Ai-ren is about love; Itoshi no Kana is about sex; Here we are at Mimia-hime, which is about the end of the world.
The oneshot and through volume 2 are scanlated but I ordered the series in Japanese because I had to see what would happen. The final volume which ends up being quite the 読む鈍器 brick cements the story as an emotionally devastating, apocalyptic epic with a very human hope blossoming at the end. If you've read Ai-ren then think of the sci-fi alien segments, all their weird dreamlike horrors and sort of hard to follow prophesying on full display. The story goes back and forth between the tender human moments of Mimia's life and the abstract horror of whats to come. I really enjoyed this, as it made everyone feel real. Don't try to power through the story. Simply take the pastoral fantasy as it comes, letting the waves of warmth wash over you. It's pretty annoying when people call things "ghibli-esque" willy-nilly but I feel like that's a fitting descriptor here and I wouldn't be surprised if Nausicaa was a key inspiration here.
The art as always is beautiful, with the characters looking moe while still being able to make subtle, heartbreaking expressions. Their initial sweetness never detracts from the scarier segments. I would say that even more than the previous works Yutaka borrows some shoujo flair (another thing people say will-nilly but hear me out!!!) with the focus on eyes, screen tone to convey little changes in mood, the white space where the character's feelings dance across the page, and the way the panels melt away to allow it... So good! I also really appreciate how the heroine Mimia is very adorable but not cloying, and you see her vulnerable but there aren't any pantyshots or the like. Her innocent love with the cursed boy Ryu (trying to remember so excuse me) is shown in scattered bits but hits hard. Yutaka's romances feel so good because the boy and the girl and both equally vulnerable and equally supportive.
If I have to critique one thing it's that just like Ai-ren the scifi apocalyptic prophecy stuff can be hard to follow as everyone speaks vague and flowery at times, or maybe my Japanese is just not up to par (very likely). If you're looking for a cut-and-dry straight forward story you might get irritated by this. But I firmly believe this is a story to be read and seen and experienced through pure emotion, so relax and let it happen.
Yup, nothing but glowing praise from me. Kana might have my favorite moments and Ai-ren may have my favorite vibes, but Mimia-hime is the one that probably hit me the most. I sometimes remember it and pull down a copy from my shelf, read a chapter, any chapter, and let the story take me. A beautiful fantasy about growing up, falling in love, and living on no matter what.