Tachibana no Tomomasa

nihongo|Tachibana no Tomomasa|橘友雅 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 Tomomasa's character and should not be confused with the gameplay incarnation."

Also known as: nihongo|Chi no Byakko|地の白虎. (Byakko of Earth)

Basic information

:Tomomasa is the oldest of the Hachiyou, and already a confirmed bachelor figure at the age of 31, despite his frequent pursuit of many of the ladies of court. An important member of the Imperial military (his actual rank is nihongo|Shoushou| 少将 (General), he is also a trusted ally and occasional messenger of the Emperor himself, as well as being closely interlinked with Fuji-hime's family. When Akane arrives in Kyou, she interrupts a discussion between Fuji-hime and Tomomasa, who is concealed from sight by a screen. [Harukanaru Toki no Naka De Manga Volume 1/Hachiyou Shou Episode 1] Consequently Tomomasa is the first Hachiyou that Akane meets - although she does not realise it when she later meets him in the street a second time.

:Tomomasa holds the position "Chi no Byakko" (Byakko of Earth), although he openly admits that he has no real interest in Ryuujin no Miko and Kyou's fate beyond his duty to his sovereign. [Hachiyou Shou Anime: Episode unconfirmed] Probably because of this fact, although he is the first Hachiyou Akane meets, he is last one to receive his Dragon jewel. In the anime, he receives the gem after they rescue Akane and Ran from Akuram's grip [Hachiyou Shou Episode 13] , whereas in the anime it is when he intervenes with an onryou, again to protect Ran. [Harukanaru Toki no Naka De Manga Volume 6]

:Whether or not he suspects he might be one of Akane's chosen can be speculated, since he realises early on that he can see the other Hachiyou's Dragon jewels even when other people cannot. [Harukanaru Toki no Naka De Manga Volume 5] He is still heavily involved in the Hachiyou's business even before he receives his jewel.

Background and Family

:Tomomasa's background is unclear. He is umarried, and is quite open about the fact that he would make an unsuitable husband because he's the kind of person who'd like to stray. [Harukanaru Toki no Naka De Manga Volume 6] It is clear that he comes from a well-born family, as he has a surname, (unlike Inori, who does not).

:He has been connected with Fuji-hime's family for some time, and it is even hinted in the manga that Fuji-hime had a crush on him (and may still do). [Harukanaru Toki no Naka De Manga Volume 2] . Tenma also tries to convince Ran that Tomomasa is going to marry Fuji-hime, but there is no actual evidence in the manga or the anime to suggest any such link exists. However, probably on account of his position, he is allowed intimate access to the Sadaijin's property and generally protects Fuji-hime where need be.

:In the manga special chapter of volume 14 it is also suggested that Tomomasa was once friendly to some degree with Oono Suefumi before his death at the hands of his brothers during his dance. [Harukanaru Toki no Naka De Manga Volume 14] It was Tomomasa who first reached Suefumi after his collapse, and tried in vain to help him - it is also Tomomasa who recognises Suefumi's onryou form even though it has been ten years since the man's death. [Harukanaru Toki No Naka De: Maihitoyo] Even at the age of 21, Tomomasa was already in the Emperor's military service.

Personality

:Tomomasa is mischievous, flirtatious and somewhat hedonistic in his outward appearance, often causing the more hot-tempered Tenma to lose his cool (at one point ending up with a fist in the face for his trouble!). He is extremely clever, and puts out the impression that he is apathetic to Kyou's political situation, even if the city is on the verge of collapse. [Hachiyou Shou Episode 17] Although an officer of the military, he dresses flamboyantly and is generally found holding a fan, which he uses as a tool in his seduction or play-flirting with women.

:Although he seems lazy and irresponsible, Tomomasa is not as unreliable as he first appears. He is a talented strategist and although he spends a lot of time manipulating women to suit his own ends, he also understands them far better than the majority of the other Hachiyou. Unfortunately, this means that they often fall into his trap whether he wants them to or not - the most significant example being Tenma's sister Ran who falls in love with him after he shows her some kindness and understanding. He is also a good military leader and is capable of being serious when the circumstances arise - being just as deft with his sword in battle as he is his fan in the flirting game.

:Tomomasa is also trustworthy with an ability to keep his objectivity in difficult circumstances, and this is why the Emperor relies on him so much. When Eisen is summoned to risk his life to exorcise the eight-stringed Kin and free Akane from its spell, Tomomasa tells him that he's not sure he's such a loyal servant to the Emperor as to die for his sake - pointing out that he's knowingly taking the Emperor's brother to a potential death. [Hachiyou Shou Episode 10, Harukanaru Toki no Naka De Manga Volume 4] However, he also tells Eisen that he has faith in him to survive, even claiming that if he's wrong, he'll give up women and become a monk in Eisen's place.

Relationships with People

:Though Tomomasa is not particularly interested in saving Kyou, he is fond of Akane and often teases and flirts with her, usually when Tenma is around to get angry about it. His own feelings for Akane are difficult to discern due to his play-talk and his dislike of actually opening up to people to reveal what he is truly thinking. However, when telling Ran that he has no feelings for her, it seems clear that he is actually thinking of Akane.

:Since he has been in the Emperor's service so long as he has, Tomomasa is well acquainted with Eisen and the political situation which led him to become a monk. Tomomasa's relationship with the Emperor seems to be especially close, and he is occasionally described as his "confidant" as well as his General. It is to Tomomasa that the Emperor entrusted Eisen's safety when he became a monk and ducked out of the political situation (although it seems doubtful that Eisen is aware of this fact). However, despite his orders, Tomomasa is amused by the romantic stumbling of his younger companions, and he pays keen attention to Eisen's developing attraction to Akane as much for the delight of gossip with the Emperor as to follow his orders. [Hachiyou Shou Episode 19]

:He is also well acquainted with Takamichi, in whose love life he seems to take an inordinate amount of interest. [Hachiyou Shou Episode 6] He delights in teasing Tenma, and more recently in the manga has taken to teasing Yorihisa as well, having apparently discovered the secret of the fevered kiss. [Harukanaru Toki no Naka De Manga Volume 13]

:In a military sense, Yorihisa ranks below him and Tomomasa will often give Yorihisa instructions - however he will also defend the samurai when it comes to his judgement, pointing out to Akane that if Yorihisa did not draw his sword on a moment's notice, someone might get hurt who should be protected. [Hachiyou Shou episode 2]

:Tomomasa is not averse to using sneaky methods to discover or achieve the things he wants and has been known to ply his comrades with alcohol to get them to reveal secrets that he can later use to his advantage. [Harukanaru Toki no Naka De Manga Volume 10, 13] Though he pretends to be more casual than he is, he actually has a razor-sharp understanding of those around him, a fact which his wicked streak finds hard not to abuse.

Other Information

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