ssjakira1's Full Review: Fushigi Yugi: The Mysterious Play Vol. 9 - The Sei...
Plot Details: This opinion reveals minor details about the movie's plot.
Seeing as I have no classes today and I'm not ready to skip over to Watterson for ice cream, I'm going to have a Fushigi Yuugi fest! Whoo!
Watase Yuu is responsible for this girls’ anime, though I’m not familiar with anything else she’s done the way I am with a few other creators. But if you like you can look her up on the internet and see if there’s anything else you’d be interested in. Ladies and gentlemen, we are now on Volume 9, and once again we get a lovely four episodes! Whoo! If you’re coming in now, you actually have two choices. Yeah, surprise surprise! You can either check out Volume 1 because this series is the kind where it’s important to see from the beginning, as the events are based upon things that have come before. Or, as the case is for some anime series, you can be the biggest cheater ever and watch episode 28 before starting in on this volume (if you feel like skipping the first half of the series). Though the episode is a recap one, it doesn’t go in total order, but rather in sections dealing with the people Miaka’s met, the men who have fallen in love with Miaka, Yui’s issues, etc. So in the end it’s up to you on how you want to do things.
What You Missed: Miaka Yuuki is a 15-year-old schoolgirl who discovers an old book called Universe of the Four Gods after following a mysterious bird. She and her friend Yui are both eventually sucked into it and have become characters in the book, which Miaka’s brother Keisuke is now reading. Miaka has since met the protective Tamahome, near-perfect Emperor Hotohori, cross-dressing Nuriko, fox-like Chichiri, brash Tasuki, skilled Mitsukake, and musical Chiriko in the land of Konan. All seven are chosen protectors of the Priestess of Suzaku; the Suzaku Seven. Yui has become the Priestess of Seiryu and met with Nakago, a strange foreign general of the land of Kutou, and Suboshi, who make two of the Seiryu Seven. Miaka and Yui are now enemies…but in the end will they be able to be friends and escape the book?
Right, let’s take a look see at the episodes that are in this volume. Since each episode slips right into the next one, the info I give you is going to be pretty basic, seeing as I don’t like dishing out spoilers.
Episode 27: Dang…this was a twist I never saw coming and as a writer myself, in a way I applaud the writers for going so far. Beware, possible tear-jerker ahead in this one. So Hotohori looks sexy when he’s angry, but Tamahome…well, he gets downright frightening.
Episode 28: …What? Oh fudge, one of these episodes. If you’re familiar with a lot of anime series, you might find that some of them decide to hold recap episodes and guess what? This is that recap episode.
Episode 29: Ok, now that we’re back on track, it’s time to hop on the boat and go to Hokkan in order to get the Shinzaho. Meanwhile, back in the real world, Keisuke bumps into his friend Tetsuya and spills the beans on the book. Could we have any more flashbacks? Tetsuya proves to be pretty cool once he decides to help Keisuke on figuring out the Universe of the Four Gods. And boy do they find some interesting information.
Episode 30: Like Miaka, I forget Nuriko is a guy. Oh well – at least now we get to know his reasons behind why he is the way he is. And we get to have a more formal introduction to Soi as well.
So the music within the show is a little older, some saxophone for tender moments, which is amusing, and then there’s the opening and closing songs. They’re pretty good and can get stuck in your head – I somehow end up humming one of them right before I turn on the show. They’re both pretty upbeat and I like both of them for that.
The animation is still good and I don’t think that fact is going anywhere. As for the voices encountered before, they’re the same and I’m enjoying/accustomed to them. We finally get to meet another member of the Seiryu Seven, Soi, and so far I’m not too keen on her voice. I don’t know, it sounds too…deep or something. Yeah, I know it sounds like I’ve mentioned characters having voices that are too deep a lot, but I dunno. Soi is this sexy, yet powerful woman and her voice, though it does have a lot of the power/warrior sense in it, as lame as this sounds, it lacks sex appeal. That’s the best I can do. Anyway, I’m sure I’ll get more chances to evaluate her voice so we’ll just wait and see.
I’m still not a big fan of times during the story when things are in the middle of being serious and something comedic happens, and though I suppose it’s just to keep things light, it can be a bit awkward and unnecessary. I guess it’s because of the age group this anime sort of aims for, but it can be annoying and ruins the mood. The story is still progressing along nicely, with some unexpected twists and turns – especially episode 27. Things are nice and interesting and keep you pretty hooked the way a good book does (haha, oh the irony). Just makes you want to keep on watching to find out how everything works out!
A brief warning for all you parents out there – I don’t know what you allow your child to see and not see, so I’ll just point out that there is a tiny bit of swearing, violence (including blood and deaths), a bit of nudity, some sexual content (whoahey! Nakago…Soi…what are you two doing? O.o’), and a bit of cross-dressing (although in this volume Nuriko finally explains himself). So really, it’s up to you. I’m sure a 15-year-old can handle it, but they’re your kids!
There are 52 episodes on a total of 16 volumes, and things are still interesting. Back at episode 16 I wondered just where they could go, what with all seven warriors and all. Well, now I know. Either way, I’m glad I’m borrowing these, because I’m too cheap to shell out that much cash. Besides, I’d get the DVD versions anyway just to get my hands on the subtitled version. I like to compare.
Volume 9:
27: Tombstone Oath
28: The Ancient Path
29: Mysteries Afoot
30: The Flash of Battle
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