Yerocha May 31, 2012
Honest, intelligent news and reviews for manga romantics
The Earl and the Fairy, translated from Hakushaku to Yōsei, is an ongoing historical romance manga serialized in The Margaret publication since 2008. It is based on a series of light novels written by Mizue Tani that are ongoing in Shueisha’s Cobalt magazine since 2004. A fantasy set in nineteenth century Great Britain, The Earl and the Fairy delivers an intriguing new romance that foretells of epic adventures to come.
The Gist: Lydia Carlton is a fairy doctor, a young woman who can see fairies and was taught by her mother how to interact with them. On an trip to visit her father in London, she is abducted by a stranger named Huxley. On Huxley’s ship, she is then rescued by another prisoner who calls himself Edgar. Leaping from the frying pan into the fire, Lydia discovers she has been taken by Edgar for his own purposes of finding a fairy artifact. Edgar pays her a large sum of money to help him find the star sapphire and reclaim an ancient title. Though something is fishy, Lydia will have to discover for herself if Edgar is a man she can trust, or if her very life is in danger.
While I would enjoy the light novels just as much, I’m glad we are finally getting a piece of Hakushaku to Yōsei. The manga looks to be a promising new series for Viz.
I can’t quite explain why, but this kind of 19th Century style has always been appealing to me. There’s a particular sense of class and style that it gets across very well, and the characters and story compliment that nicely. I’ll definitely check this out if I can ever find a copy.