Kimi ga Nozomu Eien/ Rumbling Hearts

Kimi ga Nozomu Eien (君が望む永遠, Kimi ga Nozomu Eien^? lit. The Eternity You Desire), abbreviated as Kimibou or Kiminozo, is a Japanese visual novel adventure game created by âge, first released in 2001 for the PC, which was later ported to the Dreamcast (by Alchemist) and PlayStation 2 (by Princess Soft) under the title Rumbling Hearts^[1] as all-age versions. A Windows Vista-optimized version of the game, known as Kimi ga Nozomu Eien ~Latest Edition~, was released on March 28, 2008.^[2]

The game was adapted into a fourteen-episode anime television series, first airing between October 5, 2003 and January 4, 2004. The three DVD volumes of the series were released in the United States in December 2006, February 2007, and March 2007 respectively. The series was also licensed for release by Revelation Films in the United Kingdom and Madman Entertainment in Australia and New Zealand, under the title "Rumbling Hearts - Kiminozo". It was one of the first anime shows to be officially made available for the iPod through the iTunes Store and is also available through Microsoft's Xbox Live Marketplace.

An anime OVA series called Kimi ga Nozomu Eien ~Next Season~^[3] began its release on December 21, 2007. The booklet that accompanied the first DVD release revealed that the OVA series will be four episodes long. Promotional videos for the new OVA were posted on December 4, 2007.^[4] The OVA series follows an alternate ending that centers around Haruka.

Kimi ga Nozomu Eien's title 君が望む永遠, due to its length, is usually reduced to "君望". This is officially read as "Kimibō", but many read it as "Kiminozo" instead. Both abbreviations are now considered to be acceptable, with "Kiminozo" being officially written as "君のぞ" instead (this is used in Kiminozo Radio). Early English-speaking fans of the series often shorten the title to "KGNE".

Characters

Takayuki Narumi (鳴海 孝之, Narumi Takayuki)^?, (Seiyū: Kishō Taniyama, VA: Kevin M. Connolly)

The protagonist. Takayuki Narumi meets Haruka a year before Mitsuki sets them up during their third year of high school. When he witnesses the still fresh pool of blood next to Haruka's bloodied hair ribbons lying among the shattered glass of the phone booth as the officer in charge of the scene identifies Haruka from her student ID, he develops posttraumatic stress disorder.^[5] Later in the story, he works at a restaurant chain owned by the Sky Temple financial group called "The Family Restaurant", after having regressed in his studies due to the disorder resulting from the accident. In Haruka's absence, he gradually begins to develop a relationship with Mitsuki. In the game the player assumes this role and can choose to pursue and end up with most of the female characters.

Haruka Suzumiya (涼宮 遙, Suzumiya Haruka)^?, (Seiyū: Minami Kuribayashi, VA: Carrie Savage)

A shy, timid girl; Haruka is set up with Takayuki by her friend, Mitsuki, while she is in high school. The two quickly become close, and develop an intimate relationship. She is involved in a serious car accident and ends up in a coma. The main thrust of the story begins when she awakens three years later. She is afflicted with retrograde amnesia, and because of her delicate psyche, her family and Takayuki conceal the truth that three years have passed, which forms much of the tension in the series.

Mitsuki Hayase (速瀬 水月, Hayase Mitsuki)^?, (Seiyū: Chiaki Takahashi, credited as Tomoko Ishibashi; VA: Colleen Clinkenbeard)

Mitsuki is friends with both Takayuki and Haruka, but secretly she has feelings for Takayuki. In high school she was a competitive swimmer, but shortly after Haruka's accident, she finds herself leaving swimming to tend to Takayuki. She throws herself at Takayuki when he fails to climb out of his depression, and reveals her feelings for him.

Akane Suzumiya (涼宮 茜, Suzumiya Akane)^?, (Seiyū: Kaori Mizuhashi, credited as Tomomi Uehara, VA: Leah Clark)

Haruka's younger sister, she initially treats both Takayuki and Mitsuki as older siblings until she finds out they have been seeing each other behind the comatose Haruka's back. While Haruka is in the hospital, she visits her every day. She, like Mitsuki, is a competitive swimmer, but feels as if she can never match Mitsuki, who she initially looks up to. Later, there are hints given that Akane feels something more for Takayuki, but these are not explored fully in the series.

Shinji Taira (平 慎二, Taira Shinji)^?, (Seiyū: Masaki Andou, VA: David Wilson-Brown)

Friends with Takayuki, Haruka and Mitsuki in high school, he drifts off from the group after graduation, though he becomes an important character towards the end of the series. He sometimes presents a counter-balance to the drama of the rest of the characters, as his relationship with his girlfriend (who remains off-screen) seems to be going well.

Ayu Daikuuji (大空寺 あゆ, Daikūji Ayu)^?, (Seiyū: Kiyomi Asai, VA: Luci Christian) and Mayu Tamano (玉野 まゆ, Tamano Mayu)^?, (Seiyū: Kozue Yoshizumi, credited as Kyouko Yoshida, VA: Monica Rial)

Two waitresses who work at the same restaurant as Takayuki. Ayu is the surly daughter of the chief executive officer of the "Sky Temple" financial group, who owns and operates the restaurant chain, and is permitted to work at the restaurant as part of a market study by the financial group on the condition she does not reveal her identity^[6] (the only reason she keeps her job). She works in order to experience society. Mayu is a soft-spoken but well-meaning klutz who has lost her parents and older brother. While in the game they served as one of the many love interests, in the anime they provide the only comic relief for this otherwise serious series. After the credits of several episodes in the series, a 30-second short known as the "Ayu-Mayu Theater" shows them in a comical situation totally irrelevant to the main story with all characters super deformed. They are also known as AyuAyu and MayuMayu.

Hotaru Amakawa (天川 蛍, Amakawa Hotaru^?, (Seiyū: Satoko Kubota, VA: Alison Viktorin), Fumio Hoshino (星乃 文緒, Hoshino Fumio^?, (Fumie in the Funimation English version) (Seiyū: Hitomi, credited as Minami Hokuto , VA: Jamie Marchi) and Manami Homura (穂村 愛美, Homura Manami^?, (Seiyū: Amako Mari, VA: Amy Rosenthal)

Three nurses at the hospital. Hotaru and Fumio attended nursing school together and are very close friends. Hotaru Amakawa suffers from a terminal illness that stopped her physical development and looks like a very young girl. The two are inseparable and Amakawa is often referred to as "Fumio's child" for a nickname, as Hotaru has a very child like stature where as Fumio has a very curvy and maternal stature. Manami, the green haired nurse, is a student nurse who attended the same high school, although two years behind, Takayuki. Manami has a very strong mothering instinct with a desire to take care of people, hence her chosen profession. In the game Manami is introduced in the first chapter and also is in love with Takayuki, but is also too shy to express her feelings for him. In the game, all three are potential love interests. The original Manami ending with the CD was so disturbing that fans wrote to the company calling the ending nightmarish, so in the DVD and PS2 versions of the game, a new ending was added for Manami. In the series, Manami's role is reduced to one line and several silent cameos including a spoof of Ringu in one "Ayu-Mayu Theater" segment where Manami comes out of the TV. Amakawa is given several short scenes in the hospital, where she drops many sexual innuendos into her conversations with Takayuki. Fumio is given a very important scene towards the end involving a conversation with Takayuki, over tea, regarding not realizing how much you love someone who is always by your side until they are gone.

Anime

A 14-episode TV anime based on the game and animated and produced by Studio Fantasia first aired across Japan from October 5, 2003 to January 4, 2004 with the erotic elements from the game greatly toned down and cut to two sex scenes with Takayuki and Haruka (the second mostly showing just a large scar on Haruka's chest running between her breasts post coma that isn't present in the game), three scenes with Mitsuki and Takayuki, a scene with Akane and Mitsuki (Not in the game) where Mitsuki is depicted nude on Takayuki's futon, and a scene with Mitsuki and Shinji (the latter two not being in the game).

The anime provides a realistic depiction of PTSD and presents a believable, although painful, depiction of the effects the disorder have on personal relationships of those who suffer through this disorder. The series consists of 3 timelines: The first one takes place before the accident, which is mostly contained in the first two episodes and covers the development of the relationship between Haruka, Mitsuki, Shinji, and Takayuki in their third year of high school (In Japan high school runs grades 10-12 with students entering high school at age 15 or 16). Akane is also introduced. Later episodes however do flashback prior to the beginning of this timeline and also flashback to this timeline itself and depict photographs of events that happen in this timeline but are not shown, for example the photograph of Mitsuki, Akane, Haruka, and Takayuki at the pool.This timeline ends with all the friends at the hospital with a shot of Takayuki collapsed on the floor and Mitsuki wearing the ring that Takayuki bought on her left ring finger, much like an engagement ring (Unlike the US, the left ring finger is not reserved for engagement, wedding, chastity rings, or less common promise rings in Japan.).

The second timeline takes place one year after the accident. As a prelude to this, Takayuki arrives as the ambulance takes Haruka away from the scene and he witnesses the still fresh pool of blood next to Haruka's bloodied hair ribbons lying among the shattered glass of a phone booth as the officer in charge of the scene identifies Haruka from her student ID. This traumatic experience causes Takayuki's PTSD, which is portrayed in episode 5 of the series; this has affected him more than Mitsuki and Akane. Takayuki and Mitsuki both experience flashbacks, emotional detachment or numbing of feelings (emotional self-mortification or dissociation), insomnia, avoidance of reminders and extreme distress when exposed to the reminders ("triggers"), loss of appetite (Takayuki), feelings of misplaced guilt, memory loss (may appear as difficulty paying attention- Mitsuki), excessive startle responses (Animated as visual changes in the pupils of the eyes), clinical depression, and anxiety three years after Haruka's accident. Akane suffers from hypervigilance, misplaced guilt, and irritability. Haruka herself is left in a coma. At the end of this timeline Haruka's parents ban Takayuki from seeing Haruka after he tries to remove her while comatose from the hospital and Mitsuki offers herself sexually to Takayuki while he is at his emotional low point following the incident. Akane discovers Mitsuki in an unclothed state on Takayuki's futon the next day.

The third timeline takes place three years after the accident. Takayuki is now working part-time at a restaurant called "Sky temple", along with the comic relief characters Ayu & Mayu. Mitsuki and Takayuki have agreed to live together but have difficulty finding a new apartment. Eventually, Haruka reawakens from her coma, oblivious to the goings-on of the previous three years. In addition, she is diagnosed with anterograde amnesia. After having been awake for a month Haruka's memory is not improving. She can't remember anything that happens for more than a few moments and is stuck thinking it is three years ago as if time has stood still for her. Akane contacts Takayuki to inform him that Haruka has awakened. The doctor warns Takayuki and Mitsuki that her condition is very fragile and informs them of the condition of her memory before they enter the room. She tells them not to let her know that three years have passed because she feels the shock would damage her fragile psyche, possibly destroying her will to recover, and trigger a relapse.

Haruka improves after seeing Takayuki, the only thing she can remember since the accident is Takayuki's visit. He sees her a second time and her parents tell him that although they have no right to ask him to continue to see their daughter, in fact they were surprised he even came to see her again, he is what she needs and asks that he visit as frequently as he can. Takayuki is conflicted with his feelings of guilt and responsibility and must choose between Mitsuki and Haruka. The bulk of the rest of the story focuses on the suffering of the characters because of this predicament.

The plot consists of a blend of multiple game storylines, mostly the Mitsuki storyline with a bit of Haruka's storyline mixed with elements from the Akane storyline. The general fate of Amakawa is also disclosed through one scene between Fumio and Takayuki and a line by Fumio at the end of the final episode indicating she died. Manami is limited to one line at the very end and several dialogless cameos. Materials not included in the game due to its perspective being in first person, such as depictions of Mitsuki having sex with Shinji (in certain routes) and Haruka telling Mitsuki that she has a crush on Takayuki while walking home, are also included.

Episodes

#	Title	Original air date
01	"Episode One - Friends to lovers" "Dai Ichi Wa" (第一話)	October 5, 2003
02	"Episode Two - Waiting" "Dai Ni Wa" (第二話)	October 12, 2003
03	"Episode Three - Moving On" "Dai San Wa" (第三話)	October 19, 2003
04	"Episode Four - Betrayed by Love" "Dai Yon Wa" (第四話)	October 26, 2003
05	"Episode Five - Lead Astray" "Dai Go Wa" (第五話)	November 2, 2003
06	"Episode Six - Wishing" "Dai Roku Wa" (第六話)	November 9, 2003
07	"Episode Seven - Always Second Thoughts" "Dai Nana Wa" (第七話)	November 17, 2003
08	"Episode Eight - Old Scars are New" "Dai Hachi Wa" (第八話)	November 23, 2003
09	"Episode Nine - Unraveling" "Dai Kyū Wa" (第九話)	November 30, 2003
10	"Episode Ten - Impulses" "Dai Jū Wa" (第十話)	December 7, 2003
11	"Episode Eleven - Where the Blame Lies" "Dai Jū-ichi Wa" (第十一話)	December 14, 2003
12	"Episode Twelve - Friends to Enemies" "Dai Jū-ni Wa" (第十二話)	December 21, 2003
13	"Episode Thirteen - The Past Will Catch Up" "Dai Jū-san Wa" (第十三話)	December 28, 2003
14	"Final Episode - Mayauru's Gift" "Saishū Wa" (最終話)	January 4, 2004