Ashita no Tamago [Tachibana Kaim]

Keywords:

Shoujo, comedy, high-school, time-travel, futuristic, romance, adventure

Warnings:

None

Volumes:

2

Publisher:

Asuka Comics (Kadokawa Shoten)

ISBN:

Volume 1: 4-04-924801-8

Volume 2: 4-04-924823-9

Overview:

Ashita no Tamago (Tomorrow's Egg), also known as "AshiTama" is the only of Tachibana's works to be published in the popular Asuka Comics monthly anthology, joining fan favorite titles like X/1999 and DNAngel. It is also the only work of Tachibana's to include furigana by all the kanji, making this story an easy and fun read.

AshiTama is 2 volumes long and follows the life of high schooler Katsuya Makoto through the ups and downs of his love life and home life. However, things are drastically complicated by the arrival of a guy who claims to be Makoto's future grandson, Yuusuke! Yuusuke drafts Makoto's help in resolving issues with the time machine that Yuusuke's father (Makoto's future son) helps to develop, and the result is a lot of action, adventure, romance, and comedy!

Personal view:

AshiTama is by my favorite mangaka, Tachibana Kaim, so it was no contest that I would get this series. This series has several great things going for it: great story, lovable characters, and furigana. This is her only series with furigana, so it made reading and understanding the story much faster and easier, which made the series only more enjoyable. It's lighthearted and doesn't go too deep (a few heartstrings are pulled, but there is no tragedy or anything which tends to mark her longer series) and is a great fun to pull out at random when you have nothing else to do. Because it's so short, the story does not go in depth with any one character and it doesn't have that drawing power that her longer works do, but because it's so short it's easy to collect! Well... relatively. I found book 2 was easy to find in a lot of Japanese bookstores, but finding volume 1... It took me asking a friend who went to Fanime several years ago and checking out all the booths to find it. But she found it and I was eternally grateful and I'm glad I was able to get this series.

Characters:

Katsuya Makoto

The protagonist of the story. A high schooler, relatively popular (possibly because he's good in kendo) and all-in-all just your typical guy. His two best friends are Momoka and Ayako (who he also has a crush on.) Lately he's been feeling depressed because his parents have always been fighting, and he asks himself if that's what people in love eventually end up doing. Things get crazy when a guy appears out of nowhere and claims that he is Yuusuke, Makoto's grandson, and that it's up to Makoto to save his future son! A tension quickly develops between Makoto and Yuusuke, especially as Yuusuke appears to be just as popular with the girls as Makoto! He goes along grudgingly with Yuusuke's plans.

Katsuya Yuusuke

Yuusuke is Makoto's grandson from the future. He used an egg-shaped time machine (Tama-pyo) to travel to the past and recruit Makoto's help. Apparently Makoto's son was one of the chief developers of the time machines, but when people used them to correct wrongs in their past, they ended up trapped! Yuusuke is there to return these stranded people to their correct time so he can save his dad. He's a very easy-going fellow, clever and observant, and lightly plays off his popularity with the girls. He's aware of Makoto's dislike towards him, but blithely ignores it most of the time.

Shiroishi Momoka

Makoto's best friend, and friends with him and Ayako since they were children. She has a strong personality and has aspirations of becoming, among other things, a dazzling female detective. She quickly accepts Yuusuke as a friend and helps the two out on their quests, proving to be quite useful sometimes. However, she is uncertain about her true feelings for Makoto.

Ayako

Ayako is the childhood friend of Makoto and Momoka. Because of this, she is blind to Makoto's love for her. She's a bit fluff-headed but deep down has a sweet personality and heart. However, she's easily swayed by Yuusuke's charms, not knowing that Yuusuke is Makoto's future grandson.

Tama-Pyo

Tama-Pyo is the name of Yuusuke's time machine. It's shaped like a giant egg (hence the series' title) and looks rather like an earless Mokona (from Magic Knight Rayearth.)

Detailed Summaries

Volume 1 summary and manga info.

Volume 2 summary and manga info.

See also: Nothing: A Tachibana Kaim Site

Acquired from:

Planet Anime (Fanime Con, 2 years in a row)

This page and its contents (c)2000-2003 Ming-Ling. All anime and manga series are (C) their respective owners. Please do not reproduce this page and its contents in whole or in part without my prior written consent. For more information, please refer to the FAQ.
This site is a part of www.ming-ling.net