is a Neoromance anime

Anime

is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....

 series based on the PlayStation 2

PlayStation 2

The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...

 romantic adventure

Adventure

An adventure is defined as an exciting or unusual experience; it may also be a bold, usually risky undertaking, with an uncertain outcome. The term is often used to refer to activities with some potential for physical danger, such as skydiving, mountain climbing and or participating in extreme sports...

 video game developed by Ruby Party and published by Koei. The series features the characters from the original Harukanaru Toki no Naka de

Harukanaru Toki no Naka de

is an otome adventure game developed by Ruby Party and published by Koei. It is a part of Ruby Party's Neoromance label.Because of Harukanaru Toki no Naka des success, the game has give rise to a franchise including several sequels, numerous drama and music CDs, a manga series, two OAVs, a movie,...

 game, while the PlayStation 2 game is an enhanced remake

Enhanced remake

A video game remake is a game closely adapted from an earlier title, usually for the purpose of modernizing a game for newer hardware and contemporary audiences. Typically, a remake shares essentially the same title, fundamental gameplay concepts, and story elements of the original game...

 of the original game.

Release History (Manga and Anime)

To date, seventeen volumes of Harukanaru Toki no Naka De manga have been released in the original Japanese. The manga is released simply under the name Harukanaru Toki no Naka De whereas the anime adaptation is released as Harukanaru Toki no Naka De ~Hachiyou Shou~. The song and drama releases from this series are also categorized depending on whether they are based on the game incarnations or the anime/manga incarnations and storylines of the characters.

Harukanaru Toki no Naka Des manga has begun to be printed in English. Chapters have featured in Shojo Beat magazine, and two volumes of the manga have also been produced in English.
The animated series concluded in Japan at episode twenty six, although the final DVD featured omake

Omake

means extra in Japanese. Its primary meaning is general and widespread. It is used as an anime and manga fandom term to mean "extra or bonus". In USA, the term is most often used in a narrow sense by anime fans to describe special features on DVD releases: deleted scenes, interviews with the...

 optional endings for each of the characters. This was so that, in keeping with the game's Neoromance theme, viewers could choose for themselves which of the Hachiyou Akane liked the best. The anime and manga have recently begun to be released in English under the name Haruka: Beyond the Stream Of Time: A Tale of the Eight Guardians.

Historical Setting

Although an exact time period is not given for Akane's arrival in Heian Kyou, it seems likely that the story is set in the earlier part of the era, when families such as the Tachibana

Tachibana clan (kuge)

The Tachibana clan was one of the four most powerful kuge families in Japan's Nara and early Heian periods. Members of the Tachibana family often held high court posts within the Daijō-kan , most frequently Sadaijin...

-ke, Fujiwara

Fujiwara

, literally "wisteria field", is a Japanese surname.The name can refer to:-People:* The Fujiwara clan and its members** Fujiwara no Kamatari* Northern Fujiwara clan** Fujiwara no Kiyohira...

-ke and Minamoto-ke were all in some prominence. Though the Fujiwara-ke and Minamoto-ke continued to hold significant position through till the Genpei war, the Tachibana-ke faded out of favor during the ninth and tenth centuries. This suggests that Harukanaru Toki no Naka De 1 is set sometime in the ninth or tenth centuries. This would also fit with later continuations of the Harukanaru Toki no Naka De plot, since Harukanaru Toki no Naka De 2 is set a century later, and features prominently once more the Fujiwara-ke and Minamoto-ke, as well as the Taira-ke. The third installment, Harukanaru Toki no Naka De 3 is set in the period of the Genpei War

Genpei War

The was a conflict between the Taira and Minamoto clans during the late-Heian period of Japan. It resulted in the fall of the Taira clan and the establishment of the Kamakura shogunate under Minamoto Yoritomo in 1192....

, which came to an end in 1185. If it can be considered that the third installment is set a century on from the second, this would indicate that the original Harukanaru Toki no Naka De storyline is most probably set in the latter half of the tenth century.

Plot

On her walk to school, ordinary Kyoto

Kyoto

is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...

 High school student Motomiya Akane hears a voice calling to her from an old well in an abandoned historical estate. The voice is that of the oni leader Akuram, and Akane finds herself summoned into another world that resembles the city of Kyoto

Kyoto

is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...

 during the Heian Period

Heian period

The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. The period is named after the capital city of Heian-kyō, or modern Kyōto. It is the period in Japanese history when Buddhism, Taoism and other Chinese influences were at their height...

 (approx. 800-1200 C.E.). Here she is asked to be the , a legendary figure who possesses the power of the gods. Akane is told that she must defend this world, called , from the encroachment of the before she can return home. Fortunately, her school friends Tenma and Shimon are on hand to help her out and along with six Kyou natives they become members of the , a group of specially chosen men who act as the Miko's protectors.

Main Characters

A modern high school girl, Akane is transported to the Heian era and recognized as the Ryuujin no Miko, or Priestess of the Dragon God. She carries the power of the Dragon God within her body such that she can purify impurities from contact. Though reluctant to use her powers as priestess, Akane is determined to do the right thing. She is innocent and kindhearted, which sometimes leads her into trouble.

The Eight Guardians

One of Princess Fuji's bodyguards, who comes to protect Akane as well. He becomes one of the Eight Guardians, as . He is the strong, silent type and will do anything his mistress asks of him.

A little bit of a tough guy, Tenma is Akane's close friend from school. He is one of the Eight Guardians, as . He cares deeply for Akane and loves her, but doesn't really show it in the beginning. As the series progresses, he begins to reveal his feelings. He has a sister named Ran, who disappeared under mysterious circumstances.

A hotheaded young man whose one goal in life is to destroy demons for ruining his and his sister's lives. He is , one of the Eight Guardians.

One of Akane's good friends from school, Shimon is a smart, cute, and very loyal. Along with Akane and Tenma, he is transported to the Heian era. Besides confused as an oni at first, having traits such as blond hair and blue eyes, he is recognized as one of the Eight Guardians, .

Hardworking, studious, and chivalrous to all women, Takamichi works in the palace archives in Kyou. He becomes one of the Eight Guardians, as .

Tomomasa is a general in Kyou, known for being flirtatious, nonchalant, and popular with the ladies. He is one of the last to become a Guardian, as .

Eisen is the younger brother of the current emperor of Kyou. Though he had been eligible to inherit the throne, Eisen gave up his position to become a monk. He is an accomplished musician and is a sweet, thoughtful, timid man. Eisen fell deeply in love with Akane when they first met, and is willing to sacrifice his life for her safety. He is , one of the Eight Guardians.

A cool,intense guy and one of the Eight Guardians as , Yasuaki is a gifted apprentice to the famous sorcerer Abe no Seimei

Abe no Seimei

was an onmyōji, a leading specialist of onmyōdō during the middle of the Heian Period in Japan. In addition to his prominence in history, he is a legendary figure in Japanese folklore and has been portrayed in a number of stories and films....

. Despite his expressionless exterior, Yasuaki is childlike in the sense he doesn't quite understand emotions; He even shed tears with a blank face when Akane was upset with him on one occasion. He holds Akane with high regard, and develops a certain fondness for her.

Oni Clan

The leader of the Oni Clan, who summoned Akane to Kyou in order to utilize her power to gain full domination over the city. Akuram is said to be the most powerful of recent leaders of the Oni Clan, and his power stretches to such a level that even his close associates aren't sure how to deal with it. Akuram inherited the mask of the Oni Clan, allowing him to lead them, because he had the greatest potential to do so as a young boy. Even now he is still young despite his position. On one occasion the mask is shattered, breaking his spell and forcing him to retreat, and it seems that the mask itself is a way of focusing the magic of the Oni.

Akuram's motivation is not always clear. Sometimes it appears that he simply wants to dominate all of Kyou, however on occasion he suggests that part of his motivation is revenge for the deaths of many of his kinsfolk over the past generations of conflict between the Oni and the people of Kyou. His interest in Akane seems to be predominately a matter of obtaining power, although he often refers to her as 'his' Miko, and gets quite angry when any of his subordinates bring harm to her without his permission.

Ikutidaru is Akuram's right hand man and probably the oldest of the surviving oni. Of all of the oni clan he has the greatest sense of conscience, and is often torn between his loyalty to his people and his love for Inori's older sister Seri. In the anime, he once disobeyed Akuram and had his eye removed as punishment for the crime (although in the manga it is not yet explained how he came to lose his eye). Despite the fact he does not always agree with the things Akuram orders, he often carries them out with resolute seriousness, even though at times it makes Kyou's predicament worse. He has a strongly protective - almost paternal - instinct where Sefuru is concerned (although Sefuru is rarely appreciative of that fact). In the ongoing manga, Ikutidaru is currently working with Akane and Yorihisa against Akuram as they try to break the curse Akuram has placed over them. His defection was inspired largely by the way in which Sefuru was injured by Akuram when he was discarded.

The only female among the surviving members of the Oni Clan, Shirin holds a strong affection for Akuram which will allow her to do pretty much anything he tells her to do. She is very jealous of Akane because of Akuram's interest in her, and on one occasion goes behind Akuram's back and assaults the Miko because of this jealousy. Akuram seems to have no affection for her, discarding her from the clan towards the end, however in the anime conclusion Shirin offers to exchange her life for Akane's in order to be with Akuram in the afterlife. Although this ending only occurred in the anime, not in the manga. Shirin's key power is the ability to use her beauty to seduce and then manipulate the actions of men, and therefore she is angered by Takamichi who refuses to submit to her seduction spell. She and Takamichi maintain a chemistry throughout the story on account of this, with Takamichi once saving her life despite her attempts to kill him. Shirin's physical attacks often involve a rose, whose vines and thorns she can manipulate at will.

Sefuru is the youngest surviving Oni, probably no more than fourteen or fifteen years old. He is technically half and half, since his mother was a normal resident of Kyou. Sefuru is bitter and hates the people of Kyou because his mother abandoned him based on his appearance when he was just a small child. It was at this time that Akuram took him in and began to train him to use him for his own purpose. For this reason, despite his half blood, Sefuru has been accepted as an Oni by the rest of the clan. However, he has a deep rooted fear of being abandoned and alone again, which often drives him to desperate acts. At one point he befriends Shimon, thinking that he's an Oni in the same situation, though he becomes indignant when he thinks that Shimon has betrayed the Oni by joining up with people in the city and is even more perturbed when he discovers that Shimon is one of the Hachiyou. Despite his aggression, however, Shimon is sure that Sefuru is more hurt than anyone by the encounter, and refuses to bear him a grudge. In the end, Sefuru is shown with Ikutidaru, Seri and their new baby, indicating that his hatred is based in his loneliness, and all he really needed was a proper place to belong. In the manga, which is still ongoing, Sefuru is discarded by Akuram and taken in in his injured state by Inori's sister Seri on Ikutidaru's request.

Technically not a blood member of the oni clan, Ran is actually Tenma's long lost sister from modern day Kyouto. She was summoned into Kyou by Akuram some time earlier, but was too frightened to be able to connect with Ryuujin and become Ryuujin no Miko. In her despair, she reached out instead to the black dragon and became engulfed by its power, erasing her memories of her past life and putting her under Akuram's control. Ran continues to battle with her alter-ego throughout both manga and anime, though perhaps more significantly in the manga. Probably on account of her association with the oni clan, Ran's name is also occasionally written in Katakana as 「ラン」 and features this way on the anime credits. However, in the manga it is given with its correct kanji, as shown above.

Others

The descendant of the who assists the Ryūjin no Miko. She looks very young, and is in fact only ten years old, but she's also very wise for her age. She is the daughter of the Minister of the Left, an important ranking figure at the imperial court, and therefore speaks very formally at all times. The 'hime' in her name indicates that she is the daughter of a wealthy and influential individual. She is the first person Akane meets when she enters Kyou, appearing as she does in the Star Clan's mansion house.

Kotengu (literally, "little tengu") is the nickname given to the Tengu

Tengu

are a class of supernatural creatures found in Japanese folklore, art, theater, and literature. They are one of the best known yōkai and are sometimes worshipped as Shinto kami...

 of , one of the northern mountains around Kyou. Although originally a fearsome creature, Kotengu's power was sealed by Yasuaki and he was confined to a miniature form in which he could not do any magic (but plenty of eating and complaining). He is semi-adopted by Akane and the Hachiyou and although he is constantly threatening revenge against Yasuaki, he settles down to often run errands for the group. In the anime, Kotengu's magic is unsealed by Yasuaki to let him fight against the possessed Byakko, and though defeated, he survives the encounter and returns to his miniature form at the end of the series. In the manga, his fate is more decisive. It appears that he was killed after a similar battle with Ikutidaru, in which Eisen mistakenly prevented Kotengu from attacking the oni, therefore leaving him defenseless.

Inori's sister, who is in love with Ikutidaru despite knowing that he is a member of the oni tribe. Seri is weak physically, but mentally very strong. It is hinted (though not openly said) at several points in the anime that Seri is pregnant with Ikutidaru's child - and at the close of the anime it is shown that they have a newborn baby. In the manga, Seri is shown as a very sympathetic person who, despite her own weak health, has been secretly nursing the injured Sefuru on Ikutidaru's request.

Eisen's older brother and the current ruler of Kyou. A well-reasoned man, the Emperor is usually calm and composed even in the face of his subjects' panic about the future of the city. Although his position means that certain formalities must be observed, the Emperor is very close to his young brother and seeks to protect him, as he feels it's somewhat his fault that Eisen has been driven to hide himself in a religious life. He is also close friends with Tomomasa as far as their difference in status allows, and occasionally they can be found sharing a joke at Eisen's expense. Though he takes an active interest in Ryuujin no Miko's progress, the Emperor is entirely detached from her activities and often wishes he could be more involved in saving his people from harm. His name is never given - and even by Eisen he is only referred to as either 'okami' (a formal manner of addressing a King) or 'aniue' (a polite term for older brother). Other cast members refer to him as 'mikado' or 'okami'.

Yorihisa's elder brother, who is deceased by the time Akane arrives in Kyou. There is a significant age gap between Yorihisa and Sanehisa and it appears that Sanehisa was largely involved in Yorihisa's training and his upbringing. The way in which Sanehisa's role in proceedings is portrayed varies from anime to manga, although he appears in flashback quite often when a situation relates closely to Yorihisa (for example his memories of the Nue). In the anime, Yorihisa and Tenma both receive a brief dream message from Sanehisa telling them to go East to find the Eastern Seal. This is then followed by a scenario surreally sinister to the events that led up to Sanehisa's death, for which Yorihisa holds himself responsible. By defending Tenma in a similar way to how Sanehisa defended him, Yorihisa feels he has somewhat 'atoned' and can at last share the story with his companions (Akane and later Tenma). In the manga, Yorihisa is afraid to face Sanehisa and receive the dream message because he feels to blame for Sanehisa's death, which is recounted as happening the same way as the anime depicts.

Unlike Yorihisa, who is generally quite serious and focused in how he deals with situations, Sanehisa is a lot more light-hearted and is willing to tease both Akane and Yorihisa in the manga when he visits them in dreams. It is clear that he and Yorihisa shared a close bond and that he does not hold his brother responsible for his death - rather he sacrificed his life to ensure that Yorihisa survived.

Though Sanehisa's name appears briefly in the anime, it is screamed rather than spoken, thus causing it to have been mis-heard and mis-written as a result. However on both anime credits and in the manga it is written as above, with the reading as given.

Episodes

The twenty-six episode anime series has been licensed by Bandai Visual

Bandai Visual

, is a Japanese anime, film production and distribution enterprise, established by Bandai Co., Ltd. and a subsidiary of Namco Bandai Holdings, Inc., which is based in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Since the reorganisation of Namco Bandai Holdings in 2006, Bandai Visual now heads the group's Visual and...

and will be released in a series of nine volumes under the title HARUKA: Beyond the Stream of Time – A Tale of the Eight Guardians. A new volume will be released monthly with the first volume being released April 22, 2008 and the final volume due January 13, 2009.

O.V.A Releases

There have also been OVA releases relating to the original 'Harukanaru Toki no Naka De' characters. These include the two episode as well as omake episodes for the 'Ten' and 'Chi' Hachiyou respectively. 'Ajisai Yumegatari' follows its own canon, describing briefly Akane's coming to Kyou and her involvement with the Hachiyou. The 'Ten' and 'Chi' OVAs are within the timeline of the animated Hachiyou series, though they are not chronicled in the manga or referenced in the anime . As yet there has been no indication of an English language release.

Gekijouban: Maihitoyo

A further movie release, featuring the Harukanaru Toki no Naka De original characters was produced and released in Japan in 2007. As yet there have been no indications of an English language release.

External links

• Neoromance official site
• TV Tokyo website
• J!-ENT interview with "HARUKA" director Tsunaki Aki (4/2008) By Dennis A. Amith and Michelle Tymon [j-ent]