This review covers the anime. The manga has some noticeable differences, but as far as I know, the important parts are the same. It also contains some spoilers.
Destiny of the Shrine Maiden, aka Kannazuki no Miko(KNM), is a yuri series that was revolutionary for its time, but aged poorly, in part due to its problematic elements.
The characters are easily the weakest part of KNM, probably because it's too short to properly develop most of them. Himeko, the hero, is a bland Nice Girl who somehow wins the love of the most popular boy and girl at her school. She has a traumatic past with an abusive aunt and uncle, but not nearly enough is done with it.
Chikane is the most divisive character in KNM, and for good reason. On the one hand, she's a far more complex and flawed character than people in-universe or out initially think, and has relatively good chemistry with Himeko. On the other hand, not only is she somewhat possessive of Himeko, but then there's Episode 8.
While I don't usually have spoilers in my reviews, I'll make an exception for the part everyone knows about- Chikane raping Himeko. While rape is the surest way for a character to become a Hate Sink short of mass murder, Chikane retains the narrative's sympathy, and the action is soon forgotten about. She turns out to have her reasons for doing this, but it could easily have been replaced by trying to kill Souma in a jealous rage and the effect would have been the same.
Speaking of Souma, he's a boring character whose existence revolves around Himeko(granted, the same goes for Chikane, but at least she has character flaws). This is a shame, because he actually has an interesting relationship with his evil brotherTsubasa, which only becomes relevant a handful of times.
The vast majority of the Necks of Orochi, with only a handful of exceptions, are one-note and only exist to provide a Monster of the Week for Souma(himself a Neck and a Flat Character to boot) to defeat. They all have tragic backstories, but they're only mentioned in passing near the end of the series, and don't do nearly enough to flesh out their characters.
The action is so-so, whether because it wasn't KNM's main focus, or because the anime, which was made almost 20 years ago, doesn't have very good art.
While I am a Yuri Fan at heart, and recognize that Destiny was novel for its time, many better yuri series have been released since then, so there's no reason to waste your time on this one.
Manga Anime: A problematic series that aged poorly and has bad characters.
This review covers the anime. The manga has some noticeable differences, but as far as I know, the important parts are the same. It also contains some spoilers.
Destiny of the Shrine Maiden, aka Kannazuki no Miko(KNM), is a yuri series that was revolutionary for its time, but aged poorly, in part due to its problematic elements.
KNM is about two girls named Himeko and Chikane, who learn that they're the priestesses whose duty it is to seal the evil god Orochi. Himeko wrestles with possible feelings for her ChildhoodFriend Souma, while also gradually realizing that Chikane is in love with her. The conflict with Orochi is nothing special, but what about the characters?
The characters are easily the weakest part of KNM, probably because it's too short to properly develop most of them. Himeko, the hero, is a bland Nice Girl who somehow wins the love of the most popular boy and girl at her school. She has a traumatic past with an abusive aunt and uncle, but not nearly enough is done with it.
Chikane is the most divisive character in KNM, and for good reason. On the one hand, she's a far more complex and flawed character than people in-universe or out initially think, and has relatively good chemistry with Himeko. On the other hand, not only is she somewhat possessive of Himeko, but then there's Episode 8.
While I don't usually have spoilers in my reviews, I'll make an exception for the part everyone knows about- Chikane raping Himeko. While rape is the surest way for a character to become a Hate Sink short of mass murder, Chikane retains the narrative's sympathy, and the action is soon forgotten about. She turns out to have her reasons for doing this, but it could easily have been replaced by trying to kill Souma in a jealous rage and the effect would have been the same.
Speaking of Souma, he's a boring character whose existence revolves around Himeko(granted, the same goes for Chikane, but at least she has character flaws). This is a shame, because he actually has an interesting relationship with his evil brother Tsubasa, which only becomes relevant a handful of times.
The vast majority of the Necks of Orochi, with only a handful of exceptions, are one-note and only exist to provide a Monster of the Week for Souma(himself a Neck and a Flat Character to boot) to defeat. They all have tragic backstories, but they're only mentioned in passing near the end of the series, and don't do nearly enough to flesh out their characters.
The action is so-so, whether because it wasn't KNM's main focus, or because the anime, which was made almost 20 years ago, doesn't have very good art.
While I am a Yuri Fan at heart, and recognize that Destiny was novel for its time, many better yuri series have been released since then, so there's no reason to waste your time on this one.