Fushigi Yuugi OAV I Summary and Explanation

The first OAV series for Fushigi Yuugi, for those who have seen it, tends to be a tad on the confusing side. A lot of action, with little explanation, is crammed into only three episodes of thirty minutes each. The plot twists and turns, and it is extremely easy to miss tiny important details that shape later parts of the story. In fact, there are a good number of people who don’t understand it at all, who see it merely as pointless and frustrating filler. However, the first OAV does have a point and is important to explain. The following attempts to organize and sort out the action in a sensible order, clarifying things along the way.

The first part of the anime, you see, concludes on a bit of a problem. At the ending of the Fushigi Yuugi television series, Tamahome manages to cross time and space to be with his love, Miaka. It’s just something that happens, a miracle, in short. The manga corresponding to this part of the series has the same miracle occur, albeit in a slightly different form. In the manga, the person who reappears wearing the ring on his finger is not Tamahome. It’s Taka Sukunami, an eighteen-year-old male who is the reincarnation of Tamahome in the real world; but who has no powers or memories save that at one time he loved and protected Miaka.

It’s here where the problem arises: how to turn the ‘Tamahome’ appearing at the television series ending into ‘Taka’, who exists at the beginning of the second half of the manga. The first OAV was created, therefore, to fill the gap and make the shift between the two a little less jarring. Needless to say, a lot of strange things happen. It almost seems as though the writers tried to twist and confuse things into an absolutely hopeless mess, and then re-wrap them up in a quick solution and move on. It’s a filler story, with the only point of essentially making up a lot of action that progresses the story, yet still leaves off before the second part of the manga begins. The OAV takes place in a sort of circle, leaving off in basically the same place as the television series, yet replacing ‘Tamahome’ with ‘Taka’.
 

The story begins with the "Shi Jin Ten Chi Sho" being stolen from the National Library, and the Important Documents Reference Room where it was kept being burned. Remember, the magical book cannot be destroyed by fire or any other method. Obviously, someone took it and is hiding it.

Miaka, Tamahome, Keisuke, and Tetsuya all take a trip to Morioka, to visit Toki and look at the grave of Byakko No Miko, Suzuno Oosugi. Tamahome hears an odd voice continue to call out to him; it belongs to the Genbu No Miko, Takiko Okuda. She begs him to help her, and when he approaches her grave, Tamahome is surrounded by red light and pulled back into the world of the book.
 

The first matter that comes to mind is, what’s wrong with Genbu No Miko, that she needs help? Essentially, she’s being erased from existence, because a new Genbu No Miko is being summoned into the book. This creates a pretty big problem. Not only will Genbu No Miko disappear, but eventually the other three Miko as well, including Miaka and Yui. All of the original Miko, to make way for the new Miko being called into the book, will conveniently cease to be.

Tamahome, in the meantime, finds himself in Konan Country. It’s a little different from the home he remembers, though. Upon visiting the Royal Palace, Tamahome meets a young Emperor named Gyoshuku. Gyoshuku turns out to be Hotohori’s great-grandson, who claims that fifty years has passed since the great war between Konan and Kutou. Gyoshuku is impressed to be meeting a Suzaku Seishi, and invites Tamahome to visit the Shrine of Suzaku with him. Tamahome tries entering, but is violently rejected. The young Emperor is shocked, and certain he was lied to, he sends Tamahome out of Konan.
 

Tamahome, confused, heads to Mount Taikyoku to see Taiitsu-kun, but finds only a windswept mountain (keep in mind Taiitsu-kun's warning during the television series: if the evil of heart came upon Mount Taikyoku, it would be an ordinary rocky mountain). Here, he meets a strange girl named Kaen.

Kaen calls Tamahome her Lord "Nakago", and takes him in. She tells Tamahome that long ago, in the battle in the real world, the Seiryuu Seishi defeated the Suzaku Seishi. When this happened, Nakago and Tamahome switched souls. Tamahome is extremely upset, but finds that Kaen is right. Nakago's "kokoro" symbol appears on his forehead, and he can wield the same powerful blue Chi.
 

Tamahome is sulking in his room later that night, and is suddenly attacked by Koji and the remaining Mount Leikaku bandits. Koji, desiring revenge for "the killing of Genrou", does his best to kill "Nakago" a.k.a. Tamahome. Tamahome lets loose on the blue Chi, however, and winds up murdering the bandits by mistake. Koji, on his bloody deathbed, tells Tamahome that he's mistaken, only one year has passed.

Huh?

Now, the mistake in time period given by both Gyoshuku and Koji is supposed to be a hint. Tamahome isn't in the real Konan Country. Instead, he's been trapped in an illusion. Nothing that has happened to Tamahome is real. Tamahome is still a Suzaku Seishi, Koji is still alive, and Hotohori's wife and young son are still living in Konan's palace. So, don't be confused by anything that's happening to Tamahome! It's all in an illusionary world.
 

The person who has put Tamahome in an illusion is, naturally, Tomo. Tomo, it turns out, is no longer dead. He was revived by someone named Tenkou, who is the new enemy. Tenkou has the power to raise the dead, but will only do so if the revived person will work for him. Tenkou chose to raise Tomo back to life for two very good reasons. One, to interact with Tamahome in the illusion world through the body of the girl, Kaen. When Tamahome asks Kaen to prepare a drink for him, she puts in it Kodoku, the drug of deception. Thus, Tamahome continues to hallucinate, even when Tomo is no longer using his powers. Two, Tomo still has a link to the real world. Remember, at the end of the television series, Nakago's ear stud was placed in the clam shell, Shin, to serve as a link between the two worlds. The other ear stud is with Yui.

Tenkou was Nakago's master, and thinks he is a god. What he wants is a Miko who will call a god for him, so he can have all three wishes for himself. This leads to the answers of who stole the "Shi Jin Ten Chi Sho", and how.

Surprisingly, the one who stole the book was Yui. Tenkou used the link between the two worlds, the ear stud, to take control of Yui's mind. Tenkou possessed Yui and made her steal the book from the library. When Tenkou is making final preparations to call the god Genbu, he uses the link to summon Yui into the book world and become the Genbu No Miko.
 

Chichiri and Tasuki, in the meantime, have been travelling. They are on a journey when suddenly Chichiri senses Tamahome's Chi, and decides to go to him.

Kaika/Amiboshi is also living a peaceful life in Sailo Country, with his adopted mother and father. Upon returning home one day, after working, he hears a ghostly voice calling out to him. The voice belongs to Suboshi. Suboshi takes over the body of his brother, planning to protect his beloved Yui when she returns to the book. So Suboshi/Amiboshi/Kaika leaves to travel to the place where Yui, and coincidentally Tamahome, are.

Tomo brings the possessed Yui into the book world using his Shin. Chichiri and Tasuki soon arrive in that place as well, as does Kaika/Suboshi. All of them are in for a big surprise, though, when the ghost of Nakago appears.
 

Because Yui is the new Genbu No Miko, the two-hundred year timeline is thrown off, and two little Genbu Seishi appear to protect her. Hatsui and Urumiya, who defend Yui, are so young because the time is so messed up. They weren't supposed to become Seishi until they were older, but since Yui/Genbu No Miko appears, they are forced to protect her. The two of them see Nakago as a threat to their Miko, and rush out to attack him. Fortunately, Chichiri manages to knock them out, saving them from losing their lives to Nakago.

Nakago does not appear to either help or harm anyone. He claims that he left one thing unfinished, and destroys Tomo's Shin and the earring inside. With the ear pierce shattered, Yui comes out of her trance, and is no longer under Tenkou's control.

Tenkou, after killing Tomo for his failure, appears to the Seishi who have gathered. When Tenkou meets Nakago, he invites him to serve him again, with life as a reward. Nakago, claiming to have no interest in living just to die again, disappears. The other Seishi, meanwhile, are distracted over Tamahome's worsening condition; and while they are not paying attention, Tenkou captures Yui.
 

Back in the real world, Miaka finds the book in Yui's room, and discovers what is happening with Yui. Miaka changes into her school uniform (thereby creating a link to both worlds, as in the book, Yui is also wearing hers) and is pulled into the book world.

The spirits of the dead Suzaku Seishi then appear to help out in the battle. They all come back, because wherever the Miko appears in their world, the Seishi will gather. With Miaka there, all of the Suzaku Seishi are ready and willing to fight Tenkou.
 

Tenkou, unfortunately, has also been awaiting Miaka. It seems that Tenkou awaited her arrival, as it is necessary for her to be there in order for him to call Genbu. Back when Yui and Miaka summoned Seiryuu and Suzaku, two objects that were with them were turned into Shinzahos - Yui's necklace from the ceremony, and Miaka's wedding ring. Tenkou, with the captured Yui, only needs Miaka's ring to have two Shinzahos, and the power to summon the god to Earth.

Tenkou uses Yui as a shield in front of him, preventing any of the Seishi from attacking him. There is nothing anyone can do to break Tenkou's hold on Yui, or hit him with any of their powers. Miaka, busy trying to wake up Tamahome and help him overcome the Kodoku, is unable to help, either.
 

Suboshi finally makes the decision to help out the Suzaku Seishi and save Yui. He uses the Ryuuseisui to break Tenkou's shield around Yui, thereby taking her to safety and allowing the others to attack him. Suboshi does, however, get Kaika's body mortally wounded in the process, and collapses.

Now, this is a matter that is pretty uncertain - did Suboshi/Amiboshi really die? All the evidence in the OAV supports the fact that Amiboshi's body did die, but in the original manga, Amiboshi is still alive. Remember, this story arc does not take place in the manga. Yuu Watase explains that yes, Amiboshi/Suboshi did get wounded, but Mitsukake was able to heal him off-screen. Right. Well, if Watase says so; she would know! Therefore, the assumption will be that Amiboshi IS alive.
 

Miaka finally manages to wake Tamahome up, and he joins the battle against Tenkou with his fellow Suzaku Seishi. Yui suddenly hears the same ghostly voice that Tamahome heard within her mind. It's Genbu No Miko, encouraging Yui to go ahead and call Genbu, as it is necessary to seal away the evil that was threatening the world. So Yui, using the power of the two Shinzahos, becomes the Genbu No Miko and summons Genbu to the Earth.

Yui's first wish is for the power of all four gods to seal Tenkou away (keep in mind, though, that they don't kill him). Secondly, Yui wishes to restore Takiko Okuda as the real Genbu No Miko. With the timeline restored and kept intact, the threat of the four Miko ceasing to exist is erased.
 

The threat of Tenkou reawakening, though, due to the turmoil between the two worlds, is not. The only way to be rid of the problem is to destroy the one link that is keeping both worlds connected. In other words, Tamahome must stay in the book and separate from Miaka. The confusion of both worlds is due to the link through Tamahome.

Tamahome gives back his wedding ring to Miaka, and Yui makes her third wish: to sever the two worlds completely. Miaka and Yui go back to the real world, letting the ring go, hoping it will go to where it belongs.
 

Taiitsu-kun gives Tamahome one more chance to be with Miaka. He must give up his powers and memories in order to be sent to the real world to stay. Tamahome agrees, and comes to the real world as Taka, wearing his wedding ring on a chain around his neck.

The whole, long story eventually goes back to the beginning, so that the second half of the manga can begin, only with 'Taka' in Tamahome's place.
 

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March 4, 1999