Fushigi Yuugi

(Mysterious Play)

Episodes reviewed: 1-26, OAV 1-3, OAV II 1-6

Fushigi Yuugi Logo

What: "Fushigi Yuugi" is the story of a junior high girl that gets transported into the world of a book she finds in the library. As I discovered, the story isn't so much the adventure inside the book she has, but more of the romance she has with the hero of the book, Tamahome. The OAVs are a direct sequel, chronicling the events that take place after the TV series.

The Good: This series, above all else, is very emotional. It can make the viewer realize feelings for a character that they may not have known. Any emotions that can be felt mean there is good character development. Whether it is sympathy for Miaka, or anger towards the villain, Nakago, the series can really bring out some true feelings. There are a few fights that are extremely well done, for all you action fans out there. And for the girls and the romantics, there is a large theme of love throughout the series. The second OAV series really develops on the minor characters, as opposed to the TV series and the first OAV series (I'll shed more light on that right now)

The Bad: You might feel alot of emotion for the main characters, but what about everyone else? Chichiri? Chiriko? Mitsukake? All painfully underdeveloped characters. There aren't many times in the series where you really understand what the characters are thinking, and this isn't very pleasing for me. 52 episodes and 9 OAVs are more than enough time to develop 18 characters to a respectable amount. However, there are only four that are focused on. Miaka, Tamahome, Nakago, and Yui. Also, I'd really rather the story focus less on the relationship between Miaka and Tamahome. "The entire plot revolves around it!" I hear you shout. Yes, that is true, but really, there are only so many times a couple can break up and get back together so many times before it gets old. The first OAV series is also very rushed. I mean seriously head-spinning rushed. I didn't like that at all.

The Bottom-Line: It's a nice experince, but taking everything into consideration, I can't really recommend the series over much else. The story is fairly well written, but I can only really suggest a rental. If you want romance, watch Marmalade Boy, and if you want action, there's plenty other titles much better, Rurouni Kenshin, Cowboy Bebop, and Trigun, for example.

The Dub: I didn't like the dub very much. I suppose it was alright, but many things in the series I can only picture fansubbed.