Fushigi Yuugi Genbu Kaiden

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Welcome to the Legend that started them all.

Fushigi Yuugi Genbu Kaiden (ふしぎ遊戯 玄武開伝) is a manga written by Yuu Watase. It is a prequel to the popular manga/anime series Fushigi Yuugi. The series premiered on April 14th, 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 volumes by Shogakukan with the first volume was in October 2003; the twelfth and final volume was released in Japan in May 2013. There are also five volumes of Drama CDs depicting the first five volumes of the manga, and a video game, Fushigi Yuugi Genbu Kaiden Gaiden Kagami no Miko for PlayStation 2, PSP, and Nintendo DS, marking the first ever video game adaption for a Yuu Watase work.

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

In the year of 1923, roughly 60 years before Miaka encountered the book, novelist Einosuke Okuda came back to Japan from China obtaining the original Chinese version of an ancient ceremonial scripture called The Universe of the Four Gods (Shi Jin Ten Chi Sho) where he worked tirelessly translating them into Japanese and bind them into book form. Neglecting his ill wife and stressed daughter Takiko Okuda, who recently moved from Tokyo to her mom's hometown for her mom's further care, has to put up with a new school life, and being constantly teased by her classmates for a sick mother. Onto the moment when her mom died, the father and daughter went into a quarrel that led to a I Have No Son spit out towards Takiko.

Grieved of loneliness, and uselessness, Takiko took the translated book from her father and was going to rip it apart until the book suddenly starts to shine bright and absorb her into the book, becoming the legendary Priestess of Genbu.

The seven celestial warriors' backstories and point-of-views plays an important part for the storytelling of this work. According to Watase, compared to the previous work, the camera viewpoints are more evenly distributed around the interactions between teammates as to just the heroine's character/love development POV. Therefore you might notice some surprising tropes that can only be found in the character sheet.

The series is licensed for English language releases in North America by Viz Media, in Singapore by Chuang Yi and Australia by Madman Entertainment, which distribute Australian English Chuang Yi manga.

WARNING! There are unmarked Spoilers ahead. Beware.

Tropes used in Fushigi Yuugi Genbu Kaiden include:

Hikitsu: " ...Even if you say that,I don't think we'll have the chance to meet The Suzaku Warriors anyway. This country is peaceful now. "
Tomite: " Haha (true), If we're a few hundred years before them,surely we'll be dead by then! "

Uruki: "Now I realize...that I..."
Tomite: "Hikitsu, wait!"

  • Like Brother and Sister: According to Word of God, this is how Takiko and Tomite are, despite the fact that it's pretty clear that Tomite was developing some unrequited romantic feelings for Takiko through their two almost kisses, his rivalry (and a bit of inferiority complex) with Uruki, and how he mutters that he guesses he didn't have a "chance" when Takiko tells Tomite that she is in love with someone else from her world in Volume 4.
  • Love Triangle: Mr. Oshigi/Takiko/Uruki and Tomite/Takiko/Uruki.
  • Names to Know in Anime: The drama CD's have quite the stellar cast. For the main crew, check to the character sheet, as for the others, check here for now. They include: Kazuya Nakai (Temudan), Ai Satou (Boraten/narrator), Sayuri Yahagi (Aira), Ayako Kawasumi (Airu the Oracle), Mitsuaki Madono (Hakei), Jun Fukuyama (Shigi), Kissho Taniyama (Hien).
  • New Powers as the Plot Demands: Somehow Hikitsu keeps surprises us on how far his powers can expand. By far, the major one is...
    • Caught on Tape: In which Hikitsu's eye power has made some extremely important discoveries to forward the story plot in the most positive way ever.
  • Outdoor Bath Peeping: Tomite came charging into his tribe hotspring attempting to notify that the enemies are near when Takiko just started drying herself from her bath. But then his mom just went out for his blood instead.
    • Uruki and Tomite (again) also done this move while Takiko was bathing in their second premium drama.
  • Parental Abandonment (Actually, all of the main crew came from this background.)
    • Takiko's mother Yoshie dies of tuberculosis in the first chapter, and her father Einosuke is never around because he was researching the Shi Jin Ten Chi Sho to find a way to save his wife, not to mention the fact that he never wanted a daughter to begin with.
    • As for Uruki, it was prophesized when he was born that when Genbu was summoned he would kill his father. As a result, his father is after his life, even going so far as to ally himself with the force trying to destroy his own country, even though he is a member of the royal family. It is these actions that lead many to believe that this will turn out to be a Self-Fulfilling Prophecy.
    • In literal terms, Hikitsu and his sister. His whole entire village ditched them.
    • Hatsui and Urumiya's parents were all dead since their childhood.
    • Tomite, even though he's the most luckiest dude of the group with a supportive mom and a comedic personality, remember that his dad died when he was a kid too.
  • Personality Powers: Subverted with Tomite as An Ice Person while holding a plucky Hot-Blooded personality.
  • Plucky Comic Relief: Tomite, the one and only comic relief there is.
  • Plucky Girl: Takiko. She works so hard, that this is the reason why all of the joined seishis starting to like her as their boss, and have hope in saving the world.
  • Precocious Crush: Takiko's longtime feelings for her first love, Mr. Oshugi, who is married and has a daughter (Suzuno, who'd become the Byakko no Miko some years later). She eventually grows out of this when she realizes her love for Uruki.
  • Rags to Royalty (Takiko)
  • Refusal of the Call: Would you wanna come out of the closet when it's said that being selected as Celestial Warrior is doomed as a complete curse to mankind and all people of your entire country will discriminate against you?...We think not. Literally every single Genbu Seishi that Takiko encountered openly refused to join her as their initial reaction once she introduced herself as the Priestess of Genbu. ( Except for the very very last one.)
  • Second Love: Uruki, for Takiko.
  • Shout-Out: The journey to The Konan Country sure is a lot of fun for the gang.
    • Uruki and Hikitsu wore the same kind of top, but Uruki gets even with one unbuttoned just like some future Suzaku seishi guy name Tamahome.
  • Soap Opera Disease (Takiko and Hagas.)
  • Warrior Prince (Uruki)
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