Fushigi Yuugi is celebrating its 30th anniversary by opening a pop-up store! Yuu Watase joined forces with THE Chara SHOP from September 28 to October 10, 2022, in the Shinjuku Marui Annex.
We don’t have many details on what kind of goods will be available, but old and new art has been confirmed for this exclusive event! In addition, the November 2022 issue of Monthly Flowers will also feature a one-shot by Watase.
Watase herself has confirmed on Twitter that the one-shot is not connected to the Fushiki Yuugi: Byakko Senki manga. So does this mean we’ll get more information on the Seiryu Kingdom?
The Byakko Senki manga is currently on hiatus and will also be the final story in Watase’s Four Gods tale.
What is Fushigi Yuugi?
Fushigi Yuugi is also known as Fushigi Yugi, The Mysterious Play, or The Curious Play. It’s arguably one of the icons of 90s anime and the Shojo genre.
The Fushigi Yuugi manga has 18 volumes. The anime adaptation has 52 episodes and follows the manga very closely.
This is rare, but there’s a good reason why the anime is less graphic. You can still tell what’s going on, but don’t pick this if you don’t like sexual violence.
Thankfully, there’s much more to discuss, and I’ll avoid spoilers. Fushigi Yuugi also has three OVAs, 13 novels only available in Japan, video games, stage plays, stage musicals, an art book, and two other manga set in the same universe!
Crunchyroll has the Fushigi Yuugi, the OVA, and Fushigi Yuugi: Ekoden available for streaming. Ekoden has four episodes and covers the first two light novels!
Timeline-wise, Genbu Kaiden is the first manga in the storyline, Byakko Senki is second, and Fushigi Yuugi is third. But it doesn’t matter which order you read them, as the stories are more-or-less the same.
All hail the classics!
Fushigi Yuugi is not the first to use some of these tropes, but there’s a reason this series is often referenced in the Shojo and Isekai genres. Miaka is a typical lazy, dumb, and food-loving girl.
She finds her way to an off-limits room in a library, where she and her friend read an old book about the Four Gods and are transported to the world inside the book. For those who don’t know, the Gods are Suzaku the Phonix, Seriyu the Dragon, Genbu the Turtle, and Byakko the Tiger.
The book kicks the best friend out of its world, and Miaka is soon revealed to be the Priestess of Suzaku. She must gather seven warriors, known as the Stars of Suzaku, to summon the God and get her wishes granted.
Since Miaka is a Priestess, she must remain a virgin for the summons to work, but there are a lot of horny men around her. And Miaka has a habit of falling in love at the drop of a hat.
Plus, there’s the trash that doesn’t take no for an answer, but she gets saved, so it all works out? Fushigi Yuugi isn’t for everyone, but if you enjoy Sailor Moon from the 90s, this will work.