These wonderful pictures are from Fushigi Yuugi. It was first a
manga by the talented mangaka Yuu Watase. Her manga was so
popular in Japan that a anime was made of it. Then that
became very popular as well and word spread to American anime
and manga fans about this fantastic series. Almost as soon as
the first fansubbers released it over the net it's fame spread
far and wide throughout the US and then to the rest of the world.
Now Viz has bought the rights to translation of the manga
and Pioneer to the anime so many more people will be able to
see and come to love this wonderful series.
This is a story about two girls who are drawn into a world inside
a magical book "The Universe of the Four Gods". Miaka becomes the miko (priestess) of Suzaku, the red bird of the south- Konan coutry. She must gather her seven seishi before she is granted three wishes. Her best friend Yui ends up in Kutou country and becomes the miko of their god.
Miaka's seishi are Tamahome, Hotohori, Chichiri, Tasuki, Nuriko,
Mitsukake, Chiriko.
Miaka and Tamahome fall in love. This causes some difficulities
with the fulfilment of her duties as a miko, but it also sustains
her through some rather tramatic points of the story. A point of this story is the conflict between love and duty. Not just for
Miaka and Tamahome but for the other charcters as well.
This story was covered in 18 volumes of Yuu Watase's manga,
and in 52 episodes and two OVA serieses, the first OVA series
wasn't part of the manga story but the second OVA series continues where the TV series left off and covers the story in
volume 14-18. The first OVA series had three parts. The second
OVA series has 6 parts.
Pioneer is now putting out volumes with 3 TV episodes on each tape. They haven't bought the rights to the OVAs yet, but with the reports I've heard of good sales (not surprising :) of the volumes with the TV episodes, it probably will happen.
The Viz translation of the manga is also reportedly quite popular. :)
TAMAHOME and his siblings.
The other SUZAKU SEISHI, friends and family.
CHICHIRI
TASUKI
HOTOHORI and Boushin
Houki
MITSUKAKE with TAMA the cat
Shokka
BYAKKO SEISHI and MIKO
SUBARU and TOKAKI
SUSANO and TATARA
GENBU SEISHI and MIKO.
HIKITSU and TOMITE
TAKAKO
SEIRYUU SEISHI and MIKO (the bad guys of part 1!)
Links to other sites on the Web
carlysan fushigi page
let the book be opened
reika chan fushigi yuugi page
chinese star charts and moon stations
yui chan's fushigi page
suzaku no miko homepage