It's Just Another Manga Monday: Haruka - Beyond the Stream of TIme by Tohko Mizuno

I grew up as an army brat. I moved around quite a bit as a child and was always saying goodbye to some place or someone. My father was out of the army by the time I was 10, but I believe what you learn early in life you carry with you, even if you don't realize it. I have moved so many times, even as an adult that I think I've lost track.

With all this coming and going, you would think it would be easy enough to say goodbye, but it's not. And even though characters in books are not real people, there have been times that they've been more real to me than the people around me. Perhaps I should seek some assistance with this.

Anyway, it was with much sadness that I find I have to say goodbye again. This time to the cast of characters in Haruka - Beyond the Stream of Time by Tohko Mizuno.

This book series is based on a sim dating type game in Japan. You know, a choose your own boyfriend kind of game. There are 8 hunky guardian of the Priestess of the Dragon God. Most of them have expressed some sort of feelings towards her. Which one does she chose?

I watched the American release of the DVD which was supposed to have alternate endings, but mine would never show me any other ending than the first one I got, which is who I wanted Akane to end up with anyway. Did she? I'll never tell.

There are also some Japanese OVA's available on DVD as an import, but I must warn you. The subtitles are in Engrish. I have not gotten through all of them yet. Right now, they're stacked up in a closet.

But this isn't about the anime hidden away and stacked up in the closet. It is about my friends and I'm saying goodbye.

When last we left Akane, she was trapped in a cave by Akram. All the guardians had lost their memory of her by means of a curse. The cursed seed was somewhere in Capital and the impurities were spreading.

All Akane needs to do is escape from the cave, get back to the Capital, find the cursed seed and purify it, thus restoring the guardians to themselves so they can release the four gods and the city can be saved. Piece of cake. Does she make it in time to save the Capital? Does she ever get back home or is she stuck in Oz? To which guardian does she finally pledge her heart? You will just need to read to find out.

Book Description (from Amazon)
Publication Date: August 7, 2012 | Series: Haruka: Beyond the Stream of Time (Book 17)
Reads R to L (Japanese Style), for audiences rated teen plus.
Akane is your typical teenage girl...until she swallows the Dragon Jewels, which transport her to the Heian period of ancient Japan! There in the capital city, Akane learns that she has been foreordained to lead the people as the Priestess of the Dragon God!

At last the time has come for Akane to face the power of the Dragon God within her. With the Capital dying, the alliance of the Eight Guardians shattered and the Four Gods corrupted by a demonic curse, can she restore life to the world and heal her friends’ memories? And which of the Guardians does she truly love? Find out in the enchanting final volume!