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 was developed by Yumeta Company with Aki Tsunaki directing, with 26 episodes broadcast from October 5, 2004, to March 29, 2005. The anime has been released in an English-subtitled version as Haruka: Beyond the Stream of Time: A Tale of the Eight Guardians.
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-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.
Plot 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 , 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.
Characters
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. 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 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.LalaDX September 2007 onwards manga chapters
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, Sefuru is discarded by Akuram and taken in while in his injured state by Inori's sister Seri on Ikutidaru's request.LalaDX September/November 2007 Harukanaru Toki no Naka De manga chapters
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 in kanji, as shown above.
Other characters
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.