ssjakira1's Full Review: Fushigi Yugi - The Mysterious Play Special Vol. 3:...
Plot Details: This opinion reveals minor details about the movie's plot.
If you have no idea of what Fushigi Yuugi is at all, then go back and watch the series. Yes, all 52 episodes of it (hey, there are longer series out there). If you don’t, you will have no idea of who the characters are, what they’re talking about, why they’re getting sucked into this book, where all the angst comes from, etc. etc. In short, you’ll be staring at the screen, head cocked to one side going “Huh?” Especially since now that you’re at the end of an OAV.
Having said that, there are 3 OAVs: the first (3 episodes) and second (6 episodes) are connected, leaving the third (4 episodes) on its own. This VHS tape is what they decided to call Volume 3, though it’s really episodes 4-6 of the second OAV. Yeah, it’s really just a better idea to buy all this as DVDs…besides, then you get your pick of Japanese or English all at once.
4. The Flame of Friendship – Seems like all is well. Taka has four of the Jewels of Memory now, yippee! Sleepover at Nuriko’s! But right in the room their main adversary shows up and starts playing mind games with them (why didn’t he just kill them? Seriously dude…), and what he does to Taka puts more of a strain on both Miaka and Taka, and it’s that strain that leads Tasuki’s hidden feelings to come forth.
5. The Transience of a Water Mirror – Water, water, everywhere and a dead man controls it. Chichiri knows who it is, and the culprit wastes no time in kidnapping Miaka for his own purposes. Can the others convince Chichiri to fight against the new foe, or will he shut down completely? Besides, how do they fight someone who controls the rain clouds and all the water around them? This one will indeed keep you on the edge of your seat (yeah, another episode where I thought I might cry).
6. To Be With You Tomorrow – When another demon shows up, the one who saves the day is…Tamahome? Wait, Taka and Tasuki are passed out in the other room, so how is this possible? I don’t know why anyone trusts this new Tamahome (I sure as hell wouldn’t), but it causes Taka to return to the real world where he must sort things out before the final battle is to begin.
Let’s face it – the biggest problem this whole OAV deal has is that it’s just doing a whole lot in a very small amount of time. There is just too much going on here for it to be crammed into a meager 9 episodes. The pace was just unchecked – super fast here, slower in other places when focuses on characters occurred, it just felt uneven and the viewer is easily discombobulated (perfect word for this situation). I think they should have stretched it out from 9 to at least 12 or something. And even if some things that occurred here were in the manga, they didn’t fit very well in the anime. The whole thing with Nuriko’s brother was just weird because you never heard about him in the series – it was always about Kourin. Then for Chichiri, in the series he explains the deal with his friend and how he got his scar one way, and then here it sounds like a totally different ordeal. I didn’t mind the episode with his friend, but that the stories didn’t match up well took off some of the edge. Then there was that bit about the demons – you get some inkling of what happened with them, but never the full story, which is kind of annoying because then you wonder, “Well why tell us anything at all then?”
There are some other little things, but the biggest letdown was the explanation of who Tenkou was and where he came from. I’m sorry, but I just thought it was really lame. You wanna know what I initially thought? I thought that it could have been Takiko’s father, (who killed himself after killing her) and his angry spirit was just itching to get back at the book and the four gods. Nope, I was wrong. But you know what? I really like my idea better. The real answer was just so detached from everything, and the fact that he was able to get all that power just by being who he was, etc. etc. just didn’t work for me. Disappointed, but oh well.
Some people say this wraps up the Fushigi Yuugi story better than the series. I don’t. I think the series was just fine with the way it ended and this wasn’t really necessary. Granted, it was a lot of fun and despite all the discrepancies I mention and issues I may seem to have with it, it was quite enjoyable. I still love episode 4 the best. I was never a fan of any character in particular until watching these OAVs, and then Tasuki just kinda jumped on in.
As usual, the animation is great – you finally get to see all four Beast Gods (not gonna say how or why though!), which is a real treat because I’ve always wondered what they look like, and the inclusion of new characters and their looks is always enjoyable as well. I’ve always liked the music used in the series and now I can include these OAVs in that claim, it went well with scenes and the opening and closing songs are good to listen to. I’m especially fond of the beginning of “Star” (the opening song). All the voices are the same and it was really cool hearing Tasuki and Chichiri really serious for an extended amount of time for once, though I still wish Tasuki’s voice was just a little bit deeper.
Warning to the parents, this volume is much less kid-friendly than the past two might have been. Considering Tauki’s not exactly PG moves, the violence that occurs, nudity (why was that chick naked?), and suggested incest (that random demon story I mentioned), so you’re gonna have to make the call on this one.
Once again, there are the extras after each episode, and though they’re still not as funny as that little mini-story for the first OAV, they have their quirks. I only have a few favorites though. Oh, and on a final note concerning these, one must be aware of problems in scriptwriting (or translation, wherever it happened) because in one of these extras, Tasuki says, "Mm, wiggle-wiggle part three!" and I had NO idea what the heck that was supposed to mean considering how the extra started out and how what he was next to looked like a couple of peaches, so I looked online for an answer. Apparently he actually says "Mm, peachy, peachy, part three!" and according to the Anime News Network, it's referring to two other instances in the series where he's seen with a bowl of peaches. Ya, ok.
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