Manga Summaries Disclaimer:
I am not fluent in Japanese and thus these summaries may have large gaps of incomprehension or portions which are incorrect. I apologize in advance and encourage you to email me if you find an error or can fill in a gap. These summaries may contain SPOILERS for the series. Please do not reproduce these summaries in whole or in part without gaining my written permission first.
Title: Ashita no Tamago Volume 1
Author: Tachibana Kaimu
Publisher: Asuka Comics (Kadokawa)
ISBN: 4-04-924801-8
Price: 400 yen
First Published: 12/14/1999
Cover: (Front) Makoto and Yuusuke with guns
(Back) Makoto, Yuusuke, and Tama-Pyo
Contents:
Step 1 - 5
Nanikakou
Step 1
It was just a normal day for high school student Katsuya Makoto. Normal until the earthquake... When it is over, Makoto looks up and sees a gigantic... egg-shaped... something staring at him. It sticks its tongue out at him and then vanishes. Trying to ignore it, he goes to a bookstore, where he feels another earthquake. He runs outside only to run straight into another young man who looked at him, asks if he is Katsuya Makoto, and then hugs him! Makoto is shocked and pushes the guy away, running for dear life.
When he returns home he sees his mother waiting at the dinner table with last night's dinner wrapped up in saran wrap. She greets him and gets up, throwing out the food and leaving to pick up food for the night's dinner. Makoto goes upstairs and remembers the fight his parent had last night, then wonders if this is what happens to people who love each other... when what should he feel but another earthquake!
Makoto runs downstairs and tells his mom, who blinks and says she hasn't felt anything. He blinks and goes back up to his room, only to find it in disarray after the earthquake. And there's yet another one! Makoto hides under his pillow while an egg-shaded... thing falls into the room and the young man from before appears, greeting Makoto as "Gramps." Makoto protests he's only 17 and then the young man kisses him on both cheeks.
Makoto freezes and shoves the young man away, calling him a pervert, while the young man insists that he needs Makoto's help. The two start fighting when Makoto's best friend, Shiroishi Momoka stops by...
...and sees the two in a rather compromising position on the bed...
She teases Makoto about this for a little while Makoto gets really pissed off, and then the young man formally introduces himself as Katsuya Yuusuke. He says he is Makoto's grandson, come from the future because his father (Makoto's son) is in trouble. Yuusuke's father worked with a company that developed time machines, and these were rented out to people who wanted to remedy something in their pasts. However, these people cannot return! Because of this, Yuusuke's father was arrested. He told Yuusuke to find Makoto, using the time machine - the egg-shaped thing (called Tama-Pyo).
Yuusuke reiterates the request for Makoto's help. Momoka agrees for Makoto, who is still angry that Yuusuke keeps calling him "Gramps" ...
Step 2
Later that night, Makoto is lounging in his bed and going over the day's strange events. His thoughts then turn to Ayako, the girl he has a crush on. He finally falls asleep and has a strange image of a man tell him "In order to love, you must first trust yourself."
Makoto wakes up with a start only to realize he's late for school! He runs out when an older man asks him for directions. Makoto helps him out and then scurries off to school. When he arrives at the classroom, it's empty, and he remembers that they have kendo practice that morning. He runs off again, seeing a vision of the man in his dreams in the hallway, when he runs into Ayako. He helps her up when they feel an earthquake and she falls into his arms. He holds her protectively but when the earthquake is over, she blushes and apologizes.
Makoto goes to the gym for kendo practice. He's very good and disarms his opponent with a single move, much to the adoration of the girls and grumbles of the guys. His next opponent, whom he doesn't recognize, manages to disarm him rather speedily, much to his anger. He's only more pissed off to realize it's Yuusuke, who asks him to meet in one of the local parks. Momoka is also surprised to see Yuusuke, and Ayako wonders who this person is, saying, "He's cool..." Makoto is NOT happy.
At the park, Makoto demands to know why Ayako came along with Momoka when there is (yet another) earthquake and Tama-Pyo lands right in front of them. Makoto shakes Yuusuke for startling them but Ayako thinks the time machine is the cutest thing in the world. Yuusuke invites them for a ride, and afterwards, Makoto, Momoka and Ayako and on the ground throwing up. Yuusuke realizes (belatedly) that it's probably because they feel several G's while traveling through time, giving Makoto more excuses to yell at him.
Yuusuke invites them all on a date to an amusement park. Momoka realizes what's up although the other two are rather clueless. Ayako says that Momoka can be Makoto's date while she can be Yuusuke's, and Makoto complains that it should be the other way around.
Meanwhile, the older man Makoto helped out earlier is standing around, looking lost...
Step 3
Makoto dresses up in front of a mirror, grinning at his reflection.
Elsewhere, Ayako is looking through her closet, unable to decide what to wear. Her mother comes in with a box and a bouquet and says, confusedly, that it's from someone named "Yuusuke".
At the park, Makoto is waiting when Momoka shows up in a nice dress. She asks Makoto how she looks, and gets annoyed when he doesn't say anything. Makoto is distracted because Ayako shows up in another beautiful dress. He compliments her on the dress, making Momoka frustrated, until Ayako says that the dress came from Yuusuke. Momoka says that her own dress came from Yuusuke, and Ayako's smile fades when she realizes she's not unique. Makoto isn't too happy about this but has little time to consider things because (guess what?) another earthquake hits.
Oddly enough, only they can feel the earthquake - some children playing nearby don't even look up. Yuusuke appears and compliments both girls, saying, "This is what they mean by having a flower in both hands." Makoto is pissed off but Yuusuke blithely ignores him, giving HIM a box and a bouquet as well! The box contains clothing and Makoto looks rather dorky wearing them (the girls chuckle at his outfit.)
They go to the amusement park and ride one of the roller coasters, which leaves Makoto and Ayako dizzy. Yuusuke is baffled and tells them that the G-forces on a roller coaster are similar to those from the time machine.
In order to let everyone recover, Yuusuke gives them a list of people stuck in the past. One of them is an elderly man who is the president of a large company. While they ponder things, Ayako goes and gets lunch (burgers, fries, and soda) for everyone. She then sits down next to Yuusuke who drinks some of the soda - and promptly goes limp, leaning on her shoulder! However, it appears he only fell asleep, pissing off Makoto for the umpteenth time.
Makoto looks around when he suddenly sees the old man he gave directions too. What's more, he recognizes the man as being one of the people stuck in the past. Momoka and Makoto run off after him but Ayako stays behind to watch over Yuusuke.
Makoto and Momoka catch up with the elderly man (Fujita Ichirou) but he doesn't want to return yet. He came to the past to find his first love. When he was a little boy, the girl he liked once dropped a set of seals (stamps) and he picked it up. However, he was too embarrased to return them to her, and then she moved away before he could gather up his courage. He buried the seals so that he could find the later. He wants to return the seals but he can't figure out where he buried them. Makoto and Momoka decide to help him.
Meanwhile, Ayako happily watches over the sleeping Yuusuke when a strange man walks up and picks up Yuusuke despite her protests. He walks off with Yuusuke slung over his shoulder, Ayako giving chase...
Step 4
Yuusuke slowly wakes up and wonders if he's in the time machine. A strange person appears right in front of his face, scaring him, until he realizes...it's his dad... except that he's wearing a wig and glasses and looks rather strange. Yuusuke assumes it is all just a dream, much to his father's dismay. Apparently when Yuusuke drinks coffee he falls asleep and gets nightmares (go figure.) The man who 'kidnapped' Yuusuke, Kataoka, is also there, and appears to be Yuusuke's father's bodyguard. Yuusuke is warned the the police also have a new time machine and that he should be careful.
Makoto, Momoka, and Fujita return to where they were eating lunch to find a distraught Ayako. She tells them Yuusuke was kidnapped, except that five seconds later Yuusuke reappears. Ayako throws herself at Yuusuke, saying she was so worried, much to Makoto's displeasure. Ayako starts to reveal her crush on Yuusuke, who doesn't do anything to discourage it. Momoka cuts things short by reminding them of business and introduces them to Fujita. Yuusuke wants to bring back to the future, but Momoka slaps him and tells him that it's the time machine's fault, and that they aren't returning until they find the seals and Fujita returns them to their owner. Yuusuke sighs, gives in, and then they all travel two years into the past. Fujita suddenly realizes he doesn't remember exactly where he buried the seals, so Makoto and Yuusuke decided to find them in a slightly different manner.
They time-travel again (Makoto's stomach still hasn't settled) and run into young Fujita. They follow him...
Fujita suddenly recognizes his surroundings and finds the tree where he buried the seals. However, when they try to dig them up, they aren't there. He sighs in defeat...
Until Makoto and Yuusuke show up with the seals in hand.
Fujita returns the seals to the little girl, who is slightly baffled but very polite. Then he and Yuusuke return to the future while Makoto, Momoka, and Ayako return home. Momoka says it's just another case solved by the genius female detective team of Momoka and Ayako, Ayako wonders when she can meet with Yuusuke again, and Makoto grumbles about everything.
Step 5
Ayako is at school. She looks up and sees an egg-shaped time machine flying overhead. She thinks that Yuusuke must have returned.
Makoto has a bad dream that Yuusuke and Ayako are together, leaving him behind. He runs after her, calling out her name...
And wakes up when he grabs Momoka's arm since she's sitting at the desk in front of him. Ayako shows up and looks for Makoto (which makes him happy) and asks him if Yuusuke has been seen lately (which makes him very unhappy.) Momoka eyes him and tells him to just give up, but Makoto retorts that Momoka doesn't know anything, haven't never been in love. Momoka slaps Makoto and runs off feeling extremely pissed off.
In the time machine, Yuusuke and his father are talking about recent events and stuff. Yuusuke's father says some enigmatic things about Yuusuke's grandmother, and Yuusuke nods in agreement.
Makoto is moping around in school when Yuusuke pops in out of nowhere. Makoto is annoyed because the other students recognize Yuusuke as the guy who beat Makoto in kendo the other day. Yuusuke apologizes, saying he has something important to tell Makoto, but Makoto pulls him off first. Momoka watches from the side.
On the school's roof, Yuusuke asks how everyone's doing, and then says that the police are starting to move and that he's worried about Momoka's and Ayako's safety. He asks Makoto to help him again, and Makoto smiles, saying he understands and not to worry.
Meanwhile an egg-shaped time machine appears and a swarthy man with a police badge on his uniform appears.
Makoto is walking home when a voice says, "Hey Bouze" (A term for a Buddhist monk or someone with a shaved head.) Makoto blinks and walks straight into the swarthy man. The man asks if Makoto has seen the person in this photograph - and it's a photo of Yuusuke. Makoto realizes that this must be one of the policemen that Yuusuke warned him about. Makoto says he doesn't recognize the person. When the policeman asks his name, Makoto looks up and sees a sign for "Takahashi Hospital" and nearby, a little boy wearing a baseball jersey that says "Ichiro" (#51!) on it, so he says he's "Takahashi Ichiro". The policeman eyes the sign behind him as Makoto runs off, accidentally dropping his wallet, which the policeman picks up. He looks at the ID...
Makoto runs home and tells Yuusuke what happened, and Yuusuke wonders if the policeman is Officer Hiyama. Apparently 3 of the people Yuusuke is searching for, Takada Shigeru, his daughter Mari and granddaughter Kanon are related to Hiyama (Mari is his wife.) Yuusuke wonders if Officer Hiyama has come looking for them.
Meanwhile, Momoka walks up to Makoto's door and is about to go in when the policeman appears, shutting the door before she can open it. He asks if this is the Katsuya residence and Momoka says that it is. Makoto hears the fuss and goes out to look, surprised that Hiyama has found him, until Hiyama tosses his ID back at him. (Momoka rails at Makoto for being such an idiot.)
Yuusuke comes down the stairs and Hiyama tells him that it's time to start the search.
Nanikakou
This is just a quick extra where Tachibana explains a little bit about the designs of the characters and shows some preliminary sketches. Yuusuke REALLY changed a lot in the design process. It also mentions the address of the official Ashita no Tamago site:
http://www.phk.co.jp/ashitama/
There you can find some preliminary sketches, artwork, and other things.
Shinesman created by Tachibana Kaim and is (c) its respective owners.
These pages and its contents created and (c) 2001-2002 Ming-Ling.