Legend of Himiko, Vol. 1: Sacred Fire (2002)
Review by Dindrane
Film:
DVD:

Concept by So Toyama and Ko Maisaka
Directed by Ayumi Tomobuki
Music by Kuniaki Haishima
Voicework by Veronica Taylor, Tsubasa Otomiya, James Wolfe, and Tomkazu Seki
Based upon the Playstation game “Himiko-den Renge”

Features:

• Art galleries
  
• Character profiles
  
• Character sketches
  
• Background sketches
  
• Scripts
  
• Full credits
  

Dindrane's Anime Warnings:

• A few too many jubblies
• Dead people galore, but no gore
• Bitchiness

Released by: U.S. Manga Corps/Central Park Media
Region: 1
Rating: 13+
Anamorphic: N/A; appears in its original 1.33:1 format

My Advice: Get this one.

Legend of Himiko begins in a world almost overcome by evil. There, the last hope of humanity lies in the hands of the mysterious Bokka, an energy source of mystical import about to choose a queen from among eight potentials and a baby. When the ritual is interrupted by an enemy attack, the potentials are scattered all over the world by the Bokka, and the baby is sent to our world, where the baby grows up to become Himiko. When we meet Himiko in modern-day Japan, she seems to fit in perfectly and have no idea of her great destiny. Soon, Himiko and her friend Kutani are drawn back to her home world and join the resistance against the evil.

The characters here are rather interesting and distinct, if a bit too plentiful at first. The potential queens are all working to the best of their abilities against impossible odds, and that always makes for interesting character development, especially since one of them has gone over to the side of the bad guys. Himiko is predictably clueless at first, but catches on fairly quickly.

The features list is fantastic. Anime discs have been leading the field as far as how a DVD should look to truly take advantage of the capabilities of the medium, and this is no exception. The art gallery is lengthy enough to appeal, while the character and background sketches are an attractive element that will help to satisfy fans of this series’ fantastic art. The DVD-ROM features even more goodies, such as the full scripts to each episode--a bonus almost unheard of, but deeply appreciated and marvelous.

The audio and video quality are also good. There are a few dark scenes, but the art itself is neat and attractive, with expressive character faces and exotic locales. Not quite as flawless as an Amano creation, the work here is still beautiful and vaguely stylized.

Overall, Legend of Himiko will appeal to anyone who likes a fish out of water story, or who likes magical girl, alternate reality, or fantasy epic anime tales. There is enough action to keep the plot rolling, but there is also real character development. While this may not be the most groundbreaking and shocking anime title in the world, it’s just plain entertaining, not to mention easy to look at for nearly two hours.