Amid the growing revival of seminal shojo classics—highlighted by television adaptations for Kyoko Hikawa's From Far Away and Chie Shinohara's Red River—the manga industry continues to re-examine foundational works from the late 20th century. Among these milestone creations, Wakako Mizuki's legendary manga series Itihasa stands out as an extraordinary blend of mythic lore and spec-fiction worldbuilding.
Serialized initially in the shojo magazine Bouquet starting in 1986 and concluding in 1999 across 15 tankobon volumes (later collected in 7 Hayakawa Bunko JA volumes), Itihasa transports readers 12,000 years into Japan's ancient past. The narrative constructs a grand historical chronicle surrounding an existential conflict between deities and humanity, posing fundamental questions about faith, salvation, and mortal agency.
Duality of the Gods
The story opens in a peaceful settlement during an era when humanity maintained direct contact with the unseen forces of the world. A young boy named Takano discovers an abandoned infant named Tooko, raising her as his sister alongside their intellectual mentor, Aohiko. Their tranquil existence shatters seven years later when violent worshippers of visible deities destroy their home, driving the survivors into a conflict that spans celestial and mortal realms.
At the heart of Mizuki's narrative lies the ideological clash between visible and invisible gods. Unlike conventional religious allegories where divine figures remain abstract, Itihasa presents physical deities who intervene directly in human affairs—often with destructive indifference. This conflict forces the central characters to confront whether devotion to tangible power offers genuine redemption or ultimate subjugation.
Visual Beauty and Moral Ambiguity
A defining artistic element of Itihasa is Mizuki's meticulous illustration of divine entities. Her character designs alternate between ethereal elegance and terrifying majesty, forcing readers to examine how physical appearance shapes perception and devotion.
As Takano seeks power to protect Tooko and Aohiko struggles with the morality of conflict, the boundary between hero and adversary bluring. Tooko's emerging destiny reveals that the war among gods is far more complex than a simple battle between good and evil.
A Timeless Mythic Canvas
Though created across the 1980s and 1990s, the thematic core of Itihasa—authority, belief, and the consequences of human choice—remains strikingly relevant to contemporary readers. Mizuki combined shojo character drama with intricate speculative mythology to produce a narrative scale rarely seen in the demographic.
With vintage shojo properties gaining renewed appreciation across modern media formats, Itihasa stands as a premier candidate for modern artistic re-discovery, leaving fans hopeful that this ancient epic might one day find new life through an animated adaptation.
