Synopsis:
Miaka Yuki is just your average teenager trying to get into the high school of her dreams. That is, until she and her best friend Yui Hongo stumble upon a book called "The Universe of the Four Gods". Before they know it, the girls are pulled into the book and become a part of the story. After a small encounter with some slave traders and a boy with an ‘ogre’ symbol on his forehead, Miaka and Yui are transported back into their own world. After a fight with her mother, Miaka goes back into the book. There, she learns that she is the legendary "Priestess of Suzaku" who is destined to save the country of Konan from the army of Kutou. Miaka must summon her seven celestial warriors and save Konan... and one of them happens to be that boy with the 'ogre' symbol.

Review:
I have to say, Fushigi Yuugi is one of my favorite anime and mangas! The manga version takes FY to a new level of spectacular art and visuals. While the plot remains basically the same with the anime, the main difference is why Miaka went back into the book after her first time with Yui. There aren’t many other disparities, just little tidbits here and there.

The artwork is so beautiful that you just can’t get enough of it! It also continues improving with every volume that is released. Love, humor, action... all these things are inked down in a comic you can cherish forever. FY creator Yuu Watase also has little panels on some pages' sides where she talks about her thoughts on her work, or otherwise (she’s quite the funny, she’d be a very interesting person to meet). FY was finally picked up in the US by Animerica to be translated, and they did a pretty damn good job in keeping the "Fushigi-ness". I was so overjoyed when I discovered they kept Chichiri’s trademark expression "No da!". They kept the character pages as well, but they couldn’t give the "Fushigi Akugi" because they didn’t have the originals to copy from (don’t worry, they've reatined the "Pardon the Parody"s). My only gripe is that sometimes instead of saying the "Priestess of Suzaku" they wind up saying "Princess of Suzaku" -- which is of course, incorrect.

There’s a little glossary near the front of the book, because they keep their Chinese names in the story (i.e. Tamahome’s real name "So Kishuku" in Chinese would be "Xong Gui-Siu", which is what’s in the text). It helps you get a feel of the Chinese language, which is neat. Anime or manga? Hmm, tough decision... if you want spectacular art then go for the manga. If you'd rather have live action and good music, go for the anime. Otherwise, the events are almost the same. If you’ re a hardcore FY fan like myself, you’ll get both! ^_^ Any-hoo, I totally recommend this manga to anyone, romance fan or not, as there’s always something to love in FY!

Miscellanies:
The FY manga spans 18 volumes, which includes the OAVs.

Sample Panel:

Shopping - click on title to purchase:

AnimeNation Fushigi Yuugi / Mysterious Play (TV series) (Graphic Novels)
RightStuf Fushigi Yuugi / Mysterious Play (TV series) (Graphic Novel Vol. 1)

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