Kannazuki no Miko (神無月の巫女) is a Japanese 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. A spin-off manga titled Himekami no Miko (姫神の巫女) started serialization on the July 2020 issue of ASCII Media Works' monthly Dengeki Maoh magazine.

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 (the eight-headed Yamata no Orochi of Japanese folklore) rises once more the girls' long-sealed personas awaken to defend the world. The Orochi awakens on the first day of October (Kannazuki, "the godless month," in the traditional Japanese lunar calendar), Himeko and Chikane's shared birthday. The first Orochi who tries to kill one of the mikos is Sōma Ōgami, Himeko's childhood friend (who is in love with her). 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

Orochi

The series' villain is Yamata no Orochi (邪神八岐大蛇), 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 (its eight disciples, also known as Orochi (オロチ衆)). 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 (or weapon). 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.

Other characters

Media

Manga

The Kannazuki no Miko manga, written by the manga group Kaishaku, was first serialized in the Japanese magazine Shōnen Ace (published by Kadokawa Shoten) 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-" (also sung by Kotoko), 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 (RADIO神無月), on i-revo TE-A room from October 2004 to March 2005. Voice actors included Noriko Shitaya (Himeko) and Junji Majima (Sōma Ōgami), who are currently hosting RADIO Kyōshirō (RADIO京四郎).

Reception

Kannazuki no Miko received mixed reviews. Carlo Santos of Anime News Network criticized volume one of the manga, describing it as "less than the sum of its parts," and the second volume as "overblown" and melodramatic, with too much "[a]ngst, rage and sentimentality". Carl Kimlinger, also of ANN, described the series as having a strong and emotional conclusion, but also called it "pure poison for the melodrama-averse." Theron Martin, another ANN writer, praised the development of relationships between characters and the musical score, but criticized the mix of genres, "logical inconsistencies, [and] weak animation." Paul Gaudette of Mania praised that the series for having "human emotion fuel the robotic battles," while Connor McCarty of THEM Anime Reviews said that for those who like lesbian romances, "lesbian-lesbian-mechademon love triangles, or unexciting lesbian fan service," the series will be enjoyable, but also said that those who like this "need to get out more." In her review of the series, Erica Friedman (president of Yuricon) criticized the story for its rape scene and its manga ending (in which Chikane and Himeko are reincarnated as sisters and lovers), considering it poorly written. She asks why, "if both [Sōma] 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". Chris Beveridge reviewed the anime series. He described the first episodes as having with a lot of promise which is "beautifully orchestrated" and "enticing" in terms of its animation and pacing. He described later sets of episodes as bringing interest and depth to the characters, and argued the series "comes to a strong and emotional ending." In another review, Beveridge said that while he enjoyed the series and praised its conclusion as "fantastic," he knew it wasn't "stellar."