Fushigi Yūgi Genbu Kaiden
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| Fushigi Yuugi: Genbu Kaiden | |
|---|---|
| ふしぎ遊戯 玄武開伝 | |
| Genre | adventure, comedy, drama, historical, romance, shoujo |
| Manga | |
| Authored by | Watase Yu |
| Publisher |  Shogakukan Productions Co., Ltd. |
| Serialized in | Sho-Comi Zoukan |
| Original run | October 25, 2003 – |
| No. of volumes | 5 and on going |
Fushigi Yūgi Genbu Kaiden (ふしぎ遊戯玄武開伝) is a Japanese manga written by Yū Watase. It tells the history of the creation of "The Universe of the Four Gods" and the story of the Genbu no Miko, or Priestess of Genbu, who is mentioned briefly in both the anime and the manga of the original Fushigi Yūgi, also written by Yuu Watase, to which Genbu Kaiden is a prequel.
Fushigi Yūgi Genbu Kaiden was first published in Sho-Comi in 2003. New chapters are published quarterly in the Fushigi Yūgi Perfect World magazine, and new volumes of the manga come out in Japan bi-annually. This manga is still on-going, making occasional appearances in the Sho-Comi "zokan" issues. Fushigi Yūgi Genbu Kaiden has been licensed in English in North America by VIZ Media and in Singapore by Chuang Yi.
Contents |
[edit] Story
In Japan of 1923, a 16-year-old girl named Takiko Okuda is living with her ill mother after recently moving to a small town. Her father comes home one day (he's never home, as he's a busy novelist), much to Takiko's chagrin. He apparently has been working on something called "The Universe of the Four Gods" and even after returning home, is obsessed with the book. Her mother eventually dies and Takiko becomes angry at her father for ignoring the two of them. These feelings, paired with her feelings of loneliness and uselessness at being rejected both in love and by her father, lead her to attempt to tear the book apart. However, it instead whisks her away to the country of Hokkan where all of her adventures begin.
[edit] Differences between Genbu Kaiden and the original Fushigi Yūgi
In terms of basic storyline, Genbu Kaiden is like Fushigi Yūgi in that Takiko becomes the priestess, has to search for the 7 Celestial warriors, and is trying to summon the god so that she can receive 3 wishes. However, this is were the similarities end. Unlike the priestesses of Suzaku and Seiryu, Takiko and her warriors are hated by the people due to a rumor that they bring impending doom. They have several assassins sent after them, and were Miaka had the luxury of consulting Tai Yi-Jun, Takiko does not, although Tai Yi-Jun has helped them in some tight spots. Furthermore, Takiko is far more aggressive and inclined to fight (armed often with a naginata) than the more naive and optimistic Miaka.
Another major aspect of Genbu Kaiden that is largely different from Fushigi Yūgi is the nature of the main couple's relationship. Typical for such a story, Takiko ends up falling in love with the first Celestial Warrior she meets (Rimudo), like Miaka's relationship with Tamahome. One primary difference is that that Takiko and Rimudo take longer in developing feelings for one another, allowing for a more mature relationship to form by the time they admit their feelings for one another in the 5th volume, though before that there was a great deal of tension and obvious attraction towards each other. Miaka confessed her love for Tamahome at the end of book one, though he rejected her because of his obligation to his brothers and sisters.
As even Yuu Watase herself admits, the handling of the material in Genbu Kaiden is inevitably much more mature than in the original Fushigi Yūgi. Whereas the original had begun more like a romantic comedy, Genbu Kaiden remains largely a fantasy adventure with the romance more subtle-keyed below the emotional struggles of its main characters. Her art style has also matured since Fushigi Yūgi to become appropriately expressive in tense scenarios.
The eventual conclusion of Genbu Kaiden will likely follow the one given in the original Fushigi Yūgi, of which fans of the original will know Takiko's fate will differ greatly from Miaka Yūki and Yui Hongo, the Priestesses of Suzaku and Seiryū respectively. It is expected that Takiko will be murdered by her own father to prevent her from being consumed by Genbu.
[edit] Stars of Genbu (Seishi and miko)
Takiko Okuda (奧田 多喜子 Okuda Takiko) "Genbu no Miko"
- A sixteen year old schoolgirl, whose mother has recently died of tuberculosis and whose father seems to care more about his research than his own family. She is revealed to be the Priestess of Genbu, whose destiny will be to summon the god Genbu with her own will after she has gathered the Celestial Warriors and have 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, 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. Rimundo falls in love with her and she eventually comes to reciprocate, though they must keep their relationship a secret.
Uruki/Rimudo (女宿 Roun Rimudo) "Woman"
- Uruki is the seventeen 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 'woman' and only appears when he is in woman 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 in the fifth volume, but their relationship is kept a secret.
Hikitsu/Emthatt Chen (斗宿Chen Emtato) "Equivocal"
- Twenty-one year old Hikitsu is a member the Kan 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.
Inami/Taruma (牛宿) "Cow"
- Inami is a senior prostitute around her thirties (age not confirmed). 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's power is being able to control her hair to great lengths and is able to use a pipe as her weapon. She joins Takiko and the other Seishi after great encouragement from the other prostitutes.
Tomite/Chamka Tan (Taan) (虚宿 Tan (Taan) Chamka) "Vacuum"
- 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, most likely because he has some feelings for Takiko.
Known to fans of the original Fushigi Yugi, Tomite and his friend Hikitsu became the guardians of the Shentso-pao of the Genbu priestess after their deaths.
Hatsui/Zaraa Erutai (室宿 Erutai Zaraa) "Camping, Shelter"
- 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).
Namame (壁宿) "Wall"
- 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.
Urumiya/Haagasu(危宿) "Ceiling"
- (in the Genbu Kaiden video game Urumiya is revealed to be Shigi, but it is unlikely that the manga will follow suit as Anru prophesizes the locations of the remaining Celestial Warriors shortly before she dies, and Shigi was not in one of them. It is revealed that Haagasu is only half of Urumiya (only half of the character is shown), therefore, he is not complete.
[edit] Other characters
Bohui/Hakei
- The Crown Prince of Qu-dong (the land to the east, protected by Seiryu). He is evil, but always hides his intentions with a friendly attitude towards Uruki (in "Taki" form) and is bent on invading Bei-jia. Ziyi and Feiyan are under his command.
Ziyi/Shigi
- A beautiful, yet cruel, boy. Always insists that Genbu must absolutely not be summoned. He kills The Oracle, Lady Anlu, Namame's guardian. His weapon resembles a whip, but is made out of what looks like nunchuku. He is constantly wearing a smile on his face (even when he is brutally killing someone) and it not one to be underestimated in battle. Speaks very politely, almost like a woman.
Feiyan/Hien
- A violent, hot-tempered man whose arm was cut off by Uruki. Bent on getting revenge for having his arm cut off. Ziyi and Feiyan are commanded by Bohui to take "Taki" (who is actually Uruki's identity when he joins the Kotou army in his man form) and fight with him against the Genbu celestial warriors and priestess. Although Feiyan does not trust Taki (and later on it is revealed that Ziyi did not either), they do not throw him out of the army as Bohui is adamant that he should stay.
Hagas/Haagasu
- While not necessarily evil, he fights against the celestial warriors of Genbu and has the ability to absorb their powers. He is not totally evil, as he is seen saving children during some of the battles. However, he has a goal to destroy the Genbu warriors, with Uruki in particular. Under the command of Uruki's father.
Boratte/Borate
- Tomite's mother. The one who first accepts Takiko as the Genbu priestess followed by the rest of the village. She and the village people, the Ha tribe, might be the only ones who thinks that the coming of the Genbu priestess and the summoning of Genbu is a good thing. Takes an arrow for Takiko when it is shot at her during a raid of the village of the Ha tribe.
Ayla /Aira
- Hikitsu's (Chen Emutato) younger sister. Had been encased in ice for a year together with the beasts that had attacked the village of whence the Ha and the Kan tribe used to be placed. Finally, released from the ice when Tomite returned to the place to search for Hikitsu. Currently staying with Boratte. Makes moves on Tomite even though he froze her for a year.
Anlu/Anru
- An Oracle protected by Namame. It took her a great deal of time to win his trust as he had been treated very cruelly by other humans when he attempting to fit in. She is killed by Ziyi and Feiyan's men as she continually provoked with her prophesy that "The priestess will definitely summon Genbu- Go away!". With her dying words, she reveals to Takiko the key in communicating with Namame (her necklace wich is made out of the same rock as him).
