Fushigi Yuugi is not a series for the manly men. It is easily the sappiest romance series I have ever seen. Every episode from around 5-52 just has Miaka hugging and kissing Tamahome (the love interest!). Eventually I got used to it, so it wasn't THAT big of a deal. Now that I've established that Fushigi Yuugi is a love story, I'll move on.

Every romance series needs a something to balance it. For Infinite Ryvius that was everybody going crazy. For Fushigi Yuugi, it's the action sequences. And boy... those fights are badass. Tamahome, when he isn't cuddling with Miaka, can really rip a guy a new one. In his transformed state he's even more interesting and, dare I say, badass.

The animation and music of Fushigi Yuugi are very high quality as should be expected from the same animators that brought us Rurouni Kenshin. There are a couple of lapses in quality throughout the series but they are few and far between. Wanting perfect animation throughout such a long series is asking for a little bit much anyway :)

The plot in Fushigi Yuugi is absolutely fantastic. Throughout the series there was never one point where I could say I knew what was going to happen next. Everything in this is fresh and original with explanations provided when needed. Everything is just so well put together in this anime that it's hard to find any actual faults in it, but I'm a real nitpicker so I'll be telling you guys :)

First of all, there are so many characters in Fushigi Yuugi but almost zero character development. Even the supposedly "major" characters just come and go with very little screentime. However, while the characters are badly developed they are very interesting and unique. Each characater has their own little quirks and fears and I just enjoyed every time a character was on-screen. Of the fourteen plus "major" characters, the only developed ones are the ones that we meet first. Miaka, Yui, Nakago, Tamahome, Chichiri, Tasuki, and Soi are all well developed and presented. Tasuki has to be, he's the comic relief!

The other problem I have with Fushigi Yuugi is the ending. The final battle lasts SEVEN MINUTES with the rest of the episode dedicated to bringing us unexplained event after unexplained event. It's really too bad when you're so excited about the conclusion of a series but it just leaves a bad taste in your mouth after all of the hype it builds for itself. It wasn't an unsatisfactory ending as much as a slight disappointment.