Customer Reviews

Fushigi Yugi - The Mysterious Play: Box Set 1 - Suzaku (Episodes 1-26)

5 star:		(121)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

This is an excellent anime, yes, but it also isn't for everyone. The plot is fairly involved, and really only gets going about episode 16 or so. The first ten episodes will make you think this is going to be one melodramtic soap opera, but HANG IN THERE, it does get better. There is a good bit of action in this series, but this is not Escaflowne or Rurouni Kenshin.

Also, keep in mind that FY is 52 episodes long, and if you've never seen it, DO NOT watch the last half of episode 26, of you will be on HUGE cliffhanger. Pioneer hasn't made a commitment to release the second-half on DVD until they see how well the first half does.

Couple of things about the DVD, itself... The chapters are not laid out well. Every single episode is broken this way:

(1) Intro (yes, they included the opening in front of EVERY SINGLE episode...) (2) Episode review/recap and Part I (before the commerical break/halfway point) (3) Part II (Post-halfway-point) (4) Ending (they also included the ending with every single episode, which is nice, because they are a little different) (5) Preview of next episode...

If you are watching this more than one episode at a time, this is a little annoying. Although the opening and ending are good, seeing it 20+ times is a little much. However, if's a simple matter of skipping ahead to the next chapter, so it's a minor annoyance at worst. However, you will need to MANUALLY fast forward through the episode recap if you want to skip it... why Pioneer didn't include the review in the same chapter as the opening is beyond me. This is aggravating.

To make up for it, however, the packaging is top-notch. A Plastic Slip cover keeps the four DVD holder together, and very clean. Also, Pioneer decided to dual-layer the DVDs instead of dual-siding them, which is extremely nice (means you don't have to worry about fingerprints on one side). If you are into subtitling (which I recommend because the English voice actors, while competent, are not that good), the subtitles are very clean, and well done. There were only a couple of places that the translation wasn't as good as the fan-subs I first watched this series on.

All in all, this is a good deal, especially if you don't own the series already.

Fushigi Yûgi started as a shoujo manga series by Yû Watase. It's a heartwarming story of a girl (Miaka) and her best friend (Yui) who unexpectedly get sucked into a book called The Universe of the Four Gods, where they story unfolds in a fantasy version of ancient China... You'll fall in love with the charming characters (O.o; that sounds so cliché, no da). This is a must-see anime for those who enjoy romance-comedies ^_^. The art is beautiful, the story wonderful, and I absolutely love the music.

The only thing that slightly miffs me a bit is that they translated Chichiri's oh-so-kawaii "no da" to "you know," and the fact that they made Tasuki say, "homie" (! O.o;) one time near the end of the collection...

The Suzaku DVD boxset contains the first half of FY (Episodes 1-26) with options of dubbed version or subtitled. This also includes interesting footnotes, a interview with Watase-sama, relationship chart, and some other things ^_^. Wai! My wallet's recovering from the purchase, but this is a series that is *definately* worth seeing and owning!

Warning: Not for those who are too weak to withstand regular appearences of BISHONEN! ^_^ Wai wai! FY is full of handsome guys! Like, half of them are in love with Miaka though -.-;; Lucky twit (j/k)...

Just a lil' note... I believe Pioneer sticks that "Ages 13+" sticker on FY, though I think it's for a bit more mature audiences... it's not like there's a lot of profanity, but rape is mentioned or implied at least once and there is slight nudity at times (but not very detailed, don't worry ^^)... but I hope everyone can handle that because you *cannot* miss this wonderful series, minna-san! ............

Fushigi Yugi: The Mysterious Play is definitely my favourite full-length anime series. It has an exciting plot with very believable twists that always keeps the viewer thinking. Every episode ends with a cliffhanger that makes one crave to watch more.

The series has 52 episodes, and the red Suzaku Box Set contains the first half (26 episodes). The multi-fold box set case is very beautiful and the finest I've seen to date. I would expect that the second half will be presented in a similar blue Seiryu Box Set.

The DVD version is bilingual with optional subtitles and can satisfy all audiences that may prefer original Japanese dialogue with/without subtitles, or dubbed English. Dubbed English and subtitle translations are never perfect, but I believe they've done a very good job here.

In conclusion, I highly recommend getting the Fushigi Yugi series in DVD format starting with this Suzaku box set, and hope the waiting goes well for the next DVD box set.

Every once in awhile some anime comes along that has otakus saying "DUDE!! DUDE!! YOU GOTTA SEE THIS!!! THIS IS THE GREATEST ANIME EVER!!!" And it turns out that the anime in question turns out to be so hyped up that it ends up dissapointing. Well, "Fushigi Yugi" is no exception. However, even though "Fushigi Yugi" may not be the greatest, it is certainly light years ahead from mediocre. And is definitely worth watching...many times over.

By now, you probably have read the plot either from some other otaku or from someone else's review. Basically, two girls find a book that sends them to a mythical universe, the Universe of the Four Gods to be correct. There they meet a vast array of heroes and villains, face the trials of love and hate, and are even pitted against one another. There's more but I'll let you all figure it out for yourselves. Behind it all is a remarkable (if not cliched) love story.

The show is based on Yu Watase's popular shoujo (basically meaning "for girls" ) manga. Now the instant I say "shoujo" I end up turning off the attention of the male otakus. However, they must know that "Gundam Wing' was meant for a shoujo audience as well. So , if you've watched "Gundam Wing" and liked it, you will like/love this.

Much like "Gundam Wing" the series has plenty of love story for the girls, and lots of action for the guys. The story is unrelenting in its pacing (this is after all 52 episodes worth of story, not counting the OVAs). One minute the characters are caught in a wind of romance, next minute they're being tossed through the chaos of war, then they're faced with a new problem. Sort of an emotional rollercoaster that gives it a rather European feeling to it, and never lets go of the viewers attention.

However, the plot is uneven at times. Granted, this is a shoujo, so it is heavy on love. So heavy that at times it feels unusual when the two lovers start saying each others names...over...and over...and over again. There is almost a smothering feeling with the continuous "I love you but I can't" theme. At times it can be sweet, at other times it can drive a person to drive pins into their ears and eyes.

But, if there is one thing I can say about the love story aspect of "Fushigi Yugi," unlike most anime that feature this kind of story, the emotions the characters feel towards each other are real. So real that I couldn't believe that they were scripted.

Now, if there is one thing I could write accolades about; wonderful cast. The characters seemed as if they were created with personalities first, THEN molded into the bodies you see. The characters are so well made that viewers will feel the happiness, the pain, the sorrow, and the hope that the characters go through. You'd be hard-pressed not to like this wonderful crew of beguiled heroes and villains.

The animation is crisp and clear, almost on par with anime like "Trigun" and "Gundam X." There are only a few uses of stock-footage in battle scenes but that's forgivable.

The art is good but could have been a little better. This kind of artwork nearly reminded me of the plain art of "Berserk" or "Slayers." But like the stock footage, this can be overlooked.

Good music. Another plus. Nothing more to say on that.

Now, my MAJOR FLAW with the series is purely of an anime nature. Too many people like this anime. If you mention "Fushigi Yugi" in front of any otaku, they will go crazy. But that isn't the main problem; many of them don't even know why. Their reasons fall on the same plane; "Dude, it had a good plot" or "It was so cute!! WAI WAI WAI!!!" As one who has basically grown up with anime, it almost deters everything that anime stood for. If one wants to truly appreciate anime, you cannot do it by picking out the anime EVERYONE and their iguana know and love. There are few otaku who see beyond the "new stuff" and look at the classics that made anime what it is. Granted, this IS A GOOD ANIME (I said it, now don't lynch me) but there are others to.

In the end, "Fushigi Yugi" is like an old working golden watch you find in a treasure chest. Though it may be an old concept and has a couple of scratches, you can't help but look beyond the flaws and see it for it's real beauty and that it still gets its job done. "Fushigi Yugi" is a must watch for all anime fans.

-RW

I will try to write a review of the entire Fushigi Yugi series so that you can have a complete (and overall) picture of this wonderful anime. Therefore, if you don't want to know what happens next then please stop reading the specific section because spoilers will be included all over in the review that is to follow.
Apart from it, I will try to maintain an overall review so that to inform the reader as much as possible without giving too much away.

Fushigi Yugi - The Mysterious Play - (Boxed Set 1, Suzaku)
Two fiends, Miaka and Yui - the typical Japanese high school girls- will come across a book called the `Universe of the four Gods' and will be drawn into it (SPOILER! The book basically presents itself to be something like a gate to a parallel universe with the difference that the gods of this parallel universe are the ones who `choose' whom to allow to enter and why, something that will be implied latter on, in the second box set).
There, the two girls will be confronted with a world that is divided into four kingdoms and resembles Ancient China, but each of the girls will end up in a different kingdom as a priestess of the kingdom's god; and their goal will be to gather the seven `holy' warriors in order to summon the god. The catch: the girls will be enemies. On top of that, Miaka will deeply fall in love with one of her warriors, Tamahome, who will love her deeply as well but: Yui will want him two; the emperor will love Miaka etc.
The first arc, deals more with the story and character development, the viewer learns a lot about the world/kingdoms, the citizens agony etc. Of course all this will be accompanied with a lot of action as well.

Fushigi Yugi - The Mysterious Play - (Boxed Set 2, Seiryu)
This is the continuation of the first arc. Now that the viewer has gotten into the anime, the story takes off. After failing to summon Suzaku, the warriors will have to find two holy ornaments in order to achieve it. The story starts to get darker and darker, very emotional and the actual conflict between the two parties of holy warriors takes place, and the true feelings of the love triangle (Tamahome-Miaka-Emperor) will be tested; is their love destined to fail? Additionally, characters that you will learn to love, from the first arc already, will die (be it children, men, women, warriors, emperors or whatsoever)... Last but not least, the final battles will also occur not only in the Four Gods Kingdoms but also in our world as well, because the universes will start to collide (may sound confusing but once you watch the anime it is easy to understand, it is just if I will start to explain it I will give the story and twists away, sorry guys). What will be the end?

Fushigi Yugi :The Mysterious Play OVA Boxed Set
Tamahome is now Taka (well, re-incarnated) and lives together with Miaka in our world. However, trouble occurs once a very powerful and dark force tries to escape from the world of the four kingdoms and wants to come and to destroy our world. Now again, the couple will be drawn back into the book, travel forth and back into the universes, the Suzaku Seven are gathered again and hell brakes loose; because the love of Miaka and Tamahome is in serious danger (not to mention the worlds as well).

Fushigi Yugi - The Mysterious Play - Eikoden
This is, for the time being, the last of Fushigi Yugi that is out there. In these OVAs, Tamahome and Miaka are married and she is pregnant. However, a girl named Mayo will enter the book of the four gods as a new priestess of Suzaku and will try to: steal Tamahome from Miaka, who will fall into a coma, kill the Suzaku Seven, take the child of Tamahome and Miaka as her own etc. Tamahome will enter the book but the world he once knew is starting to fall apart...


Overall opinion about the series:
Personaly, I believe that this anime alongside with Escaflowne, tops every other anime in the Fantasy genre. It is very emotional, has strong character development, solid and very interesting story with way too many twists and will keep you hooked up till the end (that is something that will happen for sure hehehe)

As for the animation:
The first arc has a fair animation but still a good one (in order to get a picture, the animation is something like crave of the fireflies). The second one is updated (something like Trigun). In the first OVAs the animation is definitely updated (something like FMP). Last but not least, in the last OVAs the animation remains in the same level as the previous OVAs but the creatures' animation is something like the ones you see in Digimon (well, personally I preferred the way they used to be in the previous OVAs).

Music:
The music, no matter arcs or OVAs, opening or ending, is very - very good and emotional. You will love the music in it.

Worth buying or not?
I will be honest. Personally I love these series and bought all of them. However, the price may present itself to be an obstacle (took me two years to buy the complete show). Therefore, if you can afford it than buy it for sure and you will not regret it; if not, than try to rent it if possible because these shows are definitely worth watching. Not to mention the fact that the series all together are very long (something that I liked).


Well, I hope that I could help you by presenting you with an overall picture of Fushigi Yugi. If so then please click on the yes button below ^_^

^_^ Konichiwa.....I have followed and watched a lot of Japanese animation since the early 1980s. A lot of good animes have come out since the last 5 years like the Vision of Escaflowne, Evangelion, Record of Lodoss War, SLayers, etc. But NONE is like Fushigi Yugi.

FUSHIGI YUGI is one of the best "love story" anime around. It is well balanced with love story, romance, action, humor, excellent music, awesome graphic, and an intriguing story line. If you like true anime love story, then this is a must buy. This DVD edition is very much worth it. Not only it includes all first season 26 episodes in the set, it comes in a beautiful collection package for a good price from Amazon.com. This is a must buy for all anime fans, since DVD format has excellent graphic and sound (better than VHS), and DVDs can last forever. Watching Fushigi Yugi in DVD really brings out the true value of animation originally intended to be seen by the producers. That is why I switched from buying and collecting animes in VHS format to DVD format since VHS will wear out in 8 years. It is killing me that I have to wait for Pioneer to come out with the rest of the second season (episode 27-52) of FY in DVD format [since I have been so moved and attached to the story line] ^_^.

My recommendation is that : GET THIS FUSHIGI YUGI : DVD SUZAKU BOX SET as soon as possible ! ^_^ Oh yeah...as I always recommend to everyone...watch the series in Original Japanese language (of course w/ English sub)! Trust me. ^_^ SJ.

When I first bought Fushigi Yugi, I was a little skeptical because of the reviews I had read. I got the impression that it was just a fun, airheaded series with no real plot, but boy was I surprised.
The story starts out with Miaka, your typical immature teenage heroine and her friend Yui being sucked into a book called the Universe of the Four Gods. I won't spoil the plot, but they are called to save the world of the book by becoming priestesses and collecting the seven stars. They have many adventures, and they actaully learn from them, unlike in some anime's.

I especially love the character development in this series. The characters change and grow through their adventures. You also get to learn about each character's past, even the bad guys, which really adds to the story, and explains a lot of the story, even parts that you wouldn't normally think about. It makes the story so much richer.

The mood changes through the series, which makes it easy to keep watching through all 52 episodes. It starts out light and funny, moves all the way to downright depressing, and comes back again. Once you've seen the first 26 episodes you get with this set, you really can't stop until you've seen the whole thing. This particular season does end on a cliffhanger, but it's not completely unbearable if you have to wait to raise money for the second set(like I did).

I should caution you, that some of the issues raised in the series are not for everyone. Rape is brought up in part of the series, and if that bothers you, you probably wouldn't enjoy that part. However, it doesn't dominate the plot, or subtract from it in any way, it's just a part of the story. So, unless you have a particular thing against it, it shouldn't be a problem.

All in all, this anime is one of the best I've seen, and I highly recommend it to anime fans.

If you haven't heard of (or watched) this series, there are only two things you really need to know. 1) It's a shoujo drama, and 2) it's incredibly melodramatic.

Well, now that I've scared away all the DBZ fans, onto the review.

Yes, Fushigi Yuugi is a melodramatic shoujo drama (soap opera might be a better term), complete with quite a few cliches of the genre. Anyone with an aversion for romance, melodrama, and the like, may want to think twice before considering this series. But you know what? I simply loved it.

Fushigi Yuugi's overall plot can probably best be described as The Neverending Story meets El-Hazard. The story itself occurs in a book entitled "The Universe of the Four Gods", and as one reads the book, the adventure becomes real. As for the El-Hazard comparison, both series feature teenaged students getting transported to a strange new world, where they partake in a series of adventures, and incidentally, end up wearing their school uniforms most of the time. Of course, the differences are quite obvious. El-Hazard tends to be a bit more comedic and less serious, while Fushigi Yuugi is fairly relationship oriented, and much more dramatic at times.

Mind you, while there certainly is no shortage of romance, and quite a few dramatic moments as well, this series also has a decent mix of fantasy, comedy, and action. Fantasy, because of the mystical nature of the series, comedy thanks to liberal use of super-deforming, and action because whenever the Seishi clash, there's always more than a few scuffles.

Being a shoujo anime, character development is paramount. Miaka is your typical junior high school student putting off studying for the high school entrance exams. Actually, "typical" isn't entirely true. She does have a few distinguishing quirks, most notably her fervent appetite, that makes her somewhat of an oddball. Of course, the fact that she and her best friend, Yui (who is level-headed and studious, unlike Miaka) travel to another world makes them stand out even more. It is in this world that Miaka becomes the priestess of Suzaku (one of four animal gods) and undergoes a quest to find the seven Suzaku Seishi and return home. Of the seven Seishi, she meets Tamahome first, falls in love, and hence, begins a long, arduous relationship with him which is the driving point of the whole series. The second Seishi, Hotohori, the emperor of Konan, also falls in love with Miaka, and so emerges a love triangle. One of my favorite Seishi, Noriko, shows up soon after. At first, I absolutely despised her, but later she became quite likable, especially once a certain secret gets revealed. My overall favorite Seishi was Tasuki, who was played for laughs most of the time, but was just so damned cool. ^_^ Chichiri, another comedic Seishi was also quite funny and charming, especially the way he ended every sentence in "no da" (which has no English equivalent). Of the two remaining Seishi, Mitsukake and Chiriko, not a lot of time was spent developing them. This was unfortunate, because they ended up serving as minor characters, and during a few scenes which otherwise could have been quite dramatic, ended up somewhat shallow because there wasn't much emotion attached to them. There are plenty more characters, including Miaka's brother, and most of them are developed nicely.

On the other side of the coin, there are also a handful of villains who make life rather unpleasant for Miaka and her cohorts. The number one baddie is none other than Nakago, who embodies everything that a true villain should. His malicious behavior, deadpan calmness, and wry half-smiles truly make him someone worth hating. He also has a handful of underlings, but of which only a couple are properly developed, namely Amiboshi and Suboshi, twin brothers. The rest, though, weren't focused on quite enough, and ended up not being all that interesting.

The storyline, though, is both one of the series' greatest strengths and greatest weakness. It takes a full 52 episodes to tell Miaka's quest, and for people that enjoy the series, this is quite a blessing. However, at the same, the length is also a detriment. Some parts of the series really begin to drag, and the same plot devices are used over and over to the point of tedium. Miaka and Tamahome's relationship is the best example of this. One minute they're a happy couple, and the next they're splitting up. Then they're back again, only to break up again. This of course, is accompanied by melodramatic cries of "Miaka!" "Tamahome!" "Miaka!" "Tamahome!" "Miaaaaaaakaaaa!" "Tamahoooomeeee!". I honestly couldn't count the number of times this went on. It was a bit excessive, to say the least.

Fushigi Yuugi's presentation is also a mixed bag. The artwork itself is pretty functional, and the characters had good visual designs. The animation, on the other hand, wasn't terribly spectacular. I even noticed some reused animation here and there (and I'm betting there was more that I wasn't aware off). The music, though, was pretty good. So good in fact, that I even bought the OST. I really liked some of the themes in the series, and the opening and closing songs were quite nice.

The bottom line is, if you enjoy shoujo dramas, fantasy, or comedy, then you'll probably love this series. But for anyone who prefers more shonan-oriented anime, or for that matter, may not have time to watch the whole thing, might be better off leaving Fushigi Yuugi alone.

Okay, well, I started off watching things like Dragon Ball Z, Sailor Moon, Ranma and kinda just drifted out of the anime world until my friends were talking about Fushigi Yuugi. I'm like, okay, I guess I'll watch it. I start watching it..and I'm totally drawn into it, I feel like I'm inside the book too! This story starts of with two Jr. High School students, Miaka and Yui who go to the library and come across a book called the Universe of the Four Gods. Well, they are drawn into the book and meet this guy named Tamahome who saves their lives and the story starts from there. I'm being very general but I don't want to give any of this wonderful story away. Every episode is special, I've seen the entire series probably around 5-7 times. I urge all of you out there to buy this DVD set because it offers so much and is so worth it. Even though this is only half of the TV series, it is great. If you loved the first half, you will LOVE the second half so much more. You will laugh, you will cry. That is what Fushigi Yuugi is.

Hi Everyone ^_^ Before I begin, I must warn you that you might become addicted to the series which means you might have to buy the Box of Seriyu too! It starts off with a gluttonous girl named Miaka (She's a lot like Serina from Sailor Moon) who gets sucked into a book. I don't want to give it away but a lot of intersting things happen to her and her friends both inside and outside the book. This at times reminds me of a Soap opera but it isn't because theres a lot more to it than people whining about there own lives which soaps have a tendancy of doing. Within the story you meet a lot of interesting characters, one if which you'll probably grow found of (Tasuki's my man ^_^) The style is a blend of romance, comedy with an adventure/fantasy touch to it. I'll admit it doesn't have that much martial arts compared to other anime but the story line proves good enough! Which doesn't mean there aren't any good fights, cause there certainly are! Its likely to be a show that females will enjoy more then the guys, Sorry guys :P And incase you don't know japanese (as the case with me) it has footnotes on the menu so you can understand some of the pun. Overall this has to be one of the best shows I've seen in a really long time, but buyer beware its so addictive!!! Thanks a lot for reading this, I hope i was somewhat helpful to you all. Buh bye ^_^