ssjakira1's Full Review: Fushigi Yugi: The Mysterious Play Vol. 10 - Nuriko...
Plot Details: This opinion reveals minor details about the movie's plot.
Fushigi Yuugi fest continues!
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 10, and we’re back to three episodes on a volume. If you’re coming in now, you actually have two choices. 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 from Volume 9 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. Still, if you just watch that episode and don’t bother with the rest of volume 9, you’ll miss a few things that might be helpful to know.
Before Now: 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, Suboshi, and Soi; three 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 31: Everyone is in Hokkan and looking for the Shinzaho. But Tamahome has other matters on his mind, and brings up a good question. Yikes, who’s that creepy monster guy? Ugh…and Yui is such an idiot, in more ways than one.
Episode 32: Hey, Tama, just clock Yui, tie her up, and carry her along with you already. But no, instead he’s just as dumb, and so the race to get the Shinzaho is kept even. And why don’t people just explain things clearly to one another? Well at least Nuriko does – feel the love!
Episode 33: Yeah, like the title doesn’t give this one away. Still, I was hoping against it… I do have to say though, that uh, vision or whatever it is Nuriko has is kind of weird… Whoa, this one actually made me tear up a little…
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. There have been some background songs before now, and they’re usually pretty upbeat too, and we get another one during Nuriko’s random vision. That’s where the title of this review comes from actually. Past reviews have been using the opening song lyrics in case you haven’t guessed that by now. You get another song as the closing credits this time around for the same episode, while the episode itself keeps running, credits just sort of in the corner – it really does help add to the mood because it doesn’t pep back up and stays somber instead.
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. Ashịtare’s (ok, honestly, how do I get around this stupid "offensive language" thingy??) voice was fine and dandy for the brief time we get to see him. Haha, and Nuriko actually says “My bad” at one point. I was amused. And Nakago is the coolest bad guy…hehe. You know, one of those really mean ones that you somehow like to watch at work or just can’t wait to see him get his.
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, though that hasn’t happened as often as usual, but then there haven’t been too many super-serious scenes either. And at least they didn’t do anything like that for any of these episodes. The story is still progressing along nicely, with some unexpected twists and turns – I never thought I’d see episode 33 coming. And you know, Miaka worries about Tamahome only existing inside of a book and her world being the real one…and then there’s me. Who’s to say Tamahome’s world isn’t real? Psh, I’d milk that kind of crazy adventure for all it’s worth…but then I’d love to get sucked into this kind of book, whereas Miaka wasn’t ever expecting it.
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 (blood, death, things that make you say, “Freaking OW!”, etc.), a bit of nudity/sexual content, and a bit of cross-dressing (although that was pretty much in concerning most of the previous volumes). 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 10:
31: Whirlpool of Doubt
32: To Die for the Star of Suzaku
33: Nuriko, Eternal Farewell
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