Ranked #567

Fushigi Yuugi

Though by some standards today, the story may seem a bit cliché, but for its time in the mid-1990s, it wasn’t really that much of the norm. So the Alice in Wonderland concept may not be something that will appeal to everyone since you’ve already seen it in more semi-mainstream animes in comparison to this one such as 12 Kingdoms, Inuyasha, and Escaflowne which came out after Fushigi Yuugi though this was the anime that did it before it became something semi-common. Even though this is primarily shoujo, the well diverse but archetypical cast do have mass appeal.

Each character for the most part has their own unique use and contribution to the story and they are presented in ways you get to know them. The characters or heck, maybe even one character will grow on you as you watch from start to finish. I would explain this, but it would be a significant spoiler, and if you’ve seen this anime, you know what I’m talking about. Whether that character is good or bad, you’ll love them. Hell, my favorite character Nakago is the primary antagonist and even Yuu Watase, the original manga-ka has admitted that Nakago is her favorite character.

The anime will hopefully satisfy men and women. The story overall is very diverse with its appeal, but it went a little longer than it should have, but it ends in a way where everything is resolved and the characters wonderfully develop. It has romance, adventure, excitement, comedy and action, which I will further get into. However, what will annoy male and female alike is the interaction between Tamahome and Miaka when they really get romantic with each other. It kind of drags and we don’t need that much hugging even if we can appreciate how much they love each other.

Well, the character design today doesn’t really stand out in comparison to most shoujo out there for the most part. The costume designs are a little flamboyant for the setting, but even so, they still compliment the character designs very well where it helps make them stand out a bit more. The action is well coordinated, technical and raw which will appeal to male viewers. The city settings captures the heart of ancient China very captivatingly and truly represents their culture at that time period where they gathered to worship the emperor. However, with the modern day settings, you get a different approach to the school uniform with the blazer and ribbon design you see in lets say Evangelion, than the more mainstream sailor uniform which I thought was unique to anime in the mid-1990s with Magic Knight Rayearth and Sailor Moon being the rage back then with those designs, so its nice to see something different. It is also unique to point out in the real world in Fushigi Yuugi, nobody has crazy color hair, but in the book, you got the typical crazy color anime hair which was somewhat of the intention of Watase and the staff at Studio Pierrot. So overall, the art may be descent, but the character design 100% stand out, but the action, costumes, and scenery makes up for it.

The dub of Fushigi Yuugi does have some credible names, but I don’t think the dub was good. First off, Tamahome is played by David Hayter who you may know as the voice of Solid Snake from MGS. When you hear that voice in relation to Tamahome’s image, it just doesn’t match. He makes Tamahome sound gruffy, though it’s not the voice he uses for Solid Snake, but when he does scream, he does scream like Snake. This kind of casting is to me, for the sake of casting a big name and you’re giving him a character he’s not appropriate for. However, this was a role I thought perfectly suited his Japanese counterpart, Midorikawa Hikaru, the voice of Heero Yuy from Gundam Wing, and Rukawa from Slam Dunk. Granted Midorikawa has played character opposite from Tamahome, he had a different kind of cool that Snake has, but he still has that passion and soft side that really captures him. As a matter of fact, Watase actually wanted him to play Tamahome because he had him in mind when he created the character.

I also enjoyed Kae Araki the voice of Sailor Chibi Moon as Miaka. She does sound annoying with her high-pitched voice, but it was at a certain tone where it really captured the character with all of these emotions whether sad, happy, concerned, or excited. And Seki Tomokazu, my 2nd favorite seiyuu who has played Miyata in Hajime no Ippo, Domon in G Gundam, Kamui in X The Movie, and many others was great as Chichiri, my 2nd favorite character. He is so multi-talented and he demonstrates it very well when you get to know his character more. Overall, the cast is just top notch and they all have great chemistry. Even though the romantic tension between Tamahome and Miaka gets annoying, their seiyuus truly make it believable.

The opening theme song Itoshii Hito no Tame Ni does open with this more traditional approach and then at the right moment, transitions to a more energetic J-Pop song. It’s very unique to me because it captures the cultural and romantic atmosphere of the series. And the ending theme Tokimeki Doukasen has a different kind of energy that is generic but still catchy and semi sexually suggestive in a more innocent sense. The background music is well orchestrated in every sense. Such as traditional Chinese music, more traditional cinematic.

Anyway, I think this is an anime I believe you should try to give a chance even if it may not be your taste. There are all kinds of good qualities this anime has that does make up for its bad ones. Even so, the bad qualities are still there but if you concentrate and stick to what you like, you’ll forget about them. I remember during the days of VHS fansubs, I used to talk to people who cried watching this series. It has all of these great themes such as love, friendship, loyalty, and betrayal and they are presented in a very realistically approachable manner. And believe me, there are moments where you might and I’m not ashamed to admit I have watching this series. The only anime that has achieved me to react like this since is the Kimura vs Mashiba oav of Hajime no Ippo. read more

The first does not necessarily mean the best.

Fushigi Yuugi (also known as Curious Play or The Mysterious Play) was probably one of the first reverse harem anime out there on the market. It seems to have flavoured many reverse harem anime that have followed in its footsteps. But despite it being largely popular during its time and inspiring many anime afterward, that does not mean that it is the pinnacle for the genre. But its imperfection aside, this is a good series.

The story may seem a little dated now, but it was pretty fresh when it was first released. A young girl named Miaka and her best friend Yui are trapped inside an ancient, magical book that Miaka finds in a public library in the restricted section. They are both taken back into an ancient Chinese or Japanese period in history, where they immediately get into trouble. They are rescued by a handsome stranger, Tamahome, and the rest is literally "history".

For what it's worth, this anime had a great premise. Being absorbed into a novel, having all your actions be seen on print in the regular world while you exist in another dimension, meeting several attractive young men who are willing to risk their lives for you because you're a priestess that can save their world. It was all very romantic and adventurous. There were significant portions of humour, numerous love polygons, cool magical powers, good-looking men and women to keep the audience's interest. While it was never boring, it honestly dragged on for far too long.

The story, under better direction, could have been told in half the amount of episodes of the actual series. The result of having more episodes than it should have was various moments of the characters screaming out the names of their beloved rather passionately and incessantly. It seems fine the first ten times, but fifty-two times is a little too much.

The art looks bad now, but I suspect that it was good when it first aired. There was not much detail in the backgrounds and the animation of the fight scenes were weak in places. Most of the art seemed focused on making the characters' hair look awesome and styled. But that's not a bad thing if you like bishounen eye candy. There's a lot of that.

Sound is pretty dated as well. It really hasn't stood up against time; the old cheesy synths were used in nearly every scene. But mostly, the sound is not offensive to the ears, so it is passable.

Some excellent things about Fushigi Yuugi are its characters. Considering the rather large cast (about eight or nine characters that belong in the main cast alone), it was a rather difficult task to give good personalities to each person, but somehow, they managed it. The anime had good protagonists and a great supporting cast. There's definitely a handful of characters that you're bound to like if you don't like most of them already. My personal favourites were Nuriko and Yui, but mostly because these characters seemed the most developed than anyone else. Even the bad guys and villains were colourful and developed. The seven men who have to protect Miaka each had their own personality and fascinating aspects to their characterisations.

Although I probably should not have, I enjoyed the anime thoroughly. Sure, it's repetitive. Yes, it's melodrama. Okay, it ran on far longer than it should. Uh huh, it's predictable. But Fushigi Yuugi is mindlessly entertaining.

If you're curious about the curious play, keep an open mind, remember that it's an old series and that it was really one of the first reverse harem anime created, and then give it a shot. read more

After seeing so much anime in my time, I can say that Fushigi Yuugi might have inspired a lot of anime that came in when it ended. These days there are so much anime that are about the main character/s sucked into another dimension and they are the chosen ones to fix the problems of this so-called dimension (Kyo Kara maoh, Escaflowne, Izumo. etc)

Although it is one of my favorite series, there are some parts that to me are considered unsatisfactory. I feel a bit sorry for Chiriko because he was one of the lesser important seishis (the other would be Mitsukake). I am not a fan of Chiriko or Mitsukake, but I do think that they could've used more screen time.

I also noticed some discrepancies. It could be due to translation errors, but I'll say it anyway. There was an episode where Keisuke and Tetsuya go to the Genbu shrine. They went there to see the Byakko miko. One question: why is the Byakko miko in the Genbu and not the Byakko shrine?

I have to mention that I watched the english dubbed version, because I found certain voice dubbers annoying. I hate Tomo's voice - it is the most annoying voice I have ever heard in my life. Whoever thought of making Tomo's voice sound that way was nuts and should be locked up in an asylum. Miaka was also a bit annoying. I cringe whenever she would cry out Tamahome's name.

And now for the positives. I love the story - I think it is well thought of. It was able to mix in elements such as love, friendship, deceit, war, etc. into something really decent and worth watching. I first watched the show 6 years ago, and when I watched it again last month I find myself obsessed once more.

The visuals weren't bad either - although I can't say if I prefer seeing genitals on Yui and Miaka. Seeing naked people is bad enough. However, the show is filled with bishonens throughout the show. My personal favorite is Nuriko of course. He is my god. The wonderful art shown at the end of the show via the ending theme was beautifully made and I never grew tired of it.

The music wasn't bad - most of it were mid 90s music, so I can't say I'm a huge fan of it. I do like the ending song, "Tokimeki no Doukasen". It's another one of those nostalgic song for me - everytime I hear it I can't help but feel reminiscent of the year when I first watched Fushigi Yuugi. Some of the insert songs weren't bad either. Again they were mid 90s styled, but they're not so bad. I did get tired of the opening song after a while. Hearing "Maiagare Suzaku" for more than 10 times tends to get on my nerves.

I think one reason why the show was suspended on Filipino free TV was because of mild sex and vulgar language. This is definitely not for kids, but I would say it is a must - see for the 16+ crowd (mostly because I saw the show when I was 16). read more

Fushigi Yuugi, originally a manga written by Yuu Watase, is a classic anime, that became so popular, it inspired 3 OAV series', and encouraged Watase to write the prequel to the series, more than 10 years later.

Story
Fushigi Yuugi: The Mysterious Play, is about a 15 year old girl Miaka Yuuki, and her best friend Yui Hongo. Miaka and Yui are in the library when Miaka sees a mysterious bird lead her to the restricted room of the library. There, Miaka finds a mysterious book, and her and Yui are pulled into the world. Miaka and Yui meet a mysterious man who saves them from slave traders, but Yui is thrown back out of the book, and the man has left, leaving Miaka all alone in this Ancient Chinese world. Miaka meets with the man again, and they end up at the palace, and through circumstances, Miaka is charged with the duty to gather together the seven senshi of Suzaku, and save Konan from destruction!

I know that makes no sense, but in a nutshell, Miaka fell into Konan, an Ancient Chinese world, where the whole world lives on the idea of the Four Gods in Chinese Mythology. Miaka is in the south, where Suzaku, the Red Bird (Pheonix in some translations) protects the country. Each God has 7 constellations (or in this case, the 7 senshi). So the constellations have taken the form of 7 warriors, and Miaka needs to gather them to summon Suzaku, who will grant her 3 wishes.

Animation
The animation itself is smooth, and well done, until about the second season (ep 27+) where the animation seems to take a bit of a plunge at times. The colouring is also very vibrant at times, but others, it's very muddy looking, and monotone, because everything seems to be in the brown colour tone, except the hair of Miaka's senshi. The most remarkable thing in the animation, however, is the eyes. When the animators but their mind to it, they draw some beautiful, bright, colourful eyes.

Sound
The music in this falls into an olden style theme, mostly Chinese sounding. However, they have their theme, and ending theme that do not fit that theme. And one thing you need to know about Fushigi Yuugi, is if you want to hear more of it's music, be prepared for trumpets. Lots of trumpets.
Anyways, the theme song is fairly slow at first, but then seems to almost have dance feel to it. It's nothing remarkable. The ending theme, however, is a dance song, but also has a fairly sad tone to it, fitting the series well, I feel.
The voices, English and Japanese, I have to mention, are wonderful. I love it in both languages. The voices fit the parts perfectly.

Character
There is a whirlwind of characters. Be prepared to remember some names. The main characters are essentially Miaka, Yui, Tamahome, and Nakago, but you have the supporting cast (that consists of atleast 12 senshi, only including the Suzaku and Seiryuu), and about 13 more characters I can name off the top of my head.
While most characters have well-done development, because of the mass amount of characters, some of these character appear almost personality-less, most notably two of Miaka's senshi, Chiriko and Mitsukake, and two of the Seriyuu senshi, Tomo and Miboshi (I'm not counting Ashitare because he practically never talks, and well... if you want to sure, he has no personality I suppose). Watase herself never really developed these characters, so they continue to suffer, even onto OAV's, and even in their songs. But for the characters she does focus on, they are all very different, and it's not hard to pick a favourite.

Enjoyment
For all the bad things I have said, this series has an amazing fanbase, and I personally think it has high replay value. Everytime you watch the series, you find something you missed, but I remember the first time I saw this, and I was an addict, most literally. I couldn't wait for them to release the next VHS (and boy did they have alot... 14). I know of people that do dislike this series, but for the most part, everyone has something about this they liked, and it usually lies in the characters themselves, particularily the senshi.
C'mon, for a series that spawned so much merchandise, character songs, OAV's, etc, how can it not be enjoyable?
Well yeah, the OAV's aren't enjoyable, but the series itself is fun to watch over and over again.

Overall / My Comments / My Feelings
The story is a bit different from the manga, and justifies this beginning a bit more. Miaka and Yui are pulled in to the book world, but they both return (in the anime, it's only Yui). Miaka gets in an agruement with her mother, and runs back to the library, getting pulled into the book again to set her free of the pressures of her real life. The manga honestly has a stronger beginning, and gives you more sympathy for Miaka as the protagonist.

Even though my above comments aren't the best, this is me looking at it critically. If you don't, and just watch it for enjoyment, I can guarentee anyone who loves the romance genre of anime will like this.

Yes, Miaka and Tamahome can be terribly annoying. They are my least favourite characters after all... But the first time I watched the series, I LOVED those two, it's just been 9 years since my first watching, and I've developed a series dislike for their constant crying for each other.

I know I sound negative, but I do recommend this series to anyone. Anyone. It's a classic, and for it's time, it was an incredibly original plot. (Yes, we know in Inu Yasha that Kagome travels between worlds, however, Fushigi Yuugi predates Inu Yasha quite a few years. Fy being originally published in the '92 region and manga, while Rumiko was making Ranma 1/2 still at that time (she published the first Ranma in '93) so it's not possible that InuYasha could be more original than FY, because it wasn't made at the same time. It's possible Rumiko could have gotten ideas at that point (I can't find the year for InuYasha)).

ANYWAYS, just watch Fushigi Yuugi. I'm going so off track here, because I like talking about how original the series is, and how much I love the characters. (Me? I'm a Tasuki fangirl) read more

Before this series, I've only seen harem anime like Tenchi Muyo and things like that. But it was suggested to me that I watch this series by Yuu Watase. I'm so glad I listened.

The main character, Miaka, got a little annoying at times but I thought she was cute with Tamahome. Many watchers, at least the ones I know got sick over how much they were all over each other. But what do you expect? This girl was in a time she wasn't from. She was always attacked or in danger and she had no one else to really turn to. He was the one she trusted the most. I thought their relationship was cute.

Her friend, Yui had to calm down though. She went into total pms mode...and for what? Just because Miaka got her crush? And for the times Miaka wasn't able to get to her, it wasn't her fault. Miaka just didn't know how to use her powers...whatever those may be. But I do understand that Yui was also scared....but she was supposed to be the smarter of the two. Didn't she stop to think things through? Or was it because of Nakago? Though his story made me cry....

But anyway, for the harems that these two girls had....

I liked almost everyone in Miaka's group except for Chiriko and Mitsukake. The kid annoyed me and he really didn't do much. Mitsukake was alright but not a favorite. The other guys had life to them and their stories were so sad. T-T But my absolute favorite was Nuriko. He was just too awesome for words. (And too beautiful too xD; )

For Yui's group, it was the twins. Everyone else had pretty much psycho issues.... Nakago was just a conniving evil dude but I'll admit it...he was pretty. xD; Tomo would have been okay but he's way psycho....

The character developments were good in the aspect of each one developing like a life of their own. They weren't all similar but weren't all that extreme either. It was a nice variety among them. And I thought the voices were perfect for each character. Of course I love Hotohori's....his being Koyasu Takehito. (the man does 100's of voices lolz)

The animation was nice, given the time it was created. I always liked hand-drawn as opposed to all the ones done on computer today... -_-;;;;; It just gives the show a different feeling. Especially if the story itself is supposed to be another time, like in the past.

Overall, I think it was a great series. I actually cried at the end! I felt for the characters that were lost. And the story was just great. I loved how the creator utilized legends and made a good romance. Kinda' makes girls wish they could find a book like the "Universe of the Four Gods" (only without all the scary parts xP ).

I would definitely recommend if you're looking for a romance series that's not too depressing but not so bubbly and happy. It has a good amount of everything. Definitely watch! read more

Main
Fushigi Yuugi is a lukewarm anime series. Obviously compared to the shows of today...but even back then, I can't say that I was as enthralled by it as everyone else. Sure it has it's high points: Lots of action, dramatic tension and bishounen galore...but with all the cheesy canned romantic dialog and all the ill-timed [Sailor Moon-ish] humor seriously detracts from the show's dramatic intensity not to mention, total enjoyment from this show.

Art-Style
I would say say this is the typical 90's style animation...nothing too impressive but it wasn't boring or hideously drawn either. There are a bunch or errors and irregularities with the animation with the way things are supposed to move or fall also with the way characters run and pose. And there were definitely some corners being cut during the action scenes with some minor looping and also with freeze frames....not enough to complain about though, as I said this is very typical of animes from the early to mid 90's anime.

Sound
Expect some pretty dated music from this one. One of the BGM used for the some fight scenes actually sounds like the base track from the song “pump up the volume”. Some songs weren't too bad for their time tho, like Chiriko's song and the OP Theme. I actually like the very beginning for the OP because it sounds very majestic and then you see the lead female character [Miaka] all dressed up in her priestess robes looking refined. The show was watched in english and I must say that the voices actors did a really really good job on this show, no one had an annoying voice on this show. Best Voice Award goes to Nakago and definitely to that one creepy gay warrior with that kabuki make-up on his face and all the feathers sticking out of his head.

Story
The story has a good beginning and a great ending....but it kind of sags in the middle. Boring, annoying and definitly irritating with all this back and forth with Miaka and Tomohome. All this break up/Make up...Love me/Don't love me BS, very annoying and it spans too many episodes, like one of those epically annoying battle scene from DBZ that spans 14 – 30 episodes. The other conjoined story lines, like about her and Yui being in the Realm of the Four Gods or the individual dramas of the accompanying seven warriors [or 14 warriors if you count those of the Seiyu Clan] were definitely great and made watching this anime worth it. But also other drawbacks from this story were the excessive chibi use, the screwball Sailor Moon type humor that didn't fit with the high-tension moments and not to mention all the CORNBALL romance lines being used in the show.

Cast/Characters
The bishounen factor is very high [at a very solid 100%] with this series, there is also some SHOUNEN-AI and brief moments of MxM going on up in this anime....so there will be no character complaints coming from me......mmmmmmmmm, well actually Miaka is kind of a do-do head. Anyway they were all drawn very well and looked cute.

Worth it or NOT?
I know many people hold this series in high regard and so those who love it have already bought it. I wouldn't buy this though....for one, I hear Tomohome's name too much. She calls his name like every 5 seconds....and......it's reeeeeeeally annoying! If I played a drinking game based off of how many times I heard her call his name...Tomohome, Tomohome, I'd die of alcohol poisoning!!! read more

i'm giving this anime a 10. it does sound ridiculous coz it's just another fantasy story but this anime made me the fanatic that i am now. for me, this one started it all. Everything about this anime is just right- right amount of comedy, romance, fantasy, underwear exposure, drama, harem...it has everything. i first seen this anime years ago but i just cant help re-watching it over and over again. i even got some of my friends to watch it and i'm not even surprised that they loved it too.

the characters are amazing. making it different from one another, having those skills and each characters take and timing were just right. the romace in the story is what's most noticeable. be it the romance between tamahome and miaka or miaka and hotohori and even of yui's and nakago's. it shows the hardships of a couple and how their love get through it all. the love in this anime does not revolve merely around couples, it also shows the love for one's family, friends, comrades and kingdom. the display of powers and skills in every battle is just a plus. just something that would add up to make this anime a masterpiece. it appeals to all kinds of people of all ages. both gender could learn from it. the comedy- for those who doesn't want to be bored i assure you that there is enough punchlines here that will make you laugh. the fight scenes- though not in any tournament or some arena, it does offer some good fights. for the tearjerkers- if crying is your hobby then this anime won't fail you.oh yes, i cried several times too. for the romantics- it doesn't matter whether you're in love, just got out of love, have a one-sided love, super lovey-dovey, secret love even forbidden love i'm sure this anime will get your attention.

what i hate about it though is the main girl miaka. she's too loud and too stupid yet she still get the boys. this is just too unfair.even yui (her bestfriend) will agree to that. sometimes it makes me wonder, maybe ancient china likes stupid girls since they're unique in their own way. haha but infainess to her, no matter how clumsy she is , she always get the job done.

and now it comes down to what i love most...it's the guys of course. they are all beautiful with amazing characters.i love the art in this one. tamahome and hotohori are my ideal men.unfortunately none like that exist in the real world.no wonder miaka want to get back inside that book so much.haha sometimes i wish to be an anime instead because of these guys.haha

well, i just hope that everyone enjoys fushigi as much as i do. read more

I found this anime to be very romantic and adventureous at the same time. Not many anime could pull this off but Fushigi Yuugi did. The Main character Miaka Yuuki seems annoying but this made the stroy more enjoyable in a strange way. Thamahome and Hotohori is the guys Miaka loves, They both are eye cany for those girl that like anime men.The story also tells the bond between two childfriend miaka and yui Hongo.

I love this anime becuase of the well develop characters and the love that develop between both people from two different world.I would recommend this anime to both romantic and adventure lovers.

read more

If you like bishounen, romance, love triangles and humour then Fushigi Yuugi has it all.
It has plenty of characters all different and with their own goals but all share one common goal.
Once I began watching this anime, it easily had me hooked.
Both dubbs are good in my opinion :).
Miaka can at times be a bit dense but her character makes up with the silly but amusing humour.
I would recommend if you like romantic endings. :)

Fushigi Yuugi – TV

“e assim, a menina da lenda abriu a porta de um outro mundo " ...esse é o prólogo do livro Shijin-tenchisho (Os Quatro Deuses do Universo), o qual conta a história de uma garota que encontrou os "Sete Seishis de Suzako", conseguindo poderes para realizar todos os seus desejos. "O Jogo Misterioso" é a tradução para o título do mangá de Yuu Watase, que deu origem a umas das mais cultuadas séries de TV dos anos 90. Baseado em antigas lendas chinesas, Fushigi Yuugi supera qualquer expectativa quanto aos animes estilo "shoujo", pois acabou conquistando o também o público masculino, devido aos confrontos de artes marciais. Começou a ser produzido em 1995, numa parceria entre a TV Tokyo e o Estúdio Pierrot, chegando a um total de 52 episódios e também dois outros desdobramentos da série.

A personagem principal é a estudante de 8ª série Miaka Yuki: comilona, boba, atrapalhada, mas muito gentil e que está, como toda mocinha, à procura de um grande amor. Miaka vai prestar exame para entrar no colegial com sua amiga Yui Hongo, a qual, ao contrário de Miaka, é inteligente e esperta, e pode entrar em qualquer colégio que escolher... mas, como é jovem, cai facilmente na lábia de qualquer um que lhe diga palavras bonitas.

Miaka leva uma vida normal, morando com sua mãe e um irmão. Um dia, ao acaso, Miaka e Yui encontram um livro misterioso, e sem muita noção das conseqüências, abrem a primeira página, a qual conta que a leitura do livro libera um feitiço e ele terá inicio assim que a página for virada. Não acreditando em seu poder, Miaka e Yui abrem o livro, e acabam transportadas pela primeira vez para ao mundo dos Quatro Deuses, onde são atacadas por mercadores de escravos. Elas acabam sendo salvas pelo jovem Tamahome, que fica indignado por não pagarem a ele uma gorda recompensa pelo salvamento.

Quando Miaka volta à realidade, discute com a mãe e acaba retornando ao livro, em busca do rapaz misterioso que a salvara anteriormente, e também de Yui, que desaparecera quase ao mesmo tempo em que ela retornara. Agora, já em companhia de Tamahome, acaba chamando a atenção do imperador de Konan, o jovem Hotohori, que acredita que Miaka é a "Suzako no Miko", e que ela salvará seu país de uma terrível ameaça. Essa é a deixa para o desenrolar da incrível jornada em busca dos Seishis de Suzako.

Deixando um pouco de lado a história, sou obrigada a comentar sobre a gama imensa de personagens desse anime, e não seria justo começar por outro que não seja o jovem Tamahome, um incrível lutador de artes marciais, incansável, sempre em busca de dinheiro e que esconde um segredo que é motivo de muita alegria (por enquanto!); também merecem destaque alguns dos outros personagens, como o narcisista Hotohori, o imperador de Konan, um excelente espadachim que é apaixonado pela figura de Suzako no Miko; a horrenda Tai-Ikkun, a feiticeira guardiã dos segredos de Suzako, que parece se divertir muito assustando a todos com suas aparições do nada, andando pelo teto, entre outras coisas; Chichiri, o monge aprendiz de Tai-Ikkun, que vive trocando de cara, literalmente; Nuriko, um lindo jovem que se traveste de mulher e vive a implicar com Miaka pela atenção do imperador; Tasuki, o líder de um bando de mercenários, que adora tostar a todos com seu "harisen"; Mitsukake, um médico que desistiu da profissão por não ter salvado seu grande amor; Suboshi e Amiboshi, os gêmeos assassinos mais lindinhos que já vi... ai ai... hum...voltando à história...

Existem algumas diferenças entre o anime e o mangá, mas elas acabam por não influenciar muito o andamento do anime, pois devemos levar em conta que a série de TV de Fushigi Yuugi é baseada nos 26 primeiros volumes brasileiros, já que o formato japonês corresponde mais ou menos ao dobro da nossa publicação. Vale lembrar, também, que a saga só se encerra na série de OVA´s chamada Fushigi Yuugi Eikou Den, com quatro episódios.

Assistindo ao anime, algo me chamou a atenção: o título do livro. O nome Shijin-tenchisho é traduzido como "Os Quatro Deuses do Universo", logo é associado a Konan, o país do sul, e ao Deus Suzako (Fênix); e ao país do leste, Kutou, protegido pelo Deus Seiryuu (Dragão)... mas, e os outros?

Não foi preciso procurar muito para associar a história de Fushigi Yuugi com a de Dark Angel, escrita por Kia Asamiya, onde existe o jovem Dark, que é o Gensei (Fantasma Sagrado) da Fênix Escarlate. Coincidentemente ele é regente do Reino dos Ventos do Sul, que é Nanban, e existem também Lady Lean que é a Gensei do Dragão Azul, regente do Reino dos Ventos do Leste; Shoo Gaju é o Gensei do Tigre Branco, regente do reino dos Ventos do Oeste e Lorde En, Gensei da Estrela Ursa Maior, regente do reino dos Ventos do Norte. Mas aqui há uma pequena diferença: alguns citam a Tartaruga Marrom e não a Estrela Ursa Maior... mas isso se torna irrelevante quando notamos a semelhança das histórias, e fica óbvio que as duas têm o mesmo embasamento. A esta altura, algumas perguntas pipocavam na minha cabeça: isso aconteceu por falta de imaginação ou pura coincidência? Qual é mais fiel à lenda chinesa? Eu não saberia dizer, pois ambas as histórias, apesar de muitos pontos em comum (como os países e deuses), tomam rumos bem diferentes. Por que será que escrevi tudo isso aí? Curiosidade, talvez... quem sabe algum outro curioso também reparou nesses detalhes?? ^_^"

Visualmente a série fica devendo uma animação com design mais agradável, pois em alguns episódios a distorção de imagens salta aos olhos, parece que nem são os mesmos personagens. Uma trilha sonora muito boa, e um enredo recheado com muita ação, aventura, drama, fantasia e muito, muito açúcar... hehe, Fushigi Yuugi é uma série que merece ser vista.

Cátia Nunes - Animehaus read more