The animated TV series Blue Seed draws heavily from Japanese legend for its central plot, specifically the tale of the Kushinada-hime. As the legend goes, while the young, impetuous god Susano-oh was wandering the earth in exile from the heavens, he came upon an elderly couple and their daughter in the Izumo province of Japan. While speaking with the couple, Susano-oh learned that they had lost seven other daughters to an eight-headed serpent, Yamata-no-orochi, who each year took one daughter from them. Susano-oh agreed to help the pair save their remaining daughter from the serpent if he could marry her in exchange. The couple readily agreed, and Susano-oh plotted to kill Orochi. First, he quite cleverly changed the daughter, Kushinada-hime, into a hair comb, and hid her away in his hair. Then he set out eight bowls of sake, one for each of Orochi’s heads. Susano-oh defeated the drunken Orochi, and took from his tail a sword called Ame no Murakumo no Tsurugi, which later became known as Kusanagi no Tsurugi (Grass Cutter). Victorious, Susano-oh wed the Kushinada, who bore him several children.
Cut to modern day Japan, where we find the descendants of Susano-oh and Kushinada alive and well. It turns out that this ancient mixing of human and god has resulted in an interesting power that has been passed from mother to daughter. The blood of the Kushinada (as each girl child of the bloodline is known) can be used to defeat demons — specifically, a race of plant demons called the Aragami. Currently, the Kushinada blood has been divided between twins, a first in the family. One of those twins, Fujimiya Momiji, is the story’s heroine. A bumbling, good-natured high-school student in Izumo, Momiji is completely unaware of her sister or her heritage until an odd young man, Kusanagi, confronts her before school one day, threatening to kill her. That very same day one of the newly awakened Aragami attacks her school, actually attempting to kill her. Both Kusanagi and demon refer to her as the Kushinada.
After the attack, Momiji meets the members of the TAC (Terrestrial Administration Center), a group led by Mr. Kunikida, who had raised Momiji’s twin, Kaede, to be the Kushinada. Kaede, though, has disappeared in a mysterious pillar of light, and the TAC need to keep Momiji safe from the Aragami, who are wanting to kill her in such a way as to nullify the Kushinada blood and eradicate the only means available to destroy them: the spilling of the Kushinada’s blood. The Aragami have developed a special ceramic they believe will render the blood inert, and allow them to safely kill the Kushinada once and for all.
Momiji joins up with the TAC, not entirely willing to be a sacrifice just yet, but believing she should help if it’s her destiny. Also in the team are Sawaguchi Koume, a weapons specialist; Takeuchi Ryoko, Kunikida’s assistant; Matsudaira Azusa, scientist; and Yaegashi Yoshiki, computer expert. Reluctantly offering his help (unofficially), is Kusanagi, who always seems to show up at the right moment to rescue Momiji. Bound to the Aragami by the mitama (blue seeds) they implanted in him as a child, Kusanagi is torn between desiring her death so he can be free of the Aragami, and wanting to protect her because she reminds him of Kaede, who he quite clearly cares for.
The plot at first threatens to become “run-of-the-mill monster of the week”. But, a twist is added when Kaede reappears with the mysterious Murakumo and as-of-yet unborn Susano-oh. Kaede and Murakumo aim to raise the young godling so he can wipe the polluting humans from the earth, rendering it habitable for nature again. So Momiji and the TAC must race to prevent Susano-oh’s rise to adulthood, destroy the Aragami, and yet not hurt Kaede in the process.
Though a bit silly at times, the plot is engaging and dramatic as it races towards the climatic moment when Momiji must decide if she is willing to sacrifice herself so that the rest of humanity may survive. The last episode is, in fact, very moving.
Beyond the obvious references to Susano-oh, Kusanagi and Murakumo, there are other nice little language touches to be found in Blue Seed. For example, Momiji’s name translates to “maple,” specifically a maple in fall. And Kusanagi’s first name, Mamoru, means “to protect.” (Apt, given his role in the show.)
Not to be missed are the funny, often exceedingly bizarre omake (extras) tossed in after every couple of episodes. They’re animated shorts that play off the show’s plot and characters, usually to extraordinarily funny effect.
(ADV Films, 1994)
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