Fushigi Yugi Genbu Kaiden
Encyclopedia
is a manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...

 written by Yuu Watase
Yuu Watase
is a female Japanese shōjo manga artist. She received the Shogakukan Manga Award for shōjo for Ceres, Celestial Legend in 1997. Since writing her debut short story "Pajama de Ojama" , Watase has created more than 80 compiled volumes of short stories and continuing series...

. It premiered in Japan in 2003 in Sho-Comi, moved to an off-shoot magazine, Fushigi Yûgi Perfect World, in 2004. It was serialized sporadically in Monthly Flowers until 2008 when the series went on hiatus until spring 2010, when it began serialization in Rinka magazine. Individual chapters are collected and published in tankōbon
Tankobon
, with a literal meaning close to "independently appearing book", is the Japanese term for a book that is complete in itself and is not part of a series , though the manga industry uses it for volumes which may be in a series...

volumes by Shogakukan
Shogakukan
is a Japanese publisher of dictionaries, literature, manga, non-fiction, DVDs, and other media in Japan.Shogakukan founded Shueisha which founded Hakusensha. These are three separate companies, but are together called the Hitotsubashi Group, one of the largest publishing groups in Japan...

 with the first volume was in October 2003; as of September 2008 nine volumes have been released. A prequel to Watase's Fushigi Yûgi
Fushigi Yugi
, also known as Curious Play, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yu Watase. Shogakukan published Fushigi Yûgi in Shōjo Comic in its original serialized form from May 1992 through June 1996. Viz Media released the manga series in English in North America starting in 1999...

, the series details the creation of "The Universe of the Four Gods" and tells the full story of the Priestess of Genbu.

The series is licensed for English language releases in North America by Viz Media
VIZ Media
VIZ Media, LLC, headquartered in San Francisco, is an anime, manga, and Japanese entertainment company. It was founded in 1986 as VIZ LLC. In 2005, VIZ LLC and ShoPro Entertainment merged to form the current VIZ Media LLC, which is jointly owned by Japanese publishers Shogakukan and Shueisha, and...

, in Singapore by Chuang Yi
Chuang Yi
Chuang Yi Publishing Pte Ltd. is a publishing company based in Singapore that specializes in producing domestic and imported comics and comics-related merchandise, in English and simplified Chinese. Chuang Yi distributes all or some of its products in Singapore, Malaysia, India, and the Philippines...

 and Australia by Madman Entertainment
Madman Entertainment
Madman Entertainment is an Australian company that distributes international films as well as Japanese anime and manga in Australia and New Zealand. The company is owned by Funtastic Limited and is one of the major entertainment companies in Australia. It employs 130 people and has an annual...

, which distribute Australian English Chuang Yi
Chuang Yi
Chuang Yi Publishing Pte Ltd. is a publishing company based in Singapore that specializes in producing domestic and imported comics and comics-related merchandise, in English and simplified Chinese. Chuang Yi distributes all or some of its products in Singapore, Malaysia, India, and the Philippines...

 manga.

Characters

A seventeen-year-old schoolgirl whose mother has recently died of tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...

 and whose father seems to care more about his research than his own family. The storyline reveals her as the Priestess of Genbu, with the destiny of summoning the god Genbu with her own will after she has gathered the Celestial Warriors, and having it grant three wishes of her choosing. Takiko is impulsive and strong-willed, though she can be insecure at times. She can fight well with a naginata
Naginata
The naginata is one of several varieties of traditionally made Japanese blades in the form of a pole weapon. Naginata were originally used by the samurai class in feudal Japan, and naginata were also used by ashigaru and sōhei .-Description:A naginata consists of a wooden shaft with a curved...

, a spear-like weapon, and does well in her studies. Takiko was in love with Takao Ohsugi, a friend of her father's, but her love was unrequited. Uruki falls in love with her and she eventually comes to reciprocate, though they must keep their relationship a secret. In the drama CDs, she is voiced by Satsuki Yukino
Satsuki Yukino
Satsuki Yukino , real name Yuki Inoue , is a popular Japanese voice actress from Ōtsu, Shiga. Yukino is also a singer as part of the Hinata Girls...

.


Uruki is the sixteen-year-old crown prince of Hokkan and the only son of the emperor's brother. At the time of his birth, a priest prophesized for his father "When the Priestess opens the Book of the Four Gods of Heaven and Earth and appears, your son will definitely kill you." At this time, the Prince, fearing for his own life, tried to have his son killed. Rimudo's mark means 'women' and only appears when he is in female form. Rimudo must be in female form in order to utilize his celestial powers of controlling the wind, which seems to be a sore spot with him. He is in love with Takiko and they confess their love for one another later, but their relationship is kept a secret. In the drama CDs, he is voiced by Takahiro Sakurai
Takahiro Sakurai
is a voice actor who was born in Aichi. He is a member of 81 Produce; his height is .Many of his roles are handsome men. However, he has also voiced reluctant heroes as well as the occasional villain...

. His female form is voiced by Miki Nagasawa
Miki Nagasawa
is a female Japanese voice actress born in Hokkaidō and raised in Fukushima. Formerly affiliated for Haikyo, she is now affiliated with Atomic Monkey.-Anime:* After War Gundam X as Perla Ciss* Akihabara Dennou Gumi as Kamome Sengakuji...

.


Sixteen year old Tomite is a bounty hunter from the Ha tribe and Hikitsu's childhood friend. He's a bit of a pervert, but sensitive about his mother Boraate (Borate). His mark means 'emptiness' or 'void' and he is a master archer. Combined with his ability to create ice, Tomite is able to shoot arrows of ice. He is the first Celestial warrior that Takiko gathers, as Uruki, the first found, refuses to acknowledge his destiny until later on, and is in a delicate position with the Qu-dong army. Tomite appears to be jealous of Uruki concerning his relationship with Takiko, possibly because he has some feelings for Takiko. However the author has stated they have a kind of brotherly/sisterly relationship. He later gains a love interest in the form of Hikitsu's sister, Aira.
Known to fans of the original Fushigi Yugi, Tomite and his friend Hikitsu became the guardians of the Shinzaho of the Genbu priestess after their deaths. In the drama CDs, is voiced by Tetsuya Iwanaga
Tetsuya Iwanaga
is a Japanese voice actor. As of April 1, 2009, he is affiliated with maxmix.-Notable voice roles:*Kensuke Aida in Neon Genesis Evangelion*Makoto Mizuhara in El-Hazard*Imaichi in Fancy Lala*Tomite in Fushigi Yūgi...

.


Twelve year old Hatsui is the son of healers who finds it difficult to trust in others. He cries a lot and also stutters when he speaks (at least in the Japanese version of the manga). When his parents died, they left him a large debt to pay off. The villagers picked on him until one day he accidentally killed them with his ability to fire needles from his body. When Takiko found him, he was being 'looked after'(or rather, being used to kill off enemies, particularly Takiko & Co.) by Fen (a female assassin who was hired by Uruki's father to kill the Celestial Warriors and priestess). In the drama CDs, he is voiced by Megumi Ogata
Megumi Ogata
is a female seiyū and singer from the Tokyo Metropolitan area. As a singer, she goes by the name em:óu. She attended Tōkai University, but left due to lack of interest. She is also best known for voicing Sailor Uranus, Kurama and Shinji Ikari....

.


Namame was born from the Seimei stone (Star-Life Stone) near Iferui. He usually takes the appearance of a little stone doll, although when Takiko first found him, he was a stone giant, protecting the oracle Anlu, who was in his mouth. After being traumatized by human cruelty when he attempted to fit in, Namame found it very hard to trust others; it took Anlu a whole day of sitting right next to him to earn his trust. He was "protecting" Anlu when Takiko & Co. found him. Namame was the fourth Celestial Warrior found by the Genbu priestess. His character, "Bi", is typically found on the back of his head. Namame has the power to control the earth, which allows him to manipulate the ground itself, create earthquakes, and shape stones into whatever he desires.


Twenty-one-year-old Hikitsu is a member of the Han tribe. He has a little sister named Ayla and once saved Tomite from being killed by monsters (which also killed Tomite's father) when the two of them were children. He controls water in the form of snakes, but also has another power he called 'Shikyokan', where anyone who looks upon the eye with his Seishi mark is forced to remember their worst memories. The latter power doesn't seem to be under control, the eye is usually covered and it has accidentally been used on Takiko .
Known to fans of the original Fushigi Yugi, Hikitsu and his friend Tomite became the guardians of the Shinzaho of the Genbu priestess after their deaths. In the drama CDs, he is voiced by Nobuyuki Hiyama
Nobuyuki Hiyama
is a Japanese voice actor currently affiliated with Arts Vision.-Profile:* Sometimes credited as: Shuji Hiyama , Osamuyuki Hiyama * Year Enrolled into the Voice-Acting Industry: 1987...

.


Inami is a senior prostitute. She is not the owner of the brothel as previously thought, she is just the temporary owner. The original owner of the brothel had discovered that Taruma was a Celestial Warrior and knew of the persecution Inami would faced if found out, so they moved the brothel from Hokkan to Konan for her safety. Inami has the power of controlling her hair to great lengths and can use a pipe as her weapon. She joins Takiko and the other Seishi after great encouragement from the other prostitutes. In the drama CDs, she is voiced by Masako Katsuki
Masako Katsuki
is a Japanese voice actress who was born in Hachinohe, Aomori. Formerly from Theater Echo, she is currently employed by 81 Produce and has voiced in several notable films and tv series...

.


It is revealed that Hāgasu is only half of Urumiya (only half of the character is shown), therefore, he is not complete. His elder twin brother, Tegu, carried the other half of the character. Though Hāgasu fights against the celestial warriors of Genbu and has the ability to absorb their powers, he is not necessarily evil as he is seen saving children during some of the battles. He has a goal to destroy Uruki, in order to rescue his brother. He is under the command of Uruki's father, King Temudan. Tegu is kept prisoner by Temudan's brother, the Emperor of Hokkan, who bribes him with the possibility of being reunited with Hāgasu to get him to block the other seishis powers, thereby protecting his rule and the Hokkan army. In the drama CDs, Hāgasu is voiced by Takehito Koyasu
Takehito Koyasu
is a Japanese voice actor.-Career:Koyasu is part of the voice actor quartet Weiß consisting of Weiß Kreuz voice castmates Shinichiro Miki, Tomokazu Seki, and Yuuki Hiro...

.

Manga

Written and illustrated by Yuu Watase
Yuu Watase
is a female Japanese shōjo manga artist. She received the Shogakukan Manga Award for shōjo for Ceres, Celestial Legend in 1997. Since writing her debut short story "Pajama de Ojama" , Watase has created more than 80 compiled volumes of short stories and continuing series...

, the first chapter of Fushigi Yûgi Genbu Kaiden was published in 2003 in an issue of Sho-Comi. The series moved to the magazine's off-shoot, Fushigi Yûgi Perfect World, in 2004, where it was serialized quarterly until the magazines' cancellation in June 2008. The series then moved to Monthly Flowers where it was serialized sporadically until 2008 when it went on hiatus, due to Watase's health and other work commitments. She anticipates restarting the series in spring of 2010. On January 17, Watase revealed that she would begin working on the series again and that it would now be published in Rinka magazine. The individual chapters are collected and published in tankōbon
Tankobon
, with a literal meaning close to "independently appearing book", is the Japanese term for a book that is complete in itself and is not part of a series , though the manga industry uses it for volumes which may be in a series...

volumes by Shogakukan
Shogakukan
is a Japanese publisher of dictionaries, literature, manga, non-fiction, DVDs, and other media in Japan.Shogakukan founded Shueisha which founded Hakusensha. These are three separate companies, but are together called the Hitotsubashi Group, one of the largest publishing groups in Japan...

 with the first volume published in October 2003; as of September 2008 nine volumes have been released.

The series is licensed for English language releases in North America by Viz Media
VIZ Media
VIZ Media, LLC, headquartered in San Francisco, is an anime, manga, and Japanese entertainment company. It was founded in 1986 as VIZ LLC. In 2005, VIZ LLC and ShoPro Entertainment merged to form the current VIZ Media LLC, which is jointly owned by Japanese publishers Shogakukan and Shueisha, and...

, in Australia and New Zealand by Madman Entertainment
Madman Entertainment
Madman Entertainment is an Australian company that distributes international films as well as Japanese anime and manga in Australia and New Zealand. The company is owned by Funtastic Limited and is one of the major entertainment companies in Australia. It employs 130 people and has an annual...

, in the United Kingdom by Gollancz Manga, and in Singapore by Chuang Yi
Chuang Yi
Chuang Yi Publishing Pte Ltd. is a publishing company based in Singapore that specializes in producing domestic and imported comics and comics-related merchandise, in English and simplified Chinese. Chuang Yi distributes all or some of its products in Singapore, Malaysia, India, and the Philippines...

. Viz released its first volume of the series in July 2005, with nine volumes released as of November 2009. The series is also licensed for regional language releases in France by Editions Tonkam, Spain by Glènat España, Italy by Planet Manga and Germany by EMA
Egmont Manga & Anime
Egmont Manga & Anime is one of the largest publishers of manga in Germany. It was founded in the year 2000 as a daughter company of Egmont Ehapa, after the manga boom in Germany became apparent around the turn of the millennium. Since 2003, EMA has been part of Egmont vgs in Cologne.- History :In...

.

Video game

Idea Factory released the Sony Playstation 2 video game Fushigi Yuugi — Genbu Kaiden Gaiden: Kagami no Miko in Japan on June 22, 2005. The adventure game puts players in the shoes of Mariko Kobayashi, an original character created for the game, who is taken into the Universe of the Four Gods through a mirror. While searching for her friend, Takumi Mochizuki, who was also taken into the mirror, Mariko is aided in her quest by Genbu no Miko and the Genbu Seven. A limited edition version of the game was released on the same date, containing an art book and a CD of interviews with the game voice actors. A PSP
PlayStation Portable
The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...

version of the game was released in Japan on September 28, 2006.

Reception

When it was released, the eighth volume of Fushigi Yûgi Genbu Kaiden ranked ninth in the Japanese Comic Ranking, listing the top ten selling manga volumes, for March 25–31, 2008. The ninth volume premiered in sixth place in the September 30–October 6 rankings.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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