Fushigi Yûgi - The Mysterious Play

I've heard so much praise for this series that I decided I have to watch it myself... What better for a fantasy freak like myself, I thought, than an anime with pretty art, an alternative fantasy universe with gods and magic, and a little romance on the side? I was wrong. "Fushigi Yuugi" is one of the worst series I've ever watched - I had to quit it halfway, I just couldn't take it anymore.

The basic story, if not too original, has potential - but it is dealt with in such an annoying and cliche way that it's totally uninteresting. I only kept watching as far as I did because I was interested in what happens to the twins.

The characters are mostly horrible - the heroine is one of the stupidest, most detestable ever to appear on screen. Sorry Miaka-fans, I just find her to be ditzy, idiotic, dependant and horribly annoying. Her male counterpart is only a little better - after a while you really get sick of the whole "Tamahome!!!" - "Miaka!!!" recurring motif. Most of the protagonists are not much better, save the wonderful characters of Nuriko and Tasuki, who really don't get enough screen time at all. Mostly I found myself rooting for the bad guys, though they also are led by the uninteresting Nakago, who may seem cool at first, but is really no more than the usual power-crazed maniac. The twins Amiboshi and Suboshi, however, are fascinating and identifiable, and really save the viewer from total boredom. Too bad they don't get that much screen time either.

The animation is pretty bad, and Yuu Watase's beautiful drawings fail to be transferred onto the screen faithfully. It is a good indication of the animation quality that Hotohori, supposedly the most beautiful man in the world, often looks squashed and deformed and very unappealing.

All in all, this series is horribly overrated, imho. For GOOD fantasy anime, check out Slayers or, if you're looking for a really fascinating story and gorgeous art, try Utena (which is the best anime ever, imho.)

I was recommended this anime by a new friend when I was in high school. Only now, years later, can I appreciate the true work that is Fushigi Yuugi.

Some people complain that the plot is mediocre, the characters are two dimensional, and the animation is horrible. There are times when the plot is shallow, the characters don't seem much more than talking head, and because it's ten years old, the animation isn't what we've come to expect. It's retro; think of watching Speed Racer back in the eighties, or Voltron in the nineties.

The plot revolves around fifteen-year-old Miaka Yuuki, a typical high school girl whose main concerns are boys, food, and shopping. Living with her single mom and college aged brother, Miaka attends junior high school, barely passing her classes and being constantly reprimanded by her best friend and resident genius Yui Hongo. When Yui goes to the library one afternoon, Miaka tags along. In the restricted room of the library, the two girls come across a book titled, "The Universe of the Four Gods." They begin to read it, and magically they are sucked into ancient China. Eventually Yui is able to leave the book, leaving Miaka alone in a strange world with a greedy stranger known only as Tamahome. Miaka is then taken to the emperor of the empire she landed in and is told that she is the savior they've been waiting for, the Priestess of Suzaku who will summon the Beast God and save Konan. As it turns out, each Priestess has seven warriors that were born to protect her, Tamahome, and the Emperor Hotohori, being two of them. Now Miaka must embark on a quest to find the remaining warriors and then she can save the world.

Naturally the road is never easy, and some fairly predictable situations occur. Love triangles, rivalries, concerned older siblings, and typical young love blossom through out the fifty-two episode series. Despite some standard clichés that come with the "teenaged girl saves the world" scenario, there are some moments of genuine, gut wrenching story telling. Each character has a very elaborate back story, and while not every character has tragic origins, each one is the way they are because of the events of their past. Only a handful of the back stories are told, some of them evoking pure emotional responses from the view. Other time it's not so much their past, as their present that makes the view reach for a box of tissues.

There is a unique blend of romance, humor, fantasy, and tragedy thrown together for this series. If romantic comedies with a splash of drama is something you enjoy, don't miss an opportunity to watch Fushigi Yugi.

Miaka Yuuki is your average Japanese Junior High student... She goes to school, has a best friend, looks forward to her first boyfriend, and has an entrance exam to take. She also makes below average grades which look even worse when compared to genius-girl best friend Yui's grades. She's obsessed with food, sleeps in class, and has a mother who would like her to get into the best high school in Tokyo.

Things seem impossible until Miaka finds a book- The Universe of the Four Gods, Sky and Earth, locked away in a closed off part of the library. As Yui reads the first lines to her (they are in Ancient Chinese), a red glow pulls the two girls into the magical book. Soon the girls are rescued by a handsome young man, Yui gets pulled back to the real world, and Miaka is offered the chance of a life time: If she becomes the heroine of the book, finds the seven people with the mark of the Suzaku Stars, then summons Suzaku to protect this ancient chinese country, then Suzaku will grant her wishes. But things heat up when Miaka leaves to the real world, only to find Yui is missing. As she goes back looking for Yui in the book, she learns that the neighboring country is looking for their own Priestess to summon that country's god. But where would they find a girl from another world that could?

Miaka's journey then becomes one to rescue her best friend. What could possibly be the reason why Yui would become Miaka's enemy and even be sending people to try and kill her?

This show is not made for kids. It has many funny moments, though it covers very serious topics including rape, sex, suicide, and murder. The only problem I had with this series is that the beginning credits give away too much, so don't watch them until you reach episode 25. The episode previews ruin things throughout the series, so also skip these if at all possible. This is my favorite series from any country. On a scale of 1 to 10, its at least a 20! This is one book that you nor our heroine will be able to put down until the last page is turned- and then you'll have to check out the OAVs!

If this masterpiece of a cartoon series ever makes its way unscathed into American TVs, it will forever transform the image of the cartoon.

As the Japanese continue to prove time and again: cartoons are NOT for children. They are for adults.

Fushigi Yuugi is an ultra epic(33 30 minute episodes) of an earth girl and her quest to save a mysterious world. In the process she learns how shallow her earth life was and how unaware she was of who she truely is.

The many characters in this story, jump off the screen with such depth that you will shake your head at how such a thing is possible with pencil lines. Special mention needs to go to Tamahome and Nuriko who are more three-dimensional than anything Disney has yet to create in its animated classics. Please don't miss this set.

I first watched this in the I-channel and was immediately hooked. I kept missing episodes, so I begged my friend for a burnt copy. I absolutely loved it and later got the DVD set.

Summary: Miaka and best friend opens book. They get captured into the book and live their life in this new world. They later on get split apart and became enemies, and now Miaka has to find a way to get both her and her best friend out of the book, but new problem arises. Oh no, what will they do!?

Why I loved it was because I discovered this anime on my own without any recommendations, and without any criticism; it was all on my own finding and I enjoyed it on my own without any expectations. All of the characters had a story and they were all presented very well in the anime. I thought the plot was very well placed and it had a very good point, but we all have to catch the meaning ourselves instead of thinking it's just another anime about love.

As much as I adore this anime, there were a few things about it that annoyed me, and that was because it was too lovie-dovie. Tamahome and Miaka keep having that weird problem where they decide not be together again, and then get back together moments after. That part was repetitive, but I could tell it was still essential to the anime.

A reason why I really liked this anime was that, this isn't just about love. IT ISN'T! It's about Miaka. It's about how she has matured into this beautiful blossom that's wiser, and more responsible. Through her experience with her best friend and her new friends--it became an adventure. Some of my friends said she's too young, but that isn't true. I first fell in love at the age of fifteen also, so it's reality/fantasy. I can tell why most wouldn't like it, but I loved it. I thought it was funny and romantic. It gives you this hope that love does conquer all whether it's true or not.

I still cry watching FY. Every time that I watch it, I find more reasons to love it more, and then other reasons that gets me annoyed. Anyway, if this anime isn't your thing, then I recommend FY's OAV. It's shorter, and it might explain a lot more in a short amount of time. But anyway, I do highly recommend it. At least watch it once and watch it all the way through. If mushy love stories aren't your thing, then you will be disappointed.

note: Please do not get the sequel for this. You will want to hang yourself... Well, if you like FY, then maybe you'll like the parodies in between the sequel's episodes.