Fushigi Yûgi: The Mysterious Play, Vol. 5: Rival

ふしぎ遊戯 [Fushigi Yûgi] #5

by Yuu Watase, Yuji Oniki (Translator)

After finding a mysterious book, Miaka and her friend Yui are transported to a strange world that is reminiscent of ancient China, where they befriend seven Celestial Warriors and try to return home through the help of the god Suzaku.

Genres: Manga, Fantasy, Romance, Graphic Novels, Fiction, Shojo, Comics

189 pages, Paperback

First published April 26, 1993

About the author

Yuu Watase (渡瀬悠宇) is a Japanese shoujo manga-ka. She is known for her works Fushigi Yūgi, Alice 19th, Ceres: The Celestial Legend, Fushigi Yūgi Genbu Kaiden and Absolute Boyfriend. She likes all music, except heavy metal and old traditional music.

She received the Shogakukan Manga Award for shōjo for Ceres, Celestial Legend in 1997. Since writing her debut short story "Pajama de Ojama" ("An Intrusion in Pajamas"), Watase has created more than 80 compiled volumes of short stories and continuing series. Because of her frequent use of beautiful male characters in her works, she is widely regarded in circles[which?] as a bishōnen manga artist.[citation needed] In October 2008, Watase began her first shōnen serialization, Arata: The Legend in Weekly Shōnen Sunday.
Her name is romanized as "Yû Watase" in earlier printings of Viz Media's publications of Fushigi Yūgi, Alice 19th, and Ceres, The Celestial Legend, while in Viz Media's Fushigi Yūgi Genbu Kaiden and Absolute Boyfriend her name is romanized as "Yuu Watase". In Chuang Yi's English-language versions of Fushigi Yugi (spelled without a macron or circumflex), her name is romanized as "Yu Watase".

Reviews

[Lemoona · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well Tamahome has been brainwashed, and I don’t want to hate Yui but she went too far this time. It’s unfortunate that Miaka could not be there for her when she was suffering, but in the end none of it was Miaka’s fault, and Yui is just trying to find someone to project her trauma on and direct her ill feelings toward. She chose wrong to choose Miaka, the one person who could have saved her. Now, she may never go back to the person she used to be. Also, this Nakago is quite conniving. None of Miaka’s celestial warriors are that heartless. That’s already a sign that Suzaku is superior to Seiryu.

So much has happened, but I hope this Tamahome brainwashing doesn’t drag on. I can’t believe he broke Miaka’s arm…

[Lexie · Rating 2 out of 5]

(I want to point out I'd mark this for spoilers, but the COVER ITSELF is a spoiler for a storyline that doesn't occur for another volume. It’s actually a spoiler for the series IN GENERAL once you've read it and realize where that image comes from continuity wise. But super pretty).

Welcome back to another recap of Fushigi Yugi! In this volume we get to read about that frakking storyline I hated the most in the anime*. It plays out almost to the frakking scene exactly like it does in the anime too, so gah oh god. Ok. I will persevere.

In this volume we basically see just how far Nakago and Yui will go to hurt Miaka/the Suzaku Seven as well as how far Hotohori and Tasuki will go to protect her. We also see Miaka being the 15 year old just in the first throes of an intense love affair teen that she is. Which let me tell you my crack theory after we get through this summation.

As you may remember Tamahome is being held captive by Yui and Nakago over in Qu-dong. Yui is trying her best to seduce him but to no one’s shock he’s actually truly in love with Miaka and it takes all of Nakago’s considerable magical ju-ju to turn him over to their side. But it’s not really him because this Tamahome LISTENS to Nakago, is cruelly violent and worst of all he totally passes up the chance to snag some coins from the ground. Is this really Tamahome? Yes, yes it is. Just Tamahome if you suck out of all his personality and just leave the pretty shell (which Yui seems completely okay with by the way).

Miaka, being Miaka, doesn’t believe this is true! How could Tamahome NOT LOVE HER SO INTENSELY? She believes this EVEN AFTER HE BREAKS HER ARM. Even AFTER HE NEARLY KILLS TASUKI. She’s dead certain in him…until everyone forces her to confront her feelings and she breaks down, realizes the issues and Hotohori is like “But I love you and will protect you and let me sleep holding your hand like the celibate monk everyone thinks I am”.

There was also an amusing exchange when Mitsukake points out that Hotohori has way too many boyfriends (Chiriko and Nuriko are fighting over who gets to “comfort him” when Miaka is gone) and Hotohori doesn’t deny it, just that he has a headache.

The continual use of Nuriko’s (very real) feelings of gender dysphoria as a joke is grating however – at one point Tasuki comments that it “sounded like the shrill cry of a cross dresser” and Nuriko herself laments that the society is so gender oriented she can’t even find a mystical love token to prove her and Hotohori are meant to be.

Oh right the story. So Round 1 of Miaka & Co. trying to save Tamahome goes really badly. Tasuki & Chichiri are forced to retreat while Miaka gets thrown in the dungeon. She escapes, but it then caught by Yui who very cleverly uses Miaka’s inability to resist free mouthwatering food to trap her again. This is when Tamahome breaks her arm. And calls her a dirty useless wench (basically Tama-baby was channeling Inuyasha in this scene).

Off Miaka goes to the dungeons again, but is rescued and brought home to his Majesty (and others) who can’t believe Tama-baby is such a treacherous snake (despite Tasuki looking manly beaten up, god I love him). So of course Tama-baby gets it into his head to go and kill them all, with Nakago’s gleeful encouragement (Yui does not approve) but well apparently Miaka’s love wins the day and everyone is happy. Except Hotohori who almost got the girl and lost her again. And Tasuki who is all but dead. And Yui who lost her pretty doll. Nakago is happy though because he gets to enact his back-up back-up back-up plan to destroy the Priestess of Suzaku.

Until we learn why Nakago is the twist he is, it’s hard to understand why he’s got such a hard on to kill certain folk by the way.

What did we learn? Nothing. We literally learned nothing. Except Nakago plays a better Xanatos Gambit then Xanatos and Yui is blind as Miaka.

So my crack theory is this – Yui and Miaka are both 15 – really a lot of this cast is in their teens, but as Yui and Miaka are from a time when being a teen meant still being a teen and the rest of the cast is from a time when being a teen meant you were basically a grown adult, it’s easy to forget this. So Yui and Miaka, both of whom have gone through a few traumatic episodes aren’t exactly acting rationally at all. They got crazy hormones going, crazy emotions, manipulations from older folk, frequent ups and downs AND they’re burdened with being religious icons for two warring kingdoms, neither of whom felt it necessary to tell them the FULL EXTENT of their religious duties.

If these two aren’t both suffering from forms of PTSD, or in Yui’s case even Stockholm’s (I refuse to believe that she would be ok with half the crap her Seven do otherwise), then I’ll eat a hat. If this was written NOW (like say Yona of the Dawn, which is a spiritual successor to this if ever there was one in my opinion) I think they’d explore that a bit more in relation to why the girls are acting as they are. Sadly this manga is two decades plus old and fantasy action shoujo like this was not known for being introspective in that way.

(*) Look. In a lot of ways the anime did a great job sticking to the manga. It was the first anime I watched and read the manga of at the same time (I watched Sailor Moon for almost a year before I got into the manga) and in a lot of ways their faithful reproduction was a refreshing thing. But this episode arc in the anime? Sweet shiny stars I wanted to stab everyone. Maybe if I had read it first I’d feel different, but Miaka, who was already the most annoying girl ever, is so BLIND and Yui is so CRUEL I just…I couldn’t. Also praise the trees and bless the earth Sailor Moon had an almost the exact same thing with Beryl, Endymion and Usagi (though it lasted far less time). I just absolutely abhor that arc and it’s bled over into my feelings for the manga. I was also somewhat turned off by Hotohori for the last couple of volumes…his gentle, but aggressive insistence that he loves Miaka and he will make her love him and forget Tamahome is…not cool.

[Jolly Ann Paciencia · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story becomes more intense. Looking forward to the next book.

[Chelsea · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, while I'm still enjoying this...I hate the trope central to this one. Boyfriend is put under a curse and is now love interest's enemy. Which sounds like it could be really cool but every time this trop pops up in manga the love interest acts so betrayed and gives up on the boyfriend cause "how could they do this" knowing their enemy has powers to pull this off. Miaka in this volume even figures Tamahome is under a curse and then in the end says her goodbyes to him. So. Annoying.

Otherwise, I really liked seeing characters that haven't had any time to shine be featured throughout this one.

[Bibliothecat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review for complete series



I am actually really sad and disappointed. Fushigi Yuugi was that one classic shoujo fantasy that I never got around to reading even though I was convinced I would love it. I love Watase's art - this is an older work and the art is a tad dated, but it's perfectly lovely. It's a portal fantasy quest story with Chinese lore and it's not ridiculously long like many of its peers (I'm looking at you Inu Yasha and Yona of the Dawn). Eighteen volumes seemed like the perfect length and there was just no way I wasn't going to love this. It turns out that this manga has some of the worst pacing I have ever come across.

At its core, the story is pretty straight forward: Miaka is your normal school girl who comes by a magic book, gets pulled into an ancient fantasy world and is sent on a quest to collect items that will help her save the world she's in. For this, she needs to pull together some preordained set of warriors who fight by her side. Of course she falls in love with one of them and there's the big drama or which world she will end up staying in. All of this is pretty standard in this type of portal fantasy but that's exactly what I am here for. So while the premise isn't hugely unique, it's definitely not the problem I had with this story.

The first couple of volumes were insta-everything. I'm not just talking about Miaka and Tamahome falling madly in love from volume one, all other relationships are established in the same way. Yui, Miaka's best friend, is also in love with Tamahome from the moment they meet. The emperor is in love with Miaka from before they meet. All allies join their ranks effortlessly and they become best buddies just because. There's no real effort in recruiting any of the characters nor even finding them. Part of the whole point of this quest was to find these characters yet they just sometimes stumble into a scene, introducing themselves and declaring they're part of the gang and are already set to join them on a quest - no questions asked. It was so extreme that I don't think the last two characters added to the group were given much of a personality and were completely forgettable.

The problem with tossing these characters together like that is that there are no real developments. They say they all love and care for each other but, as far as I am concerned, I can't really believe them. If I see characters get to know each other, grow and form bonds, I will care for them. If they just pop out of the blue and risk limb and life for each other I feel there is something sorely lacking. I can't invest into friendships or romances that just kind of happened without any development whatsoever.

The plot becomes continuously more dark and a lot of deaths and loss occur. I'd normally feel something for these characters by that point but everything feels so over the top dramatic given what it is all based on. The pacing did improve quite a bit halfway through the series and the last couple of volumes were over all well-paced. The problem is that the damage was already done - the characters grew on me to some extent and while their actions and motifs became more believable, it still didn't do away with how wishy-washy their starting point was.

I also need to dedicate a paragraph to Yui - I feel no sympathy for her whatsoever. I don't care if she was manipulated, her actions were shallow and selfish. She blames Miaka for things she didn't do and sets heaven and hell loose just to get an uncalled for revenge. It's such a shame because I liked Yui's character in the second arc but yet again, it was already ruined by how she acted in the first arc. I'm not saying a character can't redeem themselves, Yui did do her part to earn forgiveness. The problem is that her anger and bitterness was completely misplaced and out of proportion.

I am not saying that this is a bad manga. I do think that a lot of people who like this are driven by nostalgia and I think I would have liked it a lot more had it also been one of my first manga. But after years of manga reading, this just doesn't deliver emotionally what I would expect of a good fantasy manga. The art is its strongest point, the characters are nice but they were never given the time they needed to grow. I don't think that eighteen volumes was too short, I just think that Watase priorities the wrong things over proper character and relationship development. I am not even sure what I am going to do with my copies - it's a good chunk of eighteen volumes taking up shelf space and somehow I don't see myself reading it again. Yet there's a part of me that just really wants to like this - but of course, wanting to like something and actually liking it are not the same thing. I think it will ultimately depend on how much I like its prequel Genbu Kaiden - I expect it to be a better work as it was written later and Watase has already proven in other works and in Fushigi Yuugi's second arc that she can write a properly paced story.

[Amanda [Novel Addiction] · Rating 4 out of 5]

These are seriously growing on me. I'm addicted to the story line. It's cheesy and, in some instances, very formulaic, but ugh, love it.

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Today's post is on Fushigi Yugi: The Mysterious Play, Volume 5: Rival by Yuu Watase. It is 189 pages long and is published by Shojo Beat. The cover has the two main characters on it facing the reader. The intended reader is someone who likes historical fantasy, high fantasy, romance, and shojo stories. There is mild foul language, mild sexuality, and violence in this story. The story is told from third person close of the main characters. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- Honor among Thieves? Miaka Yuki is a ordinary teen suddenly transported into the world of a book. To save her newly adoptive country of Hong-Nan, she must scour the nation for the remaining three of the seven Celestial Warriors who will help her in her quest. But the search takes Miaka into the lair of bandits and to a plague-cursed town where she has to die to survive!

Review- The blurb does not go into the real meat of this volume which is trying to get Tamahome back from Qu-Dong. He went there to wait until Miaka found the last of the seven warriors and she does in this volume. But because Yui, Miaka's best friend, has also fallen in love with Tamahome she does not want him to leave. Her general promises that she can make Tamahome love her instead of Miaka. So most of the volume is really about Miaka deciding what she is going to do now. There is good fight scenes in this volume with some of the newer warriors getting to show their power and Chichiri's brains are on show for this volume and I liked that a lot. I think that this love spell that Tamahome is under if going to slow the plot down but we will see in the next volume.

I give this volume a Five out Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I bought this manga with my own money.

[✨Samantha Lopez✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

📚𝕍𝕠𝕝𝕦𝕞𝕖 5! Oh, boy, there's a lot to unpack and I mean a lot!! While finding the last 𝚂𝚞𝚣𝚊𝚔𝚞 𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚒𝚘𝚛𝚜 of the 𝚂𝚞𝚣𝚊𝚔𝚞. 𝐌𝐢𝐚𝐤𝐚 and the others head back to Tamahome's hometown. One of the 𝚂𝚞𝚣𝚊𝚔𝚞 𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚒𝚘𝚛𝚜 heals the sick and injured 𝚃𝚊𝚖𝚊𝚑𝚘𝚖𝚎'𝚜 dad and the others take care of the children. While staying for the night bats and a flute plays in the night tricking 𝐌𝐢𝐚𝐤𝐚 to come out and find the flute that plays. But she only to find out that it was a trap set up from 𝐍𝐚𝐤𝐚𝐠𝐨 minions! Lady 𝐌𝐢𝐚𝐤𝐚 is saved by the flute sending the bats to bash themselves into the tree. One of the last 𝚂𝚞𝚣𝚊𝚔𝚞 𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚒𝚘𝚛𝚜 named 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐤𝐨! But some things are not what it seems....
🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸
As someone who wasn't a fan of the episode of 𝚃𝚊𝚖𝚊𝚑𝚘𝚖𝚎 turning evil made me think of 𝐌𝐚𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐮 from 𝑺𝒂𝒊𝒍𝒐𝒓 𝑴𝒐𝒐𝒏🌙 when he was brainwashed by 𝐐𝐮𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐁𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐥! It was exactly how it played out in both of the comics. My only thing was that I didn't understand is why did 𝚃𝚊𝚖𝚊𝚑𝚘𝚖𝚎 in both the Tv show and comics did he saved her red ribbon? I questioned that a lot. It was the same way in 𝑺𝒂𝒊𝒍𝒐𝒓 𝑴𝒐𝒐𝒏🌙 𝐌𝐚𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐮 keeping something of 𝐔𝐬𝐚𝐠𝐢🐰.
But, anyways the whole thing of being brainwashed thing, I call it the 𝐌𝐚𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐮 affect. It's always funny to see the eye candy guy getting turned evil and only to see the heroine of the story a hero saving the prince from an evil spell.

[Zennica Bunny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fushigi Yuugi Volume 5 delivers an emotionally charged installment that keeps readers hooked with its blend of character drama and escalating stakes. The deepening rift between Miaka and Yui is the emotional core of this volume, highlighting how misunderstandings and manipulation can turn friendship into enmity. Tamahome and Miaka’s relationship faces compelling challenges, adding layers to their dynamic without overshadowing the group’s collective mission.

The volume skillfully balances action and introspection, as the Suzaku warriors’ journey is punctuated by perilous encounters and moments of vulnerability that further flesh out their characters. While the pacing occasionally slows during exposition, the emotional weight of the story and the looming threat of the Seiryuu warriors more than make up for it.

Overall, Volume 5 continues to build on the series’ themes of loyalty, love, and betrayal, making it a satisfying and impactful chapter in this epic tale.

[Lore · Rating 3 out of 5]

Things unravel pretty quickly on this one, and drama levels have gone up to +1000.

And while this was very entertaining to read, it was definitely not my favorite.
The fun part: the search for all the warriors is going pretty well and... well just look at this cover!!
The not so fun part: I kept hoping for Miaka and Yui to be the best friends that they used to be, and get together to fight against the true villain in this series... But after this volume Yui is irredeemable for me. She has taken things a bit too far.
We know from the beginning that Nakago is a diabolical mastermind, but I was hoping Yui to be more chill about the whole thing. She's NOT.

Yui you lil' b*tch!!

And poor Tamahome got himself stuck in the middle.

[Pittoresque · Rating 4 out of 5]

Obwohl ich mir sicher bin, zumindest diesen und die nächsten beiden Bände schon einmal gelesen zu haben, hatte ich null Erinnerung daran, was hier passiert. Spannend! Hätte ich auch nicht erwartet. Eine relativ action-geladene Episode, die möglicherweise einen Wendepunkt der Story da stellt, jetzt, wo alle Seishi gefunden wurden.Ich habe so eine vage Ahnung, welche Richtung die Geschichte jetzt einschlagen könnte, mal sehen, ob ich richtig liege...

[Lau · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me gustó mucho este volumen. La historia se puso dramática y por una vez el conflicto no se resuelve rápido. Espero que Yui esté actuando así porque también tiene los efectos de un hechizo de Nakago, me cuesta creer sino que haya cambiado tanto.

Miaka es mucho más despierta de lo que parece, y me gusta especialmente lo buena que es comprendiendo las emociones de los demás.

Pensaba hacer una pausita después de éste, pero con ese final no puedo.

[BookishAika · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's just sad that, in the end, Yui and Miaka end up as enemies, caught in a rivalry over a man. Interestingly, love triangles often happen between best friends, as shown in this manga. It's a classic portrayal of how a long-term friendship can turn into a frenemy relationship.

[Lina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yui is really annoying and childish despite what she had to go through. Doesn't even make sense she'd want a man after she was raped and she barely knows Tamahome for her to say she's in love with him.

[Illy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I cant tell how much I hate the whole boyfriend turns evil trope.

[✨Sky✨ ♏ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5 stars

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one is just sad.

[fawkes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Es la fantasía más dramática de la vida y me encanta es que DIOS MÍO.

[Lindsey Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

So sad!

[ⓘⓣⓐ · Rating 4 out of 5]

2024 goal 161/150

[Aikazen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The greatest betrayal is when you get betrayed by your beloved bestfriend. A childhood bff at that just for a boy heck!

[Gabriela · Rating 2 out of 5]

1 star down after reading the author saying in this volume that, even if she writes for female readers, she prefers male fans letters cause THEY ARE MORE LOGICAL THAN HER FEMALE FANS. WTF

[David Doel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fifty too many "no da"s cost this volume a star. That, and it was kinda dull.

[Veronica Ika · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quest's End
After an arduous journey, Miaka finally locates the last of the Celestial Warriors, determined to reclaim Tamahome from the clutches of her former friend-turned-enemy, Yui. With the end of her quest in sight, she braces herself for the ultimate confrontation.

A Devious Plot Unfolds
Yui and Nagako, in a cruel twist, administer a poison to Tamahome that erases his memories of Miaka and twists his perception of her, casting her as his enemy. Shocked and devastated, Miaka watches helplessly as her beloved Tamahome succumbs to the poison's effects, unaware of their shared love and bond.

Heartbreaking Betrayal
In a heartbreaking turn of events, Miaka is left to confront the harsh reality of love's fragile nature and the devastating consequences of deception and manipulation.

[Kirsten Simkiss · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is actually my second read through and this book has the first scene I actually remember. The characters' relationships are finally being tested, which is nice. It makes for good character growth. A lot of the relationships are still really shallow, but it's something that can be built upon. The thing I don't get is how Yui could blame Miaka for being raped. Even with the time difference between the book and the real world, there's no way Miaka could have done anything after escaping the book. By the time she got back, Yui would probably have been attacked already and Miaka probably couldn't have done anything. If two hours was months in the world of the old gods, I don't think she would have made it to Yui in time no matter what.

[Leila Anani · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fushigi Yugi gets more epic with every instalment. In this one Miaka finds the 7th and final Celestial warrior Chiriko and thinks that now she can get Tamahome back. But the course of true love never did run smooth... upset at Tamahome's rejection Yui has given him Nakago's potion - he has now forgotten Miaka completely and sees her as nothing more than an enemy. OMG such melodrama! When he tries to kill Miaka my heart skips a beat.

Shojo manga at its best with gorgeous artwork, an unputdownable story and fantastic cast of characters. Love this series just as much now as when I first discovered it.

[Sam C · Rating 4 out of 5]

We meet the seventh and final Suzaku seishi...or do we? Tamahome's rescue party is assembled. But we already know that Nakago and Yui are up to no good.

Tasuki and Chichiri meet up (one of my favorite bromances ever). Miaka and Tamahome are able to communicate through a mirror thanks to Chichiri. :') They plan to meet up at midnight, and Tamahome has to bring Yui and the scroll with him. She brings Tasuki and Chichiri with her.

But remember Nakago and Yui? Yea...those two made sure things don't go smoothly.

[Indah Threez Lestari · Rating 4 out of 5]

#Program BUBU

Pertama kali dibeli dan dibaca pada tanggal 3 Mei 2002.

Cerita ala sinetron pun dimulai... jreng-jeng...

Dengan obat jampi-jampi Tamahome lupa akan cintanya pada Miaka serta berusaha membunuhnya dan para ksatria Suzaku.

Bisakah Yui menerima Tamahome yang mendadak cinta padanya?

Bisakah Miaka melupakan Tamahome?

Apakah kali ini tiba giliran Hotohori untuk merebut cinta Miaka?

Nantikan lanjutan kisah ini pada episode berikutnya.

[Chloe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am so upset about Tamahome right now... My hatred for Yui is growing and growing. Can Miaka really not get a break? I mean the guy she loves is trapped in a palace with her crazy ex-best friend, who has now also drugged him to completely forgot about her and try to kill her. If this doesn't come back around to bite Yui in the butt, I will find a way to enter the book just like they did and throw Yui back out.

[♡Kayla♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

*3.5*

I was not expecting that twist! I guess it answers my question of "what's going to happen after the seven constellations are finally found to keep this series going for so long?". It was actually kind of sad though, and I really feel for Miaka.

Also, just want to say that I hate Yui even more now, and as every volume passes I like Miaka more and more. She was shown to be pretty smart at times, and even has some cleverness.