Fujiwara no Takamichi

Fujiwara no Takamichi (藤原鷹通) is one of the main 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 Takamichi's character and should not be confused with the gameplay incarnation."

Also known as: nihongo|Ten no Byakko|天の白虎. (Byakko of Heaven)

Basic information

:Takamichi is a young but hard working official within central government of the Emperor's palace in Kyou. His correct title is nihongo|Jibu no Shoushou|治部少丞 (Vice Minister of Civil Administration) and despite his youth he takes his duties very seriously. His position as one of the Hachiyou is discovered after he protects Akane from an attack from the vengeful oni Shirin, and from then on he is a loyal and steadfast companion of Ryuujin No Miko.

:Takamichi holds the position "Ten no Byakko" in the Hachiyou lineup. He also wears glasses, and has trouble seeing clearly without them, a fact Akane discovers when they are broken during a fight. [Harukanaru Toki no Naka De Manga volume 9]

Background and Family

:Although Takamichi has managed to achieve a decent rank in government affairs, and despite the fact he lives in a big (and beautifully landscaped) mansion, his background is not as clear-cut as it at first appears. The illegitimate child of a man of wealth and an unknown woman, Takamichi was brought into the family home after his father's marriage and adopted by his father's new wife, who in turn took him under her wing and treated him as her own son. [Harukanaru Toki no Naka De Manga volume 8-9, Hachiyou Shou Anime (Episode uncertain)] Consequently Takamichi was determined to work as hard as he could to make himself into the kind of son she would be proud of, always conscious that it was not her blood running through his veins. :Sadly, Takamichi's mother died when he was still a teenager [Harukanaru Toki no Naka De Manga volume 8] , leaving him the house and property but no real company to speak of. Despite this, Takamichi pushed on with his goals, determined to keep his promise to his mother to help Kyou in any way he could. Despite her passing, Takamichi still holds his stepmother's memory dear in his heart, which the oni Shirin is more than happy to take advantage of [Harukanaru Toki no Naka De Manga volume 9] . In both the manga and anime, Takamichi's stepmother returns to visit him to tell him the location of the Western Seal, but is captured and imprisoned by Shirin and an onryou, forcing Takamichi to choose between his family and his duty.

Personality

:Takamichi is, at first glance, an all round honourable, nice guy and someone in whom Akane and the Hachiyou can both trust and depend. Even after he has been attacked by Shirin, he still pushes his wounded self into working towards the locating of the seals [Harukanaru Toki no Naka De Manga volume 8] , putting his duty to the Miko above his own well-being (a fact that does not go unnoticed by Tomomasa in particular) [Hachiyou Shou Episode 23] .

:Though hard-working, serious and generally reliable, Takamichi has other facets to his personality, also. He is very protective of Akane, and strongly principled when it comes to conflict, saying on many occasions that fighting women is not something he enjoys doing. After his first encounter with Shirin, despite her treatment of Akane, he tries to help tend the wound he inflicted on her arm (something of which Shirin is not at all appreciative) [Hachiyou Shou Episode 6, Harukanaru Toki no Naka De Manga volume 2] . Despite his desire to protect them, however, Takamichi really doesn't have a good understanding of female minds (something about which Tomomasa takes pleasure in teasing him.) At one point in the anime he is tricked by an onryou and imprisoned until Tomomasa and Yasuaki rescue him, and he has little comprehension of Akane's own feelings, which leaves him often startled and unsettled by the things she does.

:Takamichi's level composure is only generally broken down by someone he cares about being hurt, or by the idea that one of the other Hachiyou might be making more progress with Akane than he is. This is particularly evident after he discovers Yorihisa's fever-induced kiss, [Harukanaru Toki no Naka De Manga volume 12, 13] driving him to act unlike himself (cursing, banging his head on the wall and even shouting) - much to the confusion and/or amusement of his companions.

Relationships with People

:During his acquaintance with her, Takamichi develops a strong fondness for Akane which is both protective and romantic. Unfortunately for him, though Akane trusts him implicitly, she doesn't ever seem to return his emotions (and his inability to read her motives makes him constantly confused). Akane is a girl of the modern world, whereas Takamichi's image of women is somewhat idealistic and set within his own era. Although it seems that within his household he is the only man surrounded by many serving women, it does not appear that he has any interest in seducing or pursuing any of them, and, as time goes on, he fixes his affections solely on Akane - although his way of explaining them to her is always obtuse and in such a way that she doesn't fully understand his true meaning.

:His seriousness means that occasionally he becomes too intense about his work - whether for the Government or for the Miko - and this lays him open to teasing from the others. Tomomasa in particular takes great delight in teasing Takamichi about his lack of prowess or expertise with women, often asking him irrelevant questions about his choice in girls when Takamichi wants to discuss something more serious. [Hachiyou Shou Episode 17] Despite Tomomasa's playing about, however, it seems Takamichi generally respects and looks up to his elder, seeing him as somewhat of a confidant. From time to time he even mentions that advice Tomomasa had given him had come in handy. [Harukanaru Toki no Naka De Manga volume 2/Hachiyou Shou Episode 6, Hachiyou Shou Episode 17] Equally, when Takamichi is injured, Tomomasa makes sure that he gets the rest he needs without belittling Takamichi's pride and making him feel like he's being a burden [Hachiyou Shou Episode 23] . It is probably true to say that of all the characters Tomomasa has the best understanding of Takamichi's nature, describing him as a "goodhearted person" and one loyal enough to "completely care for a woman he loved", but also that he is "young", "likes to have control" and "feigns self confidence to cover the fact he lacks it." [Hachiyou Shou Episode 17]

:As regards the other Hachiyou, Takamichi has a good general relationship with all of them, not being the kind of person who easily puts people's backs up. He is very polite, referring to everyone (even Inori and Shimon) with the suffix "dono" - including Akane, who he calls "Miko-dono". However, more recently in the manga his affection for Akane has caused him to clash uncharacteristically with others, including a full-out argument with Tenma [Harukanaru Toki no Naka De Manga vol 13]

:Takamichi also has an ongoing rivalry with the oni Shirin, who developed a dislike of him after he refused to be so easily captured by her beauty. Takamichi's insistence on tending her wounds after their first battle also made her resentful of him, and the two of them have clashed many times in both the manga and the anime. The deeper reasons for Shirin's overt hostility towards Takamichi are never fully explained.

Other Information

:"The closing song to episode 20 is Kazemachizuki ni Fuku Kaze wa (Takamichi's Hachiyou Shou image song), sung by Takamichi's seiyuu Nakahara Shigeru"

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