I'm always excited to watch a sequel to a series that I really liked. Kimagure Orange Road had its two movie sequels, Slayers had its five series and five movie sequels (okay, so I didn't really like that one too much), etc. Eikouden is no exception, and it accomplishes exactly what a sequel *should* do. It wraps up the story so that there aren't any remaining loose ends from its predecessor. Unfortunately, while it wraps up Fushigi Yuugi, it also creates a host of other questions. Questions like how the Universe of Four Gods came back, and how it just happened to end up in the hands of Miaka's rival.

However, after watching the ending to Fushigi Yuugi I felt that it really needed a sequel, or at least another episode. Lucky me, my wish was granted. The first episode of Eikouden is like a 53rd episode of Fushigi Yuugi, while the other three progress the plot more. If you thought the ending of FY was depressing, then you'll probably love Eikouden as it features the return of the Suzaku Seven. Rejoice!

Sadly, that's where Eikouden falters along with its predecessor. A really big problem in FY was its utter lack of character development with major characters. Characters that received little development in FY were given no development in Eikouden[/show, though I can forgive this because of its length.

Speaking of length, [show=Fushigi Yuugi: Eikouden]Eikouden just feels way too short. It seems like the last episode was moving in fast-forward because it just felt so condensed. Ironic, isn't it? A sequel inadvertantly made me feel like it needed its own sequel.

Ah, how could I get this far into a review and not mention the animation? Eikouden has such amazing looking animation that, despite being made a few years ago, it rivals even today's animation quality. Perhaps the only series that's being aired nowadays that rivals it is Onegai Twins. The music, like the animation, is also superb. The opening song, Chijyou no Seiza, is simply amazing.