 | | ▪ | RELEASED BY: | | BANDAI VISUAL USA | | | ▪ | ASPECT RATIO: | | 16:9 ANAMORPHIC WIDESCREEN | | | ▪ | AUDIO: | | JAPANESE DD 2.0 W/ ENGLISH SUBTITLES | | | ▪ | RUNNING TIME: | | 52 MIN | | | ▪ | RATING: | | 13UP | | | ▪ | RELEASE DATE: | | 04/22/2006 | | | ▪ | REVIEW DATE: | | 03/27/2008 | | | ▪ | REVIEWED BY: | | HOLLY ELLINGWOOD |
Inspired by the original video game Harakunaru Toki no Naka De and subsequent manga series by Tohko Mizuno, Haruka – Beyond the Stream of Time proves to be a promising fantasy masterpiece. Set in the Heian era in Japan, the capital’s sacred wards have been broken by the Demon clan that threatens not only invasions, but annihilation. With no more mystical protection, the people in the capital look to a prophecy foretelling the arrival of the Priestess of the Dragon God. She will be their only hope for salvation. Akane finds herself dragged from modern day Japan to this distant past, she was given the Eight Sacred Dragon Jewels and has unwittingly become that priestess. But it wasn’t the good guys who summoned her…
A marvelous new series the likes of Fushigi Yuugi, Haruka promises a tale of high adventure, heroic deeds, and a young woman who must save a nation with the help of eight heroes. The first two episodes follow the manga fairly closely while gathering the eight guardians to her more quickly than the books as the anime is 26 episodes and must move things along at a faster pace. A simple school trip to see the cherry blossoms finds Akane, along with her classmate Tenma and younger friend Shimon, suddenly dragged to the ancient past and into magical adventure and great danger. Akram of the Demon clan has summoned the girl as the Priestess of the Dragon God in order to crush the capital once and for all. Although his cruelty is immediately evident to Akane, she nevertheless finds herself drawn to the enigmatic man and his compelling voice. Her awakening to her power and her destiny is one that happens quickly. The destructive force of the dragon within her frightens Akane. To have it gone she must gather all eight guardians in order to fully release her powers and save Japan let alone return home to her own time with her two friends. But things aren’t strictly black and white. The demons aren’t necessarily monsters. It seems they were once foreigners with different ways and coloring who were perhaps harshly rejected by the citizens of the capital. A deep grudge was born and it is one that Akram will only see washed away with the blood of the guilty and innocent alike. As much as his villainy is self-evident, the prejudice and violence against people who are different is seen immediately with how people react to Shimon’s blonde hair and light eyes. There could perhaps be a vein of truth to Akram’s grudge which only makes his ability to lure Akane to him that much stronger. A rich fantasy, the animation shows a vitality in colors that has to be experienced to truly understand. Rich and flowing, the animation style has an elegance added to the original manga designs that is involving and a pleasure to watch. The creativity of the visual manifestations of the different powers of the guardians is interesting. They seem to be based on the elements such as wind and earth. It will be intriguing to discover what powers the various eight have as well as Akram and any who serve him. The score was subtle and well done but music-wise it is the opening and ending themes which stood out for me. The opening “Haruka Kimi no Moto e” is sung by three members of the Japanese voice cast including Tomokazu Seki (Tenma), Naozumi Takahashi (Inori) and Kouki Miyata (Shimon). It is a solid pop song that has an immediately engaging tune and great vocals with involving animation sequences. It imparts the energy and anticipation of the adventure to come. The ending theme, “flowin’ – Ukigumo-“ is also sung by the Japanese voice cast, this time Yuu Asakawa (Sefle) and Houku Kuwashima (Ran). This is also a great J-pop song to enjoy and features Heian-styled character illustrations of the characters.
EXTRAS:
Bonus features include next episode trailers. IN SUMMARY:
Haruka: Beyond the Stream of Time is a promising fantasy epic for anime fans. If you loved Fushigi Yuugi you will enjoy Haruka immensely. It is a must have for fans of the romantic fantasy adventure genre.
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