Ashi Girl 12 (Margaret Comics)

Time lapse stories come in hundreds of sorts. Rarely however does a writer take advantage of the genre so well as Morimoto Kozueko. A young girl ends up in the War lord Era and there she doesn't just find the love of her life, but her own goal in life, the talents she has but didn't know she had. The contrast between the two worlds, fierce war time in the past, modern teenage life in the present; the plot developing skillfully in both worlds and entertwining together in a believable way. But the fun is mainly in the fabulous characters: lazy little tomboy Yui, growing into a genuine heroine for the love of her prince, and the mature and dignified young lord Wakagumi, as young as today's selfish spoiled teenagers but raised in a time when at 16, you were a man and life was hard. Add to that a mass of unforgettable side-characters in both worlds :the old heroic samurais, the rough soldiers, the pretty princesses, the fiendish enemies... that sweet genial little brother... they make you laugh your head off, and shed tears. The series is crawling with hysterically comical scenes. The historic research is flawless. And the artwork is the best one can expect of a supergifted mangaka: her drawings are dynamic, delicate, the facial expressions are brilliant. Once you've seen that sweet face of this heroin, you'll never forget her.

This is the last volume of Ashi-girl. The manga is funnier than the drama version and the artist style is beautiful. I highly recommend the series.