Fushigi Yûgi: VizBig Edition, Vol. 2

by Yuu Watase

Fifteen-year-old Miaka Yuki is transported into an ancient Chinese kingdom by an old library book, The Universe of the Four Gods. Following the legend in the story, Miaka becomes the Priestess of Suzaku and must find her seven Celestial Warriors before she can save the kingdom and return home. Read the shojo manga that started it all! Fushigi Yûgi , the best-selling series from beloved creator Yuu Watase is now available in a VIZBIG Edition--three of the original graphic novel releases collected into one volume, including color artwork and new bonus content!

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

600 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 16, 2009

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

[Alexa (Alexa Loves Books) · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are definitely quite a few iconic moments in this collection of three volumes, that’s for sure! I also quite enjoyed the art style, and there were some really great panels included too.

As for the story, things amp up for Miaka in her search for the remaining celestial warriors. (Especially given Tamahome isn’t with her!) This ends another arc pretty definitively when readers hit the last page, with the promise of more to come.

[BeckyisBookish · Rating 4 out of 5]

There could be less panels of buffoonery but overall I'm very invested and enjoying it immensely!!

[Clint Read-Brittian · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series sooo much! Miaka and Tamahome are the best! 💜❤💙💚💛

[elle · Rating 3 out of 5]

would’ve gotten a higher rating if everybody doesn’t want to fuck somebody every minute

[Shia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Series gets better and better each time its read!

[Mindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

**Please read CWs before reading the manga.**

I love how this omnibus focuses on two large things: The plans to foil Suzaku and the love connection between Tamahome and Miaka.

I do feel the show did a better job of getting us those tender moments between the two. Just the same, I can understand (on a shallow level) how the two can "love" each other. Miaka's love can be understood from a school girl who finally has the book boyfriend of her dreams. It does develop into something stronger as she matures, but this high school crush is a given for the kind of manga it is. (RE: romance in shojo manga.) And as for Tamahome? On some level, it's because he has a desire to protect her as a celestial warrior, but also because Miaka is so selfless and yet in need of saving. It's "easy" to love a gal like her. (And she's the exact opposite to Yui, which you really see in this omnibus.) But just the same, I love the connection that Miaka and Tamahome have.

As far as the plans to foil Suzaku? If I hadn't seen the show, I would have been surprised. But goodness, I do love Chiriko! I cannot wait to get going on the next installment. I big story arc is now over. Time for the next!

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

I still feel like everything is moving a breakneck pace, and outside of Tamahome/Miaka/Hotohori, I don’t feel like any of the characters are really that close. Sure, they’ll act like it, but it doesn’t feel earned. I’m hoping we’ll get more bonding moments in the next volume.

Yui continues to be the worst. (And again, I feel terrible saying this because HOLY SHIT what she’s gone through is awful—almost jarringly so, it feels a little out of place for everything else that’s going on.) I wish Watase would just commit to her being fully evil because as it is, she’s just a whiny brat. Go all in, make her awful, give us all the angst. She can have a redemption arc, that’s fine, but just make her more interesting.

Speaking of angst, I kind of wish Tamahome had been brainwashed for longer because we were getting peak angst here.

[Soobie has fog in her brain · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit better than the first three volumes, I have to say. Maybe it's more story-driven and there's less time for silly things. Not sure I like Yui as a character: she seems a very spoiled girl, way more than Miaka.

Also, I'm getting used to the English translation. I would like to bring the other four volumes to Austria but they are so heavy. At the same time, I'll be back home on November 17th. But by that day I'll have forgotten everything.

[-moonprismpower- · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ohhh yes juicy drama and awesome fight scenes! I’m enjoying this series very much! Tamahome and Miaka are so cute!

[Ash · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 - 4 stars.

[Marianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

My gosh! This manga! This manga is so epic! Volume 2 has one of my favourite story arcs and in terms of character development, Miaka is emotionally growing in one way or another. Just fantastic character writing and story arcs! Mature content is advised, so get ready to read very sensual and sensitive themes on this book 😉 ... Other than that, 5 out of 5 stars!

[Anna · Rating 2 out of 5]

uhhhg, this just did not age well. Yui is a raging bitch because reasons (my headcanon is "Universe of Four Gods" demands the precious Suzaku priestess has an arch nemesis within the plot & automatically creates one for her. If Yui wasn't at the library the book would have just made up another mirror-girl or something), Miaka's clumsy stupidity is borderline demented...
but hey, at least Tasuki finally joins the cast, yay!

_____
Prev volume complaints still stand: why did Viz print up literal pages upon pages of sound-effects after the fact?
Watase's art is cute (especially SD-styled comedy) but her fights are still terrible & threats of sexual violence for drama in some form continue to be as cringeworthy as ever
Bonus dozen pages of color illustrations at end of book are still wonderful! Including couple chapter pages reprints, complete with their orig. Japanese speech bubbles

_____
bonus WTF: my brain only now realized this (yeah, super-slowpoke moment) but why is the title Yûgi but the author's name in romaji Yuu?
They're both going for the long "u" sound, why the difference in visual spelling?

[Eulercauchy · Rating 4 out of 5]

So great, hits the turning point of the series and really starts to get on stride. This series is really read for the second half. The first portion is character building. The beginning is pretty formulaic (well maybe it created the formula as it was written in the 90s).

This is where the story starts to get special. Art as always is gorgeous.

[Tabitha · Rating 5 out of 5]

so good i loved it....

[Danyka · Rating 5 out of 5]

I watched and loved the Anime version of this since I was a kid. It also landed on my favorites.

For now, I got no plans for buying a copy.