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Last Haruka 3 DVDs Add Long Edition, Multiple Endings

The game and anime producer KOEI announced last Thursday that the climactic Harukanaru Toki no Naka de 3: Owari Naki Unmei (Haruka: Beyond the Stream of Time- 3: The Endless Destiny) television anime will ship in three DVD editions on March 24 in Japan. The Standard Edition DVD will contain the historical fantasy anime's "Dannoura" edition, which will extend the 60-minute television finale to 90 minutes.

The Deluxe Edition DVD will add the Owari Naki Unmei preview special that will run this month, credit-less opening animation, anime footage shown at KOEI's Neoromance events, an exclusive box with illustrated-label DVDs, and postcards with key images from the anime. The Limited Edition DVD will add "multiple love endings" featuring 10 different characters (the eight Hachiyō guardians, Hakuryū, and Tomomori Taira), a full-orchestra soundtrack, and a 16-page color booklet. (The Limited Edition also replaces the Deluxe Edition's anime postcards with ones illustrated by character designer and manga creator Tooko Mizuno.)

The Harukanaru Toki no Naka de 3: Owari Naki Unmei television special is the final anime based on KOEI's Harukanaru Toki no Naka de 3 game. Haruka: Beyond the Stream of Time- (Harukanaru Toki no Naka de) is the second franchise in KOEI's popular Neoromance line of games for female gamers. (The other Neoromance franchises are Angelique and La Corda d'Oro.) The earlier games in the series inspired the 2002-2003 two-volume Harukanaru Toki no Naka de: Ajisai Yumegatari video series and 2003-2005 three-volume Harukanaru Toki no Naka de 2: Shiroki Ryū no Miko video series.

These anime titles led to the 2004-2005 Haruka: Beyond the Stream of Time – A Tale of the Eight Guardians (Harukanaru Toki no Naka de ~Hachiyou Shou~) television series, which Bandai Visual USA (now a label of Bandai Entertainment) licensed for North America. There was also a 2006 Harukanaru Toki no Naka de: Maihitoyo movie and a 2007 Harukanaru Toki no Naka de 3: Kurenai no Tsuki television special. North America's Viz Media publishes Mizuno's Haruka: Beyond the Stream of Time- manga, which she ended in Japan this month. The 60-minute version of Harukanaru Toki no Naka de 3: Owari Naki Unmei will premiere on Japan's AT-X satellite/cable channel on January 3.

Image © Tooko Mizuno/Hakusensha/KOEI Co., Ltd.