Legend of Himiko Complete Collection (2005)

This mystical epic follows the adventures of a schoolgirl, Himiko, who is transported across dimensions to save a world enslaved by an evil sorcerer king.

"You're blinding me, babe!"

In ancient times, the peace-loving inhabitants of the leaderless land of Yamatai enjoyed a carefree existence, guided only by a sacred eternal flame commonly referred to as the Bokka (not to be confused with Boku, a popular fruit juice drink of the late 1980s, made famous by comedian Richard Lewis). Alas, their blissful utopia was too good to last. When word of an imminent invasion by the dreaded Kingdom of Kune--headquartered on a flying chunk of earth known as Biwa Island--reached the defenseless Yamataians, they scrambled to appoint a human ruler of the female persuasion ASAP. Six lovely young candidates for the job were quickly rounded up, and it was decided that the fiery Bokka would be entrusted with the task of choosing a suitable queen from among the little group of hot babes. The contestants included: Seika, the crystal-gazing fortune teller; Shino, the bewitching blue-haired belly dancer; Imari, the swordswoman who amazed all with her gravity-defying outfit; Fujina, the lavender-haired sake drinker who some deemed untrustworthy; Koran, the redheaded martial arts expert; and Tadami, a myopic and child-like weapon buyer with enormous pink pigtails and saucer-sized eyeglasses. Tragically, before the new queen of Yamatai could be named, the villainous Governor-General of Kune (who was given to fits of maniacal laughter) and his army of bowling-ball-faced soldiers swooped down from their Flying Fortress and commenced burning and pillaging the villages and castles of Yamatai with alacrity.

In the present day, countless eons after Yamatia's destruction, Masahiko Kutani--budding archeologist, high school student and captain of a rock climbing team--helps the adoptive father of his childhood friend, Himiko Himejima, to "dig up some stuff" in the dusty ruins of some bygone civilization. It seems that Himiko's dad is convinced that he's on the verge of making a major archeological discovery, and Kutani appreciates the opportunity to spend time working with Dr. Himejima, as his own father, a thrill-seeking adventurer, is far away on Mount Everest. One fateful afternoon, at the doctor's behest, Kutani visits Himiko on the crumbling steps of the ruins, and reluctantly answers all of her questions about that amazing day, years earlier, when baby Himiko miraculously appeared before his very eyes, on that very spot, in a giant ball of white light--a ball of light that ultimately passed through Kutani's own body before dissipating behind him. At the same moment, a tiny glowing creature with curly antennas and tiny blue and white clothes swirled around Himiko before vanishing into the intricately carved Y-shaped pendant that remains a constant fixture around her neck. As the teenaged boy recounts the far-fetched tale to his wide-eyed girlfriend, his hands suddenly ignite with whipping blue flames! Simultaneously, Himiko, too, spontaneously combusts into a raging fire! Seconds later, the two terrified young people are engulfed by the blaze and whisked away in an incomprehensible vortex of time and space......

Legend of Himiko (also known as Himiko-den) is an entertaining, nicely animated series that falls just short of greatness, primarily due to the fact that there aren't enough episodes in the saga to allow its many characters to be fully developed (no pun intended). As a result, some troubling questions remain unanswered. For example: why does Tenmoku dress like a Vegas showgirl...and just what is the deal with Shohi, the lonely ocarina player who's face and body are partially covered with vines and Brussels sprouts? The artwork in the show is mostly excellent, but some elements are poorly designed--like that kooky Kyou creature that lives in Himiko's necklace, those mushroom-headed Kune troops that look as if their armor is made out of coconut shells, and those tanks that look like cardboard boxes. But, at least the squirming masses of undead puppet soldiers look effectively creepy. Also, the opening and closing songs are exceptional.

This collection contains all 12 episodes on three DVDs in three separate keepcases, which are housed in an attractive cardboard slipcover. The discs includes a generous helping of extras, including: Japanese ads, art galleries and an interactive interview with the English voice cast. The series is rated 13 and up due to some skimpy costumes, bloodless violence and frequent and gratuitous s-word usage. Legend of Himiko could have been better, but even as is, it's a program most anime fans will be proud to own, `cause as the squeaky-voiced narrator girl says, "This is really neat stuff!" So order yours today; and may your paths always be guided by the sacred light of the Boku...I mean Bokka! April 2, 2008

Different

Not a bad little series, but it wasn't long enough. I think more should have been done with the two leading characters. The opening song is good. I would certainly watch it again, but the ending left me hoping for a continuation. March 27, 2008

It's okay

I don't have much to say about Legend of Himiko it was okay but it could have been a lot better the story was good but the characters were like flat it's hard to explain but the characters didn't really have personality so much so that I can't even remeber there names and I'm usally good with characters names the only one I remember was Himiko just because it is the name of the title, But it's still worth checking out it's an old anime and it is not bad, but like I said I did not like any of the characters. August 4, 2007

Good anime at a decent price.

Having recently watched a number of anime series, I can say that this is in fact a pretty well produced series. I love the animation (it's well done), the story thus far is excellent (I'm half way through). The video is crisp, the audio is clear, and it's been quite fun to watch. I've not been disappointed thus far.

If you like this series, you may also enjoy Ys Legacy - Entire Series. I recently watched that one and was equally impressed with quality & storyline (despite the animation being slightly more "old school").

I'll probably be viewing / reviewing Scrapped Princess shortly (once it's delivered). I'd assume that will be in much the same fantasy / action vein as Himiko. I'll probably also view / review Escaflowne shortly as well. It seem to also be in much the same vein.

Anyway, if you like the fantasy/action genre, you'll probably like Himiko. It's worlds better than Magic Knight Rayearth (a hideously young/campy fantasy series that I wasn't much of a fan of). Though it's more of a ninja /samurai anime, if you like Himiko, you might also like Ninja Scroll: The Series.

Cheers! July 8, 2007

A good story

I really liked the story, but I am unsure why I did. The characters are likable and the plotting is good (but not great...I have a large anime collection, so there are some truly great films that I have viewed). This is a PG-13 film with no frontal nudity. The story is not juvenile and is essentially a nice fantasy genre tale...it is, again, enjoyable and well worth the cost. March 16, 2007

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