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Fushigi Yûgi

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Fushigi Yûgi: The Mysterious Play
Cover of the first edition of the first volume of Fushigi Yûgi, published by Shogakukan on May 26, 1992
ふしぎ遊戯
(Fushigi Yūgi)
GenreFantasy, Romance
Manga
Written byYuu Watase
Published byShogakukan
English publisherUnited States Canada Viz Media
United Kingdom Gollancz Manga
Singapore Chuang Yi
Australia New Zealand Madman Entertainment
MagazineShōjo Comic
DemographicShōjo
Original runMay 1992 – July 1996
Volumes18 (List of volumes)
Anime television series
Directed byHajime Kamegaki
StudioStudio Pierrot
Original networkAnimax, TV Tokyo
English networkUnited States International Channel
Original run April 6, 1995 – March 28, 1996
Episodes52 (List of episodes)
Original video animation
Directed byHajime Kamegaki
StudioStudio Pierrot
ReleasedOctober 25, 1996
Runtime75 minutes
Episodes3 (List of episodes)
Original video animation
Fushigi Yûgi OVA 2
StudioStudio Pierrot
Released May 25, 1997 – August 25, 1998
Runtime150 minutes
Episodes6 (List of episodes)
Light novel
Written byMegumi Nishizaki
Illustrated byYuu Watase
Published byShōgakukan
Original runJanuary 30, 1998 – September 26, 2003
Volumes13
Original video animation
Fushigi Yûgi Eikoden
Directed byNanako Shimazaki
StudioStudio Pierrot
ReleasedDecember 21, 2001
Runtime120 minutes
Episodes4
Related

Fushigi Yûgi: The Mysterious Play (ふしぎ遊戯, Fushigi Yūgi) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yu Watase. It was originally serialized in Shōjo Comic from May 1992 through June 1996. The manga series was given an English language release in North America by Viz Media, which started in 1999. Spanning eighteen volumes, Fushigi Yûgi tells the story of two teenaged girls, Miaka and Yui, who are pulled into "The Universe of the Four Gods", a mysterious book at the National Library.

The series became very popular and was later adapted into a 52 episode anime series by Studio Pierrot. The series originally aired from April 6, 1995 through March 28, 1996 on the anime satellite channel Animax and the regular cable channel TV Tokyo. The anime series was followed by three Original Video Animation releases, with the first having three episodes, the second having six, and the final OVA, Fushigi Yûgi Eikoden, spanning four episodes. A thirteen volume Japanese light novel series also followed Fushigi Yûgi. The novels were published by Shōgakukan from January 30, 1998 to September 26, 2003. On October 25, 2003, Watase began releasing a prequel to the manga series, Fushigi Yûgi Genbu Kaiden.

Plot

See also: List of Fushigi Yûgi characters

Middle school student Miaka Yūki is under a lot of pressure to pass the entrance exam for the competitive Jonan Academy. Her friends do not believe she will get in, but she is determined to because her best friend, Yui Hongo, has applied for the same school and she wants them both to go to the school together. While at the library one day, Miaka and Yui come into contact with a strange book there, known as The Universe of the Four Gods. As a result of reading this book, they are then transported into the novel's universe. However, Yui is transported back to the real world almost immediately. Inside the novel Miaka discovers that she is the Priestess of Suzaku and destined to gather the seven Celestial Warriors of the god Suzaku in order to summon Suzaku and obtain three wishes. She falls in love with the Celestial Warrior Tamahome, who eventually reciprocates and Miaka's desire to use a wish to enter the high school of her choice begins to shift towards finding a way to be with Tamahome. Yui, who is also drawn into the book when she was trying to help Miaka to come back to the real world, becomes the Priestess of Seiryuu, working against Miaka out of jealousy over Tamahome and revenge for the humialiation and pain she had suffered when she first came to the book world.

The series describes the various trials that teenagers Miaka and Yui face, both quest-driven and personal. Feeling betrayed, the two oppose one another as priestesses, bringing together their own respective warriors and vying for the chance to be granted three wishes by the gods whom they hope to summon.

Production

marlon casi is ugly.story was done, so she created a new character, Mayo Sakaki as someone she felt the readers could feel closer too. She felt that Mayo was a representation of all of the weakness in human character. She appears singleminded to the point of recklessness, impulsive, jealous, bitter - but at heart she is a good person. Nishizaki points out that due to all of the hardships she has faced, she's become a very jaded person and it takes meeting the Suzaku Seven to realize her innocence again.[citation needed]

Media

Manga

Main article: List of Fushigi Yûgi chapters

Written and illustrated by Yuu Watase, Fushigi Yûgi was originally serialized in the monthly manga magazine Shōjo Comic. It premiered in the May 1992 issue and ran for over four years, with the final chapter appearing in the June 1996 issue. The series was simultaneously published in eighteen collected volumes by Shogakukan, with new volumes being released on a quarterly schedule.[1]

In 1992, Viz Media licensed the manga for an English language release in North America. The series was originally released in a flipped trade paperback format, starting in August 1998.[2] Viz kept the original Chinese names of characters and places, at the request of Watase, causing some confusion for fans as the anime version uses the Japanese names. For example, in the manga, Hotohori's country is named "Hong-Nan" rather than the "Konan" found in the anime series.[3] After eight volumes, Viz stopped publication of Fushigi Yûgi, reviving it in June 2003 when it released the first two volumes in unflipped standard manga size volumes. The remaining volumes were released on a quarterly schedule, including the remaining ten volumes. The final volume of the series was released in April 2006. In the table below, the dates and ISBN numbers given for the first eight volumes are for the second edition releases.[1][4]

Viz also serialized Fushigi Yûgi in their manga anthology magazine, Animerica Extra, starting with the October 1998 debut issue and running until the December 2004 issue, the magazine's final issue.[2] In January 2009, Viz is slated to re-release the series as part of their "VIZBIG" line, which usually combines two or three individual volumes of the original release into a single, larger volume.[5]

Anime

Main article: List of Fushigi Yûgi episodes

Produced by Studio Pierrot, the fifty-two episode Fushigi Yûgi anime series premiered on Animax and TV Tokyo on April 6, 1995. The series aired weekly, until the final episode aired on March 28, 1996. The series was licensed for English-language release to Region 1 DVD and VHS format by Geneon Entertainment, then named Pioneer, under the expanded title "Fushigi Yûgi: The Mysterious Play." It has been suggested that Geneon chose to license the series based on its popularity among the fansub community.[6] The main series was released in eight individual volumes and as two box sets, the "Suzaku" and "Seiryū" sets.

Original video animations

Main article: List of Fushigi Yûgi original video animation episodes

The anime adaptation was followed by three original video animation (OVA) works. The first, spanning three episodes, takes place a year after the events of the main series and has no ties to the original manga. It was released to DVD on October 25, 1996. The second OVA, which has 6 episodes, animates the last four volumes of the manga series that had been left out of the main series. The episodes were split across two volumes, with the first released May 25, 1997, and the second coming over a year later on August 25, 1998.

The final OVA, Fushigi Yûgi Eikoden, spans four episodes and is based on two of the light novels written by Megumi Nishizaki. Released on December 21, 2001, it focuses on a new character, Mayo Sakaki, a sixteen-year-old girl who attends Yotsubadai High School. Upon finding "The Universe of the Four Gods" in a trash bin at the park, Mayo soon discovers that the story remains incomplete. In the unfamiliar world of the book, Mayo must come to terms with her own life and the unhappiness within it.

Geneon Entertainment also licensed the OVAs for Region 1 DVD release. The first two OVAs were release together in a set titled "Fushigi Yûgi: The Mysterious Play OVA". Fushigi Yûgi Eikoden was released as a single disc volume. The OVAs were released with similar packaging as the main series, to give them a consistent look.[7] As with the main series, the English releases of the OVAs are now out-of-print

Novels

Over a series of five years, Megumi Nishizaki wrote thirteen Japanese, light novels based on Fushigi Yûgi. With illustrations by Yuu Watase, Fushigi Yûgi Gaiden primarily explores the lives the various Celestial Warriors before they are seen in the manga. The only two novels to be set after the manga, Eikō Den (Jōkan) and Eikō Den (Gekan), later became the basis for the third Fushigi Yûgi original video animation, Fushigi Yûgi Eikoden. Originally published by Shogakukan, none of the novels have been licensed for English release.

Volume Title[8] Release Date ISBN

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Video game

Idea Factory is developing a Sony Playstation 2 video game based on the Fushigi Yûgi series that will be called Fushigi Yûgi: Suzaku Ibun (ふしぎ遊戯 朱雀異聞). It has a projected release date in Japan of May 29, 2008, and will be available in regular and limited editions.[9][10]

Reception

THEM Anime Reviews preferred the manga to the anime, criticizing the latter's production values, repetitious dialogue, and reuse of footage in flashback episodes.[11] DVD Verdict criticized the "convoluted" plot and "nonsensical" dialogue.[12] Another review noted that although Miaka "makes out with her boyfriend quite a bit", the climax is "of the heart and soul", despite the many battles that the characters go through. Her strength and belief in herself give her the strength and courage to change the world.[13] Drazen considers the humour in Fushigi Yûgi to be based on super deformed caricatures and therefore strange to Western audiences.[14]

Winnie Chow of Animerica was disappointed by the ending of the anime adaptation, finding the final battle that resolves the series to be "lame at best" that left her cheering more for Nakago than the "good guys". Throughout the series, she notes that the scenes between Miaka and Tamahome became "increasingly sickening" and "overdone".[15]

Fushigi Yûgi Eikoden was panned by THEM Anime Reviews, which considered the animation to be its only strong point. In particular, the reviewer found the new main character to unlikeable.[16] Although the Animetric review brought up many of the same points, Animetric found Eikoden "fun".[17]

References

  1. ^ a b "Fushigi Yuugi (manga)". Anime News Network. Retrieved 2008-02-03.
  2. ^ a b "Viz Builds Strong Shōjo Slate". ICv2. 2001-09-06. Retrieved 2008-02-23.
  3. ^ "Fushigi Yûgi (Shōjo Edition) Vol. #01". Anime on DVD. 2004-04-13. Retrieved 2008-02-04. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |firstname= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |lastname= ignored (help)
  4. ^ "Viz Announces Release of Second Edition Manga Titles" (Press release). Viz Media. 2004-03-18. Retrieved 2008-02-23.
  5. ^ "Amazon: Viz Adds Gaba Kawa, Heaven's Will, Oishinbo". Anime News Network. 2008-02-24. Retrieved 2008-02-24.
  6. ^ Of Otaku and Fansubs: A Critical Look at Anime Online in Light of Current Issues in Copyright Law
  7. ^ "Sailor Moon Explained, Plus Fushigi Yugi, Cardcaptors, More". ICv2. 2001-08-12. Retrieved 2008-02-23.
  8. ^ Note: ISBNs for all of the novels have been retrieved from Amazon.co.jp. Kanji and rōmaji titles were retrieved from Webcat Plus.
  9. ^ "Fushigi Yuugi: Suzaku Ibun". GameFAQs. Retrieved 2008-02-06.
  10. ^ "Fushigi Yûgi: Suzaku Ibun (ふしぎ遊戯 朱雀異聞[[Category:Articles containing Japanese-language text]][[Category:Articles containing Japanese-language text]])". Idea Factory. Retrieved 2008-02-06. {{cite web}}: URL–wikilink conflict (help)
  11. ^ Fushigi Yugi: The Mysterious Play THEM Anime Reviews
  12. ^ Fushigi Yugi: The Mysterious Play...The Return Home (Volume 2) DVD Verdict
  13. ^ the new stereotypes of anime and manga
  14. ^ Drazen, Patrick (2002). Anime Explosion! The What? Why? & Wow! of Japanese Animation. Berkeley, California: Stone Bridge Press. pp. 281–282. ISBN 1-880656-72-8. OCLC 50898281. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  15. ^ Chow, Winnie (2000). "Best of the West Reviews: Fushigi Yūgi: The Mysterious Play, Vol. 16: The Last Page". Animerica. 8 (10). San Francisco, California: Viz Media: 71. ISSN 1067-0831. OCLC 27130932. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  16. ^ THEM Anime Reviews 4.0 - Fushigi Yugi: The Mysterious Play: Eikoden
  17. ^ Animetric.com >> Anime Reviews >> Fushigi Yuugi: Eikoden (OAV series)
Fushigi Yûgi
OVAs
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