Ashita no Ousama · review
So, Ashita no Ousama is a shoujo from the 90's. It has good story and romantic lines. I found it at a time that I wanted another original and different shoujo. What you want to know: it's about a very country girl who suddenly figures out she wants to be in theater for the rest of her life. She puts her all into attending school and pursuing this hobby and meets a lot of good people. She fails in some areas, succeeds in others. It does have some stereotypical shoujo traits from the pool of shoujo stereotypes (very handsome male, naive girl, etc.) but as ashoujo veteran, that's never a problem when done right. And in fact, Ashita no Ousama stands out from modern shoujo. Here's why:
Characters: I cannot praise the character development enough. Sure, the main character is a bit too unaware at times but it doesn't lead to impossible situations. Sure, male lead is established and good-looking. But these characters are very realistically done. They don't have out-of-nowhere smut-convenient problems and have well-built life-styles and ideologies.
Story: It isn't a complicated story but its not a plot that you always know where it is going or what the lesson is. There isn't a plethora of "amazing lines" on every page, but the author takes her time to get a point across. Misunderstandings and events are not too far-fetched or convenient.
Art: It's the 90's. Kind of similar to Itazura na Kiss style. To be honest, when it comes to 90's manga it takes me a chapter or two to get used to it and see why the characters are even attractive. I cannot rate it high but it seems very good quality for its time.
So go read it yourself; it does not disappoint.