Haruka: Beyond the Stream of Time


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 given rise to a franchise including several sequels, numerous drama and music CDs, a manga series, two OAVs, a movie, and an anime television series, and a live-action theatrical.

Plot

On the first day of a new school term, high school student Akane Motomiya, her classmate Tenma Morimura, and their underclass friend Shimon Nagareyama are sucked into a mysterious old well. When they awake, they are in Kyō, another world that resembles Kyoto during the Heian Period. According to the young scion of the Star Clan, Fujihime, Akane is the Ryūjin no Miko who has come to save Kyō from the ambitions of the Oni Clan. In this task, Akane has the help of eight beautiful and single men known as the Hachiyō, and her friends Tenma and Shimon number among them. Initially, Akane is bewildered by her new circumstances, but she gradually comes to face up to her own destiny and understand the world of Kyō.

Gameplay

Harukanaru Toki no Naka de places the player in the role of a girl who is surrounded by attractive young men, and gives her the option of trying to win the heart of one and live happily ever after. The heroine must also fight evil with the help of the attractive young men. The result is a hybrid game with a visual novel–like interaction mode, a simple role-playing video game battle mode, and a board game–like map.
Haruka is made up of ten chapters, eight of which involve the core gameplay. These chapters take place over a two-week period and involve traveling around the Kyō map, searching for various key items. Kyō is made up of roughly 20 areas and it is possible to visit three in one day. However, most areas are possessed by onryō vengeful ghosts that must be dispelled before you can enter, and fighting them consumes one of the three visit chances.
Haruka's battle system is limited in comparison to most CRPGs of its day. The maximum party size is 3 characters, but only Akane is under the direct control of the player. Though Akane can attack and defend, her other abilities – the use of healing items and spells, and the ability to encourage her comrades, are more useful. There is no magic point system as such. Casting spells is based on the morale of the Hachiyō members and the number of elemental fuda cards Akane has. Furthermore, there is no experience system and the character's hit points are refilled automatically between fights. The main reward for fighting, besides gaining entrance to a given area, is the chance to gain the trust of Hachiyō. The greater a Hachiyō member's rapport with Akane, the more effective he will be in battle.

Characters

Main characters

The world of Harukanaru Toki no Naka de is based on the height of the Heian Period of Japanese history, and many aspects of Heian culture, as described in the great literature of the time, are depicted in the game.

Releases

All titles developed by Ruby Party and published by Koei / Koei Tecmo unless noted. List does not include limited editions, classic, or treasure box releases.
TitleRelease datePlatformNotes
Haruka: Beyond the Stream of Time
April 6, 2000PlayStationPorted to Game Boy Advance on August 23, 2002
Haruka: Beyond the Stream of Time: Banjo Yugi
June 26, 2003PlayStation
Haruka: Beyond the Stream of Time: History
April 1, 2005PS2
Haruka: Beyond the Stream of Time ~Hachiyosho~
April 1, 2005PS2Companion game to the anime television series.
Haruka: Beyond the Stream of Time: Maihitoyo
September 21, 2006PS2Companion game to the anime feature film.
Haruka: Beyond the Stream of Time: Yume no Ukihashi
August 28, 2008DS
Haruka: Beyond the Stream of Time: Yume no Ukihashi Special
January 29, 2009PS2

Other ''Haruka'' video games

All titles developed by Ruby Party and published by Koei / Koei Tecmo unless noted. List does not include limited editions, classic, or treasure box releases.
TitleRelease datePlatformNotes
Harukanaru Toki no Naka de 2September 28, 2001PS2Ported to Windows in 2002 and PSP in 2005
Harukanaru Toki no Naka de 3December 22, 2004PS2
Harukanaru Toki no Naka de 3September 22, 2005PS2
Harukanaru Toki no Naka de 3March 23, 2006PS2, PSP
Haruka: Beyond the Stream of Time 4
June 19, 2008PS2, PSP, Wii
Haruka: Beyond the Stream of Time 5
February 24, 2011PSP
Haruka: Beyond the Stream of Time 5: Kazahanaki
February 23, 2012PSP
Haruka: Beyond the Stream of Time 6
March 12, 2015PSP, PS Vita, Switch

Adaptations

Manga

The first Haruka: Beyond the Stream of Time game was adapted into a manga series serialized in the Japanese manga magazine LaLa DX. The series was also printed in volumes published by Hakusensha. The manga was illustrated by Tohko Mizuno, who was also the game's character designer.
The manga series was licensed in English by Viz Media as Haruka: Beyond the Stream of Time for serialization in their Shojo Beat magazine as well as tankōbon releases. The Japanese and English editions of the manga both were collected in 17 volumes.
The sixth video game series received a manga adaptation in Kodansha's Aria magazine by the game's character designer Tohko Mizuno in 2015.

Anime

There have been multiple anime adaptations of Haruka: Beyond the Stream of Time. The first OVA Harukanaru Toki no Naka de Ajisai Yumegatari was directed by Iku Suzuki and produced by Zexcs. It was released in 2002 in two episodes and was based on the first video game. Ajisai Yumegatari describes briefly Akane's coming to Kyou and her involvement with the Hachiyou.
An anime television series called Harukanaru Toki no Naka de Hachiyō Shō was produced by Yumeta Company and adapted Mizuno's manga adaptation of the story line of the first game. It was directed by Aki Tsunaki, and aired from 2004 to 2005 for 26 episodes. It was dubbed and released in English as Haruka: Beyond the Stream of Time: A Tale of the Eight Guardians. The anime series was followed by two OVA episodes Ten and Chi. On August 19, 2006, a feature film titled Harukanaru Toki no Naka de Maihitoyo was released.
Other Haruka installments received OVA adaptations. Haruka: Beyond the Stream of Time 2 ~Priestess of the White Dragon~ was produced by Yumeta Company and was released in three episodes from 2003 to 2005, covering the storyline of the second installment of the video game franchise. The third installment received several OVAs: Harukanaru Toki no Naka de 3: Kurenai no Tsuki was released on December 28, 2007 by Yumeta Company and was directed by Toshiya Shinohara. It was released as a single OVA with a bonus "Onsen Chibi special". On January 3, 2010, a sequel Harukanaru Toki no Naka de 3: Owari Naki Unmei was released. It was directed by Shigeru Kimiya.

Movie

A live action movie was also released in early 2008 in Japan.

Other games

The Koei Tecmo crossover game Warriors All-Stars is the first title featuring Haruka series elements to appear in an official release outside of Japan. The game features many characters from across Koei Tecmo's history of games, including the Haruka series itself, with characters from the sixth entry, Hajime Arima and Darius, included as playable. Arima is available as one of the initial playable characters, while Darius can only be unlocked under certain conditions.

Related products

CD

Drama CD

On release, Famitsu magazine scored the Game Boy Advance version of the game a 31 out of 40.
The manga adaptation was generally received poorly, with reviewers recommending other fantasy manga such as Inuyasha or Fushigi Yuugi instead. One reviewer said, "Looking past the fact that the plot is blatant rip-off of Fushigi Yûgi, Haruka is so poorly written as to be almost incomprehensible to anyone who hasn’t played the game." Another stated that "The very ending of the volume, and thereby the series as a whole, suffers from a lack of explanation", but did offer praise for the art, saying "Mizuno's drawings really are a pleasure to look at."