ssjakira1's Full Review: Fushigi Yugi: The Mysterious Play Vol. 15 - The Fa...
Plot Details: This opinion reveals minor details about the movie's plot.
Procrastination = anime. Today's anime still = Fushigi Yuugi.
Volume 15 with another three episodes. We’re finally at the second to last volume of the series, so if you’re starting here, uh, I don’t know why you would be. Unless you start back at Volume 1 you’re going to be ridiculously out of the loop. Now that we’re so near the end, you’re going to ruin everything and besides, you’d be missing out on all sorts of fun stuff.
Previous 14 Volume Rundown: Miaka Yuuki is a 15-year-old schoolgirl who discovers an old book called after following a mysterious bird. She and her friend Yui have both been sucked into it and become characters in the book, which Miaka’s brother Keisuke and his friend Tetsuya are now reading. Miaka is the Priestess of Suzaku and met all seven Suzaku warriors in the land of Konan; Tamahome, Hotohori, Nuriko, Tasuki, Mitsukake, Chichiri, and Chiriko, and is in love with Tamahome. Yui is the Priestess of Seiryu with her own set of seven warriors in the land of Kutou; Nakago, Suboshi, Amiboshi, Ashịtare, Soi, Tomo, and Miboshi. Miaka and Yui are now enemies, and though each of them has lost members of their seven protectors, Yui has managed to summon Seiryu and seal off Suzaku’s powers. Can Miaka find a way to save Yui and escape the Universe of the Four Gods with her? And what can Keisuke and Tetsuya do with the information they’ve found out about the book?
Sha-zam!
Episode 46: Kutou is still battling Konan, the Suzaku Seven are only four strong, Tastuki gets some old friends to help, Keisuke is shocked by Miaka’s return and Tamahome’s actual appearance in their world, and Nakago still carries Soi’s dead body (the character on his forehead can mean heart – does he actually have one somewhere?). But Yui still has one wish left and has the ability to communicate with Nakago – naturally all that can’t be a good thing…
Episode 47: Keisuke discovers a startling little fact about Tamahome that leads him to a few conclusions that Miaka would prefer not to hear – and that Tamahome wishes he hadn’t heard either I’m sure. Either way, he’s not going to be the only one visiting our world for long. Meanwhile, the war continues to wage, and with some startling outcomes.
Episode 48: The two boys from the book are causing chaos in Miaka’s world – and maybe it’s being from a book that can save Tamahome. Nakago finally unveils his master plan and Hotohori makes a more than foolish decision.
Comments? 1.) You know, everyone keeps thinking that Tamahome and the others are only characters in a book and considering all that’s happened, maybe they should start believing something else. Like maybe the book is just a means to another world? But then I guess the shadow and reflection might negate that. 2.) Keisuke is probably the coolest and most understanding older brother ever. Haha, and he’s pretty amusing too. 3.) Does talking while you’re dying really sap that much energy? I only ask that because it seems like whenever people are on the verge of death and want to say something important, everyone else says, “Don’t talk – save your strength!”
The music within the show is older, some saxophone for tender moments, which I find amusing (I always end up thinking of Kenny G or something), and then there’s the opening and closing songs. They’re pretty good and can get stuck in your head – I usually end up humming one of them right before I turn on the show. They’re both upbeat and I like them for that. The concert playing while Tamahome ponders the meaning of life was an interesting way to put the extra songs in, though we’ve heard both of them before, but hey, nothing wrong with a good couple of songs. Ooh, I am a big fan of the instrumental and chorus music going on near the end – very effective and though maybe just a tad bit over the top, still rather appropriate.
The animation is good as always and I’m sure it’s going to stay that way for the rest of the series. As for all the voices – there haven’t been any changes (trust me, I’d know, I’ve got skills like that, haha), so all is well. I’ve been entertaining the idea for quite some time now that perhaps the VA for Yui was the same woman who did Charlotte for Bloodlust and Faye for Cowboy Bebop; Wendee Lee. I’ve just been too lazy to check until now, haha, but I was right. And hearing Chichiri angry was pretty fun, though I wish that his words had been chosen differently. They just didn’t seem to work – not enough power in them. Ah well. Maybe it’s more awesome in Japanese…I wonder about the difference in his voice in the subtitled version.
As there are only four episodes left, I’m really excited to see how they wrap everything up, from the remaining Suzaku Seven, Miaka ever being able to summon Suzaku, Yui’s final wish, and all the way to Nakago’s evil plans and whether or not Miaka and Tamahome can be together. The odd comedic spots are few and far between, but there have been a few that were pointless. They shouldn’t try and make Suboshi act funny because the guy is too psychotic and has been serious for too long for anything like that now.
A 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, etc.), a bit of cross-dressing (although that was basically in the first half of the series), and some nudity/sexual content – Miaka and Yui getting into unpleasant situations concerning men, Tamahome and Miaka always somehow ending up half naked and in the presence of each other, etc. Things have taken some wild turns. 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. In the end, I’m glad I’m borrowing these, because I’m too cheap to shell out that much cash. Despite that, now I really want to get the DVD versions so I can get my hands on the subtitled version. I really wanna know what it’s like in Japanese. Besides, this series has been a lot of fun and I wouldn’t mind seeing it again at all.
Volume 15:
46: The Young Man of Reality
47: Repose the Soul’s Light
48: Even Wagering on this Life
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