Fushigi Yugi Vol-1: The Mysterious Play (1996)
Animation Production: Movic/Studio Perrot
Released by: Geneon Entertainment
Episodes: 1-7
By Kakumei Shojo

The Premise

Two young girls find a mysterious book that transports them into the story. They must become priestesses if they are ever to return home...

Story

Miaka and her best friend Yui are two students in Tokyo preparing for their high school exam. But their problems have just begun after they stumble across a mysterious book that sends those who read its pages into the story! Now they are trapped in a mystical world reminiscent of Ancient China, and to make matters worse, Yui disappears! Now Miaka must find Yui and return home with the help of Suzaku’s 7 celestial warriors

Episode Synopses

Episode 1-The Girl of Legend
Meet Miaka and her best friend Yui. Two ordinary middle school girls in Tokyo studying for their high school entrance exams. In order to prepare they head to the library, and while researching come across a mysterious book called The Universe of the Four Gods. But this is no ordinary book. They are sucked into it and transported to a realm similar to that of Ancient China. Immediately they land themselves into trouble, but all of a sudden a handsome young man appears with the character for Ogre upon his forehead and rescues them…

Episode 2-Priestess of Suzaku
After their strange rescuer left for not being paid for his rescue services, Yui suddenly disappears! Determined to find her friend, Miaka sets out to locate Yui and once again runs into the young man. She learns his name is Tamahome, and decides to use her feminine wiles to convince him to help her find Yui. While searching for Yui they run into the caravan of the Emperor, and Miaka yet again lands herself in more trouble…

Episode 3-The Seven Stars of Suzaku
Miaka and Tamahome are captured by the Emperor. While in captivity Miaka meets the Emperor, who tells her of her destiny. She is to become the Priestess who will find the seven celestial warriors of Suzaku and fulfill her dreams. She also learns that Tamahome and Suzaku’s Emperor Hotohori are the first 2 of the seven warriors! With Tamahome and Hotohori at her side they set out to find the next warrior, but after a twist of fate they are rescued by a beautiful woman who is much more than she seems….

Episode 4- Missing Love
The beautiful woman is Noriko, the 3rd of the celestial warriors. She has taken a liking to Tamahome, and refuses to leave him alone. Jealousy for Tamahome’s affections creeps into Miaka’s heart, but then Hotohori confessed his love for her! What will Miaka do?

Episode 5-Bewildered Heartbeat
Miaka, homesick and exhausted from her emotions, falls ill. Hotohori takes matters into his own hands and decides it is time to return her to her own world, but to do so they must seek the aid of Taiitsukun, an all powerful being of the mystical world.

Episode 6-Even if I Die…
Miaka is trapped inside a mirror while her evil image wreaks havoc on Tamahome and Hotohori. Miaka decides she must make a drastic decision to save their lives, but at what cost?

Episode 7-Going Home
Taiitsukun finally reveals herself and tells the 3 celestial warriors and their priestess how to return her to her own world, but Yui, who is the reader of Miaka’s story, makes a wish so she may see her dear friend once more…

Review

When picking up the purplish pink box you might feel a little dubious at first. The cute girl in her brown Fuku back to back with the handsome young man protectively shielding her, gives the impression that Fushigi Yugi is a very "girly" series. Released originally as a manga by storywriter Yu Watase it most certainly is one of those classic Shoujos. This means that it is mainly targeted towards girls with your main character as a female. There will be romance, love, and SPADES of juicy drama! But don't be mistaken. Just because its central character is female does not mean that this is a story that can only be appreciated by girls.

The other focal characters (mainly male) are introduced rather quickly. In this DVD you will meet the main players in the story, because of the amount of character development that goes into each one. There is the main character Miaka, Supporting (Tamahome) and then the rest of the seven celestial warriors (although the focus of the feature characters is mainly upon Hotohori, Noriko, Chichiri and Tasuki.) The cast is incredibly large and if character development is to be done for so many it is necessary to introduce them early on in the story. Because I happened to like all the characters this did not bother me in the slightest. I was glad they were such a significant part of the series. If the story focused solely upon Miaka and Tamahome's love issues I think this series would get on my nerves. In my opinion, the other characters are the perfect balance to the sometimes sappy love moments and really make this a wonderful story.

In regards to voice talent I think both the English and Japanese cast do a good job with Fushigi Yugi. This is something I have always liked about Geneon and Pioneer. In the English dub the voice talents are almost always appropriate to their characters. Fushigi Yugi's cast is no exception. I happened to watch the Japanese dub, mainly because I am familiar with it and I really like the play between the characters. But if you can't choose between the English or Japanese don't worry: either way you cannot go wrong.

Another aspect that in my opinion makes Fushigi Yugi is the beautiful character designs by Hideyuki Mo. Personally, I don't mind the large eyes as long as they are detailed. I find the large size allows for the animators to make them more expressive, since that is where the expression is focused. The characters in this series are beautifully rendered. They have long, flowing hair, and small, delicate features. Although they look nothing like traditional people of ancient china I still think the unrealistic style works very well, After all, the realm is fantasy. I also felt that the look of the characters matched their personalities.

To compliment the wonderful character designs are the hand-painted backgrounds. The beautiful landscapes create the right mood for the story and for the events occurring in the foreground.

The colors used in Fushigi Yugi range depending on the mood of the scene. In some instances it is very bright, and colorful, or soft and pastel. At other times its gloomy and bleak. It really just depends. Because the characters go through so many emotions I felt this was very effective, and the expert use of color certainly helped to enhance this.

Hajime Kamegaki, director, takes all of these elements and brings them to life masterfully. Utilizing gorgeous animation, combined with art from the manga (which is breathtaking), and action, the events unfold. In the humorous moments there is super-deformity, but for this series I think it is a needed break from the heavy drama. The only complaint I have is that occasionally the episodes are animated by different people. This is normally not an issue except that the style is completely different. This happens as early as first and second episode. Once you get used to the style of the first episode you have to readjust to the second. Having said this, the series is still unbelievably beautiful, and the incredible story and quick pacing continue to make it very enjoyable.

Yusuke Honma’s original score is the perfect compliment to the animation. Utilizing various instruments from traditional Chinese to electric guitar, Honma san really captures the spirit of Fushigi Yugi. I own several music CDs from the series. My favorite is the one that has the collection of the songs the characters sing. Although their singing is not animated in the series, all of them have songs on the CD. I highly recommend these.

Final Thoughts

Fushigi Yugi is a series I would recommend to anyone over the age of 12. There are some very mature themes that occur consistently throughout that might upset and disturb younger viewers. Other than that, I think anyone can enjoy this series. There might be some annoying moments, but overall the story is so enthralling and the characters intriguing you can't help but be drawn in. As the story unfolds it will run you through the full gamut of your emotions. You will evolve and grow with the characters through their experiences and relationships. From action to humor to love to tragedy there is certainly something in it for everyone.

Fushigi Yugi in total is a whopping 65 episodes! Thankfully, to ease the pain and help your budget Geneon re-released this series. They fit an impressive 7 episodes per DVD, which helps justify the cost per DVD.

If you still aren't sure that this is a series for you, then rent it or borrow it from a friend. Personally, I am thrilled to have it as an addition to my anime collection.

Kakumei Shojo