Once upon a time, long ago, there existed a period of time in feudal Japan which came to be known as the Heian period, named after the capital city of Heian-kyō, which is now known as Kyoto.  It was a time reknowned for its art and its literature, as well as for its poetry.  The power of the Japanese Imperial Court was at its peak, with the power consolidated in the hands of the Fujiwara clan, who had intermarried with the Japanese emperor.  Japan had seen the rise of the samurai class in the period prior to this, and the Heian period saw the introduction of the warrior class as a necessity in order for the Fujiwara and othe noble families to maintain control throughout the provinces.  Buddhism was beginning to spread, the Pillow Book was written during this time, as well as the Iroha, a famous Japanese poem.  Beauty was emphasized as a prized virtue, and woman covered their faces with  white powder,  with a tiny bit of red upon their cheeks.  It was a good time for women of high birth, for they enjoyed great freedoms during this period in terms of education, as well as the ability to own property or take lovers, and a great deal of the written records which we possess today were written by women (in Japanese, because they were forbidden to write in Chinese),  before their freedoms began to be diminished over the years to come.  A world which has changed drastically over the years … Meanwhile, in present day Japan, high school student Motomiya Akane is on her way to school, accompanied by her friends Tenma and Shimon, when she hears a voice beckoning to her from an old abandoned well.  Akane (along with her friends) finds herself sucked into the well, where she inadvertently swallows the mysterious Dragon Jewels.  When the trio awaken, they find themselves in Kyo, a world which resembles Kyoto in the Heian Period!  Akane learns that she has been chosen to be the Ryuujin no Miko  – the Priestess of the Dragon God – and that it is up to her to save Kyo from the machinations of the evil Oni Clan.  Quite a lot for a young girl to take in!  And to take on!   A task which is exacerbated by her meeting with the owner of the mysterious voice which originally beckoned to her, which she learns belongs to Akuram, the leader of the Oni Clan, a beautiful  young man that she finds herself strangely attracted to!   To assist her in her  heroic endeavours, she receives the assistance of eight young men, the Hachiyou (Eight Leaves).  And thus beginis Tohko Mizuno's Haruka, Beyond the Stream of Time.

Highlights

Each of Akane's guardians is revealed to her through the dragon jewel which enters and becomes a part of him, and a disparate group they are, with one basic thing in common – they wish to protect Akane.  The  young girl is staying with the Fujiwaras, who have extended their hospitality to her, and she becomes close to ten-year-old Fuji-hime, daughter of the Minister of the Far Left, who. although young, is wise beyond her years.  Akane's friends Tenma (Seiryū of Earth) and Shimon (Suzaku of Earth) become two of her eight guardians, as well as Minamoto no Yorihisa (Seiryū of Heaven), one of Princess Fuji's bodyguards;  hotheaded Inori (Suzaku of Heaven); Fujiwara no Takamichi (Byakko of Heaven), a studious and bespectacled worker in the palace archives;  Eisen (Genbu of Heaven), younger brother of the current emperor who has given up everything to become a monk;  Abe no Yasuaki (Genbu of Earth), an apprentice to sorcerer Abe no Seimei;  as well as an eighth guardian, whose identity has yet to be revealed. The young Fuji has developed a crush on Tachibana no Tomomasa , one of Kyou's generals, well-known for his looks, his charm, and his flirtatious nature.  He does not take the princess seriously but tells her to come see him in about seven or eight years, in the meanwhile charming every other woman he sees. Akuram, who leads the demon clan (oni=demon), wishes to wreak vengeance on the people of Kyo for their supposed wrongs to his people,  deciding to summon the four gods (Seiryu, Suzaku, Genbu, and Byakku) to act as his instruments of revenge, that being the purpose for which he has brought Akane to this place to begin with, to assist him. She refuses to help him, of course, for it is not in her nature, but she also cannot help but be drawn to him.  As Volume 6 of  Haruka begins, General Tomomasa has gone missing, and a search ensues, one in which Akane persists in participating, against the advice of her guardians.  They are unaware that Tachibana is being held hostage by a strange woman who is demanding his love, and who wishes to be made his wife!  The seven guardians split up to search the city for him.  Tenma, Akane's longtime friend, reveals to Princess Fuji that he has deep feelings for Akane, while Eisen discusses with Akane her relationship with Tenma's long lost (but now found) sister Ran – who was originally summoned by Akuram to be the priestess of the dragon god, but could not hack it and now has an undisguised hatred for Akane as a result.  Akane vows to be more understanding of Ran in the future, for she sees that she is a troubled girl, and promises to try not to hate her.  Meanwhile, in the East End of Kyo, in the Lower Kamo Shrine, Yasuaki and Takamichi discover the entwined tree of wisdom, which they believe to be a divine tree that may aid them in discovering the whereabouts of Tomomasa, and they send for Akane.  Luckily, Yasuaki has the ability to talk to trees, and he helps Akane learn to do the same.  The tree shows Akane what occurred five days previously, at the time of the general's disappearance, and she learns how and why he was taken, thereby leading to his re-discovery and rescue.  As well as the discovery of the eighth and final Guardian.  We then gain further insight into Akane's young friend Shimon – who is cursed with very delicate and effeminate looks, which have always drawn the scorn of most of his peers – who finds his place among the guardians, as he has been wondering about what use he is to them, as he does not see himself as talented in any way.  The three friends – Akane, Tenma and Shimon – have a humorous conversation in which they speculate on everyone's blood type (in Japan, blood types are taken as seriously as zodiac signs), which ends when Shimon recalls something – while he was searching for Tomomasa, he actually ran into a demon! Also contained in this volume are "Beyond the Stream of Time – 2," a story which takes place a hundred years after the first Haruka.  It concerns Fujiwara No-Yukitaka, a young handsome man who has become the governor of the Iyo Region, in Ochi County, and whose job it is to improve conditions there, including the problem of the pirates that terrorize the people.  He is determined to do what it takes, including taking on the pirates himself!  And there is also a bonus section – "Go!Go! Haruka Kindergarten," with tiny tales of our chibi heroine and heroes.

Overall

Haruka originally began as a Playstation game, which was adapted into an anime series, a movie and several OAVs before becoming a manga series.  Perhaps the story is one that is not easily adapted into manga format, as the swallowing of the dragon gems in order to advance the characters is an action better suited to a game than a graphic novel.  However, despite criticisms by some readers that the main character is featureless and too good, I disagree, and I find myself drawn to Akane's struggle not to be attracted to the author of her misfortunes – vis a vis Akuram, of the Oni Clan.  But it is easy to see why she likes him, for he really does have that bad boy thing going on, and is very attractive to boot.  From Akane's point of view, she is in an ideal situation, one which many a woman could envy – being surrounded by eight men whose only wish is to protect and love her!  Not too shabby indeed!  Not to mention that some of these men are pretty cute bishounen, as well! (Bishounen=beautiful boy) Akane is an idealist, but she is also human, as evidenced in her interactions with Tenma's recovered sister Ran, and by her continuing attraction for the leader of the demons, despite the fact that he is considered to be the enemy.  Some of the artwork is beautifully intricate, and I love the way that they have blended this fantasy tale with actual Japanese history of the Heian period.  I also like the way that it leaves room to maneuver in that the "villains" are not wholly bad, nor are the "heroes" totally good – because frankly real people do not operate in this way.  I found Volume 6 to be interesting, and am looking forward to future volumes, and will be curious to see where the second story ("Beyond the Stream of Time 2") goes as well, assuming that it will be continued in the next volume.  I have no problem in recommending this series.

Comicsonline gives Haruka Volume 6 4 out of 5 dragon jewels.