My-HiME
Encyclopedia : M : MY : MYH : My-HiME
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is an anime series produced by Sunrise, Inc., and aired on TV Tokyo from September 2004 to March 2005. The show is about HiME, girls able to materialize magical armament and summon powerful beings called Children to battle the monstrous creatures known as Orphans.The tone has many shōnen elements, with some parody of anime clichés, from magical-girls to romance, fan service or school life. But there are very serious matters afoot behind the comedy, and the show takes a more serious and dark turn in later episodes.
There is also a manga that has a different storyline. The manga is published in English in North America by TOKYOPOP. A second anime season, entitled , was created due to the popularity of this anime in Japan.
The series is licensed in the US by Bandai as of July 2005. The first American DVD was released at the end of March 2006.
Contents
Story
Mai Tokiha is an average high school girl and devoted older sister who earns a scholarship to the prestigious Fuuka Academy. During the ride on the ferry to the academy, the crew spots and rescues a young girl who is floating in the water and gripping a large black sword. Mai happens to be the only one present who can give her CPR, and so is forced to do so. After reviving the girl, Mai notices that the girl has an odd birthmark, one identical to her own. The seems to end there, until the one who put the girl in the water comes aboard the ferry during the night. A battle ensues and the dormant HiME powers are awakened once again.
Terminology
- HiME, also known as Valkyries and Ikusahimes, is a name that stands for "Highly-Advanced Materializing Equipment" and refers to women with the ability to materialize solid objects from photons. HiME can be identified by an identical birthmark they all possess somewhere on their body. In addition, only HiME can see a special red star (Hime-boshi) in the sky near the Moon. HiME is a backronym of Hime, which is Japanese for princess.
- PRINCESS (Manga only) An ability similar to that of the HiME, developed by the Searrs Group scientists. It stands for Perfect realization of independent access. These individuals can summon a Child without the presence of a Key.
- Elements are weapons created by focusing a HiME's ability to create solid matter from photons. They serve as proof that a HiME has become aware of their own power. Elements usually take the form of some sort of Close Combat weapon(although there are exceptions.).
- Child is the name of the powerful beings who choose to act as guardians for the HiME. They appear to be robotic in nature, but they are sentient and intelligent beings. In exchange for accepting the protection of a Child, that HiME must put her most important person (known in the manga as a 'Key') on the line. That means, the person the HiME cares about the most has his or her life-force bonded to that of the Child. If the Child dies, so does that person and the Hime loses the ability to summon their Child. An exception is if the Hime changes their most important person; though only two Himes in the anime did this. Also, the stronger the bond between the HiME and the person, the stronger the Child becomes(i.e it gets bigger). Childs also have references to legends and books(see below).
- Orphan is the name of the monsters that the Himes fight early in the series. As explained in one of the show's DVD specials, Orphans are the same as Childs. The only difference is that Orphans do not attach themselves to a person. A Child is able to "resonate" with a Hime's soul, creating the bond. Orphans attack people because they are attracted to the idea of such resonance, but lack the capability. There is a visual difference to Childs and Orphans, where the former is robotic in appearance, the latter is organic and more resembles a cross from a mystical creature and a warped version of a real animal(where as Childs resemble one creature quite clearly). Some Orphans have the capability to separate into smaller creatures(such as the one that steals lingerie and the spider-esque Orphan that attacked Takumi) and regenerate(such as the monk-like Orphan during the wedding) lost body parts.
- Key A person who is affiliated with a HiME. The presence of a Key is required in order for them to summon their Child. HiME can have multiple Keys, share Keys or even be Keys with each other. The concept of Keys is only present in the manga. In the anime, they are simply referred to as a Hime's "most important person," and unlike the manga, their physical presence is not required to summon a Child. In the Anime, all HiMEs thought the "most important person" Nagi was referring to was themselves, Akane found out the hard way that this was not what Nagi meant. Also, if two HiMEs are each other's Key, it would make it impossible for either one to win, as the destruction of one Child would cause the other HiME to perish, killing her child and making the attacker perish as well.
Characters
(This section will describe the anime version only, please note that the characters family name is written last here.)
- - A new transfer student to Fuuka Academy and the main heroine of the show. She has been taking care of her younger brother Takumi since the death of their parents. She hates to burden others with her problems. Her Elements are four gold rings with emerald magatama on them which float around her wrists and ankles that allow her to fly, generate flame streams, and create force fields. Her Child is Kagutsuchi, named after the Japanese god of fire. He is often referred to as a dragon, but he appears to be a hybrid of dragon, a whale and a Phoenix. He has a large sword implanted through his head that was placed there by the Obsidian Lord 300 years ago as a partial seal on his power. He can manipulate and generate heat and flame on a near-nuclear scale. She loves Takumi and Mikoto in a motherly/sisterly way, while she develops romantic feelings for both Tate and Reito. However, it should be noted that many fans of the series support the possibility of a shoujo-ai relationship between Mai and Mikoto. As the anime never conclusively settled Mai into a relationship, it is impossible to determine what her eventual choice is.
- - Natsuki leads a double life; in one, she is just a normal Fuuka Academy student. In the other, she is a girl on a mission. She seeks vengeance for her mother's death, which was seemingly at the hands of an organization known as the First District. Her Elements are a pair of small firearms, which shoot ice bullets. Her Child is Duran, a silver and purple wolf named after the dog she had as a child. He has a pair of cannons on his back and can fire various Cartridge attacks--Flash, that generates blinding light, Chrome, which are high-powered ammunition shells, and Silver, which produces a barrage of icicles. She had an underwear collection and is still expanding it(although her collection was set back as an Orphan thought women's lingerie was a tasty treat). Natsuki is often at the butt end of many H jokes(such as when her skirt was blown up when she wasn't wearing any panties, making Mai laughing uncontrollably).
- - A middle school student of questionable origin who was pulled from the sea by a passing ferry. She is quite attached to Mai, though her purpose for going to Fuuka Academy is to search for her brother. Her Element is a large jet-black claymore called Miroku, which responds to her calling whenever she is not near it. Miroku possesses several special powers including the ability to cut through almost any object (such as cruise ships) without needing to be physically swung and the ability to summon energy blasts. When it uses these powers, glowing red eye-shaped markings appear on the blade. It is initially assumed that the sword itself is her Child, but her Child is later revealed to be a monstrous ogre-like creature which wields a gigantic spiked club-- this also bears the name Miroku. This Child is called the protector of the Obsidian Lord and(apparently) seems to be under his control rather than Mikoto's(this is shown when Miroku made a pathetic attempt to stom Kagutsuchi's attack from destroying the Obsidian Lord).
- - Mai's little brother. His heart is weak and requires daily medication due to an accident he suffered when he and Mai were younger. He wants to be more independent, as he feels he's too much of a burden on his sister. He's a good friend of Akira, his roommate. Takumi seems to have a passive personality and often gives up on problems before they are solved. Apparently, he bathed with Mai way past the toddler stage. Mai often used this fact when forcing him around(though in a loving way). Takumi was originally thought to be Mai's Key, this was proven wrong when Akira's Child was killed along with Takumi. On a funnier note, Takumi has a more feminin behaviour, often playing the housewife of the two roommates, while Akira(ironically) was the more manly of the two(considering their genders).
- - Takumi's roommate. At first Akira is annoyed by Takumi and goes out of her way to avoid him, but the two eventually become good friends. She is actually a female ninja in disguise, sent by her father, the head of the Okuzaki ninja clan to observe the HiMEs. Her weapon is a double-bladed dagger. Her Child is Gennai, which resembles a giant frog. The giant spotlights on Gennai's back are used in conjunction with Akira's Element to incapacitate an enemy. The lights would produce a shadow of the enemy in question, and Akira would throw her dagger at the shadow itself, effectively "pinning" it to the spot long enough for Gennai to destroy it with his "Jigoku Gama" attack, which is a giant spiked mace fired from Gennai's mouth and rotated at high speed like a drill. The reason she was to hide her gender was because only girls can become HiMEs. If Akira was to be a boy, no one would suspect for there be no reason to.
- - A member of the Fuuka Academy student council who met Mai on the same ferry that rescued the nearly-drowned Mikoto Minagi. He doesn't seem to get along with Mai, although it is clear that he cares for her at least in some way. He takes care of Shiho Munakata, a childhood friend. He was a former member of the Fuuka kendo club, regularly making it into the nationals until he was injured severely at some point in the past. In the manga, Tate is in fact the hero of the story and is the Key to both Mai and Natsuki. Tate also has a long history of ending up being called a pervert by Mai as he constantly lands himself in the situation of where he is looking up at Mai from her chest.
- - A girl who calls Yuuichi her brother (though they are not related). Shiho follows Yuuichi around but the whereabouts of her parents are unknown, assumed dead. Her grandfather owns the local Fuuka Shrine. Her Element is a flute. Her Child is Yatagarasu, a crow-like creature. She became mentally unbalanced after learning Mai and Tate were developing feelings for each other, and initially used her HiME powers subconsciously to attack Mai. She later regained her sanity.
- - The hot-headed director of the Fuuka Academy student council who enjoys an equally spicy meal. She has a tendency to mispronounce and mispell things, often as a form of comic relief. She is Yukino's best friend and Shizuru's rival. She wanted to become the Student Council President but lost the vote to Shizuru. It was 817 votes for Shizuru and 12 votes for Haruka. After this lost she became the Executive Director of the Suzushiro Executive Team. Although she is not a HiME in the anime, her awesome courage and strength make her memorable character. She often uses the term bubuzuke to refer to Shizuru, the first time Haruka didn't even know what it meant.
- - The secretary of the Fuuka Academy student council. She appears rather introverted and was often defended by Haruka when they were children. Her Element are mirrors through which she can see all of Fuuka Gakuen with help of the spores her Child, Diana, a plant-like creature with long vine-like tendrils, spreads. The spores act as cameras and can also generate cloaking fields. She is often correcting Haruka's mispronounced words.
- - Vice President of the Fuuka Academy student council. He has a calm attitude and is quite popular with the female students. He is interested in Mai romantically. He is later revealed to be the earthly host of the Obsidian Lord and Mikoto's missing brother.
- - President of the Fuuka Academy student council. Her cool yet inviting disposition and distinctive Kyoto accent have made her quite popular with both the male and female students. Her weapon is a multi-sectioned naginata. Her Child is Kiyohime, which resembles a multi-headed Hydra and is an allusion to the legend of Kiyohime. Shizuru secretly harbors romantic feelings for Natsuki, which she acts on later in the series by destroying the Childs of Yukino and Nao, who posed a threat to her (Natsuki). She also massacres hundreds in the destruction of the First District, the secret organization Natsuki opposed and who were a largely unseen force behind the HiME battles. It can be argued that her reason for her homicidal actions is due to the influence of the Obsidian Lord (Who is also responsible for the rashness of the other HiMEs).
- Yukariko Sanada - A nun at the local church. Through her faith, she tries her best to help the academy students cope with the trials and tribulations of school life. Her Element is a bow which fires energy-charged arrows. Her Child is called St. Vrus and resembles a Chess Knight. It can produce illusions over a wide area or completely trap a single person in a dream world.
- Joseph Greer - A priest who works at the same church as Yukariko. He is the supervisor of Miyu and Alyssa's progress. He is killed by Miyu in retaliation for killing Alyssa.
- - Adopted daughter of Joseph Greer. She is very close to Alyssa. She is actually an android, designed by the Searrs company to protect Alyssa Searrs and to guide her to the Golden Era. Her name is an acronym for Multiple Intelligencial Yggdrasil Unit. She harbors an unknown amount of internal weaponry inside of her, including a chaingun, sword arm, a drill, a chainsaw, and an anti-materializing weapon. When she changes weapons, the 'Mythril Draw' system also changes the color of her outfit, the 'Mythril Dress'. It was thought she was destroyed in episode 15; but in reality is salvaged by Mashiro. She becomes the trump card in the "Festival". Miyu could arguably be called a Deus ex Machina in both My-HiME and its counterpart, My-Otome, in which she has a similar role in the last episode.
- Alyssa Searrs - The most famous choir member at Fuuka Academy. She is shy around people, though Miyu appears to be the exception. When she was born, she was infused with HiME powers, thus making her the 'fake' 13th HiME. Her Child is Artemis, a gigantic satellite which floats in orbit above the earth. Being a 'fake' HiME she doesn't have an Element, relying on Miyu to defend her. Like Nagi, she can summon and control Orphans. She was killed in ep. 15 by Joseph Greer by order of the SEARRS Organization, only to be resurrected by Mashiro's power in the end as with the other HiMEs who perished.
- - A morally ambivalent middle school student who enjoys preying on perverted men. Her Elements are twin metal claws with red nails which can be used to ensnare enemies or cut through objects. Her Child is Julia, a half-humanlike female spider with a scorpion tail. She continues to attack and attempt to kill Natsuki until Julia is destroyed by Kiyohime, effectively sending Nao into insanity. She recovered to her old, immoral self in the end.
- Midori Sugiura - One of Mai's co-workers and a Fuuka Academy instructor. She claims to be 17 years of age, but no one really believes her (she's actually 24). It is later revealed that she is also an avid archeologist. Her Element is a labrys. Her Child is Gakutenou, a lion-like creature whose hind legs can transform into wheel-like extensions and travel at great speed. His wheels can also produce a powerful tornado that can immobilize enemies and the giant blade on his head can cut through solid stone with one swipe. She tends to parody a lot of superhero themes, specifically Sailor Moon, Super Sentai, and Kamen Rider. She's also a drunk who loves to do "fun" things, mostly ending up with the other HiMEs in humiliating positions.
- Akane Higurashi - Another classmate of Mai. She is shy and has a crush on Kazuya Kurauchi(who also has a crush on her but is also shy). Her Element is a pair of tonfa. Her Child is Harry, who resembles a giant tiger. Harry can generate a powerful vacuum effect through the turbine blade on his chest and draw enemies into it, crushing and grinding them into nothingness.
- Nagi Homura - A mysterious figure who seems to possess clandestine knowledge about the HiMEs and their true purpose. He's also a horrible singer. He is able to summon Orphan with a snap of his fingers. His Orphan differ from the ones sent by SEARRS. He is also seen with a book over his head(although is balance is just as good as his singing, landing him almost on his face on several occasions).
- Mashiro Kazahana - The Director of Fuuka Gakuen. She is confined to a wheelchair and looks to be very young (her stated age is eleven). In fact she is much older than she looks, being a participant in the last cycle. During that Festival she was the controller of Kagutsuchi. During that time, she opposed the Obsidian Lord and for punishment her soul was sealed in a crystal. She can actually walk, although the one time she does so might have been a special case. Her 'body' is actually a doll containing her soul; her true body is contained in the crystal in the Land of Fuuka. Her false body also serves as Fumi's Child. In that form she is known as the Crystal Princess. She is older, has horns and carries a double-bladed sword with blue eye-like markings similar to Miroku. The two weapons seem to resonate with each other. When she was defeated, her Child body was hung up above the Obsidian Lord's throne as a trophy. In the end she is returned to her human body and travelled through the gate of Valhalla with Nagi.
- Fumi Himeno - Mashiro's maid. Her Element is a large scythe and Mashiro is her Child. However, the official name of her Child is named Suishou, which means "Crystal" in Japanese. It fits because Mashiro is afterall sometimes referred to as "The Crystal Princess."
- Aoi Senou - One of Mai's friendly and helpful classmates. She often cares for Mai's well-being. She is also good friends with Chie. She and Chie makes up half of the comedy crew(the other being Haruka).
- Chie Harada - Another one of Mai's classmates. She is often seen with a cellphone while chatting about new gossip. She's often the one to suggest topics with "themes" that ends up making Mai either mad or embarrassed. In the latter season they stop making their "comedic" appearances to better set the mood.
Japanese Cast
(Again, family name last.)- Ai Shimizu - Mikoto Minagi
- Mai Nakahara - Mai Tokiha
- Saeko Chiba - Natsuki Kuga
- Akiko Kimura - Youko Sagisawa
- Akira Ishida - Nagi Homura
- Junko Iwao - Akane Higurashi
- Kikuko Inoue - Yukariko Sanada
- Kiyomi Asai - Miyu Greer
- Mamiko Noto - Yukino Kikukawa
- Ryoka Yuzuki - Haruka Suzushiro
- Sakura Nogawa - Shiho Munakata
- Sanae Kobayashi - Akira Okuzaki
- Naomi Shindou - Shizuru Fujino
- Tomokazu Seki - Yuuichi Tate
- Toshihiko Seki - Reito Kanzaki
- Yugo Takahashi - Takumi Tokiha
- Yukari Tamura - Midori Sugiura
- Yuko Miyamura - Alyssa Searrs
- Yuuka Nanri - Nao Yuuki
- Ryoko Shintani - Aoi Senou
- Mitsuki Saiga - Chie Harada
English cast
(Again, family name last.)- Caitlynne Medrek - Mikoto Minagi
- Carol-Anne Day - Mai Tokiha
- Cheryl McMaster - Natsuki Kuga
- Allyson June Smith - Yukariko Sanada
- Annika Odegard - Akira Okuzaki
- Cole Howard - Takumi Tokiha
- Ethan Cole - Reito Kanzaki
- Graham Ko - Nagi Homura
- Hazel Forman - Chie Harada
- Jayna Mitchell - Aoi Senou
- Jordan Schartnet - Yuichi Tate
- Katie Rowan - Mashiro Kazahana
- Leda Davies - Shiho Munakata
- Lori Barnes-Smith - Haruka Suzuhiro
- Maizun Jayoussi - Miyu Greer
- Marcy Lannan - Nao Yuuki
- Mariette Sluyter - Midori Sugiura
- Melanie Risdon - Shizuru Fujino
- Morgan Partridge - Yukino Kikukawa
- Wendy Morrison - Fumi Himeno
- Paul Cowling - Joseph Greer
- Randall Wiebe - Kaiji Sakomizu
- Scott Roberts - Masashi Takeda
- Victor Atelevich - Yamada
Episodes
- 01. This is a Girl's Important Event (それは☆女の一大事)
- 02. After School Secrets (ヒミツの放課後？)
- 03. Dance of Flames / Oath of the Star (炎の舞／星の誓い)
- 04. Prank of the Wind (風のイ・タ・ズ・ラ)
- 05. Rain--. Tears..... (雨――。涙……)
- 06. Burning 17 Year-old (^^;) (もえる十七歳(^^;))
- 07. The Lost Kittens (迷子の仔猫たち)
- 08. An Important Thing (たいせつのｍの。)
- 09. The sea, the maidens and Natsuki's secret ♪ (海とオトメとなつきのヒミツ♪)
- 10. Cake Wars!!! (ケーキ大戦!!!)
- 11. Rondo of Light and Darkness (光と闇の輪舞（ロンド）)
- 12. Angelic Smile (天使のほほえみ)
- 13. Night of the Tamayura (～たまゆらの夜～)
- 14. Academy at Target (ねらわれる学園)
- 15. High School Girl ﾐ☆Through the Galaxy (天翔ける ﾐ☆ 女子高生)
- 16. Parade ♪
- 17. Deceitful, Lips (そつきな、唇)
- 18. --Beginning. (――はじまり。)
- 19. Labyrinth in the Heart (こころの迷宮)
- 20. Dance of Flames / Destiny of Tears (炎の舞／涙の運命)
- 21. The Black Prince Awakens (黒き君、目覚めるとき)
- 22. Collapse (くずれゆく......)
- 23. Love, Friendship, Callousness (愛情と友情、非情)
- 24. Love is a Battle (コイ・ハ・タタカイ)
- 25. To the Destined Time(運命の刻へ)
- 26. Shining ☆ Days
Trivia
- Each DVD of My-HiME has special short segments (omake) to complement the anime and explain aspects of the characters and plot. Several, however, seem to be there purely for fanservice, featuring things like pictures of a naked Chie, almost bare Midori and Aoi, Mikoto pantyshots, Haruka being stripped in the old strip poker game style (though it referred to her losing the Student Council elections badly), and heavily implied lesbian contact between Mai and Midori. With the exception of the plot explanations (such as the history of Fuuka Academy and the nature of Orphans), none of the specials are distinctly canon.
- The Mai-Otome Volume 1 DVD features a "Fake" trailer to the Mai-HiME Movie and features Arika Yumemiya of My-Otome as a comedic antagonist; as well as HiME Mikoto encountering "Kitty" Mikoto (who appeared with Reito's voice). Despite the seriousness and dramatics of the teaser, this was a joke on Sunrise's behalf as the ending credits say "20006" as the year of release.
- Both Arika and Nina, the main characters of My-Otome, appear in My-HiME. Nina is seen several times in the same classroom as Mai as a background character. Arika is seen very briefly in the closing credits of episode 26.
- In episode 10: "Cake Wars" the episode was an obvious parody of Iron Chef; Midori herself pokes fun at Chairman Kaga.
- Mai and Yuuichi switch roles somewhat in the manga, Yuuichi becoming both the main character and the student transferring to Fuuka Academy
Openings & Endings
Opening:- Shining☆Days by Minami Kuribayashi
- Kimi ga Sora Datta by Aki Misato
- Chisana Hoshi ga Oriru Toki by Minami Kuribayashi (eps.15 and 26)
- It's Only the Fairy Tale by Yuko Miyamura (ep.15)
- Mizube no Hana by Chiba Saeko (ep.16)
- Kokoro no Tsurugi by Shimizu Ai (ep.16)
- Itoshisa no Kousaten by Nakahara Mai (ep.16)
- Parade by Nakahara Mai, Shimizu Ai, and Chiba Saeko (eps.10 and 16)
See also
Mai HiME SoundtracksExternal links
- Sunrise's: http://www.sunrise-inc.co.jp/my-hime/
- TV Tokyo's: http://www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/anime/maihime/
- [Review on Anime Academy]
Fan sites
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