Haruki

Haruki is a recurring character within the works of Sage Cotugno, having made notable appearances in their second webcomic Ashita and Yesterday (2006), their second year short film Night Parade (2010), and finally, a cameo appearance within their third year film Paraphernalia (2011).

Ashita and Yesterday was originally hosted on SmackJeeves, but since its shut down in December 2020, chapters 1 and 2 now exist exclusively on Archive.org, uploaded January of 2021.

## Appearance

In most of his appearances, Haruki is a boy of short and lithe stature with shoulder length straight blonde hair and brown eyes. His clothing varies depending on the work he's featured in, and consequently, the role he plays.

### Paraphernalia

In his appearance within Paraphernalia, he's seen wearing a brimmed cap and a high collared long sleeved shirt with a sailor collar over top. This appearance most closely resembles his appearance within Ashita and Yesterday.

### Ashita and Yesterday

In his appearance in A&Y, Haruki has two main appearances: a "day" look that would carry over and mirror his future appearances, and a superhero/villain styled uniform he'd wear when fighting monsters. His daywear consisted of a green military style brimmed cap, a short sleeved blue shirt with a v-cut stand collar overtop a loose, long sleeved blue shirt with scallop-trimmed sleeves. His hero suit/form differed significantly, consisting of a high collared black button-up, a violet sailor collar with a white stripe in the center, wing shaped epaulets, and white arrow décor that flared from his back. He also wore visor style sunglasses.

### Night Parade

In his appearance in Night Parade, he appears as the prince of the bugs. He is dressed in a straight blue uniform, complete with a large golden medallion and matching round golden epaulets. He wears a tri-pointed green hair piece at the back of his head which resembles a crown but is likely a leaf or similar plant. On his back, he has the round shell of a ladybug. He's never shown to fly, so it may very well be armor and/or camouflage. He dual wields two black handled daggers, the blades likely not larger than his fists. His hair is a bit longer in the front, a detail that is consistent with his Paraphernalia appearance.

### Unpublished Iteration (2012)

Haruki experienced a major redesign around 2012 which did not appear in any known published works. In this iteration, he lives in a modern fantasy setting similar to A&Y. He is described as a "steward", or a human gifted with power from the gods, his presiding over insects. He's rather flippant about his duties as a steward and instead strives for a normal life in Los Angeles.

In this iteration, he is noted to be older than he is in all previous iterations, and he appears more visibly masculine. In this iteration, his hair is shorter, a fluffy but masculine style that abandons the shoulder length bobbed silhouette his previous designs share. He still has side swept bangs similar to his A&Y appearance. He's seen mainly in a prim school uniform, featuring a white dress shirt, black tie, a blue V-neck sweater, and black trousers and dress shoes. He travels with and cares for his town's local fish god in tow, stored in a large blue plastic water jug. When at home, he's shown in a worn, drab brown double breasted sweater with visible stitching.

### Unpublished Iteration (2013)

Haruki has one final notable design which does not appear in any known published works. In this iteration, he is described as a witch-king who lives in a castle with his demonfolk servant, Mushi, and is inconvenienced by a goddess of thunder, Avery Grey, who goes on to destroy his castle.

This iteration is a development of 2012's design, repurposed for a more traditionally fantasy setting. His hair is a bit more On the sides of his head, he wears a spiked headpiece that resembles a crown, featuring three large white spikes on each side. Smaller spikes may appear depending on the piece he appears in. His outfit is primarily blue with gold, reminiscent of his Night Parade appearance. He wears a breathable uniform with a stand collar lined in white/gold which crosses over his chest and is tied around his waist with a gold sash and cord belt, a style similar to an obi. Its sleeves are long, loose, and straight, similar to kimono sleeves. Under his sleeves, he wears navy gloves, and his arms are wrapped in white cloth. His pants are of the same solid blue as his top, tucked into straight black knee high boots with no visible heel. Over his uniform, he wears a long, fur collared cloak. The cloak is clasped with a broze/gold beetle charm, and its shoulders feature dangling skulls, larger skull shaped epaulets, and another set of large spikes, three on each side. The bottom of the cloak is cut in a classic bat-like pattern.

## Personality

In most of his appearances, Haruki seems a bit serious, duty-bound, and notably mature (if a bit stubborn).

In Ashita and Yesterday, he could range from listless and blasé to spiteful, cheeky, driven, (at least in the eyes of the narrator) a bit creepy, or rude (read: blunt). He could be described as someone who liked to primarily work alone, those he worked with being primarily nonhumans and likely out of exclusive necessity rather than altruism or enjoyment of their company. He's described as villain-like, though whether it's by nature or motivated by past experiences or the goal he worked towards is at present unclear.

In Night Parade, he's portrayed as a warrior-prince: dutiful, methodical, and firm (especially when concerned with the safety of his people), though still notably compassionate and at times, gentle. He seemed an attentive and benevolent ruler, leading his people with confidence and pride, rushing to their aid without hesitation nor fear.

Nothing of note is mentioned as to his personality within Paraphernalia, if it differs at all from his previous appearances.

## Trivia

* In his first appearance as the main character/antagonist(?) of Ashita and Yesterday, Haruki's full name is Haruki Narishima. His last name is typically unmentioned in future works.
* In his initial concept art, he's noted to enjoy shows about perilous surgeries and listening to post-WWII Japanese music.
	+ However, in his 2012 appearance, he's said not to really have any hobbies of note, beyond cooking of course, which he doesn't seem to count as a hobby. He attributes his affinity for cooking to being a picky eater, as well as his mother owning a restaurant.
	+ In his 2013 appearance, he seems to have a love of reading. What genres may be his favorite are yet to be mentioned by name, but he's shown reading a book titled "The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle", and he quite hates being interrupted.
* In A&Y he seems to be bilingual, speaking a bit of Japanese as well as English, though he asserts that he was born in America.
	+ Little is known about Haruki's family in A&Y. His mother's name is Himiko, and while only mentioned in passing and never shown, she seems to have some sort of notable reputation around the town the comic takes place. She seems to work away from home, and live with Haruki. His father is never mentioned.
* Haruki is left handed. In Paraphernalia, he is seen holding a pen and paper with the pen held on his left. This mirrors his appearance in his first concept art and within A&Y, in which he's seen sitting at a desk/table with a pen in his left hand. This detail is consistent.
* In his 2013 appearance, Haruki is shown to use telekinetic powers which manifest a glowing pink, but this is a detail that Mx. Cotugno considered changing at the time, due in part to their coworkers frequently mistaking Haruki for a girl.
	+ This frequent misconception may have also informed his more masculine redesigns around 2012-2013.
* Haruki's 2013 design is accompanied by a demonfolk servant, Mushi. However, despite them being implied to have a sort of master/servant relationship, Mushi addresses Haruki very casually and familiarly as "Haru-chan", a cute nickname that implies a more friendly relationship closer to equals.

## Gallery

"Haruki - Megalow Storyline" (2006)Ashita & Yesterday (2006)Ashita and Yesterday (2006)Ashita and Yesterday (2006)Ashita and Yesterday (2006)Ashita and Yesterday (2006-7)Night Parade (2010)Night Parade (2010)Haruki and his mother (2012)Haruki attacked by lobsters at the store (2012)Haruki and his grandmother (2013)Haruki and Mushi (2013)
1. ↑ "Haruki - Megalow Storyline" Posted to Deviantart November 11th, 2006.
2. ↑ An ask answered July 2nd, 2012 on Mx. Cotugno's Tumblr.
3. ↑ A post on Mx. Cotugno's Tumblr dated September 18th, 2013.