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On the moon, there stands an ancient shrine now in ruins. On the birthday of Himeko Kurusugawa and Chikane Himemiya, a sudden eclipse occurs, and a mysterious voice summons the eight heads of Orochi to rise and destroy the Solar Priestess and the Lunar Priestess. The two girls soon find themselves under attack by the Orochi. However, Himeko's close friend Souma has resisted the call of the Orochi and has vowed to protect her at all costs.
Despite the chaos and danger that surrounds them, Souma remains steadfast in his promise to safeguard Himeko from the impending threat. As the Orochi close in, the bond between the two friends is put to the ultimate test, with the fate of the priestesses hanging in the balance.
The eclipse darkens the sky, and the eerie silence is broken only by the ominous whispers of the Orochi. With time running out, Himeko and Chikane must uncover the secrets of their destinies and find a way to overcome the ancient evil that seeks to destroy them both.
I purchased this with every intention of truly enjoying it, but I couldn't find a single aspect I liked. If I hadn't bought both volumes, I probably would have abandoned the title after the first clichéd chapter.
Story: The plot is heavily cliched in the first half, then abruptly accelerates in the second part to the point where nothing makes sense and you're left wondering what's happening. It feels like a series of unexplained plot points. There's no real flow to the story, leaving the reader unsatisfied. We are told many things but never shown anything. The romance between the main characters felt forced and unbelievable. It didn't feel like yuri at all. What could have improved this is if the story had more chapters and volumes to develop. Everything gets crammed into two volumes, causing the plot to suffer and making things feel unrealistic.
Art: The artwork is decent and pleasant to look at. Everyone looks unique, which is nice. However, the action scenes lack any excitement. This brings me back to the story. If it had been expanded, there would have been more room for action scenes and better explanations, allowing the story to flow better. Instead, the artwork often uses lazy transitions and random elements appear without explanation, leaving the reader confused about what's happening.
Characters: The characters are cliched and pathetic. I couldn't root for anyone because I didn't know any of them. People were randomly thrown into scenes, and once again, we were told about them instead of shown their development. None of them were properly fleshed out, and none of them grew at all.
Enjoyment: It took me 24 days to finish this because every time I thought about completing it, I cringed. Reading it was a chore.
Overall: I was very disappointed. I bought this thinking it was going to be a great yuri story, only to discover it has a broken rollercoaster of a plot and a cast of stereotypical, pathetic characters. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone. Only read it if you're into mindless yuri, fan service, and don't really care about the plot.
Story:
Kannazuki no Miko begins as a whimsical and predominantly cheerful adventure featuring giant robots, mysticism, girls in love (with each other), and beautiful artwork. Even though I had heard (and forgotten) certain spoilers about the story's direction, I was optimistic that I would thoroughly enjoy it.
However, the narrative takes an unexpectedly dark turn, which I found quite unenjoyable. Specifically, it was the way one character remained self-righteous while another rationalized their actions that irked me. It's worth noting that I am a feminist and tend to strongly identify with certain characters, so if you can maintain more emotional distance, this aspect might not bother you as much.
That being said, the rest of the story explores themes of destiny, true love, and star-crossed lovers, making it somewhat conventional. Nonetheless, it is still entertaining.
Art:
The art is generally good, especially in terms of character and costume designs—crazy hairstyles, intricate details on the miko outfits and some villains' attire, and attention to eyes. The faces are expressive, and the giant robots look cool. There is extensive use of screen tones and occasional decorative elements like flowers. Clearly, they aimed to appeal to yuri/shoujo ai fans, as those scenes are detailed, albeit not explicit.
However, there are a few panels where the action is unclear, and Kannazuki no Miko doesn't bring anything particularly new to the table in terms of artistic innovation.
Characters:
One character, for reasons mentioned earlier, became someone I despised. Most others didn't leave a significant impression, and a few seemed flat, showing little development throughout the story.
Enjoyment:
I genuinely enjoyed most of the first volume due to its ridiculousness. After the darker shift, I still wanted to continue reading but spent much of the time feeling angry or shaking my head at the characters' actions. If I had enjoyed the entire story as much as the beginning, I would have given this manga a seven or eight in this category.
Overall:
It's not bad. The manga is enjoyable in parts and visually appealing, but some sections may infuriate you, and the characters can be somewhat flat at times. Its attempts at exploring darker themes are sometimes undercut by exaggerated villains and silly giant robots. If you're into yuri and giant robots and don't mind the darker themes, you might appreciate this show.