Fushigi Yûgi: Genbu Kaiden volume nine is a book of connections. A lot of plot threads that I didn’t even know were still open are suddenly being tying together.
Written and carefully illustrated by Yuu Watase
Into China’s past, a young girl fights for love! Back in her own world, Takiko tries to forget about the “Universe of the Four Gods.” Determined to live the life of an ordinary girl in Tokyo in 1923, she returns to her father’s home and concentrates on being a loyal daughter–and, soon, a dutiful bride. But she can’t leave her other life behind. And while Takiko struggles to cool her still-burning heart, the Celestial Warriors battle through a new ice age! This exciting prequel to best-selling fantasy series, Fushigi Yûgi, tells the story of the very first priestess of the Four Gods—the Priestess of Genbu!
We learn that Takiko is dying of the same disease her mother died of in volume one. Death is circling for her, whether through sacrifice or consumption, and it’s a smart way to tie the whole story together.
We learn why Limdo’s father hates him, and how he’s connected to the throne. It’s a plot note that I initially dismissed out of hand about it as soon as I heard it. His father hates him because of a prophecy? Sure. Standard fare for fantasy kings. The bastard truth has a deeper and truer ring to it.
We learn that the real threat to the kingdom isn’t war, but a rapidly advancing ice age. Which is one item that I personally believe Takiko should leave alone. It’s one of the great lessons of the 21st century: let the climate be.
We learn all this. It’s too bad the first half of the book is so weak.
The first two chapters in volume nine are my least favorite of the series, because there’s only one possible outcome and only one possible avenue of character development. There’s no romantic threat from the long-abandoned crush, and there’s no chance Takiko wouldn’t return to the Universe of the Four Gods. There’s no drama, except to introduce the disease of consumption.
The second two chapters in this volume are where the plot starts to drive forward hard. It turns into a raw action scene with Limdo proving how much he loves Takiko by crashing into a surrounding army and just fighting his way through them, all to be with his love. But even here it stays true to the shojo style, and in panel after panel we see the battle through giant eyes and clear facial expressions.
As always, the other celestial warriors barely rate a background beat. Tomite appears on almost every cover of every volume, but he’s been barely relevant since his emotional arc concluded a few volumes ago. The story of Takiko and Limdo is the true story of Fushigi Yûgi: Genbu Kaiden, and I love watching it move forward, but the other characters are so emotional fulfilled that it’s easy to see why they disappear for entire chapters, there’s no reason for Watase to write them anymore.
In a final note, I was wrong on how many volumes this manga has. It has twelve. My library only has nine. This little fact has two takeaways: one, the plot timings in the last volume make more sense to me now. Two, I’m in this series through the end of the month.
