[lady_ribbon]

The following is all MY opinion.You are all entitled to your own opinion.Leave comments stating your views without flaming mine.

Yes this is a rant because I must vent my thoughts about this manga RAWR.

I have heard a lot about this manga,mostly from raving,insane fangirls who can't type or use punctuation properly.
Despite that,I wanted to read it since I love historical anime/manga,and this one seemed really popular.
I was so positive I would love it to pieces.

I was utterly wrong.

I have read all 18 volumes,watched the anime fully,and the O.V.A's.I'll keep my ranting to the manga though,since this is where the story comes from.

1) The BASIC plot sounds really good.Girl gets sucked into a magical book,becomes part of the story,has to find some warriors,call something blah,blah.
It was not carried out well at all.

2) The main character Miaka is one of the worst,if not the worst female 'hero' I have ever seen.She's weak,useless,clingy,a glutton,annoying,dumb,falls in love after 5 seconds,only cares about her boyfriend 'Tamahomeee!!!',shallow as hell too.And I think she's rather slutty too 'If Tamahome and me could of been in the normal world,we could of had a normal relationship like any other High School student.'
...Right.
Yes despite all this almost every single guy falls in love with her,just for the sake of a reverse harem.There's barely anything to like about her,if anything at all.

3) Rape,rape,RAPE.How much attempted rape Is there?It's gets so old after the first 10 times.And even the Suzaku Seven want to do it with her.It's so annoying.

4) When it's supposed to be a serious scene in the manga,it's ALWAYS ruined by the chibis.Always.Even some other scenes that shouldn't have chibis are ruined by them.The humor SUCKS,and it comes in at really bad moments.

5) Almost everyone at the end of the manga DIES,and it's Miaka's fault,but they all say 'omg she liek,tried her best!!' 'she waz s0 brave!!!'And also ,all they did was fall in love with her, and say “You’re a brave little girl, you have it so tough.”. Yeah, tell that to the massacred farmers.
WTF?

6) The romance is so unrealistic.It moves WAY to fast.It has no buildup.They meet for like 5 seconds,and then they love each other.All Miaka thinks about is Tamahome,and she hardly knows him.I actually hate Tamahome because he's so perverted.Wait,I hate almost all of them.I only like Nakago because he wants to kill them all,Nuriko before he likes Miaka,and Hotohori...At least he had some depth,and I felt sorry for him.

7) The character deaths happen,but somehow it always seems a little fake.When I say fake I mean it's really put-on.And once they die,it's like 'Oh he died...Who was he?' Like when Tamahome's siblings died,all he could think about was Miaka.And the whole was just really lame.None of the manga deaths were like others I've read about.

8) The manga is so soap-opera-ish,and melodramatic,I can see why teen girls like it.

9) Two other anime/light novels that are a little similar to Fushigi Yuugi are Saiunkoku Monogatari (which is a reverse harem,tons of guys,takes place in ancient China) and 12 Kingdoms (about a girl who is taken to another world,and made Empress/King).People who have watched Fushigi Yuugi and then watch either of these animes or both have actually said how they couldn't believe they watched F.Y and they thought it was utter crap after reading these. I think the main difference is that both the girls in these stories are amazing.They're strong,kick butt,very smart,and mature without being slutty.They have their faults,but their faults are realistic,and they both continually mature.Both the series have a wonderful cast of characters,storyline,adventure,mystery....And in Saiunkoku the romance is really done well.It takes time,and it's not sick or disgusting.The funny moments are well done too.12 kingdoms is more serious,and it's not romantic unless you squint,and it really delves more into the adventure,and struggles of being a ruler.

10) Thoughts form other sources that I agree with
The characters of Fushigi Yuugi are so uninspired that it really works against them. I found that much of the main cast did not strike me as endearing. None of them really had something that makes you want to root for them along the course of the story. What makes it worse is the size of the cast. Why make it so large when only two characters matter?
Miaka ignores the advice of those wiser than her (i.e. everyone) and dashes off to act on her own plans, countless times. This usually results in the deaths of some innocents, soldiers, villagers, children, you name it. By the end of the story, she’s responsible for the deaths of thousands, because she has to do things her way.
More times than I could count, this series fell into several pitfalls that romantic stories fall into. There is a big difference between someone saying they love you and someone showing that they love you. It takes effort for someone to show love, not a whole lot, but when that effort is used it hits dramatic gold. Instead we get unexplained events, awkward jokes, fan service, plot holes and other slipped-up script devices.I kept thinking that there was some essence of love in this production that would show up some time and completely blow me away. It never came. This is a product that could have been sky-high, but since it lacked the proper foundations of good storytelling, it collapsed upon its own ideas; a pretty little rubble heap.



I actually dislike the author's other works too.She seems to recycle her characters,and there is always super-fast-romance,among other awful things.The only thing I like about her works is the art style.But everything else sucks.
All in all,I think if Fushigi Yuugi had cut back on many things,made the romance realistic,made the story more serious,took away the chibis,so much attempted rape,and had better characters,it would of been good.
For all the hype it gets,it really,really,really sucks.

[24RiinHanako]

Ok, here's my opinion as well...

Actually, I have watched first the anime before reading the manga...
At first, I like it... But even though I'm just in the middle of the story, I became disgusted...
But I still like it... I mean, on the most bottom of animes or mangas I like...

Your#2 opinion: I agree... At first, I never seen her like that... But during the middle, I am really irritated with her...
Warning, the next statements are the same comment of mine as before: She is a glutton, damsel-in-distress, always saying the fck "TAMAHOME!", and the more she wants to save others, the more they are being on a dangerous situation...

Your#3 opinion: Yeah, always abt that and attempting that... I mean, wtf? I never thought something that they saw on Miaka w/c made them fall for her...
Well, maybe her kindness? But, wtf, is that all???

Your#5 opinion: *nods* They are like... *watches for my words* *whispers*... dumb... They shouldn't treat Miaka like that!!!

Your#6 opinion: After 5 seconds and they loved each other? I think it's just 'like' and not yet 'love'... So it might be just natural...
I don't really hate Tamahome cause I hate Miaka more... Well, not really that hate... But yeah, I hate tamahome just a little because of his pervertness... <_<
And the story really becames cheesy so me and my sis are like, 'gee, wtf'... >_<

Well, on other opinions of yours, I don't have any comment because I didn't finish it, lol... Gomen ne...
But I don't really hate it... Maybe just hate but not really... lol XD Doesn't make sense...

But will you like FYGK? Because me, I like it more than this...

[Wind Singer]

I thoroughly disagree, but that was still a brilliant rant.

I wanted to particularly agree with you on one thing, though. MIaka is a PAIN...
And the idea of every guy drooling over her...

I still don't understand what you meant by "slut" though. 90% of the time she's wearing her school uniform. Explain that one please.

Still, though I'm not quite sure what it is about it, I really like the series. None of these seem to really counter yours, or outdo them in any way, but there are some things I really do like about the series:

1. Inevitability: Regardless of anything else, you know there's going to be some way that Miaka (now Mk) and Tamahome (henceforth Tm) will end up together.

2. Point of View: I think part of why I can even stand Miaka is because of Tamahome himself. His commitment to her makes it hard for me to hate her.

3. Irony: I actually really liked the humor, (though the translations on half of the online manga were fail...)

4. Hotohori & Nuriko: in how many mangas do you see the gay guy and the straight guy arguing over who's prettier?

5. the Utter Cheesiness: both emotional and hilarious. Ex: "You wrote this. Wo Ai Ni. 'I love you'" ... "Never heard of it" [rip rip rip]

6. Miaka's idiocy: Miaka herself makes me feel independent and competent. She's someone I can look down on!

7. Tasuki: reminds me of myself... I really shouldn't have said that. Aggressive, impulsive, random, and passive aggressive, among other things... Not to mention that his way of showing affection is harassing or mildly attacking his friends. Need I say more?

8. Coincidence: This is weird; whenever I play music while reading this, and put my playlist on 'shuffle', it seems to be perfectly choreographed to what I'm reading. Lyrics seem to match, too. Workd every time for me! ; )

9. Low stress: there is always a light in the dark. Some other mangas mess with my nerves even when I'm rereading them.

10. The art: I have always loved Yuu Watase's art. I really can't say what it is about it, but it's beautiful. The only artwork I have ever liked more was in Inu Yasha and that random person at San Jose's FanimeCon.

[Medli]

Haha I surprised how much I agree with lady_ribbon. But I can't help but like it. I just wished Miaka could have been more useful and brave and not such a weakling who always got into trouble.. So I don't think anyone can think her as a heroine. :|

[Lariemeeva]

Just looking at your post, I must say that both you and I have the same manga taste.
I agree with most of your points, if not all. The plot is good, but everything else mostly sucks. On top of that, the story could have done so much better wothout the optimistic Miaka.
But "I actually dislike the author's other works too" may sound right if you read only Fushigi Yugi and basing your opinion on this.
Fushigi Yugi: Genbu Kaiden should be what you're looking for. It's my ultimate favorite manga .
If you read it, you won't believe that the one who actually done it is the same person as the one who made Fushigi Yugi.
It's Watase's latest works, so far Genbu Kaiden has the best drawings I've ever seen in a manga. It's the total reverse of FY. Takiko, unlike Miaka, is strong and good with handling spears. Takiko and Uruki's relationship is something so new (you'll understand when you read it) and takes up to 4 volumes or 3 to develop unlike Miaka who almost confesses in the 1st Volume.
The story is just too good to be true. I recommend anyone who wants to try FY to quit it and just move on to GK.

This explains better:
http://genbu.ambersolle.org/articles/fygkreview.html
"» Genbu Kaiden versus Fushigi Yuugi review
I often hear people who haven't read the Genbu Kaiden ask just what the difference is between Fushigi Yuugi and it's prequel. The Genbu Kaiden is currently the only series that I follow, so you'll have to forgive my bias. But here are my thoughts.

I read Fushigi Yuugi, and was one of those readers who thought the idea was really cool, and there were some really neat characters, but the story went on forever. I eventually got to about volume 14 before I gave up on it (and from when I hear, I didn't miss much).

The Genbu Kaiden, however, evokes very different feelings. The characters are quite something. Sure, they each have their own sob story, which some people find grating, but they all contrast each other, and in a mixed group of warriors their experiences and opinions make them a compelling set. They've all dealt with a lot of hardship; exile, poverty, discrimination, loss, war. There's a lot to get to know about the characters. Unfortunately the main heroine Takiko and her love interest Rimudo generally steal the spotlight. If you like one of the other Seishi, or god forbid, a secondary character, it's unlikely you'll get more than a few pages or part of a chapter dedicated to them which is something I certainly notice because I love all the Seishi and would love to see them interact more on their own or outside of Takiko or Rimudo. But the characterization that is there is always finely tuned; their expressions, interjections and dialogue all come together to make a clear image of who and what each character is.

The result of this tightly packed characterization is a story that, once it gets past the first few slow chapters, it picks up. There's a huge cast and there's a lot going on in different places and with different people that all interrelate. The entire story is shrouded with a sense of urgency; there's a war pending, and the enemy is not made of incompetent idiots. They're a professional military run by a ruthless royal family, so good at what they do they've even turned the general population against the very people meant to save them. There's a lot of violent (and generally more gorey than Fushigi Yuugi) action and complex plot, laced around with some flowery romance that, unlike Fushigi Yuugi, doesn't get so overwhelmingly overdone that it makes you sick. The chapters of the story are usually about 30 to 40 pages, so a lot can happen. The Genbu Kaiden balances nicely between the romance and the drama so you can stay interested even if there's a few pages of stuff that doesn't entirely strike your fancy. Or alternatively, there are some chapters that drag on and you feel like you're just waiting for something to happen again, which can be a downside, especially when waiting several months between chapters. But if you let yourself get caught up in the war and conspiracy and drama, it's worth the wait.

And the art. Wow, I love the art. Fine lines and elegant details and hey, ten years later, finally Watase can draw normal hands and feet (I don't know if anyone else went "wtf are THOSE supposed to be" every time you saw someones hands in Fushigi Yuugi... I did). The characters clothing changes relatively regularily, and each outfit is detailed and elegant. And the characters all look different enough that you can tell them apart; very important in such a large cast and when the POV quickly switches between different groups of people. Some people might complain that every one of Watase's main couples looks essentially the same, but you know what? I've read very few of Watas'e other stories so it's not something I'll ever notice. The development in Watase's art since Fushigi Yuugi makes the two almost impossible to compare (my biggest relief is that I now don't get lost playing games of Who's who? in reams of pages of black-haired effeminate men, a common event with Fushigi Yuugi). She's a lot more diverse with her characters than before; slightly older women, wrinkly old men, young children who don't look like cabbage patch dolls... (although Hikitsu and his sister are by FAR the most beautiful people in his tribe; I seriously can't figure out where he got his bishounen genes from. Watase clearly skimps on character design for people who won't appear for more than a few pages).

Overall, there's a lot going on and a lot has happened in a series that only has two dozen chapters at the moment. The characters are kick ass and even Hatsui, who I feared would just get annoying, is really not that annoying at all. Perhaps because he, like several other characters, gets shafted in the name of Fast Moving Plot and pages dedicated to the main couple. But this *is* a shoujo manga, and all those events and personalities that don't get to be fully explored are just opportunities for fanfiction. ;P

Realistically, I'd have to give the series an 8/10. It's an aethetically pleasing series with a plot that moves fast, packs a punch, and Watase does her best to balance characterization for such a huge cast of characters. That, and it's a thousand times better than Fushigi Yuugi ever was! "

[lady_ribbon]

Originally Posted by Lariemeeva

Just looking at your post, I must say that both you and I have the same manga taste.
I agree with most of your points, if not all. The plot is good, but everything else mostly sucks. On top of that, the story could have done so much better wothout the optimistic Miaka.
But "I actually dislike the author's other works too" may sound right if you read only Fushigi Yugi and basing your opinion on this.
Fushigi Yugi: Genbu Kaiden should be what you're looking for. It's my ultimate favorite manga .
If you read it, you won't believe that the one who actually done it is the same person as the one who made Fushigi Yugi.
It's Watase's latest works, so far Genbu Kaiden has the best drawings I've ever seen in a manga. It's the total reverse of FY. Takiko, unlike Miaka, is strong and good with handling spears. Takiko and Uruki's relationship is something so new (you'll understand when you read it) and takes up to 4 volumes or 3 to develop unlike Miaka who almost confesses in the 1st Volume.
The story is just too good to be true. I recommend anyone who wants to try FY to quit it and just move on to GK.

This explains better:
http://genbu.ambersolle.org/articles/fygkreview.html
"» Genbu Kaiden versus Fushigi Yuugi review
I often hear people who haven't read the Genbu Kaiden ask just what the difference is between Fushigi Yuugi and it's prequel. The Genbu Kaiden is currently the only series that I follow, so you'll have to forgive my bias. But here are my thoughts.

I read Fushigi Yuugi, and was one of those readers who thought the idea was really cool, and there were some really neat characters, but the story went on forever. I eventually got to about volume 14 before I gave up on it (and from when I hear, I didn't miss much).

The Genbu Kaiden, however, evokes very different feelings. The characters are quite something. Sure, they each have their own sob story, which some people find grating, but they all contrast each other, and in a mixed group of warriors their experiences and opinions make them a compelling set. They've all dealt with a lot of hardship; exile, poverty, discrimination, loss, war. There's a lot to get to know about the characters. Unfortunately the main heroine Takiko and her love interest Rimudo generally steal the spotlight. If you like one of the other Seishi, or god forbid, a secondary character, it's unlikely you'll get more than a few pages or part of a chapter dedicated to them which is something I certainly notice because I love all the Seishi and would love to see them interact more on their own or outside of Takiko or Rimudo. But the characterization that is there is always finely tuned; their expressions, interjections and dialogue all come together to make a clear image of who and what each character is.

The result of this tightly packed characterization is a story that, once it gets past the first few slow chapters, it picks up. There's a huge cast and there's a lot going on in different places and with different people that all interrelate. The entire story is shrouded with a sense of urgency; there's a war pending, and the enemy is not made of incompetent idiots. They're a professional military run by a ruthless royal family, so good at what they do they've even turned the general population against the very people meant to save them. There's a lot of violent (and generally more gorey than Fushigi Yuugi) action and complex plot, laced around with some flowery romance that, unlike Fushigi Yuugi, doesn't get so overwhelmingly overdone that it makes you sick. The chapters of the story are usually about 30 to 40 pages, so a lot can happen. The Genbu Kaiden balances nicely between the romance and the drama so you can stay interested even if there's a few pages of stuff that doesn't entirely strike your fancy. Or alternatively, there are some chapters that drag on and you feel like you're just waiting for something to happen again, which can be a downside, especially when waiting several months between chapters. But if you let yourself get caught up in the war and conspiracy and drama, it's worth the wait.

And the art. Wow, I love the art. Fine lines and elegant details and hey, ten years later, finally Watase can draw normal hands and feet (I don't know if anyone else went "wtf are THOSE supposed to be" every time you saw someones hands in Fushigi Yuugi... I did). The characters clothing changes relatively regularily, and each outfit is detailed and elegant. And the characters all look different enough that you can tell them apart; very important in such a large cast and when the POV quickly switches between different groups of people. Some people might complain that every one of Watase's main couples looks essentially the same, but you know what? I've read very few of Watas'e other stories so it's not something I'll ever notice. The development in Watase's art since Fushigi Yuugi makes the two almost impossible to compare (my biggest relief is that I now don't get lost playing games of Who's who? in reams of pages of black-haired effeminate men, a common event with Fushigi Yuugi). She's a lot more diverse with her characters than before; slightly older women, wrinkly old men, young children who don't look like cabbage patch dolls... (although Hikitsu and his sister are by FAR the most beautiful people in his tribe; I seriously can't figure out where he got his bishounen genes from. Watase clearly skimps on character design for people who won't appear for more than a few pages).

Overall, there's a lot going on and a lot has happened in a series that only has two dozen chapters at the moment. The characters are kick ass and even Hatsui, who I feared would just get annoying, is really not that annoying at all. Perhaps because he, like several other characters, gets shafted in the name of Fast Moving Plot and pages dedicated to the main couple. But this *is* a shoujo manga, and all those events and personalities that don't get to be fully explored are just opportunities for fanfiction. ;P

Realistically, I'd have to give the series an 8/10. It's an aethetically pleasing series with a plot that moves fast, packs a punch, and Watase does her best to balance characterization for such a huge cast of characters. That, and it's a thousand times better than Fushigi Yuugi ever was! "

I actually read Fushigi Yuugi G.K
I didn't like it, but I will agree with you that it is way better than F.Y
F.Y.G.K is not a bad story at all,I just didn't like it.
But thanks for the comment

[Lariemeeva]

*sigh* why not?

[lady_ribbon]

Originally Posted by Lariemeeva

*sigh* why not?

I just didn't like the main...'couple'
It totally pissed me off when she went to warm him up (when he was a girl) and took off all her clothes, and then when they woke up he was a boy again...

[NejiTotallyRulz]

Replying back to lady_ribbon:
2) Who says the main character has to be strong? She is not weak, I don't know where you got this idea from. She's not useless, because she can summon Suzaku. She likes to eat... so? She does not care only for her boyfriend. She cares about Yui and she was evil for a big part of the story so that's got to mean something. I don't get your quote about her being "slutty". There is also nothing wrong with clinging to your boyfriend, it's quite cute, and it's something girls do.
3) Nobody liked the rape, but it's a part of the story. You have to remember the mangas pretty old and so were people's ways of making up manga storylines. The whole raping/taking away virginity storyline was quite popular in Asia, it still is when you watch historical asian films.
4) The chibis add to the humour. I found this manga quite funny. The humour's not a big part of the manga and as I said already, this manga is old, so it's not that weird for some of the funny moments to seem a little off.
5) She did have it tough. She was sucked into a BOOK! She was pulled away from her family, and what do you think she could've done to save them? She could barely save herself.
6) A lot of romance mangas have the characters falling in love too fast for reality, but that's why it's in a manga. The mangaka just wants to carry on with the story. If you ask me, I'd take fast falling in love process over slow falling in love process anyday. Boys are horny at Tamahome's age. No offense but why would you even read this if you were thinking "Nakago will kill them all, hopefully" the whole time? Obviously most people would've figured out that Nakago was not going to succeed, so if you knew that, why did you continue reading the manga?
7) This is manga, Tamahome couldn't have just cried over his family the whole time becuase the mangaka knows that most people will be bored by that. But obviously some people wanted to see a whole volume of Tamahome crying over his family.
8) If I am correct, this manga is aimed for teens girls to read. So if your a teen girl and you don't like this, let's just say your special.
9) As I said for the third time, this manga is old so it may not appeal as much to the modern world anymore. Go ahead and read other manga if you don't like this one so much.
10) Most of my reasons have already been mentioned. Miaka was not perfect, that's one of the things that made it more realistic. You really think strong main characters in Shoujo mangas are how girls in reality are? A lot of real girls are worse than what Miaka is.
Yuu watase is a great author, she is quite well-known for her typical romance mangas. I'm sure there are people who would agree with me.
I really really really don't understand why you posted this, are you trying to make sure nobody reads this just because you didn't like it? People can tell how good/bad the manga is by the ratings. But of course, it's your opinions. And also, the fact that you read the whole manga and saw the whole anime means it couldn't have been that bad. Just a note to people who are confused on whether or not to read this, I suggest you try the anime first because the manga does take some time to get used to. The artwork is not at it's best anymore, so you'll need to adjust to that. I believe lady_ribbon's opinions are really an exaggeration of how bad the manga is. Some of her points are small issues in the manga, but I don't believe it's anything that serious. I've read tons of romance mangas, and this one would definitely be at the top. My suggestion is that you give this manga a shot.
Edit: Not to be offensive, but I'd like to point out that I can't see how this is one of the worse mangas you've ever read. There are A LOT of manga out there, a big chunk of manga in the romance genre doesn't even have a decent storyline/plot. So how can this be that bad of a manga? I suggest you look over some romance oneshots and maybe you'll see what I mean.

[Lariemeeva]

Yuu watase is a great author, she is quite well-known for her typical romance mangas. I'm sure there are people who would agree with me

EXACTLY. although this is an understatement, She is the greatest of greats. To me, she is the best Mangaka ever to be born (not exaggerating)
Not only that, but she is different from the other writer's who focus the whole story on romance and love while she balances everything between comedy, romance, adventure and wars. I honestly don't know how you can base your judgement when obviousely reading only one of her works.
You probably only read the 1st couple of Genbu Kaiden chapters only. The whole story should not be hated or liked based on 2 characters in the story. Btw the idea of rimudo switiching into a woman and Takiko being strong (I thought yu hated Miaka cuz she was weak) is GREATx100000. I mean, when did you ever see that type of relationship. It doesn't matter if he can switch into an alien. If you really appericiate the greatness of the story(which is btw not just great but impossibly great) you should give the writer a chance to improve. If you didn't like Genbu Kaiden, I'm not sure what kind of mangas you'll like.
Fushigi Yugi as I said before, may sound boring to somepeople, even I get bored of it sometimes, but the story (whether we like it or not) IS AWSOME and all stories have flaws.