is a Japanese series about a young girl who grows older into an adult, and an adult woman who becomes younger, turning into a child. It first began as a manga series authored by J-ta Yamada, which started serialization in the Japanese manga magazine Comic Blade Masamune on March 3 2005. Since then, the series has been adapted into an anime series which began airing in Japan on October 5 2006, produced by J.C.Staff.

Plot

Asatte no Hōkō follows the lives of Karada Iokawa, a young girl who is set to join junior high school after summer is over, and Shōko Nogami, a young woman who has just returned from studying abroad, who also happens to be the former girlfriend of Karada's older brother. The day Shōko returns, she is dragged by Karada to the beach with her brother and a couple of their friends since she used to know Karada's brother Hiro several years before. After becoming irritated with Hiro for leaving her alone in the United States, she purposefully tells Karada that her ribbons are childish. This upset her greatly because she doesn't like to be treated as a child. Later that same day, Karada is found by Shōko praying at a shrine, wishing to become older. Amazingly, Karada's wish becomes true and she instantly transforms into a young woman. Incidentally, Shōko then has her adulthood taken away from her and she reverts back to about eleven years old.

Characters

Karada is a cheerful young girl who is about to enter her first year of junior high school. Her parents died when she was two years old, and has since lived together with her older brother, Hiro. She looks younger than she really is and wishes to grow up faster, due to hating being treated like a child. She has also learned how to cook and do house chores herself, due to her not wanting to worry Hiro. Her friend and classmate, Tetsumasa, seems to have feelings for her. She finds out that Hiro wasn't her older brother before her parents died.

Shōko is a young woman who has just recently returned from overseas in the United States. She first meets Karada at the shrine that contained fated wishing stone. She used to be Hiro's girlfriend, whom she met while in America and it seems that they were very close. Hiro told her that he would return right after the funeral, but she waited for months and then she received a letter saying he would not be coming back. Also, she did not know Hiro had a younger sister.

Hiro is a young man who was Shōko's boyfriend when he was studying abroad. They went to the same university in Boston. One day he had to leave in order to attend to his parents' funeral, but never came back as he had to stay in Japan to take care of his sister, Karada. Several months later he sent a letter to Shōko that said he would never come back, without explaining the reason.

It is later revealed that he isn't Karada's older brother, and he met her for the first time at her parents' funeral. He thought that he would return to America right after the funeral, but he couldn't leave her alone.

He works in a pharmacy.

Often called just "Tetsu", he is Karada's classmate and one of her closest friends. Tetsu is quite tall, joking that he is sometimes mistaken for a high school student. It is implied that he likes Karada - when Karada "went missing" after she became older, he ran all over town to find her.

Tōko is Tetsu's older sister, who is also a friend of Karada and Hiro. She works at the coffee house Hiro often visits.

Tetsu and Tōko's relative, a spunky, spontaneous young girl who is very scantly dressed. Although she talks smoothly near Tetsu's mother, outside of her hearing she is another person. She is an original character in the anime and thus was never in the manga version.

Media

Manga

The Asatte no Hōkō manga, written and illustrated by J-ta Yamada was serialized from March 3 2005 to June 15 2007 in Mag Garden's monthly Comic Blade Masamune magazine, and spanned five volumes, with the final volume released on September 9 2007. Compared to the anime adapted from it, the manga includes more personal drama between the leads, and introduces several more characters who are also vying for the Wishing Stone. It also clarifies several points which are left ambiguous in the anime, such as the precise nature of the relationship between Hiro and Karada.

Anime

An anime adaptation, produced by J.C.Staff and directed by Katsushi Sakurabi, premiered across Japan on October 5 2006 on TBS.

Episodes

#	Title	Original air date

Theme songs

Opening theme:

• Lyrics: BABY FAZE, Arrangement: Kaoru Okubo, Composition: Michio Igasa, Performance: SuaraEnding theme:

• Lyrics and composition: Yuumao, Arrangement: Tomoki Kikuya, Performance: YuumaoImage albums

The first image album featuring the character Karada Iokawa was released on December 6 2006 by Lantis. The second album featuring the character Shōko Nogami was released on January 11 2007 in Japan.

References

External links

• TBS' official website on the anime