Please note the SPOILER warning, many key elements and developments of the anime, Kannaduki no Miko are revealed in the following paragraphs, do not continue reading if you do not want to know the various plot twists.

Kannaduki no Miko - Episode 8: Storm of the silver Moon

Himeko recalls her first meeting with Chikane, a beautiful angel with eyes deep and fathomless as secret lakes, staring right at her. Himeko’s heart welled with emotion and wonder, so great she could hardly breathe. Chikane extends a hand towards her, their hands touch for the first time. Destiny calls. Cue opening song, catchy and fast.

Chikane’s uncle has taken ill and she asks Otoha to look after him in Tokyo , Otoha has a foreboding of Chikane planning a lonely journey with no return. Otoha stops by a tree and recalls her first sight of Chikane. Flashback to little Chikane sitting on a high branch and contentedly reading a book. No amount of admonition would stop her from perching there all the time. Little Otoha would watch her helplessly from the ground, unable to do anything for the girl seated so peacefully out of her reach. Then she tried to climb the tree once but almost fell and little Chikane never climbed the tree again.

Wow, unexpected and such a great metaphor of Chikane’s relationship with the world in general, as well as an insightful glimpse into her psyche. As Chikane ascends to greater and greater heights, the people around her will beg or admonish her to come back down closer to earth, saying that it is dangerous or impossible. But she is undeterred by the limiting expectations of others and will surmount great odds with seeming ease and grace to attain her goal.

For her to be this way from such a young age means that Chikane is naturally undaunted by difficult challenges and is comfortable with savouring the rewards that come with her lofty accomplishments, it is not an act, she is not trying to prove anything, hers is an innate inclination to experience the best this world has to offer, which backs up her previous speeches and actions.

Otoha leans against the tree and cries disconsolately. She loved the sight of little Chikane looking down at the world like the benevolent sovereign of all she surveyed, aloof but benign, mysterious but kind (much like the moon actually, maybe that is why she is so at peace in a lonely high place, it might be a throwback of her lunar roots). She wanted to share Chikane’s view and peace, but she has served Chikane as her personal maid for ten years and is still only able to look up to her, unable to be of actual aid to Chikane.

Although Otoha is in a position affording her many opportunities to be in intimate contact with Chikane on a daily basis, Chikane has always been distant. Even though she interacts with others, Chikane keeps her thoughts and feelings to herself, and her deeds are so lofty that no one else can experience the wonder only Chikane alone can truly perceive. Chikane is so physically close that Otoha can readily reach out and touch her, but Chikane and her ideals are still as unattainable as when she was sitting on the high branch of a tree that little Otoha could not climb.

She has never been able to understand or be a part of anything Chikane truly perceives as important. This is why Himeko staying in the mansion is such an intrusion, Himeko has only known Chikane for a short period but she sweeps in and commands so much of Chikane’s time, attention and affection. She is able to share significant experiences with Chikane, something that Otoha, who has been with her everyday for ten years, was never able to even come close to.

Otoha sobs and apologies for not being any help at all, Chikane hugs her (Otoha blushes adorably) and says that she is the person she is today because of Otoha’s constant support, that it was because Otoha never looked away that she was able to be herself. Chikane thanks her and Otoha calls her “Chikane-sama”, instead of her usual “young mistress”.

Otoha is so heartbroken because she senses that Chikane is experiencing immense pain and sorrow and is going to take a dark path, and like every other time in the past ten years, she can do nothing but watch helplessly as Chikane independently arrives at her decisions and carries them out alone. Otoha is grieving because she cannot help Chikane in her decision making or in her struggles to get through such a difficult period. Truly Otoha is the person who understands Chikane the most.

Chikane, again with her uncanny insight, knows why Otoha is so anguished and embraces her, probably for the first time in ten years. Chikane says that Otoha is mistaken, that she has in fact been invaluable to Chikane all these years. Chikane was able to be her true self because Otoha was always there for her, silently cheering her on. Faced with Otoha’s admiration and awe, Chikane pushes herself to reach her full potential.

And then Chikane does a wonderful thing, she sincerely thanks Otoha, fulfilling the maid’s childhood wish to be close to Chikane, and in that moment Otoha finally feels a bond between them, a bond strong enough for her to call Chikane by her first name. We see that Chikane does care for Otoha, care enough to comfort her and set her mind at ease, Otoha is probably the person closest to her, next to Himeko of course. What a powerful scene, very poignant.

Otoha is filled with foreboding as the car drives her away from Chikane. In the meantime, we see Kuzuki and Yukihito climbing a mountain in a blizzard. Cut to Souma, and we see that the patch of dark scales, which first appeared on his back after he defeated Tsubasa, has grown significantly. Souma knows that his use of the Orochi power is causing the dark scales to grow, but is determined to continue protecting Himeko.

In school, Himeko spots Chikane in the midst of a group of admirers and smiles but then seems to notice something off. Souma finds Himeko sitting alone during lunch time and buys food for her. Normally she has lunch with Chikane but the other girl has Student Council matters to settle. Souma apologises again for making her cry by kissing her (poor guy) but Himeko protests that he is not to blame, that she did not know why the tears came, but that she is not concerned about it at all and that he is not to worry either. Souma slumps at her use of “at all” (maybe because it sounds like she does not think the kiss is a big deal?).

Himeko asks Souma if Chikane has been behaving strangely (they are in the same class) because she seems different today. Souma has not noticed anything and suggests asking Chikane directly, but Himeko thinks that she must have her reasons for not telling her. She murmurs that Otoha would probably know without asking but breaks off suddenly, apologising to Souma for saying strange things.

So we see Himeko being perceptive enough to know that something is wrong but not daring to question Chikane. It is interesting to note that this is the first time Himeko worries about Chikane’s welfare, she is starting to realise that Chikane’s usual unruffled composure might be hiding troubles and struggles that others are not aware of.

One cannot help but feel bad for Souma, here is this sweet guy worried sick about the girl he likes being upset by his kiss and Himeko is infinitely more concerned about Chikane than about his feelings. The thing about Himeko is that she is so shy, she talks to Chikane about Souma and talks to Souma about Chikane and makes everyone upset.

But it is surprising for Himeko to compare herself with Otoha, and even more surprising that she is able to recognise that she thinks of her relationship with Chikane as being similar to Otoha’s relationship with Chikane. For Himeko to even have an inkling of Otoha’s crush on Chikane is quite unexpected, much less her viewing of Otoha as a kind of rival, even subconsciously, as shown by the abrupt way she ended her sentence about Otoha knowing Chikane so well. Souma made no reaction to suggest that he thinks what she said was strange, but still she apologises to him for her comment, so it must mean that she herself is uncomfortable with the comment and accompanying insight.

Souma asks if Himeko has time after school, and they take off on his bike. She protests that she can take the bus but Souma says it is not a problem and offers a ride on his mech if she prefers (very cute Souma moment). Souma takes Himeko to the mall, where she passes on many things she obviously likes because she wants to save her money, including a manga from her favourite author (who happens to be Reiko the Orochi acolyte).

They end up at a stall that sells pendants and Himeko selects two pendants, one of the sun and the other of the moon. She gets to choose two birthstones and asks to engrave two names. The engraver asks if the other name is her boyfriend’s (pointing to Souma). Himeko says the other name is Chikane and the surprised engraver remarks on it being a girl’s name. Himeko blushes but confirms it happily without hesitation, Souma on the other hand laughs sheepishly.

Charming scenes, Souma and Himeko look cute together and they are much more comfortable around each other now. In addition, Himeko is not embarrassed about getting such a romantic gift for Chikane, her feelings run deeper than she realises .

Meanwhile back at the school, Chikane finishes a stack of Council reports, presents a letter to shocked teachers, leads an archery class and visits the rose garden. Every scene has an air of finality, as if this is the last time she will do any of these things, as if she is saying farewell.

We return to Himeko, who chooses Opal and Tourmaline birthstones because Chikane once told her that Tourmaline signifies mental fortitude and renewal, endurance, overcoming of sorrow and rejoicing.

A little trivia about birthstones, opal is the traditional birthstone for the month of October and since the first word of the title is “Kannaduki”, which means October, it is safe to assume that their birthday falls in October. A popular opal is a white stone containing colourful and iridescent flashes within and the stone itself symbolises hope, innocence and purity.

Toumaline on the other hand is a colorful gem and might contain more than one colour in a single cut stone. So tourmaline commonly means mixture and signifies mental fortitude and renewal, endurance, overcoming of sorrow and rejoicing. This makes sense, a mixture of elements result in something stronger than any of the pure elements alone, like an alloy. Tourmaline is also the lesser known alternate birthstone for October.

So opal is purity, representing Himeko, and tourmaline is endurance, representing Chikane. It was really very apt for Himeko to choose the two stones and embed them in the extremely symbolic sun and moon pendants.

Souma is envious but Himeko protests that they are not like that (seems like Himeko is actually starting to be aware that it is possible to be that way). Souma says he understands (this might not be as taboo as the girls seem to think if Souma so readily grasps Himeko’s meaning).

He says he does not know Chikane as well as Himeko does, but he has seen her in action (flashback of her playing the piano in front of the whole school, then of Chikane winning a tennis match against Souma but ending up with a bleeding hand). He knows that Chikane fights hard and alone, not to impress others or to gain a victory, but for her own satisfaction and that is why she shines so brightly all the time.

Souma’s observation is incredibly insightful, probably because he is an over-achiever like Chikane. He understands that she accomplishes great things and performs beautifully in front of others, but that her achievements are not as effortless as everyone else imagines. He realises that Chikane’s remarkable feats are a result of her fighting hard to reach her full potential. Her hard work is unconditional on the result, it does not matter what happens, whether she earns praise or gets rewarded, what matters is her own performance.

Himeko says that Chikane brought her into a dazzling world filled with the wonders of life. She reflects that Chikane is always lovely, strong and kind, never condescending but is instead encouraging (as Himeko knows first hand since Chikane was the first person to compliment her photography) and it is no wonder why Chikane is so well-loved. Souma says that he likes Himeko more, which of course flusters her.

Meanwhile, Kazuki and Yukihito have finally gained entrance to a cave and Kazuki says the reason behind the failure to revive the Sword God lies with the two priestesses, rather than the ritual. They reach a small shrine and are rattled by the sight of an ominous wall painting. Souma sends Himeko back to the mansion and gives her a manga that she could not afford to buy earlier, Himeko happily waves goodbye as Souma rides off, patting himself on the back at their happy parting (cute). While cautious and uncertain about Himeko’s feelings, due to her adverse reaction to their kiss, Souma is undeterred from his pursuit of her and his goal to make her happy. He is a resilient and persistent fellow and the interaction between Souma and Himeko gets more and more endearing.

Himeko enters a dark and seemingly deserted mansion, so different from its usual bustle and grandeur. Dramatic strains from the piano suddenly peal through the mansion and Himeko heads for the second floor where the music room is located. Himeko enters the music room and see Chikane’s shadowed figure seated at the piano, the music stops abruptly and Chikane stands up, revealing that she is wearing Himeko’s red priestess robes.

Chikane advances on an apprehensive Himeko and asks if she likes her, Himeko says yes. Chikane smiles softly and says she is glad to hear that. Himeko happily holds up the pendants and passes her the moon, but wonders out loud if Chikane should have the sun instead (so it seems Himeko is aware that Chikane would appreciate a present representing Himeko rather than herself).

With an indifferent expression, Chikane gazes at the pendant on her palm and lets it slide to the ground. Himeko is shocked and Chikane says that she does not want to fool around anymore. She grabs Himeko and kisses her full on the lips. Souma is overwhelmed by the sudden rising of Orochi power and senses that Himeko is in danger. He turns around and speeds back to the mansion.

Himeko has broken away from Chikane’s rough embrace but Chikane catches her and they fall. Chikane pins Himeko to the ground and kisses her again. Chikane says her lips are sweet and Himeko frantically questions her actions. Chikane reveals that she is now part of the Orochi and can do whatever she likes, Himeko is bewildered and disbelieving. But as Chikane continues the assault on her body, Himeko starts to struggle and pleads with her to stop.

Himeko manages to escape and run but her path is once more blocked by Chikane who declares that she has always wanted an endless night of control over Himeko’s body, so can Himeko kindly not protest (she says all this in an incredibly gentle voice with a tender look in her eyes). Himeko cannot believe she has joined the Orochi and shouts for her to stop. Chikane slaps her.

The force of the blow throws Himeko to the ground. She whimpers that this must somehow be her fault and asks what she had done wrong. Himeko looks up fearfully when Chikane softly asks if Himeko wants to know the reason behind her behaviour. Chikane pauses then whispers that she will not tell and throws her back against the floor, ripping her uniform apart. She looks deep into Himeko’s horrified eyes and says “I love you”. Chikane begins her ravaging of Himeko’s body in earnest as Himeko screams and screams in terror.

OMG, even though it was obvious Chikane was going to do something drastic, this was shocking. Chikane has become the eighth Orochi acolyte, we remember Kazuki saying the Orochi has eight followers, but up till now, we have only seen seven (Tsubasa, Miyako, Girochi, Corona , Nekoko, Reiko and Souma). So Chikane is the last Orochi member to awaken, that the Orochi would choose someone as kind, wise and composed as Chikane normally is to be an acolyte, her unspoken despair must have been unimaginable.

One expects someone like Chikane to either turn to martyrdom or the dark side when faced with such hopelessness and agony, so for her to join the Orochi was not a surprise, what was shocking was the brutality of her actions. That slap! Just one night ago it would have been unthinkable for Chikane to verbally hurt Himeko and now she is physically and sexually abusing her intentionally. The relentlessly kind voice uttering words of tenderness and love as Chikane continues her violent ravishing, ignoring the increasingly desperate screams of a helpless and terrified Himeko. And Chikane finally confesses her love to Himeko, but in a most frightening and indescribably tragic way.

Souma bursts into the silent mansion and runs up the stairs to the music room. He freezes in horror at the sight of a dishevelled Himeko kneeling on the floor with her clothes and undergarments torn and scattered on the floor. A ragged cloth barely covers her as she stares blankly down at the ground. Chikane sprawls along the window ledge behind Himeko, her robe agape and mocks Souma for being too late.

Souma is furious, shouting that Himeko really cares for her and was worried about her and just a short while ago was searching for a present to give her and this is how Chikane treats her? Chikane says it is none of his business, that it is their little secret. Souma demands to know what Chikane did and she says that men are not allowed in the mansion and unwelcome guests should leave, as she wraps her arms around an unresisting Himeko.

OMG, I was still thinking that Chikane was just trying to scare Himeko or provoke some kind of reaction, but it looks like Chikane really violated Himeko sexually, the way she draped herself over Himeko from behind, the intimate placement of her arms and hands, and Himeko’s complete lack of reaction, the lifelessness in her eyes, means that Chikane has probably already done much worse to her before Souma arrived. I feel as stupefied as Souma looks.

Souma’s Orochi mark flares as he yells at Chikane to stop behaving this way. Light explodes in the room and Souma smashes through the windows to land painfully on the ground outside, coughing up blood. He recognises the Orochi power used on him and looks up in horror at Chikane standing on the roof and ridiculing his inability to protect Himeko. Chikane notches an arrow and says that his is a worthless existence, unwilling to kill the priestess as he was destined to do and unable to protect his beloved as he swore to do. She aims at him and tells him to disappear from their sight.

Souma says he does not want to fight her even though she is now with the Orochi and Chikane sardonically thanks him for his consideration as she shoots arrow after arrow at him. He is injured but refuses to summon his mech because he knows Himeko will be upset if he hurts Chikane. She starts to sound angry as she questions the reasoning behind his words and he begs her not to make him fight in earnest. She says he overrates his own abilities and tells him to think about who was with him whenever his power was enhanced. He realises that Himeko was lending her energy to him whenever the light shone from her solar mark.

Chikane continues to shoot her energy laden arrows at him, the dark power hitting him and forcing his own power to rise, which summons his mech. Souma shouts for the mech not to appear but in vain and it advances menacingly on Chikane. She turns and sternly tells the mech to behave. The mech goes on one knee before Chikane and she coaxes it to revert to its true form. It turns red and grows teeth, making it look more animalistic than robotic now. Chikane learns its true name (Take no Yamikaduchi, which incidentally we never witnessed Souma learning) and tells Souma that she will take the mech with her.

Souma is shocked at the mech’s transformation but struggles to his feet and angrily shouts out Chikane’s name. She blasts him into the air and forcefully states that his days of heroism are over, then she calmly bids him farewell. Back at the mansion, Chikane hugs an unresponsive Himeko as she says that now Himeko’s heart and mind will forever be filled with her. The mech then carries Chikane away.

Souma obviously cannot believe that Chikane has turned evil and Chikane cannot believe that after everything she has done, Souma is still holding back. She looked like she was trying to force him to summon his mech and deprive him of his fighting ability by usurping the mech for her own use. Also it is interesting to note that every time she uses her power, the lunar mark flares (the symbol that identifies her as the lunar priestess) instead of the normal Orochi sign that all the other acolytes spot (albeit on different body parts for each).