Himiko-den has a rather hidden back-story, in that a lot isn't explained right away (or at all, unfortunately, in the 12 episodes of the anime) - primarily because of the compressed time series the writers had to work with. That fact, combined with the fact that very little has been said or written about this series in English also makes it rather difficult to write about it or delve into its depths. Generally, however, it is a mixture of fantasy and adventure, and (according to the shitajiki) takes place in the third century. It details the power struggle between Yamataikoku (the Yamatai kingdom) and Kunekoku (the Kune kingdom).
CHARATERS
SEIKA
Age: 21 Height: 155 cm
Birthday: March 9 Weight: 42 kg
Mesurements (in CM): B 90, W 56, H 88
Seika is a priestess of Bokka-sama (whose rituals tend to look amazingly like the shinto rituals in other anime I've watched), and is the nominal leader of the resistance against the forces of Kunekoku. Imari is the one at the forefront of the resistance troops, but Seika sits behind the lines and provides information and direction to them. She was one of the six queen candidates of Yamataikoku, but the ceremony to choose a queen was interrupted in the first episode by Shikara.
Her manifestation of Bokka-sama's power appears to have something to do with precognition, and is centered in her crystal ball. She also most acutely feels that the power of Bokka-sama is waning throughout the series, because of her more direct connection as a priestess.
She is the daughter of the Chief Priest of Bokka-sama (a fact revealed in a later episode, but hinted at very early on).
While she isn't primarily a fighter, she does have some pretty nasty attacks - all magic-based though.
IMARI
Age: 19 Height: 164 cm
Birthday: July 22 Weight: 48 kg
Mesurements (in CM): B 88, W 58, H 86
Imari is one of the queen candidates, and she's the one who carries around that spiffy sword.
That's what I originally had written here on this page as a place holder, and Hotohori found it so funny that he said I have to keep it here. So there it remains. ^_^;;
On a slightly more serious note now... yes, Imari is one of the six queen candidates, and yes, her sword is very cool. But there's a lot more to her character than that. Aside from the obvious things I could say - like that it's dang impressive how she defies gravity like she does, or noting the fiery red-head personality that she shares with a number of other red-headed anime character - I feel like mentioning that she has a fair amount of intelligence (as opposed to many swordsmen/-women in anime) and quite a sense of humor.
I mean, how many characters would be able to pull off all those scenes with Kutani as well as she does? Especially the whole "mis-placed slap" bit... man, that a classic moment!
Oh, and to be consistent, I guess I should mention that Imari's nifty sword is where the power of Bokka-sama manifests itself for her.
FUJINA
Age: 23 Height: 173 cm
Birthday: November 19 Weight: 52 kg
Mesurements (in CM): B 92, W 60, H 92
Fujina is one of the more interesting of the six queen candidates of Yamataikoku. I say this because, well... she spends most of her time in the company of Shikara, the leader of the invading forces of Kunekoku. Not something one would normally expect of a queen candidate of an invaded country, but she has her reasons.
She almost constantly has her little dish of sake with her, and can most often be seen sipping from it. The dish also seems to be the source of her powers relating to Bokka-sama... and it's quite amazing to consider what sake can do in the right circumstances.
As the oldest of the queen candidates, she is the most aloof and mature of them. She is the "old hag" of the group, as Shino reminds her in the first episode... Fujina reacts by calling Shino a "pothead." Even still, she's the most mature of the six - in all moments except for that one. ^_^
SHINO
Age: 20 Height: 168 cm
Birthday: July 9 Weight: 44 kg
Mesurements (in CM): B 82, W 52, H 84
Shino is a dancer, in addition to being one of the six queen candidates of Yamataikoku. As such, she is almost always in motion - even in the sacred ceremony to choose a queen shown in episode 1, she is in motion.
In the video game, Shino's weapon(s) is a pair of double-bladed long swords, of the kind that one wouldn't expect to be able to swing without chopping off a leg, an arm, or some other bodily appendange. However, in the anime, these get reduced to a much more reasonable (and easier to animate, I'm sure) knife, which she wields expertly.
Bokka-sama's power manifests itself in her hair ornament, the long golden pieces hanging down from the top of her hair. The location seems to have been chosen because it moves quite easily when she dances, allowing her to project the power
TADAMI
Age: 15 Height: 140 cm
Birthday: September 11 Weight: 38 kg
Mesurements (in CM): B 76, W 56, H 76
Tadami is the youngest of the six queen candidates, and while she certainly isn't the most "talented" of them, she has her own talents. She's smart, has a lot of eager energy, and has quite a sense of humor. She also has money sense, which is why she and Kouran get assigned the job of finding the ultimate weapon for the fight against Kunekoku.
She doesn't get much screen time, unfortunately, as she is one of the characters I would have liked to see further developed. She, along with Kouran, gets relegated to the role of comic relief for most of the series - a nice tension breaker when the action starts to heat up. And the eventual ultimate weapon the two of them turn up... well, it doesn't look like much, but it certainly delivers.
Bokka-sama's power shines forth from her glasses, to signify her intelligence and so forth. This seems to be quite significant for all the queen candidates, and obviously
KOURAN
Age: 16 Height: 153 cm
Birthday: August 25 Weight: 40 kg
Mesurements (in CM): B 80, W 53, H 84
Kouran is part of the Himiko-den comedy relief team along with Tadami, and while it isn't much of a role to play, the two of them pull it off quite well. She tries to act as Tadami's voice of reason, and thinks she's failed at it by the time they purchase their second super-weapon (the first being wasted on some measly pirates). Later on though, we find out that she didn't fail, and they really did find and buy a super-weapon. Once all the queen candidates come back together in the last few episodes, though, she gets a chance to shine just a bit as we see her true usefulness as a fighter.
She is the martial artist of the group, and the power of Bokka-sama manifests itself in her gauntlets. While she is certainly one of (if not the) least-developed of queen candidates of Yamataikoku, she's a fun character, and the her character design is just awesome. My only problem with it is in the game character designs, she's got this cape-like thing on the back of her outfit, attached to her waist. But it's a minor issue, and I'm sure some people actually prefer it.
HIMIKO~THE MAIN GIRL!
Himiko, even though the series is named after her, seems to take on a minor roll in the overall action of the series, although she *is* heavily involved in the climax and is Kutani's primary reason for getting involved with the struggle against Kunekoku.
She is nothing more than your typical high school girl with no memory of her real parents and a strange pendant that she was wearing when she was first found. Pretty standard fare...
...or rather far from typical, depending on your point of view. It's her pendant that starts off the action of the series, drawing Kutani with her to the 3rd century to help save the people of Yamataikoku in a time of darkness.
Himiko also happens to be involved in one of the best sight jokes this side of Lodoss Island, in episode 2, when she first appears in the 3rd century.
Iga: Look at her chest.
Imari: [looks] ... It's big.
Iga: No, look at the pendant!
[Himiko starts covering her chest as they stare further at the pendant]
And the ending sequence for the show... man, if there's just one cel I could have from there, it'd *have* to be the ass shot! No... that'd probably be my third choice, after the huge pan cel of her that they slowly pan over, and the Fujina pan. ^_^;; And fourth on the list would be the chest shot of the pendant, which shows how "talented" a girl Himiko is. ^_^;;;;
KUTANI~THE MAIN GUY!
Masahiko Kutani is an ordinary high school student. Or at least appears to be. Appearances, however, can be deciveing. The glow surrounding him in the above banner is his manifestation of the power of Bokka-sama. He inherited this power in his youth, when he first met Himiko. Because of this power, he figures greatly in the power struggle going on between Yamataikoku and Kunekoku.
His reason for fighting? Himiko, of course. What other reason is there for fighting in anime, aside from a girl? [yes, yes... I'm sure that fighting for a guy is common enough too... but... okay, I'll shut up now]
Kutani has some... interesting relationships with a number of characters in the series, but I think his relationship with Imari is the most interesting and amusing. In the video game, his relationship with Kiyomizu is just as amuzing if not moreso... but much harder to quantify since the game is pretty much text-based (or Japanese-language-based) and I know very little Japanese outside of what is typically considered "otaku Japanese" here in America. ^_^
But in the end, Himiko is his primary motivation, regardless.