Shrine of the Morning Mist
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese manga
written and illustrated by Hiroki Ugawa. The manga was serialized in Shōnen Gahōsha
's Young King Ours
. The manga is licensed in North America by Tokyopop
and in Australia and New Zealand by Madman Entertainment
. The manga was adapted into an anime
series, directed by Yuji Moriyama
. The anime was licensed in North America by Media Blasters
.
It tells the story of Yuzu Hieda, a high school freshman and one of three sisters, all of whom are miko
at the local Shinto shrine
. When her childhood love returns, it is discovered that dark gods have a great interest in him and Yuzu is recruited to gather fellow female students into a "Miko Council" to fight off a full-scale mystic assault. The priestesses have talisman
s which focus their powers and are used when attacking the dark kami
.
was used as the basis for the location of the anime. The real Miyoshi also has an abundance of mist in the morning (hence the series' title), and the folktales recorded in Inō Mononoke scroll (which inspired much of the anime's story) took place on a mountain near Miyoshi City. The mountain in question also appears prominently in Shrine of the Morning Mist.
released the manga's five tankōbon
volumes between January 2001 and December 27, 2007. The manga is licensed in North America by Tokyopop
, which released the manga's first four tankōbon volumes between May 9, 2006 and May 1, 2007 as of July 2009. The series is licensed in France as Asagiri - Les prêtresses de l'aube by Editions Ki-oon.
's A.E. Sparrow criticises the manga for making Tadahiro "possibly the most boring character written in the history of manga. He looks and behaves with all the emotional range of a Ken doll, despite being the core character around which the action revolves".
Them Anime Review's Jeremy A Beard comments that comedy of the anime "employs a lot of silly school life misunderstandings and visual gags that reminded me of something like Azumanga Daioh
". Anime News Network
's Sean Broestl commends the anime for its "great character design, catchy opening [and the] comedy isn't overdone" but he criticises the episodes for feeling "rushed" and its "mediocre plot". Mania.com's Chris Beveridge comments on the anime's "half-length episodes" due to it being aired on TV Tokyo
as the second half of Nekketsu Denpa Club, saying, "the show makes decent use of the format and the pacing is certainly much better than a lot of shows that were trying out this format a few years ago, but there's still something slightly off about how it plays out and roughly half of the episodes feel like they're either a bit rushed or they don't end in what you'd consider an appropriate place."
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
written and illustrated by Hiroki Ugawa. The manga was serialized in Shōnen Gahōsha
Shonen Gahosha
is a Japanese publisher named for Shōnen Gaho one of its first magazines. Founded in 1945, it previously published driving manuals and English conversation guides. Now it is known for magazines such as biweekly seinen manga Young King, the monthly manga serials Young King OURs and Monthly Young King...
's Young King Ours
Young King OURs
is a monthly seinen manga magazine published in Japan by Shōnen Gahosha, aimed primarily at male audiences, mostly older teens and young adults. It is the sister publication of Young King...
. The manga is licensed in North America by Tokyopop
Tokyopop
Tokyopop, styled TOKYOPOP, and formerly known as Mixx, is a distributor, licensor, and publisher of anime, manga, manhwa, and Western manga-style works. The existing German publishing division produces German translations of licensed Japanese properties and original English-language manga, as well...
and in Australia and New Zealand by Madman Entertainment
Madman Entertainment
Madman Entertainment is an Australian company that distributes international films as well as Japanese anime and manga in Australia and New Zealand. The company is owned by Funtastic Limited and is one of the major entertainment companies in Australia. It employs 130 people and has an annual...
. The manga was adapted into an anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
series, directed by Yuji Moriyama
Yuji Moriyama
, also known as Yuji Motoyama, is born on January 6, 1960 and is an anime character designer and animator.- Filmography :* 801 T.T.S. Airbats : Director, Character Design* Adventures of Kotetsu : Director...
. The anime was licensed in North America by Media Blasters
Media Blasters
Media Blasters is an entertainment corporation founded by John Sirabella and Sam Liebowitz, based in New York City. They are in the business of licensing, translating, and releasing to the North American market manga compilations and anime and live-action movies and television series to home-video...
.
It tells the story of Yuzu Hieda, a high school freshman and one of three sisters, all of whom are miko
Miko
is a Japanese term that anciently meant a "female shaman, spirit medium" who conveyed oracles from kami , and currently means a "shrine maiden; virgin consecrated to a deity" who serves at Shinto shrines.-Word:...
at the local Shinto shrine
Jinja (Shinto)
A Shinto shrine is a structure whose main purpose is to house one or more Shinto kami....
. When her childhood love returns, it is discovered that dark gods have a great interest in him and Yuzu is recruited to gather fellow female students into a "Miko Council" to fight off a full-scale mystic assault. The priestesses have talisman
Amulet
An amulet, similar to a talisman , is any object intended to bring good luck or protection to its owner.Potential amulets include gems, especially engraved gems, statues, coins, drawings, pendants, rings, plants and animals; even words said in certain occasions—for example: vade retro satana—, to...
s which focus their powers and are used when attacking the dark kami
Kami
is the Japanese word for the spirits, natural forces, or essence in the Shinto faith. Although the word is sometimes translated as "god" or "deity", some Shinto scholars argue that such a translation can cause a misunderstanding of the term...
.
The Miko Council
In the dubbed version, the Miko Council is referred to as the "Priestess Club".- The protagonist of the series, is the middle sister of the Hieda clan, all of whom have trained to be Shinto priestesses. She is a powerful mystic, but naive. She is fixated on her childhood friend Tadahiro, believing they are destined to be together. Her talisman item is a ceremonial dagger.
- Yuzu's best friend and first recruit to the Miko Council. She is enthusiastic but unlucky with boys, and pretends to be more worldly than Yuzu when in reality she is just as naive. Her talisman item is a spear.
- Although she is the same age as the other girls, has a body that resembles that of a ten-year-old. She also has a cutting, nasty streak and never hesitates to speak her mind. Her talisman item is a tamagushiTamagushiis a form of Shinto offering made from a sakaki-tree branch decorated with shide strips of washi paper, silk, or cotton. At Japanese weddings, funerals, miyamairi and other ceremonies at Shinto shrines, tamagushi are ritually presented to the kami by parishioners or kannushi priests.-Linguistic...
, a ritual wand made of a branch with leaves.
- A bespectacled girl who is obsessed with UFOs and aliensExtraterrestrial lifeExtraterrestrial life is defined as life that does not originate from Earth...
, and convinced there is a connection between UFOs and the demon invasion. She thinks Chika is extremely cute and loses no opportunity to glomp her, much to Chika's disgust. Her talisman item is a set of ofudaOfudaOfuda, is a gofu or a talisman issued by a Shinto shrine. It may also be called shinpu . It is made by inscribing the name of a kami and the name of the Shinto shrine or of a representative of the kami on a strip of paper, wood, cloth, or metal.It is to be renewed yearly, typically before the end...
.
- A quiet, demure and extremely wealthy girl who hero-worships Yuzu. She tries very hard to be the epitome of Japanese femininity. Her talisman item is a ceremonial fan.
The Hieda Clan
- The Asagiri Shrine's head priestess, the Miko Council's mentor, and Yuzu's homeroom teacher and older sister. She is extremely knowledgeable and intensely disciplined, and puts the Council (including her sister, who is already a priestess) through continual, rigorous training that borders on the sadistic. Her talisman items are a bow (she is a skilled archer) and a large ring that can encircle foes.
- The youngest Hieda sister and a priestess-in-training. She takes a perverse glee in teasing her sister about Tadahiro, but is basically kind and loving. Her talisman items are a pair of hand chimeChime (bell instrument)A carillon-like instrument with fewer than 23 bells is called a chime.American chimes usually have one to one and a half diatonic octaves. Many chimes play an automated piece of music. Prior to 1900, chime bells typically lacked dynamic variation and the inner tuning required to permit the use of...
s.
- The father of the Hieda sisters. He lives at the shrine but does not appear to be a priest; his job is unknown but apparently exhausting. His principal problems are a distrust of Tadahiro's intentions towards Yuzu and the tendency of the rest of the family to almost completely ignore him.
- The cousin of the Hieda sisters. A boy Yuzu's age, he is her childhood friend and they have been carrying a torch for each other for five years. Tadahiro has the power to see the spirit world through his left eye, which is a different color from the right, and is a target of the demons in consequence.
- A bakenekoBakenekoA is, in Japanese folklore, a cat with supernatural abilities akin to those of the fox or raccoon dog. A cat may become a bakeneko in a number of ways: it may reach a certain age, be kept for a certain number of years, grow to a certain size, or be allowed to keep a long tail. In the last case,...
or "demon cat" who protected Tadahiro's grandfather. She normally appears as an ordinary-looking black cat, but can take human and cat-woman forms to fight. She has an alarming fondness for cake.
Yagarena
- An ancient sorcererMagician (fantasy)A magician, mage, sorcerer, sorceress, wizard, enchanter, enchantress, thaumaturge or a person known under one of many other possible terms is someone who uses or practices magic that derives from supernatural or occult sources...
who serves Yagarena, a dark god who wishes to return to the Earth and plunge Japan into darkness. He has the power to summon demons from just about anything, which he uses to menace Tadahiro and Yuzu.
- Are three "dark miko" recruited by Michimune to fight the Miko Council. Their spiritual powers are roughly equal to those of the Miko Council, but their skill is greater.
- A handsome student in Yuzu and Tadahiro's class. Although popular, he is arrogant and cutting and does everything in his power to hamper and humiliate Yuzu. Chika took some pictures that led her to believe he was having a romance with Tadahiro. In reality, Kusugi is a disguise used by Michimune to infiltrateEspionageEspionage or spying involves an individual obtaining information that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. Espionage is inherently clandestine, lest the legitimate holder of the information change plans or take other countermeasures once it...
the school and hamper his enemies.
Setting
The real-life city of Miyoshi, HiroshimaMiyoshi, Hiroshima
is a city located in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan.The city was founded on March 31, 1954.On April 1, 2004, Miyoshi City absorbed the towns of Kisa, Mirasaka and Miwa, the villages of Funo, Kimita and Sakugi, all from Futami District, and the town of Kōnu, from Kōnu District, to form the new city of...
was used as the basis for the location of the anime. The real Miyoshi also has an abundance of mist in the morning (hence the series' title), and the folktales recorded in Inō Mononoke scroll (which inspired much of the anime's story) took place on a mountain near Miyoshi City. The mountain in question also appears prominently in Shrine of the Morning Mist.
Manga
Shrine of the Morning Mist is written and illustrated by Hiroki Ugawa. Shōnen GahōshaShonen Gahosha
is a Japanese publisher named for Shōnen Gaho one of its first magazines. Founded in 1945, it previously published driving manuals and English conversation guides. Now it is known for magazines such as biweekly seinen manga Young King, the monthly manga serials Young King OURs and Monthly Young King...
released the manga's five tankōbon
Tankobon
, with a literal meaning close to "independently appearing book", is the Japanese term for a book that is complete in itself and is not part of a series , though the manga industry uses it for volumes which may be in a series...
volumes between January 2001 and December 27, 2007. The manga is licensed in North America by Tokyopop
Tokyopop
Tokyopop, styled TOKYOPOP, and formerly known as Mixx, is a distributor, licensor, and publisher of anime, manga, manhwa, and Western manga-style works. The existing German publishing division produces German translations of licensed Japanese properties and original English-language manga, as well...
, which released the manga's first four tankōbon volumes between May 9, 2006 and May 1, 2007 as of July 2009. The series is licensed in France as Asagiri - Les prêtresses de l'aube by Editions Ki-oon.
Volume listing
Reception
IGNIGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
's A.E. Sparrow criticises the manga for making Tadahiro "possibly the most boring character written in the history of manga. He looks and behaves with all the emotional range of a Ken doll, despite being the core character around which the action revolves".
Them Anime Review's Jeremy A Beard comments that comedy of the anime "employs a lot of silly school life misunderstandings and visual gags that reminded me of something like Azumanga Daioh
Azumanga Daioh
is a Japanese comedy manga by Kiyohiko Azuma. It was serialized by MediaWorks in the shōnen manga magazine Dengeki Daioh from 1999 to 2002 and collected in four bound volumes...
". Anime News Network
Anime News Network
Anime News Network is an anime industry news website that reports on the status of anime, manga, Japanese popular music and other otaku-related culture within North America, Australia and Japan. Additionally, it sometimes features similar happenings throughout the Anglosphere and elsewhere in the...
's Sean Broestl commends the anime for its "great character design, catchy opening [and the] comedy isn't overdone" but he criticises the episodes for feeling "rushed" and its "mediocre plot". Mania.com's Chris Beveridge comments on the anime's "half-length episodes" due to it being aired on TV Tokyo
TV Tokyo
is a television station headquartered in Toranomon, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Also known as , a blend of "terebi" and "Tokyo", it is the key station of TX Network. It is one of the major Tokyo television stations, particularly specializing in anime...
as the second half of Nekketsu Denpa Club, saying, "the show makes decent use of the format and the pacing is certainly much better than a lot of shows that were trying out this format a few years ago, but there's still something slightly off about how it plays out and roughly half of the episodes feel like they're either a bit rushed or they don't end in what you'd consider an appropriate place."