Word: fushigi
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...selling shojo title, Fushigi Yugi: The Mysterious Play, by Yu Watase, typifies the genre. It tells of Miaka Yuki, a lazy student with exam nightmares. A strange library book allows her to visit ancient China, where she meets a handsome but avaricious young warrior. Like most shojo, the tale features lush costumes and impossibly beautiful boys. What may surprise new readers are the author's interjections and frequent shifts into goofball humor--both classic manga tropes...
...currently top-selling shojo title, "Fushigi Yugi: The Mysterious Play," by Yu Watase, typifies the style. Deftly combining action with melodrama, it tells of Miaka Yuki, a lazy student with exam nightmares. A strange library book allows her to visit ancient China where she meets a handsome but avaricious young warrior. Like most shojo the style of Fushigi Yugi includes lush costumes, impossibly beautiful boys and, yes, those big, saucer eyes and tiny, button noses. What new readers may be surprised at are the frequent shifts into goofball humor and the author asides -- both of which are manga tropes...
...overs shallow; cartoons were trivial, something to waste your afternoon on and nothing more. I never developed an attachment to the characters; they remained two-dimensional drawings that moved in two-dimensional worlds. So I was totally prepared to pidgeon-hole anime when I popped in a tape of "Fushigi Yuugi" (Mysterious Play), a popular series in Japan. Boy, was I wrong...
...Behold, an emotionally engaging storyline! "Fushigi Yuugi" revolves around two best friends, Miaka Yuuki and Yui Hongo. The girls are accidentally transported into the world of an ancient Chinese novel. Through a series of tragic events, both girls become enemies as opposing priestesses in an ensuing war between two enemy nations. As the story unfolds, it becomes a soap opera of epic proportions. What struck me most was the attention given to character development and relationships. Not only were past deeds and motives given careful attention to but the characters grew, made mistakes, and matured throughout. Heroes weren't infallible...
...intrigued by this apparent anomaly. What an utter antithesis to Bugs Bunny and the Road-Runner! Surely, "Fushigi Yuugi" was just an exception. Satisfied with this conclusion, I reviewed another popular mainstream series. Vision of Escaflowne (VOE), similarly, transported its heroine, 15-year old Hitomi Kanzaki, to an unfamiliar world, named Gaea. She aids the King of Fanelia, 15 year old Van Fanel, in protecting his kingdom from mysterious "invisible" invaders. Sounds flimsy right? You'd be surprised. Again, another tightly crafted storyline, with strong, evolving characters in a fascinating backdrop, which interwove the right mix of action, romance, comedy...
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