Fushigi Yuugi page

These wonderful pictures are from Fushigi Yuugi. It was first a manga by the talented mangaka Yuu Watase. Her manga was so popular in Japan that a anime was made of it. Then that became very popular as well and word spread to American anime and manga fans about this fantastic series. Almost as soon as the first fansubbers released it over the net it's fame spread far and wide throughout the US and then to the rest of the world.

Now Viz has bought the rights to translation of the manga and Pioneer to the anime so many more people will be able to see and come to love this wonderful series.

This is a story about two girls who are drawn into a world inside a magical book "The Universe of the Four Gods". Miaka becomes the miko (priestess) of Suzaku, the red bird of the south- Konan coutry. She must gather her seven seishi before she is granted three wishes. Her best friend Yui ends up in Kutou country and becomes the miko of their god.

Miaka's seishi are Tamahome, Hotohori, Chichiri, Tasuki, Nuriko, Mitsukake, Chiriko.

Miaka and Tamahome fall in love. This causes some difficulities with the fulfilment of her duties as a miko, but it also sustains her through some rather tramatic points of the story. A point of this story is the conflict between love and duty. Not just for Miaka and Tamahome but for the other charcters as well.

This story was covered in 18 volumes of Yuu Watase's manga, and in 52 episodes and two OVA serieses, the first OVA series wasn't part of the manga story but the second OVA series continues where the TV series left off and covers the story in volume 14-18. The first OVA series had three parts. The second OVA series has 6 parts.

Pioneer is now putting out volumes with 3 TV episodes on each tape. They haven't bought the rights to the OVAs yet, but with the reports I've heard of good sales (not surprising :) of the volumes with the TV episodes, it probably will happen.