Ranked #387

Fushigi Yuugi: Genbu Kaiden (Manga)

The prequel to the popular shojo manga series "Fushigi Yugi" tells the tale of the first priestess of The Universe of The Four Gods. You don't have to read the original to understand the events. Fans of the series may find the Genbu arc to be more enjoyable. It's darker and more mature than the previous series and filled with more angst filled drama. (Especially for those who read or seen the spoiler in the original series) This series doesn't require a Kleenex box, yet... but is does fall into the tragedy category. Fushigi Yugi: Genbu Kaiden is a serious, adventure manga bordering shojo and josei.

The reason why sound got a zero is because it's a book. Animation is referring to the artwork.

Takiko, the heroine, is a lot stronger in personality and emotionally than Miaka. (Fushigi Yugi) The original heroine may have added a comic quirk to the show, but Takiko's personality doesn't make the reader what to throw their shoe at the idiot. (Miaka) She's not afraid to defend herself and has a heart of gold-- a perfect heroine. Limdo, the "good, bad guy" of the series may be the typical rebellious teenager but his personality and history adds well to the story, making it more interesting. (Serious, who doesn't like Limdo?) Some of the characters seem unimportant to the story once their chapter of fame is up, but Limdo is some of the glue that holds the story. Back story is important to any written work and Watase has given characters enough. Some characters seem thrown in for a few chapters and disappear once they are introduced, which is the only downfall. Overall, the characters add to the story and are characters people would enjoy.

The art is very Watase Yu but a lot more realistic. Her style hasn't changed much but has improved since the original Fushigi Yugi. (It was very early 1990s) Those who love her artwork will love this series and those new to her manga will also like how detailed everything is. Limdo and Shigi sometimes look like the same character (Although, Absolute Boyfriend fans may mistake Limdo as Night) but characters aren't hard to identify. Even though it's a shojo manga, the battle scenes seem shonen with a feminine twist.

The flaws to the story are sometimes they add jokes in when you may think it's supposed to be serious. Two examples, when Inami fights Takiko wielding a massive, opium pipe. Or, when Limdo transforms into a woman. (Another Ranma 1/2? But this isn't a comedy.) His transformation makes you think maybe the one with the symbol "woman" should be a woman not a he/she, she male, etc. and another symbol should be given unto him. It seems too out of place in a drama. Despite some of the weirdness in the plot, the storyline is great. The romance between Limdo and Takiko add to the story as well as their "forbidden love." (Conflict is important to written work) Also, the suspense in wondering if the warriors will be captured by their country, the enemy country, or both countries. Unlike the original series, the warriors and priestess are not welcome in their land. It's full of more sorrow than the original, but it has a nice spin and isn't retelling the original series.

Those who like angsty romance stories will enjoy this series, but it's mainly a fantasy/adventure story. It's meant for women (some guys may like it, but it's shojo) aged fifteen and up. It's mature but doesn't have extreme violence and has only brief nudity; (none male and no sex) the story is meant for an older audience but the pictures are safe around younger teenagers. Younger teenagers may enjoy the series but not as much as older teens. The biggest downside is the volumes aren't produced quickly enough. It's an excellent manga series that should have more recognition.


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Hehe,here comes my review and I'm second as I see.

Story 9/10
Very creative I have to say,very.Especially compared to other manga who usually take place in high school and such.This is a romantic anime indeed but I like how it starts how things progress and how the characters meet with each other.I'm also a big fan of manga/anime that have to do with history and such(ex.mthology) but also combines romance.The idea of a girl being sucked inside a book is pretty damn good,and I like the two worlds and the fact that she has to return to both.Makes things complicated like they already weren't.It also combines drama to the point where it's not just there all the fake cries,but you actually live the drama too and the agony.But I believe that's the mangaka's best ability,to make the viewer feel the story.

Art 9/10
ALthough a bit old fashioned and reminds me of 90s,I am pretty pleased.Being a fangirl I find the guys pretty handsome,like Uruki(hoho,sorry seems like my inner fangirl took over).Surroundings are pretty good as well.What really bothers is that,having read most of the mangaka's other mangas as well,I felt like the heroine is just the same based on appearance.That's the feeling I got,but I doubt you will if you haven't read the other manga by her.

Character 10/10
Nothing wrong to point out here.I'm pretty satisfied with the characters.They're pretty realistic such as their motives and the reasons they act that way are believable.Also the characters make mistakes too,sometimes even show a side we haven't seen of them but of course you come to understand why they did that.This is something I could really praise this manga for.

Enjoyment 9/10
To have given such a high rating means I definetely enjoyed it the only problem is the scanalations and translations that are slow.Why I didn't given this a 10,cause despite how good a manga/anime is or how bad it is if you start analyzing it,you can just have the time of your life and not be that much of a masterpiece or even if it is you just might not have been in the mood and didn't enjoy it as much.So yeah,just a bit more and I'd have given it a ten.I think it lacks good battles.I have high expectations when it comes to battles so this is case me.

Overall 9/10
I'd highly recommend this to anyone fan of adventure,romantic,drama.I think it's a pretty good manga and you wouldn't feel sorry for the time you spent reading it.Of course it depends on tastes but anyway.Pretty sad though that I haven't encountered any fans of it so far. read more