Comics / Manga

Fushigi Yugi: Genbu Kaiden: Volume 11 manga review

By Leroy Douresseaux
February 28, 2013 - 16:11

Fushigi Yugi Genbu Kaiden Volume 11 cover image is courtesy of barnesandnoble.com.

Rated “T+” for “Older Teen”

It is the year 1923.  Japanese schoolgirl Takiko Okuda attempts to destroy The Universe of the Four Gods, a book her father is translating from Chinese.  Instead, Takiko is sucked into the pages of the story and becomes the Priestess of Genbu, destined to save the country of Bêi-jîa.  Takiko begins an epic journey to find the seven Celestial Warriors who will help her on her quest.

As Fushigi Yûgi: Genbu Kaiden, Vol. 11 (Chapters 35 to 37) begins, Takiko learns the tragic story of Limdo (also known as Uruki) and his father King Temdan.  Temdan makes his boldest move against his brother, Emperor Tegil.  Temdan wants Tegil’s throne, but his reasons go beyond revenge.  Hagus, the Celestial Warrior, serves Temdan, as he seeks to reunite with his twin brother, Teg, imprisoned in a cavern beneath the Emperor’s throne.  It all leads to shocking deaths, surprising reunions, and an amazing union.

THE LOWDOWN:  Between reading individual volumes of the Fushigi Yûgi: Genbu Kaiden manga, I forget how much I like it.  This prequel to the manga, Fushigi Yûgi, is a historical fiction with elements of other genres and subgenres: comedy, family drama, romance, sword and sorcery, etc.  The art is always so pretty (as the art for a shojo manga should be, as far as I’m concerned), and there is a great double-page spread in the sequence of the confrontation between Limdo and his father, Temdan.

As I’ve said before, Fushigi Yûgi: Genbu Kaiden is convincing historical fiction, but even fictional history must come to an end.  Fushigi Yûgi: Genbu Kaiden Volume 11 is also the second-to-last volume of the series, a series that deserves to remain in print.

POSSIBLE AUDIENCE:  Fans of Chinese romantic adventure manga will like the “Shojo Beat” title, Fushigi Yûgi: Genbu Kaiden.

 

Rating: A /10

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12