User talk:Kazu-kun/Sandbox6

First, from the episode-by-episode commentary, the Scenario Writer's comments on episodes 8 and 12: Episode 8:

With this story, we had the most lively, intense exchange of ideas with this "development". "Do we really have to take it to this extent?" "Isn't this something out of a midday talk show?" "Won't it be pushed aside as something that is physiologically disgusting?" They were all plausible opinions. They weren't just opinions based on simple likes and dislikes. At the end of a very long discussion, nevertheless, we decided to go this route with pride, confidence and awareness. We chose this for a deeper, heavier "story of those two girls". Of course, what the people who saw the film...are feeling is "correct". There are those things that we'd like people to feel, but we can't "push those things on people." This goes for many other stories out there in the world. The only thing is... Even for Chikane, "this night" is...The proof that she will never go back. A mask of lies that she wears to deceive the sly Orochi. It is alright if Himeko doesn't forgive her. No, in fact, she shouldn't be forgiven by Himeko. In order to make herself lose the right to hold Himeko in her arms. And, no matter what conclusion awaits her, this fact will never completely disappear from Chikane's memory. I also wrote this at another place, but this story's theme is that "love is not only beautiful."

Episode 12 and the ending, also some additional comments on 8. There is a very large amount of comment here:

This story is not about Chikane winning because she scored 100 and Souma 95. It's not that Himeko didn't choose Souma because of some fault or vice that he has. Then, why is it? There is only one true partner. And that one that Himeko loved was Chikane...at the very end, Himeko realizes this and accepts Chikane's love for her. That's the only reason. That's the simple truth. If two individuals get together, then naturally there won't be a spare seat for someone else. I really feel sorry for him, but somebody has to end up crying. No matter how strongly he feels about it, there are times when even such a love doesn't reach the other person.

They [the Orochi] can attain happiness by going on a rampage...but for Chikane, the more she goes on a rampage, the unhappier she gets. If one was to think of Orochi power as "the power of unhappiness", then Chikane is the most powerful Orochi. In order to become an enemy to Himeko, she purposefully chose the road that is most extreme and cruel...in order to deceive the Orochi. There is also an emotion that resides inside Chikane; a dark, negative, and chaotic emotion that resides along with her pure feelings toward Himeko. "It's ok if I'm just her best friend...as a matter of fact, that has to be the way it is." By liberating those feelings that she desperately tried to suppress and deny...she could deceive the Orochi. And the other reason she decided to do this (I touched on this briefly in my commentary on episode 8) is that this is a punishment...a sentence that she gave herself. "It's ok if Himeko doesn't forgive me...no, in fact, I should never be forgiven by Himeko." So that Chikane never forgives herself...it is an eternal sentence that she gave herself for the decision she made to select that night. (That is why, in the final episode when Himeko confesses her love for Chikane, Chikane desperately kept on coming up with reasons to deny it.) The one thing Chikane couldn't do...was that she couldn't help but say it at the very end. "It's true...I always loved you..." Properly speaking, she should say that it's all a lie when Himeko asks her......but she couldn't say that. She finally ended up saying her true feelings. She couldn't lie because that was, for Chikane, her last truth....the most important words.

Himeko's response after hearing Chikane's feelings from her is the true climax of this story.

As the director said in his comment too, the line that we wanted Himeko to say...more than "I love you"...was "I'm sorry to leave you alone." Even though Chikane-chan protected me so well and held me so tight...and she was always right next to me...and yet I wasn't able to understand anything about Chikane-chan. From now on, please share everything with me..don't shoulder them all by yourself anymore. I want you to share not only happiness but unhappiness with me, too...I want to walk together with you. You don't have to be "Miya-sama" or a knight to me...I want to be your "true" partner. Rather than "my Chikane-chan", I want to be "Chikane-chan's Himeko."

....mercilessly, the moment of farewell will soon visit them. With "Kannazuki no Miko," we started out by putting together this last scene's image during our first meeting. More than anything else, they chose the road they will both travel together when they meet again...no matter what kind of trial should be waiting for them ahead...they will walk together holding each other's hand firmly. "This moment will not be defeated by any eternity, god or destiny. There's no way it'll be defeated." This promise they made amidst the flurry of blowing flower petals is also a way of saying "Listen up!! Ame no Murakumo!" (according to the director.)

The last scene...the embrace at the intersection. We received a lot of questions from various people about this. How many years later did they meet again? Is it the present age? Is it the future? What happened to their memories? How old are they? What happened to Orochi? I really debated whether or not I should answer these questions here. Of course, it's not like we didn't think up anything beforehand (for example, to make the time period ambiguous, we had an idea to do this on a beach...although we decided to purposefully do this this amidst a crowd.) Among those who gave us questions, there were those who widened their imagination and came up with various settings. I don't want to negate these things. Himeko and Chikane will meet again some day and will fall in love with each other again. No matter what happens to the world or how old they are, that is the one thing that is certain. As for the rest, what the viewers are imagining, their favorite situation is "correct." We just hope that you enjoy it.

There are still more to come with these two's story. We created this series on the basis of that. Things that we should depict, things that we want to depict, things that we didn't have time to depict....there still is lot more to this. What lies ahead a love that becomes fulfilled...a love that is permissable....I'm sure there will be a new trial that'll come in front of them. In spite of that, walking together hand in hand...the road that Himeko and Chikane will be traveling on...so that we could present this to everyone, all of us will be putting in our hearts and effort to realize this one day.

The above comes from the episode-by-episode commentary. There are also staff-specific remarks at the end of the book, some of which I will reproduce in part:

Tetsuya Yanagisawa (Director):

This story does deal with love between two girls, but as far as I'm concerned, I directed it rather as a "classic, pure love story." That's why I excluded any "smoochy love games between two girls" type of a sweet situation when it came to "Chikane and Himeko." As a matter of fact, I made the fact that "they are of the same gender" as an obstacle that prevented them from fulfilling their love..."a fate that they couldn't do anything about that they were burdened with." No matter how much Chikane loves Himeko, she could never utter her painful feelings even though they were about to burst out of her heart.

Kaishaku (Original Manga): (These comments are particularly hard to follow in parts.)

I recall saying at the very beginning that "this is a story where two girls get together at the very end." I knew this assertion went widely off the high road. I also said, "In a decision between which to choose: love or the world...we'll choose love." ..... It is not a man and a woman. In other words, there is no regeneration [?], just a lot of risks. In spite of that, they are attracted to each other so much...they need each other so much that they end up choosing love. It's almost as if the world, their future, and people's opinions and their genders do not matter. As an expression, it is ok to cross at certain line. If there is a genre called Soft Yuri (Yuri = girl/girl love) then this will be Hard Yuri. We can't have them smooching each other, since we know that's a sin. So it'll be done in a high-class manner, although not in a snobbish way. Not in a naive way, but in a noble manner. Chikane is like that.

A story about two such girls...a story that goes against the world. I wanted to make it into a story like that and I wanted to see a story like that. The hero gets hurt and worries for the sake of the heroine. And that is Chikane. In other words, Chikane is the hero. That is why I filled Souma with elements of a straightforward hero. But in the truest sense of the word, the one who could make Himeko happy and who will end up together with Himeko is Chikane, who worried, got hurt and supported her along the way.

Finally, Sumio Uetake (Series Composition/Scenario Writing, who also wrote the episode-by-episode commentary above):

The leading characters are these two shrine maidens. A boy and the two girls....seeing many elements in the proposal, I came upon one sentence which took me by surprise. Huh? You mean to tell me this isn't some story about love, robots and battles surrounding this boy who has a girl on each of his arm? Are you saying that the one in the center is this girl wearing a ribbon? A good-looking boy and a pretty girl fight over another pretty girl? Hmm...Then, can we take off with this love affair between these two girls as the axis? It's not about "one characteristic of one of the many girls"... not about "swaying emotions of adolescence, a puppy love of a girl that is just a little step toward experiencing true love"...not about "a spoiler or comic relief for the boy who's the leading character"...but it was something definitely powerful and totally serious that came straightforward at you.

Then, in that case, let's take it one step higher and why don't we make it a story in which the girls get together as a couple? Regardless of what shape or form it takes, is it permissable to have them fulfill their love at the end?

Yes, we insist that this raven-haired young lady come out victorious in the end. Although it seems like there will be stories like this around, but I never experienced it until that time. I felt like within my own head I just started to expand my imaginations.

"These girls can win, you know. As a matter of fact, I'd like them to win." Are you serious?! That was the moment when this "Kannazuki no Miko" became more than a mere enjoyable work for me. The mountain of joy was higher than Jungfrau and the valley of pain and hardship (it's work, so of course there's going to be some) was deeper than the ocean trench of the Marianas. We laughed, cried, and fought...it was a thrilling time like rolling around on top of a sizzling iron plate. I can say this out loud in front of everyone...that the anime I love the most right now is "Kannazuki no Miko". Being able to say such a thing is, I think, a very fortunate thing for a scenario writer.

OK, seiyuus’ commentary on episode 8. This time there were just the 3 main seiyuus. They all said this episode was shocking and that they were surprised when they first read the script. Kawasumi-san gave Shitaya-san a compliment for her screams. She said Shitaya-san’s screams really made her heart ache. Doing this episode, she got teased by lots of people. They jokingly said to her “Kawasumi-san, you did a really terrible thing.” Shitaya-san was teased as well. Kawasumi-san said although this episode was shocking, it was a good experience for her getting to do the kind of role she had never done before. She said she also had fun doing the scene where Chikane got to get back at Souma, making the other 2 seiyuus laugh. She said it felt good and helped reduce stress. Majima-san added he thought Souma would die for sure when he read the script.

As the key scene was approaching, they all got kind of nervous. Shitaya-san said when they did the voice acting for this episode, the drawings weren’t ready yet. She had to use her imagination in trying to scream “iya, iyaa.” During the key scene, Shitaya-san said even if one liked Chikane, of course one would resist if Chikane was scary like that. (This may not be exactly what they said but it was something like that.) Kawasumi-san and Shitaya-san agreed with each other that if Chikane hadn’t rushed too much, Himeko might not have resisted her. Majiama-san just laughed. Shitaya-san added that probably would’ve been even more shocking for Souma. The scene where we saw Himeko’s underwear on the floor, they said it was really up to what viewers thought happened. Chikane might not have done anything more than what was shown on screen. For them they didn’t know either what actually happened but would like viewers to think that way. The scene where Chikane was tormenting Souma, Kawasumi-san apologized to Souma (Majima-san) on Chikane’s behalf. Kawasumi-san said she always remembered that Chikane did a bad thing to Himeko but didn’t remember that Chikane also did a lot to Souma. Majima-san couldn't agree more.

At the end of this episode, Shitaya-san said she didn’t know about Chikane’s true intention until the very last episode. She was so curious that she kept asking others every week but nobody would tell her. I can tell you that Shitaya-san is such a big fan of Chikane. She often says Chikane-chan kakkouii (cool) / ii (good) / yasashii (kind) / kawaisou (poor Chikane) / suki (no need to translate). I think she must have gone through the same emotional roller coaster ride like we did. That's good to know, isn't it? :) Lastly, the 3 seiyuus agreed that Souma was a good guy and said not to forget his kindness.Kazu-kun (talk) 22:11, 5 April 2009 (UTC)

Miko

 * Himeko Kurusugawa (来栖川 姫子)
 * The Solar Priestess, Himeko is a very shy, innocent 16-year-old girl, and the character that receives most of the anime's attention. She has known Chikane for many years, unknowing of Chikane's affections towards her. At first, Himeko has affections for Sōma Ōgami, who is her childhood friend. When the two date, their relationship puts Chikane's heart into turmoil. She starts off considering Chikane a very close friend, although the two very rarely meet outside of secrecy. Himeko is an amateur photographer of some skill, a hobby she developed thanks to the support she receives from Chikane Himemiya. Himeko is initially a shy and timid girl, uncertain of her own worth and abilities. This is mainly because she was orphaned at an early age in an unknown manner. She was initially adopted by abusive relatives before being moved to other relatives. At school, Himeko seems to have only one (non-romantic) friend, her dorm roommate Makoto. After the destruction of the dorms, when Himeko comes to live with Chikane, she soon gains the enmity of Chikane's female fans at school, a fact she does not deal with well. Despite her timidity, Himeko gradually starts to display great determination and courage. Himeko carries the solar symbol on her chest. In the last few episodes she finally realizes and accepts her feelings towards Chikane.


 * Chikane Himemiya (姫宮 千歌音)
 * The Lunar Priestess; in sharp contrast with Himeko, Chikane is a very commanding girl of the same age. She has a very noble and elegant aura, lives in a large mansion with many maids, and is considered to be of the highest standing at their school; she has a considerable fan following of both genders and is the frequent target of love confessions. She is a member of the prestigious kyūdō (Japanese archery) club and frequently uses the bow as her weapon of preference during confrontations with the Orochi, thus to defeat the other Orochi she uses the Orochi mark as a target. Later events show that she is also skilled in the use of the tantō. Her combat skills are somewhat reminiscent of those taught to the brides of samurai, possibly another indication of Chikane's family's high standing. Chikane is also exceptionally skilled in the areas of tennis and, more significantly, the piano; she apparently enjoys playing for Himeko, who enjoys listening to her perform. Many at school believe she has a relationship with Sōma, though this is proven to be untrue. She has been in love with Himeko since they first met, although she does not reveal it until much later on. She eventually appears to "turn evil", vanquishing all but two of the other Orochi heads and assuming their place, after attacking and sexually assaulting Himeko in an effort to force Himeko to be malevolent to Chikane. The truth behind her actions is more complex than at first meets the eye. Chikane carries the lunar symbol on her back.

Orochi
The great villain of the series is Orochi, an evil god who wishes to destroy the world of humanity and create its own realm, a place of darkness and nihilism. Like its counterpart from Japanese mythology, the Orochi of Kannazuki no Miko has eight 'necks', its eight worshipers and followers, who are also called Orochi (オロチ衆) by association. Each of the eight possesses a mecha, which is both an 'other self' for the Orochi members and an embodiment of a lesser god (which rise time and again from the ashes of destruction), which forms part of the evil deity Orochi's body. Each individual follower has exaggerated personal characteristics; there is some indication that the evil deity granted its followers great physical strength and endurance, a limited capacity for teleportation and levitation, as well as a unique power or weapon to suit their individual character. A follower who has the willpower to repress the wellspring of rage that rises in their minds when Orochi claims them can use the powers they have gained against Orochi. The evil deity, unfortunately, administers a dire punishment to those who resist it. Orochi chooses its followers from those who have experienced great pain in their lives and have given in to despair. The six evil Orochi fit easily into archetypes, consisting of a sociopathic criminal, an unintelligent brute, a former pop idol, an anti-social manga artist, a catgirl, and a disillusioned nun. They are extremely discordant with each other and do not coordinate their attacks on the Miko until the middle of the series.


 * Tsubasa (ツバサ)
 * The First Neck (一の首), he is considered to be the leader and the most powerful of the Orochi. Tsubasa is a tall teal-haired bishōnen, as well as a (presumed) sociopathic criminal with a long record, starting with the murder of his abusive father, whom he killed in order to protect his younger brother. Tsubasa is also Sōma's biological older brother, having left the young child in the care of the Ōgami family when he went on the run. When all the other necks failed at taking his brother down, Tsubasa was ultimately successful.  Sōma has few memories of him, and Tsubasa is hesitant to harm him seriously when they first fight; he is more focused on convincing Sōma of the Orochi cause than killing the Priestesses.
 * His mech, Take no Yasukunazuchi, has deployable wing-like structures which it uses to fly, and attacks with swords mounted on its arms. He is the only one of the Orochi who puts up a serious fight against Chikane after she "turns Orochi", but the battle ends in an impasse. However, he successfully (though only temporarily) destroys Take no Yamikazuchi and ends up abandoning the fight instead, not feeling the need to finish it. It is worth noting that Tsubasa waited until Chikane defeated the other Orochi before attacking, another sign of his sociopathic nature. In personal combat, Tsubasa mainly uses a sword, although he has shown some skill with throwing knives as well. Tsubasa eventually proves that his feelings for his brother are stronger than any attachment he might have felt to the Orochi's nihilistic vision of global destruction. He carries the mark of Orochi over his heart.


 * Sister Miyako (ミヤコ)
 * The Second Neck (二の首), she is a purple-haired nun who is the first Orochi to appear and attack, having lost her faith due to living through a terrible war (presumed somewhere in South America due to her tanned skin color which is a common stereotype in manga and anime). Although there is little co-operation among the Orochi, she seems to be the closest thing therein to a second-in-command having great respect for Tsubasa and the most cool-headed of the lot; it is also implied that she holds an unrequited love for Tsubasa. She can control Girochi and induce some semblance of cooperation among the three other female Necks. Her influence appears to be what turns Chikane to the Orochi cause, though it is later revealed that the Lunar Miko went to them of her own accord.
 * Her mech, Yatsu no Onokoshizuchi, vaguely resembles a lightning demon in appearance, having no arms but an array of tentacles and a giant circle of electrodes on its back which fire deadly beams. In personal contact, Miyako can make use of enchanted mirrors to create complex illusions and to spy on others over distances. She is a skilled manipulator and a keen observer. She use the mirrors and persude Chikane her desires and taking off her clothes and her undergraments. She is the last of the Orochi to fall in combat against Chikane. There is some indication that she carries the mark of Orochi on her throat.


 * Girochi (ギロチ)
 * The Third Neck (三の首), he is one of the first Orochi to attack the Miko. He is a very large man with heavy chains hanging off him, which he uses as weapons. He is attracted to Himeko and wishes to go on a date with her, which only fuels Chikane's jealous protectiveness of the Solar Miko. Girochi is said to be Miyako's younger brother. In a flashback scene, he is shown in a scene of destruction as a young boy, crying near a body crushed under a collapsed building. Presumably, the same war that destroyed his sister's church claimed the life of their parents and left Girochi traumatized and disillusioned. His mecha, Hi no Ashinazuchi, is nicknamed Gungal, and it is characterized by an excessively large right arm — so large that the entire mech's body can fit inside it when he uses it as a weapon (the "Megaton Knuckle" attack). He is the first to be petrified by Chikane. He carries the mark of Orochi on the back of his right hand.


 * Corona (コロナ)
 * The Fourth Neck (四の首), she is a delusional pop idol whose dismal sales (68th, though Reiko constantly taunts her with "69th") are partly responsible for her becoming one of the Orochi. She is almost manic in her behavior, constantly trying to impress the other Orochi with her showmanship, but her energetic exterior hides a dark past. A flashback scene depicts her lying on a bed next to an older man, with much of her clothing torn; the exact nature of the liaison, as well as the reasons behind it, are left unsaid, although the scene is accompanied by the suggestion that Corona was "betrayed by [her] dreams". Her mech, Ooube no Senazuchi, nicknamed Final Stage, takes on the forms of a wheel with a demonic eye in its center and of a giant centipede with an anthropoid head and arms. In personal combat, Corona throws lipsticks at her target. This attack is not as harmless as it might sound, since these lipsticks apparently carry a kinetic charge capable of causing explosions. Corona is eventually petrified by Chikane. There is some indication that she carries the mark of Orochi on her left breast.


 * Reiko Ōta (大田 レーコ)
 * The Fifth Neck (五の首), she is an antisocial mangaka of few words. Reiko continues her "day job" as a member of the Orochi and has in fact done better on the market since joining, though her manga have taken on very dark themes since then. She barely interacts with the other Orochi and is stone-cold in battle, though her level-headedness is more the product of cynicism and numbness than Miyako's. She shares her last name with Hitoshi Ōta, one of Kannazuki no Miko's authors.
 * Her mecha, Ho no Shuraizuchi, takes on the forms of a Jōmon-style (straw-rope pattern) fired pottery jar and an anthropoid shape. In personal combat, Reiko throws fountain pens at her targets. Like Corona's lipsticks, these apparently carry a kinetic charge capable of causing explosions. Interestingly, Himeko adores Reiko's work and is apparently an avid reader of hers. Reiko is eventually petrified by Chikane. There is some indication that she carries the mark of Orochi on her back.


 * Nekoko (ネココ)
 * The Sixth Neck (六の首), she is a small, squeaky-voiced catgirl (her name is derived from neko, the Japanese word for cat) who is often seen wearing a nurse's outfit and wielding a giant syringe. She appears to fit the stereotypical, cheerful catgirl archetype, but it is later revealed that she was the subject and victim of horrible medical experiments, which is most likely what made her an Orochi follower. Nekoko's syringe contains some form of medication that can heal injuries and sickness, but the injection causes horrible pain, as noted by Girochi. Alternatively, Nekoko can launch the syringe like a rocket, carrying the same kind of kinetic charge displayed by Tsubasa's knives, Corona's lipsticks and Reiko's fountain pens. Her mech, Izuhara no Tamazuchi, nicknamed Meow Meow (Nya Nya), is a large mechanical ball with many cannons on it that is capable of destroying buildings easily. Chillingly, Nekoko went on a rampage that wound up destroying several Japanese landmarks, acting the whole time like a stereotypical cute little girl having fun. She is later petrified by Chikane. There is some indication that she carries the mark of Orochi on her bottom.


 * Sōma Ōgami (大神 ソウマ)
 * The Seventh Neck (七の首), he is the only Orochi who was able to resist becoming completely evil. Sōma is the lone protector of Himeko and Chikane for most of the series and later plays a part in bringing the Orochi down. He has a very high social standing at their school, comparable to Chikane's, and most of their fellow students believe they are dating, though in truth they rarely interact until the Orochi events. Like Chikane, he is in love with Himeko and is extremely protective of her, fighting to keep her safe from Orochi until he is overwhelmed by the Orochi curse and put out of action, though he is later rescued by his brother Tsubasa. Sōma's mecha, Take no Yamikazuchi, is a humanoid robot that possesses more varied attacks than most of the other mecha, which it conceals within its own body. In personal combat, Sōma initially uses his own body and sometimes his motorcycle. Later on, he adopts the sword and fighting-style of his brother Tsubasa, significantly increasing his power. He carries the mark of Orochi on his forehead. His mech is similar to that of Gundam and attack is similar to Big O.


 * The Eighth Neck (八の首)
 * The Eighth Neck is originally a mysterious figure, who the other Orochi believe is hiding from the public eye. Later, the position turns out to actually belong to Chikane, once she joins the Orochi. It is uncertain whether the evil deity Orochi always knew Chikane would come to it, but it does not speak again until Chikane has defeated the other Orochi. At no time does she display the mark of Orochi anywhere on her body, but her lunar symbol does temporarily absorb threads of Orochi's power. Chikane takes over and uses Sōma's mecha, transforming it to look rather demonic. She then uses the mecha to obliterate all of the other Orochi before becoming the Miko of the Orochi and the only and most powerful head of Orochi, forcing Himeko to make a very drastic decision. The mecha supposedly belonging to the Eighth Neck is Yokusemi no Mizuchi, which takes the forms of a fast-flying bird to rescue Orochi members from defeat and the form of a humanoid with a huge drill as its lower body for combat.

Other characters

 * Ame no Murakumo
 * In Kannazuki no Miko, Ame no Murakumo is the god of swords. When Orochi rises, it is prophesied that only the god of swords will stand against it and be able to undo the damage that Orochi causes. Ame no Murakumo, who shares the name of the legendary sword Kusanagi, rests inside its shrine on the moon until it is brought forth by the Miko of Sun and Moon. Ame no Murakumo takes the shape of either a giant sword or a humanoid mecha, which can be piloted like the Orochi mecha. None of the legends warn those who summon Ame no Murakumo of the terrible price that the god of swords demands to restore the world. Also, the god of swords does not appear to be the subject of unambiguous appreciation; when Ame no Murakumo lay dormant after its previous battle against Orochi, its shrine on Earth was placed under a seal of six swords. Unless Ame no Murakumo and its priests set this arrangement up themselves to test the powers and determination of the future Miko of Sun and Moon, this means someone felt Ame no Murakumo was best kept locked away unless it was absolutely needed. During their most recent battle, Orochi displayed a great hatred for Ame no Murakumo. The god of swords itself did not address its enemy however; the only times it possibly spoke, it was addressing one or both of the Miko of Sun and Moon.


 * Kazuki Ōgami (大神 カズキ)
 * Sōma's adoptive older brother and legal guardian, as well as priest of the temple of the Solar and Lunar Miko. His duties are to care for and maintain the legacy of the Miko, as well as to prepare them for battle. Calm and collected, he is especially worried about Sōma and what his Orochi blood will do to him; he also worries to an extent about Himeko and Chikane and what their duties will do to them. Even still, there are some indicators that imply he's not telling everyone the full extent of what is going on.


 * Yukihito (ユキヒト)
 * The temple assistant, his duties are to assist the priest and Miko in readying the weapon that will defeat the Orochi. It is unclear if he is a hired employee, relative of the Ōgami family, or a junior priest-in-training (the last is unlikely, as he is never seen wearing Shinto clerical robes). He is also Sōma's best friend and confidant.


 * Otoha Kisaragi (如月 乙羽)
 * Chikane's personal maid, Otoha is loyal and devoted to Chikane. When Himeko comes to live with Chikane, Otoha immediately notices the bond between the pair and grows intensely jealous, angered at Himeko for taking Chikane away from her and hurting her mistress. Aside from playing a humorous role and some very weighty scenes of her own in the series, she is a support character who clarifies how Chikane reserved her feelings for Himeko alone. Otoha's feelings for Chikane are further explored; when she is sent away due to all of the commotion, she confesses to Chikane on how much she cares for her and admires her. When Otoha is embraced and thanked by Chikane, she blushes and cries.


 * Makoto Saotome (早乙女 マコト)
 * Himeko's friend and roommate, "Mako-chan" is an athletic girl, one of the best runners on the Ototachibana track team. On the day Sōma attacked Himeko, she was severely injured in the collapsing dormitory. Her competing in the Interhigh competitions was shot to pieces. She pushed Himeko away, possibly blaming her for the injuries, but more likely distraught over not being able to run anymore. She no longer appears in the series until near the climax, where she helps Himeko to come to a final decision regarding the events surrounding her.


 * Izumi
 * The leader of a group of girls who are Chikane's biggest fans at school. She is very jealous about Himeko's close relationship with Chikane and she and her group resort to bullying tactics when Himeko even gets to stay at the Himemiya mansion, although they initially stop after witnessing Chikane's quiet fury at what they had done. She and her friends all tend to address Chikane as "Miya-sama".


 * Misaki
 * A friend of Izumi's that shares Izumi's jealousy for Himeko.


 * Kyoko
 * Another friend of Izumi's.

Kazu-kun (talk) 18:21, 25 March 2009 (UTC)

Episodes
Kazu-kun (talk) 18:19, 25 March 2009 (UTC)