Disclaimer: I do not own or claim to own Kannazuki no Miko. Kannazuki no Miko, otherwise known as Kannaduki no Miko, otherwise known as Priestess of the Godless Month, otherwise known as that Anime where two Lesbian teenagers make out while Gundams fight in the background is copyrighted to Kaishaku and Geneon Studios.

A Review of Kannazuki no Miko

Okay ground rules:
1. No Flames until you finish reading EVERYTHING. I watched all 12 episodes, I expect you to read ALL the work.
2. Nothing unrelated to the work, including Kyoshiro to Towa no Sora. If you’ve seen it, good for you.
3. This is a review of the Anime, not the Manga. So please try to note the differences in the work.
4. Homophobic comments will hidden by me as will anything ignorant.
5. Spoilers abound. Read knowing the anime or don’t read at all.

There are times when even handed justice must be called for and I’m the only one with the free time to write a review and the conviction to write something lengthy. Ready? Let’s begin.
Kannazuki no Miko is an anime where two priestesses must summon the great Ame no Murakumo against the evil Orochi and his Eight Necks. Meanwhile, the two priestesses, Chikane and Himeko, develop feelings with each other as well as another cast of members, such as Oogami Souma. Oh, and Ame no Murakumo and the Eight Orochi come in the form or use giant robots.
Now before I begin my indisputable, controversial and long rant about the truth on this Anime, let me say one thing:

I really like the music.

No, seriously, this is some pretty good music. With an addictive Techno opening as well as an excellent ending song, along with a sweeping emotional score, the anime company really knows who to hire if they want their anime produced. You will get it stuck in your head, so if you don’t like it, well too bad for you. So, Kudos.

Kannazuki no Miko begins with an opening that’s sure to pull you in. In a town where time passes by slowly, good things and bad things intertwine. Whether or not you want to stay in is the real question, as the anime begins with the character oversleeping and falling out of bed. It seems like a school-time anime, where a soap opera of events occur. Indeed it does as Hinata Hyuga, Err-I mean Himeko Kurusugawa attends class. Himeko is shy, has a squeaky voice and is very polite. As she’s getting up the stairs, a crowd blocks her and she *gasps* falls! But wait! She’s then suddenly rescued by *another gasp* Chikane Himemiya! A raven haired beauty who, as according to Himeko’s best friend, is talented at Tennis, Archery, academics, the piano, and happens to come from the Himemiya family, who happen to be immensely rich.
Okay let’s pause for a moment right here. What have we learned about our main characters so far? Our first character is the usual shy girl who has a little voice but a big heart. Our other character is talented at everything and unnaturally rich and popular. I’m a bit off put by this, but that’ll come later. Let’s continue with the episode.
Now, it just so happens that both girls have birthdays on the same day and the rich girl expresses interest in the nobody. Just as the day of the birthdays arrives, the sky gets dark, a giant talking black hole is seen above, and giant meshes begin to destroy the city. Mainly they are after Himeko and a giant battle presumes. Oddly enough one of these giant monsters is Oogami Souma, a teenage boy who likes Himeko. However, now a purple seal is on his forehead as he goes insane and tries to attack her only to have *3rd gasp* Chikane come to the rescue. And on horseback, no less! Now Oogami comes to his senses and realizes he’s been hurting Himeko. He’s obviously mad and starts attacking the one of the Orochi. Meanwhile, Chikane realizes the Himeko has stopped breathing and presumes to perform chest compressions…by ripping off her dress and showing the younger girl’s bra. All the meanwhile, Oogami Souma screams his lungs out and performs a super move that he somehow knows. As he’s doing this, Chikane leans in and kisses Himeko saying ‘Happy Birthday’…in English.

Okay, if you haven’t been irrefutably offset or furious at my description of the first episode, congratulations. You have one of the traits to watch Kannazuki no Miko which is patience. Kannazuki no Miko gets a lot a ridicule for a lot of reasons. But give it time, and it will pay off.

Now the first 6 episodes are, how do I put it? Melodramatic, to say the least. Mainly in these episodes, Oogami Souma tries to redeem himself, as he is an Orochi, by protecting Himeko. He usually fights in giant mech battles that end with him winning. Giant forgettable mech battles. Meanwhile, we get some back-story of Chikane and Himeko and see their relationship develop. So the first 6 episodes go like this:
Chikane and Himeko have a fluff moment.
Himeko gets in trouble by a giant robot.
Oogami comes in to save the day while showing off some teen angst. “Who am I? Why did I attack Himeko? I won’t let you attack Himeko!”
Episode ends with Oogami being the victor and the two girls getting closer to each other.
Oh and there’s LOTS of name calling. “Himeko! Chikane-chan! Himeko! Oogami-kun! Himeko!” Add lots of character based villains and you’ve got the idea.
Let me break down some problems here.

Characters: Look I understand you may like these characters, but you have to understand there’s cliché and then there’s original. I’ve seen blue haired cyborgs who have guilt about building war ships. I’ve seen reindeers who want to be doctors. I’ve seen archeologist who can sprout hands anywhere she can see. (Apparently, I’ve seen too much One piece. But, oh well.)

Himeko: Nothing really special about her. She is, in fact, the shy stock girl usually found in most animes and is presumed to be an innocent. Ideally, she fulfills her role as the main character, and does show some depth. But there are times when I want to hit her over the head. Example: Episode 6. Himeko borrows a dress from Chikane and goes on a date with Souma. However, Souma gets into a giant mech battle as an explosion sends her flying with the dress ripped. Later in the dark, she cries to Chikane telling her she’s sorry that she ruined Chikane’s ‘special dress’.
Now, come on! I know you’re supposed to feel guilty about ruining someone’s dress, but there are special circumstances! You were near giant robots! Giant robots have tendency to destroy everything within 100-m radius. You’re lucky that dress didn’t disintegrate!
But what can I say? She’s young and naïve.

Oogami Souma: The typical young boy who wants to protect the typical young girl. He’s brave, lacks social graces, and always does his best. He’s the boy that every anime has. Has a bad past, lots of ambition and lots and LOTS of angst. He’s…not a bad character. He does show the dedication of a hero. But he lacks any special traits other than to use a giant robot. He’s typical and has what one describes it, ‘the Shonen Effect.’

Chikane Himemiya: Okay, I’ve got some PROBLEMS with Chikane. The moment she’s described to the audience, the first thing I went is “You’ve got to be kidding me.” No, listen to me! She’s talented at Tennis, Archery, Academics, the Piano and is insanely rich. She lives in an ungodly large mansion with lots of servants who wait on her hand and foot. And she’s the target of lots of love letters and is very popular. My God. And she rides a horse elegantly!
I throw the Mary-Sue Clause!
Wikipedia: “Mary Sue, sometimes shortened simply to Sue, is a pejorative term used to describe a fictional character that plays a major role in the plot on such a scale that suspension of disbelief fails due to the character's traits, skills and abilities being tenuously or inadequately justified. The concept is particularly characterized by overly idealized and clichéd mannerisms, lacking noteworthy flaws, and primarily functioning as wish-fulfillment fantasies for their authors.”
Yes, I’m aware of the fact that her status gets in the way of being friends with Himeko as Himeko’s a simple girl to the greatness that is Chikane. But I can only feel sorry for someone who can go home and have the maid ask her what she would like for dinner.

Setting: Anime, as with all mediums, opens potential doors to new places. Of course, it pays to make sure these settings are ‘accurate’. See, Kannazuki no Miko is supposed to take place in a modern town with lots of the usual stuff. Then, giant mechs are added to the equation. The next day, the town tries to pick up after the chaos and personal friends, such as Makoto Saotome, are injured from the battle. And what happens the day after that? Life returns to normal as usual. Example: Episode 3: Himeko is constantly flocked by schoolmates about how she’s allowed to live in the Himemiya mansion. Of course this sparks criticism from the other students and she’s *gasp again* pushed down the stairs. Oogami catches her and demands to know who did it. 3 girls seem to laugh at this only to get a cold stare from Chikane.
What is going on here! Why are these kids playing around with each other when GIANT ROBOTS just attacked a few days ago? Their reality has just been burst. Their existence has been made insignificant to current evens and they’re having carnivals. Carnivals! If the animators want to sell this off, they need to have an understanding of their world. Look at Toriyama! If Boo attacks a city, people scream in panic and get scared. Look at Kubo! If Rukia’s execution is going to be a day earlier, you bet some Captains are going to rebel. Look at Oda! Luffy just beat Rob Lucci of Enies Lobby! Of course his bounty’s going to go up! Look at Kishimoto! Orochimaru attacks Konoha. The village has to repair itself and all the meanwhile, Itachi and Kisame strike causing more havoc.
The world must adjust accordingly; the animators must understand that once one foot is in the door, there’s no going back.
Now you’ve probably started your own hate speech and I can understand why. But remember, I’m only talking about the first 6 episodes. In fact, there’s only one episode that I truly liked.
Episode 5: “Have you ever eaten trash from an Alley, Souma? Have you ever been backstabbed by your best friend? Have you ever begged for your life from someone you’ve sworn to kill.”
There’s a depth in episode five that surpasses the first 6. Tsubasa, Souma’s brother, loves his brother. So much in fact, he’s willing to kill their father and break ties with him to protect him. First, he thought he would never see his brother again. “When I heard you were the seventh neck, I was happy. I thought we could we could be together as Orochi.” When he hears of Souma’s betrayal, he tries to reason with him. He tries to convince him to join with him, but Souma refuses. “I should’ve held your hand while falling to the darkness.” He wants to be with Souma, but no if he’s willing to betray him. Tsubasa is complex. He’s one of the only characters I’m willing to respect. But when Souma gives his reason, he says, “Tsubasa, I’m only 16. There’s no way I can understand if this world is truly as dark as you say it is. But I know one thing. There’s a girl, who’s always crying, and I want to make her feel better. That’s why I know this world isn’t darkness!”
Suddenly, Kannazuki no Miko got a lot better.

Now the second half of the series got me.
“That’s when Chikane’s and my story changed forever.”
Here, the second neck reveals Chikane’s burden. “And what will you do when the world is saved? Your little bird will fly away and forget all about you.” Despite having the courage and conviction to pull through, she sees Himeko and Souma kiss and changes. She starts avoiding her and acts very odd around her. Something has changed.
Then on a stormy night, Himeko returns to find Chikane in her priestess’ uniform. She wonders why, only to have Chikane attack her. Chikane reveals that she has joined the Orochi so she could have, “just a silent night, between you and me.” Oogami feels this with his purple seal. He rushes into the Himemiya mansion only to find clothes and undergarments scattered on the ground and Himeko with a dead look upon her face.

Chikane has just raped Himeko.

Souma, as usual, get upset by this but is bested by Himemiya. When his robot comes out, it betrays him, and turns into Chikane’s robot. There Chikane leaves, smiling knowing that Himeko will always think about her.

The second half of Kannazuki no Miko brought about a dark twist to the saga. Suddenly, Himeko no longer has Chikane’s shoulder to cry on, Souma no longer has his mech and the world just keeps turning. Not only, do the characters evolve, but new depth is added to the old characters.
You think that the villains are stock that there’s no real purpose in their actions and their traits. But in reality, they were all scorned by their own vices, “Church…warped by war…failure…loss of dreams…the manipulation of innocence.”
And just when you thought it couldn’t get better, Tsubasa kills himself against his duel with Chikane. “You and I are very much alike. Yes, it’s like looking at a reflection.” And as Himeko struggles from the betrayal of her best friend, she finds the strength and conviction to finally summon Ame no Murakumo.

Then the final act comes and it is GOOD. Himeko and Chikane face each other once again. Himeko wants Chikane to come back to her. To be her friend again. However Chikane refuses, presumes to cut her and count the reasons why she loves her. “I love your lips, which drip honey with every touch. I love your body which would break under me if I embraced it too much. But most of all, I love your heart, with is always so pure and innocent and always forgives.”
Then as she grabs Himeko’s palm, Himeko screams in pain as it bleeds.
“I love you, Himeko.”

There’s no denying the power on this scene. It shows a different kind of love, a perversion of it. Here we have a woman who’s professing her love to her, but her actions show she’s beating her, belittling her. It’s the idea of dominance, to love someone so much that you would kill to have them stay that way for eternity.

Finally, Himeko sees an opening and stabs Chikane. Horrified, she presses her own katana against her own neck, wanting to commit suicide. Chikane stops her and reveals her truth. Ame no Murakumo would only be revived if one of them died. She raped Himeko to save her.

Somehow, this is brilliantly executed. She would hurt her in order to protect her. It brings a lot of controversy and depth to the work. Think of Toni Morrison’s “Beloved.” There Sethe, kills her own child to protect it from the torture that is slavery. Many tell her what she did was wrong but Sethe stands by her decision and says, “If love ain’t thick enough, then it isn’t love at all.” Would you hurt someone to protect them? Would you kill their spirit to prevent taking their life?

After this revelation, another comes, they love each other. Himeko reveals that all this time, that their love was the same kind of love, girl love. There Himeko makes a starting discovery. All this time, she had to cry on Chikane’s shoulder, forcing her to be strong. “I’ve left you all alone didn’t I? You don’t have to be strong, not for me. I’ll always be your Himeko. The sun glows brighter and brighter, because of the moon.”

Beautiful. Finally, they address dominance as a whole showing that love isn’t about the seme and the uke. It’s a partnership and both have to do their share of the work.

There as they spend their last moments together, they try to cherish their last moments together, trying to hold on to their memories.
“It’s too cruel. I don’t want to forget again. Why can’t  I love you?”
“It’s because…we’re Kannazuki no Miko. It’s our destiny to be apart for the world to rebuild itself.”
“No, that’s not true. I won’t forget anymore. I don’t care if its fate, destiny or God. I won’t lose.”
And as Ame no Murakumo summons Chikane to be separated, Chikane cries out, “Himeko, I’ll reincarnate! You have to find me. It’s a promise, Himeko!”
“I will. I’ll definitely find you. Neither form nor appearance will matter, because I’ll find you.”
And they call out to each other, only to have the screen fade out white.

So life returns to normal. Himeko’s a student. Makoto is okay, and Souma asks her out on a date. After the rejection, Himeko finds a page in her photo book where there are only pictures of her. She starts crying and explains, “Whenever I see this page, my heart aches.” Her tears drop as the credits roll.

Honestly, this had me in heart ache. The execution was so well done that I had to change to something more pleasing. Then I watched and AMV. Then I realized there was more to the credits. Boy, did I feel stupid.

The Final Scene: Himeko goes across the street, her day going about its usual business, when suddenly…a shell is around a blue haired woman with a white dress. You see her reaction as they stop and embrace each other. They reveal the only thing good about forgetting is that “We get to fall in love with each other all over again.

Verdict: So in the end, what is Kannazuki no Miko? Is it a hodgepodge of genres? An anime revolution? Something no one should be forced to see? Well to sum it up…

“I realized something Chikane-chan. You are neither angel nor devil. You are simply a 16 year old girl, just like me.”

That’s pretty much what Kannazuki no Miko is. Simply an Anime. It’s weird that something I despised in the beginning can have me feeling so much emotion at the end. For every moment of stupid anime fluff, and excuse for Shonen this show delivered, it delivered an equally brilliant and emotional scene. It makes me wonder if the later anime team didn’t kill the first anime team just because of how good the second and final act were. You think you know something, but carry the work to the end and you find something else.

So in the end, did I regret watching Kannazuki no Miko? No. But I’m sure not nominating it as ‘BEST ANIME EVA’! Anyone who says this is better than Full Metal Alchemist is a wanker. (I’m not entirely sure what a wanker is, but I assume it’s somebody foolish).

So basically it’s this. If you want to see a good Yuri develop, go watch this. You’ll feel satisfied in the end. If, on the other hand, you want to see giant robots fight while lesbians make out…tough luck. Because everybody knows the best mech show out there is Megas XLR.

“I  DIG GIANT ROBOTS!
YOU DIG GIANT ROBOTS!
WE DIG GIANT ROBOTS!
CHICKS DIG GIANT ROBOTS!”
Nice.