Haruka: Beyond the Stream of Time (manga)

Manga series

is a Japanese shōjo manga series written by Tohko Mizuno who also worked on the video game of the same name, which was developed by Ruby Party and published by Koei. The manga was serialized in LaLa DX magazine from July 1999 to January 2010, and published by Hakusensha in 17 volumes. An English version was licensed by Viz Media under the title Haruka: Beyond the Stream of Time. The storyline initially follows the characters and events from the first installment of the video game series. An anime series titled 遙かなる時空の中で ～八葉抄～; Harukanaru Toki no Naka de ~Hachiyou Shou~ was developed by Yumeta Company with Aki Tsunaki directing, with 26 episodes broadcast from October 5, 2004, to March 29, 2005. The anime received an English dub titled Haruka: Beyond the Stream of Time: A Tale of the Eight Guardians.

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 ke, Fujiwara ke and Minamoto ke were all in some prominence. Though the Fujiwara ke and Minamoto ke continued to hold significant position through until the Genpei war, the Tachibana ke faded out of favor during the 9th and 10th centuries. This suggests that Harukanaru Toki no Naka de is set sometime in the 9th or 10th 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, 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 10th century.

On her walk to school, ordinary Kyoto 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 during the Heian Period (approx. 800–1200). Here she is asked to be the Ryuujin no Miko (龍神の神子), a legendary figure who possesses the power of the gods. Akane is told that she must defend this world, called Kyou (京), from the encroachment of the Oni Clan (鬼の一族) 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 Hachiyou (八葉), a group of specially chosen men who act as the Miko's protectors.

The manga was done by Mizuno. It was serialized in LaLa DX magazine from July 1999 to January 2010, and published by Hakusensha in 17 volumes. An English version was licensed by Viz Media under the title Haruka: Beyond the Stream of Time.

An anime television series titled 遙かなる時空の中で ～八葉抄～; Harukanaru Toki no Naka de ~ Hachiyou Shou~ was developed by Yumeta Company with Aki Tsunaki directing, with 26 episodes broadcast from October 5, 2004, to March 29, 2005. The twenty six episode anime series was licensed in English by Bandai Visual and released in a series of nine DVD volumes under the title Haruka: Beyond the Stream of Time – A Tale of the Eight Guardians. A new volume was released monthly with the first volume being released April 22, 2008 and the final volume January 13, 2009. The final volume of the DVD featured omake 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. Two OVA episodes were released as part of the anime series. Heaven – Destination of the Heart; 天 心の行方; Ten Kokoro no yukue was released on December 23, 2005, and Earth Where the Heart Lies; 地 想いの在処; Chi Omoi no ariko was released on January 27, 2006. The Ten and Chi OVAs feature the characters from the anime, but its storyline is not based on the manga.

An anime feature film, titled 遙かなる時空の中で ～舞一夜～; Harukanaru Toki no Naka de Maihitoyo was produced and released in Japan August 19, 2006.