Japanese mythical figure Himiko is the basis for this high school co-ed character in Legend of Himiko.

Legend of Himiko. V.1, Sacred Fire. V.2, The Pendant. V.3, Sword of Seven Blades.
TV series (12 episodes), 1999. Director: Ayumi Tokobuki. V.1-3, 4 episodes/100 minutes. Price & format: DVD bilingual $29.99. Distributor: U.S. Manga Corps/Central Park Media.

Much anime is based upon Japanese history or mythology, and can have some educational value. Himiko is the earliest verified name in Japanese history; apparently a 3rd century A.D. queen (some theorize a tribal priestess) of the Yamatai people who eventually became the islands’ dominant kingdom. Legend of Himiko (Himiko-den, 12 TV episodes broadcast January 7 to March 31, 1999; animated by Group TAC) uses Himiko as the basis for a romantic fantasy that is far removed from much historical reality, although viewers may be amused by the good Kingdom of Yamatai’s costuming in the period of the Japanese Heian era of the 9th century, while the evil Kingdom of Kune is costumed like the imperial Chinese court of the period.

In a magical faraway past, the peaceful Yamatai kingdom worships the light of the Bokka (Sacred Flame). The Kune kingdom crushes Yamatai in a sneak attack just as its Shinto-like priesthood is about to select a queen from six warrior-maid candidates. The Bokka whisks the queen candidates to safety, and when Kune’s sadistic Prince Shikara throws the Flame Guardian’s infant daughter Himiko into the Sacred Fire, she magically disappears.

Himiko Himejima is a high-school coed in modern Japan, a foundling adopted by an archaeologist. She and her boyfriend Kutani are helping her father investigate a prehistoric ruin when the two teens disappear in a green flash. They are transported to Yamatai, where only three years have passed. Yamatai has become an oppressed province of Kune, but five of the warrior queen candidates (the sixth appears to be a traitor) with the military guidance of loyal General Iga are leading a spirited guerrilla resistance. Shikara has converted the Shrine of Fire into a Fountain of Darkness and is slaughtering people to turn them into mindless zombie soldiers controlled by him personally. The King of Kune is on the verge of executing Shikara for incompetence in not pacifying Yamatai, even if he is his son. The Kune high command is a real snakepit of treachery, except for young Lord Chosa who is personally honorable but bound to Kune by loyalty to his nation.

Himiko and Kutani are shocked and bewildered by this strange world of sorcerous strife. The spiritual affinity between them has accidentally given Kutani partial control over the Bokka’s magic powers, but he does not know how to use it properly — it could burst loose in an explosion that would destroy both Yamatai and Kune. The two are separated, and Himiko is rescued by handsome Chosa while Kutani is persuaded by sexy yet tomboyish warrior maid Inari to join the resistance. There are some battles but even more plotting and attempted misdirection between the Yamatai freedom fighters and the Kune oppressors, and among the Kune leaders scheming for dominance over each other. Viewers must guess whether Himiko’s and Kutani’s high-school romance is true love or whether they will form more serious relationships with Chosa and Inari, and whether the two will return to modern Tokyo at the end or stay to begin new lives in Yamatai.