Motomiya Akane

Motomiya Akane nihongo|元宮あかね|Motomiya Akane is the default player characters from Koei and Ruby Party's popular neoromance game Harukanaru Toki no Naka De which was serialised into a manga and subsequently an anime series. "This page discusses the anime/manga rendition of Akane's character and should not be confused with the gameplay incarnation."

Also known as: nihongo|Ryuujin no Miko|龍神の神子. (Priestess of the Dragon God)

Basic information

:Akane is an average, happy High school student in Kyouto who finds herself pulled into another world by the powerful Oni Clan leader, Akuram. On her arrival in the city of Heian Kyou, Akane discovers that she has been selected to act as Ryuujin no Miko, the Priestess who is needed to save Kyou from conflict and disaster. Surrounded by her protectors, the Hachiyou, and advised by the daughter of the Hoshi no Ichizoku (Star Clan) Fuji, Akane slowly learns to adapt to her new environment and begins to learn about her new purpose in the city of Kyou.

Personality

:Akane is a fairly average young girl with a cheerful, bubbly personality and a strong sense of right and wrong. She also has a big heart and is very empathic, a fact which brings her both joy and frustration over the course of the series. At many points she doubts in her ability to save the city of Kyou, because she does not fully understand the power Ryuujin has given her and on a couple of occasions it rails out of her control, leaving her frightened to use it again. [Harukanaru Toki no Naka De Hachiyou Episode 1, Manga volume 1]

:One of Akane's key characteristics is the fact that she is not easily swayed by other people's judgements or opinions. Even in her own world, she chose to befriend the surly, bad-tempered Tenma and the bullied Shimon despite the fact that other people were giving them a hard time. On one occasion she even stood up to the bullies on Shimon's behalf, even though it put her in harm's way to do so. [Hachiyou Episode 18] It is also Akane's decision to stay in Kyou and fight alongside the Hachiyou, even though Tenma is initially against the idea of getting involved.

:On arriving in Kyou, Akane's way of seeing things remains the same, since she harbours a crush on the demon leader Akuram from almost the first time they meet and, despite all the bad things he does, she cannot shake it fully from her thoughts. [Hachiyou Shou Episode 3/4] Consequently, at the end of the series, she is resolved to help both the Oni Clan and the people of Kyou to find common ground by summoning Ryuujin and risking her own life. [Hachiyou Shou Episode 24-6]

:Tenma describes Akane as clumsy and overly eager to trust in people, leaving herself in danger as a result. [Hachiyou Shou Episode 14] This is one of the reasons he cites for his desire to always watch over her and protect her, as Akane is prone to doing impulsive things to help out others without thinking of the consequences for herself. A key example of this is her desire to help free Tenma's sister Ran from the Oni Clan's clutches, which results in her also being taken as a hostage and the Hachiyou having to come to her rescue.

:Akane is quick to forgive and dislikes fighting among the Hachiyou, particularly between Yorihisa (who she relies on for protection) and Tenma (who is her old friend). She also defends Shimon on many occasions against Inori and other townspeople who believe his blond hair and blue eyes makes him one of the Oni Clan. Despite the fact that Shimon's presence in Kyou occasionally makes for a difficult situation, Akane is steadfast in her friendship and sticks by him. She also wants to help Tenma's sister despite the number of times Ran has been used by the Oni Clan to hurt her or her companions.

Akane and the Hachiyou

:Despite the fact that the original game centred on Akane forming relationships with the eight Hachiyou characters, it is never fully clear in either the manga or the animated series whether or not she has any partiality for any of her eight guardians. Although her crush on Akuram is often highlighted, she seems to see the Hachiyou for the most part as close friends, and is even embarrassed by Tenma when he tells her that he loves her.

:In the manga, following the fevered kiss by Yorihisa, Akane seems to register for the first time that the Hachiyou who surround her are all men and she begins to doubt or worry about their motives towards her - even suspecting that Yorihisa's awkward demeanour around people may be a front. For the most part, in the anime, Akane does not seem to realise that her Hachiyou are one by one forming emotional attachments to her. In the manga, more is made of these attachments, but to date, despite the fact she and Yorihisa have kissed, there is no firm indication as to whether or not she will make a choice.

:Akane's way of viewing the Hachiyou differs from character to character. She sees Yasuaki as childlike at times, which is clearly given strength in the manga when Yasuaki confesses to her that he thinks he's broken. Because of this fact, Akane makes allowances for him that the others maybe don't understand - such as allowing him to carry her home on his back even though it raises several eyebrows when they arrive back at Sadaijin's estate. Yasuaki's affection for Akane can probably be seen in the same light - for although he says he loves her, it is difficult to know whether Yasuaki's understanding of love and friendship is sophisticated enough at that point to differentiate between the two.

:Akane's relationship with Tenma is the most clearly given, for though Tenma tells Akane he loves her, Akane only ever refers to them as really good friends. Although others of the Hachiyou suspect there may be more to their connection, Akane does not seem to want to pursue a relationship with Tenma because she still has feelings for Akuram. However, in the manga, after the kiss with Yorihisa, Akane seeks Tenma out and asks him if he still feels the same way about her. [Harukanaru Toki no Naka De Manga Volume 13]

:Akane treats both Shimon and Inori as younger brothers for the most part, despairing of their initial squabbling as she tries to make them work together. Because Shimon is naturally retiring, she probably spends more time defending him than she ever needs to with Inori - however she often teases and banters with him about things, in a very brother-sister style way (for example when he makes comments about Tenma liking her, and she reacts by telling him not to talk like he knows everything). She has no idea that Shimon harbours romantic feelings for her, as he himself only voices them clearly (to Inori) in volume 13 of the manga [Harukanaru Toki no Naka De Manga Volume 13] .

:Akane relies on Tomomasa's experience for guidance and advice, although she is often left uncomfortable and confused by his play-flirting and his hedonistic attitude to life and his comrades. Despite his royal birth, Akane also views Eisen simply as another friend, and she admires his musical skill and his gentleness while seemingly unaware of his developing feelings for her.

:Akane's relationship with Takamichi is less clear-cut. While she often calls on him for information about Kyou's culture, society and government, she seems to see him in an entirely platonic light (a fact which Takamichi himself does not begin to realise until after he learns of Yorihisa's fevered kiss). It can perhaps be said that Akane sees Takamichi as a safe ally, for it is him she confides the truth of Yorihisa's actions before any of the others, and his advice she seeks for dealing with it. However, Takamichi's serious nature and idealised view of women makes it difficult for him to realise that this is as far as their relationship goes.

:Akane's relationship with Yorihisa begins badly, since on her arrival in Kyou she almost finds herself facing his blade. However, as time goes on, she realises that he is not either frightening or unkind, but simply awkward in his dealings with other people. At one point in the anime she tells him that she wants to see his kind face sometimes, too, and she comes to rely on him implicitly when it comes to matters of safety. Yorihisa, for his part, slowly begins to blur the line between his duty and his fondness for Akane, even breaking down his barriers to tell her something about his life. Yorihisa is to date the only Hachiyou that Akane has kissed, albeit under the influence of his self-induced fever. Akane's true feelings about this are not clear, for although she was flustered and unsettled by it's occurance, she also forgave him quite quickly.

Animated Akane vs gameplay

In gameplay, Ryuujin no Miko was designed as the central character and could be given any name according to the player's wishes. The name Motomiya Akane is actually the default name for this character and the name the game gives her if another name is not chosen in the meantime. Ryuujin no Miko, as the player character, was also not voiced in any of the game releases. For this reason, Kawakami Tomoko's voice of the Miko is unique to Drama CD and anime releases featuring Akane. Consequently Akane has no character image songs although she is the central character in the story.

References

External links

* [http://www.gamecity.ne.jp/neoromance/ Neoromance official site]
* [http://www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/anime/haruka/ TV Tokyo website]
* [http://haruka8tv.gamecity.ne.jp/ Haruhachi Koei official fansite]
*ann anime|id=4484|title=Harukanaru Toki no Naka de Hachiyō Shō