Hiroshima was used as the basis for the location of the anime. Miyoshi has an abundance of mist in the morning (hence the series' title), and the folktales recorded in Inō Mononoke scroll (which inspired much of the anime's story) took place on a mountain near Miyoshi City. The mountain appears prominently in Shrine of the Morning Mist. Media Manga Shrine of the Morning Mist is written and illustrated by Hiroki Ugawa. Shōnen Gahōsha released the manga's nine tankōbon volumes between January 2001 and April 30, 2013. The manga was licensed in North America by Tokyopop, which released the manga's first four tankōbon volumes between May 9, 2006 and May 1, 2007 as of July 2009. The series is licensed in France as Asagiri - Les prêtresses de l'aube by Editions Ki-oon. Volume listing Anime The episodes of Shrine of the Morning Mist anime series are based on the manga written by Hiroki Ugawa. The anime series was directed by Yuji Moriyama. There were 26 episodes broadcast by TV Tokyo and AT-X between July 4, 2002 and December 26, 2002. Media Blasters licensed and released the series for a Blu-Ray Disc release. Reception IGN's A.E. Sparrow criticises the manga for making Tadahiro "possibly the most boring character written in the history of manga. He looks and behaves with all the emotional range of a Ken doll, despite being the core character around which the action revolves." T.H.E.M. Anime Reviews' Jeremy A Beard comments that comedy of the anime "employs a lot of silly school life misunderstandings and visual gags that reminded me of something like Azumanga Daioh." Anime News Network's Sean Broestl commends the anime for its "great character design, catchy opening [and the] comedy isn't overdone" but he criticises the episodes for feeling "rushed" and the "mediocre plot." Mania.com's Chris Beveridge comments on the anime's "half-length episodes" due to it being aired on TV Tokyo as the second half of Nekketsu Denpa Club, saying, "the show makes decent use of the format and the pacing is certainly much better than a lot of shows that were trying out this format a few years ago, but there's still something slightly off about how it plays out and roughly half of the episodes feel like they're either a bit rushed or they don't end in what you'd consider an appropriate place." References External links Official website for the anime Hiroki Ugawa's