Fushigi Yuugi

After nearly two years of reading this series, I have finally finished! It all started when I bought the first volume at my local library and continued by reading half of it online, scrambling to find later chapters, and ultimately purchasing the VizBig editions. Through this series, I've concluded that Yuu Watase is one of my favorite manga authors. Her works are stunning in terms of art, and her stories are always so interesting, well-planned, and dramatic. Fushigi Yuugi, known as "The Mysterious Play," delivers non-stop adventures and emotional turmoil from start to finish. It's cheesy, fun, romantic, and I love everything about it.

Besides a couple of major issues, that is. I'm deducting some points because attempted sexual assault is a repeated plot device. I'm not saying she should shy away from such topics, but its overuse throughout the series is problematic. Having one instance is already upsetting to read, but multiple? Additionally, characters constantly misgender Nuriko (not really a spoiler). These are significant blemishes on an otherwise excellent series. Some readers are bothered by Miaka since she's usually protected in battle rather than fighting herself, but I disagree! Miaka may not be the "strongest" female lead, but that doesn't diminish her important roles and responsibilities as a priestess at just 15 years old! She remains true to her character throughout and is lovable, bubbly, and brings the warriors together. I love Miaka even though she can be a jerk sometimes.

Overall, Fushigi Yuugi as a whole is incredibly exciting. The characters form well-built relationships which help strengthen the action scenes and any problems they face. It’s thrilling, with surprises at every turn. I loved every second!!! Celestial warriors, I will return to reread you one day :(<3

It took me a while to start reading this just because I didn't think I would find it interesting. If there is an anime version made of the manga, I usually prefer watching it before diving into the manga, but as the anime seemed a bit dull, I ended up forgetting about it. However, last month I found myself without any manga to read and somehow got my hands on Fushigi Yuugi volume 1. With nothing better to do, I decided to give it a try.

I wasn't immediately captivated; it took me about a week to get through the first volume. But then, it really grabbed me! This manga was seriously great! I haven't come across another story that captured my interest so intensely, and how much I loved the characters! The way the story and characters evolve is fantastic, and some of the plot twists were so surprising they left me speechless. Plus, one more thing—I laughed so hard! I absolutely adored the humor! I can recommend this story with all my heart. And no, I haven't read the entire series (including the added volumes), and I probably never will.

"Tiger! What should I do?! What should I do?! Oh yeah! Play dead! No wait, that's what you do when you run into bears and boring boys! Pantomime! I am a tree in body and mind! It's not working!"

First off, (This is one of my favorite manga, and let's just say I rated everything outstanding.)

A review for the main story, (Volumes 1-13)

Story: The story revolves around Miaka, a stubborn, gluttonous, and most of the time whiny high school girl. While in the library, she gets sucked into ancient China. She learns that to return to the real world, she must become the priestess of Suzaku. As the priestess, her task is to gather celestial warriors and summon the beast god to save the country from catastrophe. In return, she will be granted three wishes. This isn't an easy task, especially when her best friend, Yui, also gets pulled into the book and becomes her rival. Now both are racing to find their warriors and summon their respective gods before the other can. The story plays out like an opera drama, filled with emotions. It can make you laugh, feel sympathy, and cry. With an engaging plot full of heartfelt moments, twists, and turns, it keeps you hooked.

Art: Created in the early nineties, the character designs are really good. Being a Watase fan, I particularly enjoy her art style.

Character: Fushigi Yugi has some of the best character development out there, especially for most of the cast. The characters grow on you as you read. There's a wide variety of personalities, making them entertaining and memorable.

Enjoyment: The plot is based on constellations, and being someone who likes constellations, I greatly enjoyed this aspect. There are plenty of slapstick jokes, and three characters are just hilarious.

Overall: Fushigi Yugi's memorable cast, intriguing story, and fantastic art make it one of my favorite manga. I highly recommend it.

Warning! (LoL) Miaka and her love interest, Tamahome, can be annoying when it comes to their romance. But if you can handle it, the series is truly enjoyable. Try checking out the first volume, and if it's your cup of tea, great! Dive right in.

I can't believe no one has reviewed this multi-layered, multi-themed, and varied quality manga yet. Since I feel it's necessary, I'm dividing my review into two parts: one for the intended series (volumes 1-13) and another for what became of the series (volumes 14-18).

My ratings are based on the first part of the review—the main series itself.

Firstly, the story is astounding; it's my favorite to date. It was original and intriguing, emotional and inspirational, gripping and unpredictable. The story worked on several levels, appealing to a wider audience than possibly intended. It had an epic quality while being very romantic and touching. There were moments that brought tears to my eyes—pathetic? Every moment, every side plot, every backstory added to the overall plot, making it all the more complex and intriguing.

The characters were all unique and fabulous. Their backstories were excellent, and each character had a distinct personality, whether good or evil. They were all believable and individual, with no two characters being alike. They also worked excellently together, enhancing the story's enjoyment. Their personalities were so strong that it felt as though Watase hadn't planned the story at all; it felt like the characters were so alive they ruled and shaped the entire plot's outcome.

The art, while not Watase's best, was very good. I loved the character designs and the overall feel of the manga; many have actually asked her to return to that original style. She's certainly talented.

Overall, I enjoyed it a lot. It was one of those well-planned, well-paced stories of perfect length (until Watase added the later chapters). Everything felt perfect. Worth reading!

As for the second half, those regretfully poor books (14-18).

Story: 3

This was just a saddening, fan-requested addition that dragged on and really added nothing to the story. Think Final Fantasy X, then X-2—a wonderful story ruined by an unnecessary sequel. The only difference is, FY's ending didn't change much.

Art: 9

As good as the main part of the series. Same character designs, same style, same quality.

Character: 7

The characters were almost as good as in the first 13 books. The problem is, they no longer developed. Those beloved characters were there just to add a few pointers, and thus, they didn't make spellbinding or inspiring appearances.

Enjoyment: 3

Slow, repetitive, pointless, long-winded, samey... You get the picture.

Overall: 4

Need I say more? Only read it if you REALLY want to see the slight difference in the end.

Coming from someone who usually reads more gory, twisted stuff, I have to say, this is one of the best mangas I've read recently. While I couldn't give it perfect scores across the board, it is DEFINITELY a great manga, especially for someone new to the genre. Here are some brief reasons why.

1.) The overall story. Although the plot is somewhat shojo-cliché (an average school girl gets sucked into a different world and given a great responsibility), it has many good twists. Like, REALLY good ones. There were times when I thought, "Wow...that was stupid..." only to find out later that whatever happened was actually important. A few parts still revert back to cliché shojo elements, but overall, the storyline is riveting and unique.

2.) The character development and relationships. I genuinely connected with the characters. They were cute, quirky, and each had interesting backstories. Many had fascinating, unpredictable personalities that made me both love and hate them simultaneously. The romance between the two main characters is simple yet still adorable. Moreover, the characters manage to be serious while also providing comic relief at times. They're all very likable, and you feel like you'd have fun hanging out with them.

3.) The ART. OMG. THE ART. Those familiar with the manga world know Yuu Watase, the author/artist. Overall, I think she excels in art. Seriously...she's better than a lot of people out there. I really appreciate how she can draw the sexiest bishies known to mankind, as well as something truly ugly (those of you who know about the Darva monster from Alive 19th? Yeah...). She pays great attention to details and dresses characters according to their personalities. Even if her drawing style isn't the most unique, it's really pretty.

SO YEAH. This was a solid manga that I would recommend mainly to girls, seeing as it is shojo. But no matter your taste, I think you can find something enjoyable in Fushigi Yugi.

Note: This review is solely for Part 1 (Volumes 1-13). The author originally intended to conclude the story here, and it clearly reflects that intention. Part 2 was added due to fan demand, and this too is evident. It genuinely seems like an afterthought tacked on. Now, onto the actual review...

I consider this one of the finest shoujo manga available. It takes the fundamental plot elements of a typical shounen manga—a teenager embarking on an epic quest and battling ultimate evil—and incorporates romance, transforming it into a beautiful, captivating shoujo tale.

Artwork: The art style is distinctly from the 90s, but this isn't necessarily a negative. Unlike many shoujo artists, Watase excels at drawing action scenes, and the historical detail in the book's world is exceptional.

Characters: This series features numerous characters, yet manages their development impressively well. Towards the end, I felt things got a bit rushed, with some characters being killed off without much reason, and their deaths received less attention compared to earlier character demises. Despite this, all characters were developed thoroughly, even making you care about the antagonists, which is quite an achievement. Miaka and Tamahome can be somewhat irritating, but far less so than in the anime adaptation.

Storyline: As mentioned in the character section, the story feels somewhat hurried towards the end. However, it remains engaging and enjoyable. There are plenty of twists and turns to keep readers interested, along with a delightful sense of adventure.

Enjoyment: My enjoyment level is gauged by how often I revisit something, and this series has been a recurring read for me over the past five years. That must mean it’s doing something right. It’s also the series I most frequently lend out to new manga readers, regardless of gender, if they're looking for something to start with.

Overall: A shoujo fantasy epic that shouldn’t be overlooked. Part 2, however, feels more like a one-time read. It’s essentially a shounen manga tailored for girls, and in the best possible way.

This is a review I wrote on Mangafox some years ago under the username 'lady_ribbon'. The reason I'm posting it here is because it still holds true. (Some parts have been slightly edited).

I've heard a lot about this manga, mostly from raving, insane fangirls who can't type or use punctuation properly. Despite that, I wanted to read it since I love historical anime/manga, and this one seemed really popular.

I was so positive I would love it to pieces.

I was utterly wrong.

I have read all 18 volumes, watched the anime fully, and the O.V.A's. I'll keep my ranting to the manga though, since this is where the original story comes from.

Let's begin, shall we?

1) The BASIC plot sounds really good. Girl gets sucked into a magical book, becomes part of the story, has to find some warriors, call something, save the world blah, blah, blah.

It was not carried out well at all.

2) The main character Miaka is one of the worst, if not the worst female 'hero' (and I use that word very lightly) I have ever seen. She's weak, useless, clingy, a glutton, annoying, dumb, prone to falling in love after five seconds, only cares about her boyfriend "Tamahomeee!!!", and shallow as hell too. And I think she's a bit on the slutty side as well, from lines and mannerisms such as, "If Tamahome and I could have been in the normal world, we could have had a normal relationship like any other High School student."

...Right. We all know what she means by that.

Yet despite all this nonsense, almost every single guy falls in love with her just for the sake of a reverse harem and to live up to that theme. There's barely anything to like about her, if anything at all. Even her looks (which aren't important to begin with) aren't anything to go raving mad about.

3) Rape, rape, RAPE. No matter how you type it, it's too much, and almost has a standing of being over-glorified and taken too lightly in manga. Especially in Shoujo manga. But honestly...How much attempted rape is there? It gets so old after the first ten or so times. And even then the Suzaku Seven want to do it with Miaka. It's so annoying. They're human beings, not a bunch of bloody rabbits. Keep it in your pants (or panties) good people!

4) When there is supposed to be a serious scene in the manga, it's always ruined by the chibis. Always.

Even some other scenes that shouldn't have chibis are utterly ruined by them. The humor is atrocious, and it comes in at really bad moments, in all the wrong places. It makes it incredibly hard to take the moment/tragedy/sob scene seriously.

5) Almost everyone at the end of the manga DIES, and it's Miaka's fault, but of course they all fall down and worship her like a friggin' god or something, and spew bullshit like "Omg she liek, totally tried her best!!", "She waz s0 brave!!!", And also, all they did was fall in love with her (for what reason I'm still trying to understand), and say “You’re a brave little girl, you have it so tough.”

Yeah, tell that to the massacred farmers. But as usual, no one cares about unimportant characters whose job it is to fill up the world and haul up potatoes by the thousand to stuff annoying, useless schoolgirls.

6) I could give the romance problems in this manga its own section, but I'll chop it down for you out of the goodness of my heart.

The romance is so unrealistic in every sense of the word. It moves WAY too fast. It has no buildup. Tamahome and Miaka meet for about five seconds, and then BAM! they love each other like it's damn magic. This is not Harry Potter people, so even spells can't save the poor love-plot. All Miaka thinks about is Tamahome -that is to say, she lives, breathes, eats, dreams...You get it- and she hardly knows him. I actually hate Tamahome because he's so perverted and unrealistic. Wait, I hate almost all of them. I only like(d) Nakago because he wants to kill them all, Nuriko before he liked Miaka, and Hotohori...At least he had some depth, and I felt sorry for him.

7) The character deaths happen, but somehow it always seems a little fake. When I say fake I mean it's really put-on. And once they die, it's like "Oh he died...Who was he? Well, whatever." Like when Tamahome's siblings died, all he could think about was Miaka. I mean...Really Tamahome? You're thinking about a girl you barely know over siblings who you have lived with and loved for YEARS? None of the manga deaths in this series were like others I've read about. Not.Even.One.

8) The manga is so soap-opera-ish, and melodramatic, that I can see why teen or tween girls like it.

9) Two other anime/light novels that are a little similar to Fushigi Yuugi are Saiunkoku Monogatari (which is a reverse harem, tons of guys, takes place in ancient China) and 12 Kingdoms (about a girl who is taken to another world, and made Empress/King). People who have watched Fushigi Yuugi and then watch either of these animes or both have actually said how they couldn't believe they watched F.Y and they thought it was utter crap after reading these. I think the main difference is that both the girls in these stories are amazing. They're strong, kick butt, are very smart, mature without being slutty. They have their faults, but their faults are realistic, and they both continually mature. Both the series have a wonderful cast of characters, storyline, adventure, mystery....And in Saiunkoku the romance is really done well. It takes time, and it's not sick or disgusting. The funny moments are well done too. 12 kingdoms is more serious, and it's not romantic unless you squint, and it really delves more into the adventure, and struggles of being a ruler. A more juvenile example would be Magic Knight Rayearth. Three girls taken to another world who *gasp* are the furthest thing away from useless, stupid and annoying, though they're all imperfect! But on the other hand, it's done by Clamp so of course it would be done well. Not to mention the plot...

Everyone in these three series for example is so well fleshed out and given their own unique personality and really grow as characters so much so that you can really understand them, and the choices they make, and what made them the people they are today, regardless of whether they are the hero or villain.

10) Thoughts from other sources that I agree with

The characters of Fushigi Yuugi are so uninspired that it really works against them. I found that much (or rather, all) of the main cast did not strike me as endearing. None of them really had something that makes you want to root for them along the course of the story. What makes it worse is the size of the cast. Why make it so large when only two characters matter, and you never truly flesh out everyone else unless you give them a quick and stupid story?

Miaka ignores the advice of those wiser than her (i.e. everyone) and dashes off to act on her own plans countless times. This usually results in the deaths of some innocents, soldiers, villagers, children, you name it, they die. By the end of the story, she’s responsible for the deaths of thousands, because she has to do things her way.

More times than I could count, this series fell into several pitfalls that romantic stories fall into. There is a big difference between someone saying they love you and someone showing that they love you. It takes effort for someone to show love, not a whole lot, but when that effort is used it hits dramatic gold. Instead we get unexplained events, awkward jokes, fan service, plot holes and other slipped-up script devices. I kept thinking that there was some essence of love in this production that would show up some time and completely blow me away. It never came.

This is a product that could have been sky-high, but since it lacked the proper foundations of good storytelling, it collapsed upon its own ideas; a pretty little rubble heap.

11) As I state below, I dislike the author's other works as well. What I did not say before (and one comment sure to burn in the hearts of those ardent fans) is that this author, this Yu Watase - is like the Stephenie Meyer of the manga world. She truly, truly is.

Before you scream at me (as you surely will) here's why I think why.

Yu Watase has these plots which sound good in a summary, horrible in story. She writes and makes the main female characters so useless and truly annoying and frustrating. (Bella anyone?) The romance always makes the girl seem pathetic, clingy, have-to-be-protected, second to the male, damsel in distress. (Edward/Bella!) The love triangles make everyone fall helplessly in love with the main female lead for no apparent reason other than to give the main male some competition, and the story something interesting. (Edward/Bella/Jacob people.) The characterization sucks. All the guys are pretty boys, the girls pretty average. (Sparkly vampy's and hunky wolves anyone?) The female characters in the story can ALWAYS be guaranteed to trip and fall.

Possibly the most important and immediately noticeable similarity is the fact that these stories are so incredibly popular for GIRLS/WOMEN, still get talked about a lot, are undeserving of the praise, and are often bashed by critics. (Which is deserving.)

The similarities go on and on and on.

In conclusion -

Like I said before, I truly dislike the author's other works too. She seems to recycle her characters, and there is always super-fast-drive-through-romance, among other awful things. Even her so-called brilliant art style is nothing to talk about compared to others.

Everything truly sucks, and sucks really bad.

For all the hype it gets, it really, really, really is horrible.

Happy(?) reading!

(Here are the scores for story, art, character, enjoyment and overall).

★ Story (3)

★ Art (6)

★ Character (2)

★ Enjoyment (2)

★ Overall (2)

Do not suffer through this series. Please save your sanity and think of the massacred farmers who were killed by a stupid glutton.

If you want a wonderful, well-written fantasy series about a girl taken to another world, check out -

- Red River (manga)

- From Far Away (manga)

- Magic Knight Rayearth (manga, anime)

- 12 Kingdoms (books, anime)

- Inuyasha -though it DOES drag on and the anime is full of fillers- (manga, anime)

Now THESE are worth it and won't leave you with a bad aftertaste in your brain.

Fushigi Yuugi has been my favorite ever since my elementary school days, and even now in my twenties, I'm still surprised by how engaged I remain with it. ;)

I have completed watching the anime and OVA's and began reading the manga after finishing Fushigi Yuugi: Genbu Kaiden. Suddenly, I felt an urge to dive into the manga itself (which wasn't part of my original plan since I had already seen the episodes). Despite there being only minor differences from the anime, it evokes the same feelings within me. I suppose, whether I watch it repeatedly or read it, it will always stir the same emotions. It might sound odd, but to me, it feels like the characters are real, as if they're just there, watching over me (nyehehehe). Perhaps this is due to Yuu Watase's incredible passion for creating the manga.

Overall, I rate it outstanding. Now that I've finished even the manga, I'll miss those moments when I laughed, cried, and felt the love alongside them!