Kannazuki no Miko
Kannazuki no Miko is a yuri manga series created by Kaishaku. The series, centering on the relationship between main characters Himeko and Chikane, also has elements of mecha themes in its plot. The 14-chapter series was serialized by Kadokawa Shoten in the monthly Shōnen Ace magazine from 2004 to 2005.
The series was adapted into a 12-episode anime by TNK and Geneon Entertainment, which aired in Japan from October to December 2004. A drama CD, based on the anime version, was released on November 25, 2004 by Geneon. In North America the manga was licensed by Tokyopop and the anime by Geneon USA; the anime license was transferred to Sentai Filmworks in 2009. In 2010, the anime aired on the Anime Network as Destiny of the Shrine Maiden.
Plot
Himeko Kurusugawa and Chikane Himemiya are two high-school girls at the prestigious Ototachibana Academy in the fictional Japanese town of Mahoroba. They are also the reincarnations of the solar and lunar mikos. When their ancient enemy the Orochi rises once more the girls' long-sealed personas awaken to defend the world. The Orochi awakens on the first day of October, Himeko and Chikane's shared birthday. The first Orochi who tries to kill one of the mikos is Sōma Ōgami, Himeko's childhood friend. However, after a blinding flash of light brings him to his senses, he rejects his fate and vows to defend Himeko against the other Orochi. The mikos must awaken Ame no Murakumo to combat the threat, while Sōma repels the Orochi's efforts to kill them.Characters
Miko
;Himeko Kurusugawa;Chikane Himemiya
Orochi
The series' villain is Yamata no Orochi, a god who wants to replace the world of humanity with a place of darkness and nihilism. Like its counterpart in Japanese mythology, the Orochi in Kannazuki no Miko has eight heads. Each has a mecha, an "other self" for the Orochi's body, with its spirit appearing as a bottomless vortex of darkness. The Orochi's powers are devastating, and only Ame no Murakumo can undo their destruction after its defeat.Each disciple has exaggerated individual characteristics. Orochi gave its followers great physical strength and endurance, a limited capacity for teleportation and levitation and an individual power. If a disciple can suppress the rage caused by Orochi, they can use their powers against it; however, Orochi severely punishes those who resist it. The god chooses its followers from those who have experienced great pain in their lives and have surrendered to despair; they include a sociopathic criminal, an unintelligent brute, a former Japanese idol, an anti-social manga artist, a catgirl, a seemingly traitorous friend and a disillusioned nun, with only one of them, the criminal's brother, being able to temporarily resist the god's influence completely. They are uncooperative, and do not coordinate attacks on the miko until halfway through the series. By the series' end the followers are restored, with no memory of their association with Yamata no Orochi.
;Tsubasa
;Sister Miyako
;Girochi
;Corona
;Reiko Ōta
;Nekoko
;Sōma Ōgami
;Chikane Himemiya
Other characters
;Ame no Murakumo;Kazuki Ōgami
;Yukihito
;Otoha Kisaragi
;Makoto Saotome
;Izumi
;Misaki
;Kyoko
Media
Manga
The Kannazuki no Miko manga, written by the manga group Kaishaku, was first serialized in the Japanese mangazine Shōnen Ace in 2004. The series' 14 chapters were bound in two tankōbon volumes. It was licensed in North America by Tokyopop, which published both volumes in English in 2008.Anime
The anime adaptation was produced by Geneon Entertainment and animated by TNK. It was directed by Tetsuya Yanagisawa, with music by Mina Kubota and character designs by Maki Fujii. The opening theme was "Re-sublimity" and the ending theme "Agony", composed and arranged by Kazuya Takase and performed with lyrics by Kotoko. The insert song, "Suppuration -core-", was used in episode five.The 12-episode series was broadcast in Japan first on Chiba TV from October 1 to December 17, 2004. The episodes were released on six DVDs from December 22, 2004 to May 25, 2005. It was licensed in North America by Geneon USA, which released the series on three DVDs in 2006. The license was transferred from Geneon USA to Sentai Filmworks in 2009; the latter reissued the series in a DVD box set on August 25, 2009. It is licensed in France by Dybex, in Poland by Vision Film Distribution and in Taiwan by Proware Multimedia. In 2010, the series was shown on the Anime Network as Destiny of the Shrine Maiden.
Drama CD and radio show
On November 25, 2004 Kannazuki no Miko drama CD was released in Japan by Geneon, based on the anime version of Kannazuki no Miko. The series was presented on an Internet radio program, RADIO Kannazuki, on i-revo TE-A room from October 2004 to March 2005. Voice actors included Noriko Shitaya and Junji Majima, who are currently hosting RADIO Kyōshirō.Reception
Kannazuki no Miko received mixed reviews. Carlo Santos of Anime News Network criticized volume one of the series:Everything about Kannazuki no Miko says instant fan favorite, but somehow it adds up to less than the sum of its parts. Changes in scene and mood don't seem to connect, characters behave without rhyme or reason, and even thrilling action scenes are hampered by sloppy animation. There are lots of little things to like about the series, but as a whole, you have to wonder—"What? That's it?"... If Kannazuki no Miko were split into two different series, it might be easier to enjoy the separate story threads.
However, the network credited the anime for "so many striking visual elements" and "effective designs". The soundtrack was "especially effective during dramatic character moments", but its battle music was criticized. Carlo Santos added that while volume one of the series "promises something to suit every anime fetish ...if sensible storytelling and deep characters are what turn you on, then this isn't the series to go to."
He also criticized the second volume as "overblown" and melodramatic, with too much "ngst, rage and sentimentality". However, "the voice actors in the English dub still manage to express the sentiments of their characters", and "the middle episodes of Kannazuki no Miko represent a genuine turning point in the series: the romance and adventure storylines, once so disconnected, come together and swing the cosmic battle in a new direction."
In her review of the series, Erica Friedman sharply criticized the story for its rape scene and its manga ending, considering it poorly written. She asks why, "if both and Chikane love Himeko so much, do they allow her to be bullied, outcast and victimized instead of stepping up and claiming their friendship publicly?" Friedman wrote that Himeko "allows the whims of others to take control of her life, she indulges them by not having an opinion of her own, she naively forgives even the basest behavior, and she never once takes an interest in the truth of what is going on"; the story actually revolves around "the love triangle and Himeko's victimization by herself and the people who profess to love her". Friedman said, "Tokyopop's team did as good a job with the material as they could. It's not a good story, nor is it well-drawn, but they made it make as much sense as possible. I applaud them for that. It's not as easy as they made it look." In her volume two review, she said Tokyopop did a "very superior job with this series".