Fushigi Yuugi

*Reviewed by tiGerPiXie

The Fushigi Yugi series contains 52 episodes. It includes the OVA episodes, which takes place right after the ending of the series. After that there are the Eikoden episodes.

THE GIST:
This a series about a young girl named Miaka Yuki and her adventures into an ancient book called "The Universe of the Four Gods." This book's story is a magical spell itself. When Miaka and her friend, Yui, first find the book at the library, they find that whoever turns the page in the book will become the priestess of Suzaku and will receive three wishes and the story will begin. As you may have guessed, Miaka goes into the book, and finds that she is trapped there in the city of Konan. Her only way of going back into her world is if she carries out her duties as the priestess of Suzaku by summoning Suzaku. By summoning Suzaku, she will be granted three wishes which she can use to go back into her own world. But first, she must gather the seven warriors of Suzaku in order to summon the Suzaku god. A large portion of the story is dedicated to her adventures as she travels to find these warriors. But it's not that simple. Her friend, Yui, also goes into the book and becomes the priestess of Seriyu for the city of Kutou. Since Kutou and Konan are enemies almost at the point of war, this forces Miaka and Yui to become enemies. Nagako, a warrior of the Seriyu, purposely creates misunderstandings between Miaka and Yui. So, Yui begins to distrust and even hates Miaka, even though Miaka still wishes to be friends again one day. Yui's infatuation with Tamahome does not help her relationship with Miaka at all. Tamahome, a warrior of Suzaku, and Miaka had fallen in love early on in the story. Throughout the story, the jealousy-stricken Yui throws many obstacles for Miaka and Tamahome to overcome. Aside from this there are many love triangles in this series. Hotohori, another warrior of Suzaku, and Tamahome both love Miaka. There are plenty of emotions involved. Fushigi Yuugi is story of Miaka and Yui's race to summon their gods to ensure the victory of their empires, Kutou and Konan, which are about to go to war.

OVERALL:
This is truly an amazing story. I LOVE IT!!! Everything about it is great! The plot is very complex with many twists and surprises. There are elaborate romantic relationships between most of the characters. It has everything: humor, action, romance, suspense, terror, sadness, and everything you can think of! Fushigi Yugi appeals greatly to your emotions. (Even I cried at the sad scenes :0) The backgrounds and personality of the characters are so well developed that you feel a real connection with each and everyone of the characters. I love them all, even the evil ones. The art work is fantastic. They are beautifully drawn. The background, clothes and faces are extremely detailed. Each face has a distinctive characteristic so that you can tell one apart from each other.(Except for the twins, of course). I couldn't stop watching the series until I was finished. Each episode made you want to see the next. I seriously couldn't put down the remote! This is my all-time favorite anime! It excels in all areas!

CRITICISM:
There really isn't anything wrong with Fushigi Yuugi. Miaka is really adorable and sweet. She is a strong and good hearted person. I even liked Yui even though she was guided into the dark side for a while. She HAD to act in an irrational way. Otherwise the story wouldn't be as interesting. It's like one of those things where even though you dont want it to happen (like the death of a character), it MUST in order for the story to be solid and complete. So, there's nothing wrong.

I only have one comment for the Eikoden episodes. Miaka wasn't in the story enough. She was barely part of the story! But still, the story was suspenseful and thrilling!!!

RECOMMENDATIONS:
I suggest you start out watching the begining of the series first. (You would be surprised how many people just start watching it in the middle of the story since it came on cable.) If you just jump in, you may be a bit confused with what is going on.

I recommend the book to movie. The movie series is based on the book, so the book IS better. The book is MUCH more detailed and (if you can believe it) the pictures are drawn even better. The pictures in the book are absolutely beautiful with more details and designs in the backgrounds. The movie is GREAT, but you would get more out of the books(mangas).
source:www.spcnet.tv