- The Japanese romanization is used for this wiki because the games themselves have not been localized in the West.
The Harukanaru Toki no Naka de (遙かなる時空の中で; literal: "Within a Distant Time") series is a romantic adventure video game series developed by Ruby Party for female audiences. Being the second entry of the Neoromance series, the characters are designed and illustrated by Tohko Mizuno.
Serving as a deliberate contrast to Angelique, the Harukanaru Toki no Naka de series takes inspiration from Eastern themes. Each entry incorporates elements from different periods of Japanese history or mythology. In order to stay true to the theme, several titles are additionally reliant on ancient Indian or Chinese theologies and myths. The first Harukanaru Toki no Naka de took advantage of the popularity boom for Heian period based media, instantly becoming a hit with female consumers. The first two games featured characters who were roughly based on historical facts or stories. Starting in Harukanaru Toki no Naka de 3, actual historical or mythological figures became part of the cast albeit with more unique characterizations.
Various Ruby Party developers have replied that the series began as an attempt to satisfy pleas received from fan surveys. A majority of the responses requested for a title that featured a new cast of characters and made use of role-playing game elements. As such, each Harukanaru Toki no Naka de installment changes their cast to provide a different setting, story, and tone than the previous title. Random battles and a loose leveling system are included as part of the game mechanics, giving players an easy-to-play RPG experience. While the first two installments limit where players are supposed to go in the story, the later entries enable them to roam freely in each available area before proceeding with the main scenario. The adventure-like game flow has remained a prominent aspect of the series to distinguish itself from other Neoromance entries.
Ayako Tsukaguchi, a Ruby Party developer, noted that the development team wanted to create individual narratives for the characters to further contrast Angelique (which have the protagonists mainly interact with one another to create romantic ties or friendships). Choosing to focus on a single character would alter the entire story structure to focus more on them, potentially omitting or altering events that would normally occur. Stories remain romantic, but the staff wanted to add "a feeling of loss and tragedy" for each character. The main protagonist follows the proactive concept of consoling and encouraging a character, helping them solve their individual problems for their endings. These protagonists may not always speak with an audible voice, but their selective text responses are quite vocal compared to other Neoromance titles.
Setting
Though characters and eras may change, there are some crucial elements that are kept intact within for every entry. Each game takes place in a parallel world, mainly focusing on a land that behaves similarly to Japan. Two dragon gods have constructed this world, keeping equilibrium by gently watching over its inhabitants. One dragon is known as the White Dragon, the embodiment of yang and ruler of the five elements. Its opposite or yin counterpart, is the Black Dragon who is gifted with the power to grant respite to the world. When the two dragons combine their strengths, they are known as Yinglong, a guardian of the world's capital. Those within the dragons' blessings are granted a life of unmistakable serenity.
The dragon gods choose to watch the world from afar, being unwilling and incapable of meddling with human affairs. If humanity disturbs the peaceful balance, the five elements will be led astray and hazardous irregularities appear within the world as a result. These distortions may corrupt various residing deities and spirits, transforming them into vengeful spirits (怨霊, Onryō). People may also cast curses on one another and defile their spirits. These defilements have been known to cause pestilence, famine, and despair. Those afflicted by it for too long end up succumbing to death.
To restore the balance, each dragon god will endow their powers to a young girl. These dragons only choose those who they find to be trustworthy and may test their inheritor's willpower. Should they not find a girl within their world, the dragon god will traverse through time to find her. Once she is located, they make her their priestess and form an instinctive bond with them. If the girl wishes and prays strongly, the gods will answer her. Due to her powers, each dragon priestess is seen as an honorable living treasure within the parallel world.
The main protagonists in the series —except for the sixth entry— each act as their era's White Dragon Priestess. She possesses the power to seal vengeful spirits and purify defilements. Additionally, she has the innate ability to control the five elements by personally exploring the parallel world. Since the White Dragon Priestess is a magnet for attracting malevolent spirits, the White Dragon has his four servants act as her aides. Eight men are entrusted with the powers of these four deities, personifying both the Heavenly and Earthly aspects of each god. They represent the eight trigrams and are referred to as the Eight Guardians. Once a trusting bond has been established between them, both the priestess and guardians can unleash their true powers to defeat their adversaries.
Timeline
Like the series' name suggests, each installment takes place in a different time era that replicates various points in Japan's history.
Ancient Japan
A mythological setting with no specified year.
Heian & Kamakura Periods
Takes place somewhere between 1185 and 1333.
Sengoku Jidai
Takes place somewhere between 1568 and 1603.
Bakumatsu
Takes place somewhere between 1853 and 1869.
Taishō Period
Takes place somewhere between 1912 and 1926.
Multiple Periods
Covers more than one particular period.
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Heavenly Realm
A fictional setting that takes place in the dream world.
Name Usage
The game's Japanese romanization varies between different official sources. They include Harukanaru Tokinonakade, Haruka naru tokino nakade, Harukanaru Tokino Nakade, or Harukanaru Toki no Nakade. The animated TV series, the comic adaptation of the first entry, and Warriors All-Stars lists the official English localized title as Haruka: Beyond the Stream of Time. It is also officially abbreviated as Haruka (遙か).
Related Media
Harukanaru Toki no Naka de has several live events, publications, and drama CDs dedicated the franchise. A fan mook series, Haruka Tsushin, was made to cover characters who appeared in the first three games.
The comic adaptation of the first game was drawn by the series' character designer and published in Lala, concluding in seventeen volumes and translated into English by Viz Media as a part of their Shojo Beat lineup. Short stories for the other installments are included within select comic volumes in Japan. Mizuno's illustrations for the games and comics up to 2014 have been compiled into an illustration book.
A parody DVD was made for the series. Characters found throughout the games interact with one another in "what-if?" scenarios. The latest series' live event was a collaboration with Hotel Takeshina. Series regulars Kazuhiko Inoue and Soichiro Hoshi acted as the hosts to fans who reserved tickets for the dinner talk show.
Karaoke no Tetsujin hosted a collaboration for the five main installments in their own private rooms.
External Links
- Official Forum (Japanese)
- Official Book Publication Listing (Japanese)
- Official CD Publication Listing (Japanese)
- Official Facebook Profile (Japanese)
- Official X Profile (Japanese)