Hakushaku to Yousei
The Earl & the Fairy

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It looks like your standard sappy romance manga but it's not!

I don't write a lot of reviews but I think it's a shame that this great manga has such a low score. I think that is largely due to misunderstanding the story and the characters.

Hakushaku to Yousei tells the story of a fairy doctor (a person who can see and communicate with fairies) and a man searching for a fairy-related treasure. The story is original and well told. The plot is character driven - not romance driven. So, even though there are romantic elements, your attention will always be drawn to whatever ... predicament the characters are in. The past plays a significant role in the story but it is not overbearing. The original creator does a fantastic job of pacing and revealing information at just the right moment.

The characters are realistic. They use their brains but are sometimes ruled by their hearts. Lydia, the main female character is sensible and strong. But she isn't presented as the stereotypical "I can overcome anything the world throws at me" shoujo lead. Likewise, Edgar's true nature is never swept under the rug. Raven truly is a stoic that few can understand - even the reader isn't given special insight into his character. I love the fact that I was often taken for a loop when the characters didn't do what I expected (what would be conventional for this genre of manga) but did do what was natural to them. It's also important to note that the characters are not ridiculously intuitive. They don't always figure things out right away, they don't always know what's going on and that means the reader doesn't always know right from wrong either. If you are the type of person who wants to know and understand everything right away, you probably won't enjoy this manga. If you enjoy being thrown into the story with the characters, you probably will enjoy this manga.

I have absolutely no complaints about the artwork. However, there isn't anything particularly outstanding about it either. I do appreciate the level of detail in the backgrounds and in the characters' clothing. It's not so complicated that it's distracting, but it's still very good. Also, I'm glad that the fairies looked natural - not whimsical.

Hakushaku to Yousei was a very enjoyable read. I will definitely watch the anime so that I can see the characters in action. I will also purchase the light novels so that I can see what happens to these wonderful characters!

Note: This review was really old, so I decided to rewrite it...

Earl and Fairy is the story of Lyda Carlton,a fairy doctor, whose claim of being able to see fairies has earned her the title of 'Crazy lady'. Well, not really an official title, but everyone who sees her tends to think that.

Now insert Edgar Ashenbert, a wanted man who's looking for a valuable sword, accompanied by a guy with a warrior inside him and a girl whom we don't get to find much about. Only thing is, to get the sword, he needs to be able to see fairies and solve a riddle. Unfortunately ... for him, he lacks this fairy-doctor skill.

That's where Lydia comes in to help (not without, of course, her own terms that she'd like fulfilled).

This was a pretty light read, considering the few chapters that have been scanlated. It's not without its good qualities, however. Allow me to list them:

Art: The art style was very elegant and clean, which was rather fitting in front of the 19th Century England backdrop. I found it mildly easy to mimic the style for drawing characters, but not so much the backgrounds. Even though I had trouble replicating the backgrounds, they were simplistic and clean, which was favorable.

Enjoyment: I enjoyed reading this and marveling at the beautiful way the characters were drawn. When an exciting and heart-thumping scene was introduced, it was indeed heart-thumping. Among these were the romantic scenes (though few) between Edgar and Lydia and the fighting scenes.

Story: The story is an obvious plus of this manga. It's not very often you get to find a storyline where there's romance, a mystery, some humor, and even adventure. This manga had all of that.

Overall, I liked it, and it was very good. Not really something I'd recommend to those looking for something fun to keep them busy (at least not until there are more chapters out). Cute and light.

Story
- This story confused me greatly at 1st. I tend not to read the smaller texts in the manga, but in this case, if you didn't read every little thing in the manga, you'd probably be lost. For me as a reader, I skim read. I read, but I skim at the same time. I did that with 'Wuthering Heights' and understood the series pretty well. And yet with 'Hakushaku to Yosei', I was confused at the end of the manga which I finished not too long ago (due to the fact that I read online and the updates are a bit slow ... at times). So after rereading, the plot itself didn't entice me b/c I saw no real purpose behind it all. I wasn't convinced of why Edger did what he did and why Lydia did what she did. I couldn't see their justification for most of their actions. -

Art
- As for any review that I do (and I've only done... 10 or so) I always give the art a 10. Why? Well, I can't draw any better. I reference the art maybe, but that doesn't make me better. I can't draw any better and the fact that the mangaka drew such a drop dead gorgeous viscount is enough to give it a 10. -

Character
- I couldn't relate to any of the characters. They may have been well drawn, but I felt that the mangaka could've put more time into the character development. I didn't care for Lydia since the start of the series. I also had a hard time understanding the human logic of why Lydia and Edger were doing what they were doing. Honestly, if they had died at the end of the series, I wouldn't really give a shit. I'd just be like, "Oh.. it's over. Next manga." I felt no empathy, no sympathy, no likeable emotion towards them. I just read the 15 chapters. After that, not a single fuck was given.-

Enjoyment/Overall
- As you can tell from above, I did not enjoy the series as much as I had hoped. It was recommended to me as well so it really disappointed me that a friend kind of... over exaggerated a lot of the plot. -

I was expecting this manga to be a light-hearted fantasy shoujo manga, but I was wrong.
The story was interesting. There are only 16 chapters, so the story progresses quickly and advances continuously in each chapter. The end of the chapter had enough suspense to make you want to start the next chapter. The story was easy to follow and wasn't complex, but it was interesting enough to make you want to finish it. Though it was a short manga, it didn't feel rushed, but the ending was not satisfying. There wasn't an ending. The story doesn't finish, and we don't exactly know what happens ... to the characters after it just stops.
The art is crisp and well done. I think the art style suits the manga, and the effects were nice. The manga panels were fluid and easy to follow, and the art was still noticeable in the small boxes. The backgrounds felt pretty simple and average. Each of the characters was unique and didn't look similar to each other. Their clothing suited their personalities well and matched each character's personalities.
The characters are very frustrating and hard to relate to. Most of the characters are flawed, and it is shown throughout the story. They made stupid decisions, and it was confusing to figure out why they did things the way they did. The way they reacted to certain situations was frustrating and unrealistic at times. Throughout the story, the characters pretty much stay the same. There weren't any villains in the story, and the antagonist felt like they were there for the plot, and that's it. I think the author intended to make some of the characters dislikeable because they don't show any signs of ever changing. But even though the characters are flawed, they are simple and not that memorable.
I did enjoy this manga, but to be honest, I was glad to be done with it. I feel like others will not really like this manga, though. It's pretty short, the story feels incomplete, and the characters are very dislikeable. This manga was definitely a one time thing, and I don't see myself rereading it in the future.

When I was younger, around the year 2008, I watched an old anime called Hakushaku to Yousei, commonly known in English as Earl and Fairy. I remember watching it all the way through and liking it as a teenager, but after that, I just forgot about it. Earl and Fairy actually started off as a light novel series by Mizue Tani, completed in 2021 at a total of 32 volumes. The light novel series hasn't been licensed, and originally, the anime wasn't either until Discotek Media put it out in the US in 2017. However, Viz Media picked up the manga adaptation in 2012, and ... only just now have I managed to get around to actually reading it. It helps that it's complete at four volumes and cheap copies of the paperbacks can be found online pretty easily. So now that I've finally checked out the manga...unfortunately, I wish I could like this more than I do, because even by light novel adaptation standards, Earl and Fairy's manga is pretty dull.

And it so shouldn't be, because the premise is actually pretty interesting! In an alternate 19th century England, fairies are said to be the stuff of myths, but Lydia Carlton, a 17-year-old girl living in the town of Edinburgh, knows them to be real. She is a fairy doctor like her late mother, and her job is to speak with fairies and solve problems. Unfortunately, regular people can't see them, so most people think she's insane. But Lydia is determined to carry on her mother's work and give aid to fairies and humans alike. A trip to visit her researcher father leads to her getting kidnapped, but is rescued by a rogue claiming to be named Edgar Ashenbert, also known as Lord Ibrazel and a supposed descendant of the fabled Blue Knight Earl. Edgar needs Lydia's help to find his ancestor's sword, and as much as she really doesn't like him, Lydia has no choice but to help him in his quest.

Having seen the anime in high school, kid me would have absolutely devoured this series. But reading the manga as an adult...I really hate to say it, but this manga adaptation is actually pretty dull. All the characters are really bland and one-note, little more than amalgamations of shoujo cliches you've seen in many other mangas before this one. But the main reason the characters are so dull is that the manga continuously violates "Show, Don't Tell." The manga is very wordy and full of exposition that could have easily been better off actually being depicted on the page. Many characters shill Edgar as being this troubled yet kind man, but the problem is that he's not actually written or depicted in a way that communicates any personality beyond vague smarminess or scheming manipulator, and he's constantly using other people, Lydia included, for his own means, not caring about how they'd feel about being roped into his schemes, something Lydia frequently calls him out on.

Another contributor to this is the manga's ridiculously fast pacing. It jumps from one plot point to the next without much in the way of a break, and a lot of details are just info-dumped by various characters rather than having things play out organically. While I normally like it when something actually strives to tell its story rather than dawdle around with needless filler, Earl and Fairy just rushes through its plot and expects its readers to care about it while making no effort to really flesh everything out. Plus, considering this manga is only four volumes long, it doesn't even have time to resolve all of its plot beats anyway, ending on a really open-ended note with a lot of the big mysteries never getting wrapped up in any way. This is further compounded by the fact that Ayuko, the illustrator for the manga, says in the author's notes that she was forced to leave out a lot of details from the novels, so was unable to adapt all of what was available at the time of publishing. It's a shame that she wasn't able to adapt the light novels in a way that did the source material justice. Whether it was due to time constraints or executive mandate, who knows? Plus, I remember the anime having several characters and subplots that don't even exist in the manga, so her claim that she wasn't able to adapt everything from the light novels definitely has merit to it!

The only positive thing I can really say about Earl and Fairy is that the artwork is, at the very least, competent. The character designs are faithful to those of the light novel, but are still pretty generic by themselves. The backgrounds and the fairy designs fare much better, as they're given the appropriate amount of detail, and many of the fairies are given very fun, creative designs. I really liked the way the Merrows were drawn. That being said, the panels and their placements are very cluttered, paired too close together to the point of it feeling suffocating. The pages are often very crowded, and the visual flow between panels is stunted, making it hard to follow what's going on at times, especially when there's motion and action involved. So yeah, Earl and Fairy as a manga is generic, cliche, devoid of personality, and doesn't do the source material justice. It's really a shame, because in better hands, Earl and Fairy's premise could have been amazing. But it's not likely to enchant readers any time soon. If I ever get around to rewatching the anime, I hope to God it's somewhat better than the manga.

Story:
I don't understand the purpose of this manga. It seems like the mangaka tried to make the most unlikeable bunch of characters possible in sixteen chapters. The main characters are hard to connect with excluding Nico, and the story is more violent than I expected with a lot of blood and knives and guns.

Characters:
Edgar had no redeeming value; he was manipulative and abusive. He also choked a chick out with his bare hands and barely blinked, which is dark for a shoujo manga. I don't know if he loved his friends/servants or not, as one of his closest friends jumped off ... a cliff, and the guy got over it within two pages.

Lydia is a basic girl, who, at times, shows her independence only for Edgar to swoon her out of it. She's reminiscent of the classic horror movie chick because she doesn't know when to leave a creepy situation. Edgar has endangered her life enough, and the chick still doesn't know how to leave. When she was finally able to return home, I thought she had grown beyond Edgar, but apparently, his manipulation knew no bounds. Lydia should be thankful for her magical animal sidekick, Nico. I like that she wasn't “completely” spineless but that is all.

Ermine is okay but like Raven, her undying loyalty to Edgar confuses me. Her ties to that prince were never explained well. Ermine and Raven are the only non-English characters, whom I guess are Japanese or some other race. I wish she could have more personality than fawning over some guy.

Raven, a kid housing a murderous spirit, is an emotionless shell that would give his sanity and life to Edgar at a moment's notice. I wish this guy actually had a personality. He's like a living gun only existing for someone to pull the trigger.

Nico is my absolute favorite. He had common sense, leadership skills, and a cute fluffy tail.

Art:
The artwork is good. It meets the standard of crisp lines, fashionable clothes, and pretty scenery. The eyes are a bit blurry, though.

Overall:
In conclusion, I don't think this was a good story. I have read many cliche stories before that I have loved for one reason: the characters. In Hakushaku to Yousei, there is not one human character that I liked, and that is why I found this story a struggle to finish. Not to mention it had a lackluster ending. This manga may have worked better as a psychological story.

I picked up this manga seeing how lovely the cover art was. Plus, I could see a beautiful ship approaching with the two main characters on it, Lydia and Edgar. The title was also alluring: The Earl and the Fairy. I adore historical manga as I do historical fiction, so I was sold on the description of a Victorian romance set in 19th century England involving fairies and other mystical creatures. This manga proved to be a delightful mix of mystery, love, and fantasy.

The author sets up the story quite nicely, describing the Victorian era by clothing, setting, and speech. Right away readers can see ... what’s so special about Lydia; she can see fairies, brownies, goblins, and more, all of which many people cannot see at all. It’s no surprise that they scoff at her “fairy doctor” title. No one believes in fairies any more. Despite the pressure of public opinion, Lydia’s beliefs are firm and unyielding as a result of her desire to remember her mother’s teachings.

While a strong heroine is usually admired, Lydia’s courage can be reckless at times. Because of being doubted all the time due to her profession, she’s used to holding her own head high and listening to her heart. She could be wrong sometimes, but she doesn’t find out until she’s in a little deep.

I found the story particularly intriguing when Lydia met the earl under unusual circumstances. From the beginning to the end, the earl was shrouded in mystery. He exudes elegance and refinement and knows he’s attractive, so his interactions with Lydia don’t always seem genuine. Though I love a handsome male love interest, it’s difficult to like someone so exceedingly cool. As the story unfolded, his past was brought up and further muddled his character. That definitely made him imperfect, but I wasn’t sure whether or not he was a good person and was confused as to what was the truth.

Despite my iffiness on the characters, I was thoroughly engrossed with the plot. Legends and myths of treasured items lost in time, magical worlds thought to have been made up, everything lovely and beautiful beyond one’s wildest imaginations… The amazing artwork coupled with a fantastical story reminded me of novels I had read in my younger years involving evil witches, fallen angels, wishing stones, and more. There was always more to find out in addition to where the hidden treasure was, like what exactly the earl was planning, who was involved, why someone acted in this way, etc.

The artwork for this manga was absolutely gorgeous. I wished every page could have been in color. Lydia’s hair was always drawn so lightly, and she was so pretty. The earl was definitely attractive in every way; I swooned at every panel he was in. Their clothes were very detailed. The artist took great pains into making sure their Victorian garb looked authentic with the sleeves just so and ruffled collars. I loved seeing Edward in coats and Lydia in dresses all the time.

As you can see, the adventure aspect in this manga was amazing. I finished this manga in the span of two days, two volumes each. There was a wealth of characters to meet, a budding romance to unfold, and so much more to see. Unfortunately the manga ends before the light novel does, so there isn’t as much development in the plot as I’d have liked to see. It does make me want to read the light novel and watch the anime, though. Hakushaku to Yousei was a short read, but very pleasant nonetheless.

(Mild spoilers) If there's one quick way to ruin a love story for me, it's with a love interest who isn't appealing and shoujo manga is really good at making me question many of my fellow reader's tastes in men. Shoujo romance with an action element has an especially common pitfall of trying too hard to make a man "dangerous" or "jealous" to the point of being anywhere between uncomfortable to straight up no-holds-barred abusive. After years of rolling my eyes at this trashy trope, I am proud to announce that I have finally found the abusive love interest that easily takes the cake as the ... worst male lead I have ever seen in a shoujo manga, and it's out supposedly dashing bishounen Edgar in The Earl and the Fairy.

Edgar is a bad boy, and the manga has no problem reminding us of this frequently. He lies, cheats, and manipulates throughout the entirety of the series. One character tries to point this out to our heroine and he almost kills her. Then he almost kills said heroine. Why on Earth does she stick around then, any sane reader would ask? Why, because one time he said the color of her hair was pretty when random strangers constantly told her it wasn't. 

I'm not kidding. That's... literally the only reason she stays for the first half of the series. Then, in the second half, we learn Edgar had a difficult past, which apparently also excuses every horrible thing he has done or attempted to do. Except it really, really doesn't. The mangaka clearly isn't blinded by Edgar's charms, as we are reminded how manipulative the young man is very frequently, so this isn't a case of the writer being blind to their character's flaws. On the contrary, the writer constantly tells us more about how awful Edgar is and we're still expected to find him appealing because sad childhood weh. 

Now, granted, The Earl and the Fairy is an interesting manga outside of its romantic element, set in a fairy-laden historical England. The problem is that the romance and the characters are the main focus of the story, and all throughout four irritating volumes of the worst romance I have ever seen in a shoujo anime I was too busy rolling my wishing I could slap every character involved to care much about what this manga does differently. 
Only read this one if you're as desperate for historical fantasy shoujo as Lydia is desperate for someone to complement her hair. 

There’s nothing overly complex about The Earl and the Fairy. You have a fairy doctor whose sole occupation is helping fairies, whether it’s with internal fairy conflicts or their conflicts with humans. Then you have a mysterious Earl who seeks her assistance for some tricky nobility contentions. The two formulate a unique friendship, one that is constantly questioned by a sassy, bow-tie wearing, whisky-drinking kitty cat (upon seeing said feline, I was totally sold).

The characters, although quite entertaining, are nothing overly special, but they are a pleasant step away from the quintessential shōjo traits, which make themselves apparent early on. The portrait of young girl ... (named Lydia) in blossoming adolescence with a cheery perception of a profession of which she has no experience would be the very first thing the reader is presented with. But you’ll note that she’s not a student, she’s not ditzy, and she’s most definitely not a boy-crazy harlot searching for self-worth in the opposite sex. This was a delightful change of pace from the norms of shōjo. Her intellect and kindness make her very easy to become smitten with. Then we have our dashing Earl, who is (expectedly) flirty and charming, yet regardless of his fun personality he comes off as rather enigmatic, and you soon recognize that he’s not your standard prince-type. While the male protagonist is very stereotypical, the two characters have a tasteful chemistry in the way they interact that just feels great to read. My favourite character is the fancy feline friend of our darling fairy doctor (no surprise there, right?). He is an absolutely enchanting little critter. With a snarky tongue, a taste for the finer things in life, sophisticated attire, and cute compassion for his comrade, his presence really rounds off the cast nicely.

My favourite characteristics of The Earl and the Fairy probably began when the references to Celtic lore were introduced. I have always admired fantastical creatures like mermaids and any folklore stories pertaining to them is almost like porn for me. When the plot of this series took us to an island off the shores of Ireland, called Manan, all because of some mer-tails (ha, see what I did there?), the fangirl within me squealed with excitement. The execution of the adventure and the expression of these Irish fables were wonderfully winsome.

The usage of supernatural qualities continues throughout the four volumes, however, the quality of suspense begins to lack momentarily in between the two different story arcs. Because The Earl and the Fairy is so terse, there is limited space for filler material; actually there is none to speak of. While this can be an appealing aspect, it also hurts the writing. The conversion of plot as the story unfolds is left feeling abrupt and rushed. It’s almost tangible as you begin to feel this hastiness at certain key parts of the story. When you finally approach the finale, there is a slight taste of emptiness upon the tongue. Questions loom above your head, dangling from threads of curiosity.

The brusque nature of the plot notwithstanding, The Earl and the Fairy was an enchanting serial to sit through, especially due to the art. The clean and polished nature of the artwork draws your attention to the page, the details fine and shadowed with articulate care. Even if the pages are brimming from corner to corner, your vision never feels overwhelmed. It is comfortable to the point that it compels you to take a moment or two to truly admire the fine lines and thick strokes that illustrates the story. While at first glance it seems standard, the longer you read it, the more you realize how lovely it is.

If you are a fan of fantasy and supernatural traits with an appetite for the shōjo genre, then I recommend this to you. It’s different from your standard high school drama but in all of the best ways. While it’s not the greatest thing out there, it definitely doesn’t disappoint. My rating for The Earl and the Fairy consists of seven brownies outta ten.

I think the most important thing anyone should know before reading this manga is that it doesn't really ends. The 4 volumes encompass 2 story arcs and even though those stories are told to completion, the main plot is never resolved.
Crucially, the romance goes nowhere. It's a real let down to read the last chapter ever published and find all those dangling plot threads.

That said, let me nitpick a little:
* The art is nice, but the artist's narrative is really confusing, specially in fight scenes. It's made worse by the classic shoujo manga gimmick of going light on backgrounds/establishing shots, so that sometimes you can ... get really lost on what is happening and who's where.
* Lydia is a good character when she gets to act, too bad most of the time she's just wandering around wondering what is going on.
* Edgar is a very interesting character, but he's also a creep. I have never spent so much time screaming "it's a trap baby girl!" to a manga as I have whenever he'd go all romantic around Lydia.
* Raven is a narrative device, not a character. I guess he'd be fleshed out if the series took off, but, since it just ends, he ends up being The Thing Used To Save People and not having much of a personality. It makes me sad, since he's my kind of shoujo manga man.
* There is a serious lack of motivation to all characters. Protagonist or secondary, they all just seem to drift around and react.

To sum it up, I don't really recommend this series to anyone. It seems it's adapted from a series of light novels, so maybe if you watched the anime and want more you should go after the books. They're bound to better, right?

after finishing the whole thing in one go, I have no other thought than "finally, I could move on"

story: 4
it was a decent story line and concept, I'll have to admit that it's mystery driven arc is something that kept me continue and not abandon it. But to be honest, the fact that it's only 4 volumes long contribute somewhat to the fact that i'm too stuborn to leave something unfinished.

Art:7
the only redeeming part to this painful inferno I've stepped in. Endeed a typical shoujo style which lead me unexpected of how dark it is. But it's definetly not something astounishing enough ... to be praise nor is it as distinguise enough to be remembered and had me relise who drew it whenever I came across it. For example Ao haru ride, by just glancing at the tytle of the author's other work, I would knew imedietly the emotional rollercoaster of feeling brought by the character expression I'm about to face.

character: 1
I feel nothing for these character, nope not a single ounce of care. These character are nothing more than a mere husk to. Their motivation are none reasonable enough to keep us on wondering how they would progress and the fact that they didn't go go anywhere kind of proves that I've waste my time. Our Mc who I don't even remember her name was attach to this manipulated guy because of "plot". He on the other hand is just a bad written Sasuke. But worse than Sasuke who still have some bits of relatable reasons, this guy has none. He used others in the name of "revenge" for his friend yet forgots about their existence and proceeded to go back to his original self seconds after their death, as if they have zero impact on him.
The only time I felt somewhat touched was when she dies, even I was moved more than this vengeful soul.

Enjoyment:3
Yall don't know how hard I tried to finish this. I've actrually ditched this once many moon ago yet came across it now. Guess fait has sealed for me to write this review.

Overall :4

sorry if I have any grammatical or spelling mistake. After all English isn't my first language