the heroine benio, i love the lieutenant and their family, especially the grandpa..

umm.. is there any scanlation group who has an old but fabulous manga like this??
i really would love to read this if i can, coz even to find the manga is really difficult right now...

It presents the reader with a a strong, spunky heroine (she's good at kendo too ), a bunch of side characters ranging from handsome to femininine-but-brave, to friend, work boss, and comic relief ( the lazy geisha XD) , a nice plot that combines personal growth and awareness with the changing times , a dash of adventure, romance, comedy, and suspense.
The first volume is mostly an introduction, with a lot of comedy gags, but the real plot kicks in by the second volume (it's seven volumes total).
The art, given the time this story was made, is old school, but the characters feel so refreshing compared to most of nowadays shoujo - ah, the irony - : some stereotypes (childhood friend in love, cool and seemingly mocking pretty boy, spunky fighting girl, and some crossdressing) were first established just during the 70's , and here they're still brimming with vitality and feel 'new' in spite of their age.
In a way, the 70's have been the golden age of shoujo , in terms of plot and characterization , and desire to try and broaden both themes and settings (and even the art, once you get accustomed to it - in my case I grew up with it XD - , does have its charm and its champions ^^ ).
Some other good 'old school titles' are Versailles no Bara (english fansubbed anime version available on the interweb ) , Yokohama Monogatari, Lady Georgie, Candy Candy Terra E... (this one has been turned into anime series last year, very good), Asaki Yumemishi (aka The Tale of Genji , manga-style *_*. Anime version scheduled for January 2009 ^_^ ) ... and lots more XD actually. But they're not very popular scans-wise, similarly to Tezuka's work. Pity.

Back to Haikara-san: if you're fed up with air-headed shoujo heroine who thinks only of romance and fashion and have a tendency to fall in love with rapists ( =_= ) and instead wish for a heroine
-to have dreams and goals of her own and higher than those
-to be ready to work her a** off to reach said goals and dreams
-to fall in love, but without giving up her individuality
-to be ready to travel and experience people and cultures
-to be reasonably cute without turning into a boys-magnet Mary Sue
- if you want the serious, the adventurous, the romantic and the funny
then Haikarasan might be the right manga for you ^_^ . Pray for someone to translate - if not publish - it into English.
*pats lovingly her Italian hardcopy*

... Last updated on November 12th, 2008, 10:36am