A mature depiction of the Japanese idol/talent industry through following the journey of a young, lost university graduate, Haruka, who struggles to find a job and is reluctantly pulled into the talent business. Despite her original dislike of the profession, Haruka is able to find her own desire and passion that drives her to pursue success through the support of all those around her.

Although there are some plot aspects which I personally did not enjoy, the overarching storytelling was incredibly interesting and I found myself unable to stop reading. It was enjoyable and satisfying to watch Haruka's rise in the entertainment world and to see her develop and overcome the setbacks thrown in her path. Through the perspective of the main character and through that of various side characters in different professions and roles in the business, the work was able to portray a cut-throat environment where only the strongest and most determined survive.

Initially written in 2003, Haruka 17 has an art style reminiscent of the early 2000s and reminded me particularly of that of Subaru by Soda Masahito-sensei. Especially in the early sections of the manga where Haruka has a lot of glamour/swimsuit shoots, the fan service is well-warranted and never crossed the line to becoming a gimmick.

Notwithstanding, the character development of Haruka is greatly written and well paced, in addition to the colorful cast of characters that support the story and act as foils. A quick, one chapter picture of character backgrounds allowed the reader to take their actions in perspective and built your connection to the character based on these feelings. The connections with these characters was so significant in some respects that I felt like more time could have been spent on them and that some of the actions of key characters was poorly explained in select cases. Although I felt like the end of the story was brought to an end in a way that felt slightly rushed and that a more extensive epilogue would have been more satisfying, I also appreciate the focus that was kept on the story of the main character.

tldr: 4.8/5 it's great, please give it a shot