At the turning of the page, the words become Reality, and the Story begins...

Fushigi Yuugi, meaning "Mysterious Play", is the story of a young girl, Miaka Yuuki, who opens the pages of a rare Chinese book and stumbles into a world of magic, intrigue, and good-looking guys. A cross between Miki (Marmalade Boy) and Lina Inverse (Slayers), Miaka is a junior high student with bad grades, bad prospects of getting into a good high school, and a best friend, Yui Hongo, who apparently has everything going for her. This NeverEnding Story-esque anime is about a world found in the pages of a book, a world divided into four countries, each protected by its own god. In each of the four countries, there is a legend that a girl from another world will appear in their time of need and become the high priestess of the god of that country. She will gather unto her the seven warriors, each marked since birth with a character on his or her body, and calling forth their god, she will bestow peace and prosperity on the land.

But then again, that is only how the legend goes. With her alien-looking school uniform and her "foreign" currency (Japanese yen), Miaka is obviously someone from another world. But how this someone, as big an eater as Lina and as ditzy as Miki, fills the role of high priestess is quite something to watch. Miaka finds herself bouncing from one pot of trouble to another, saved each time by sheer luck and the efforts of the dreamiest guy in animedom: Sou Kishyuku, a.k.a. Tamahome! But as the story unfolds, she will learn, often with the harshest of lessons, what it means to live, to love, to persevere, and to hold the lives of others in her hands. She will mature into a true leader, determined and compassionate, with a strong awareness of her responsibility to the people of another world.

But that is pretty far down the road. Those of you seeing Fushigi Yuugi for the first time may take your first look at Miaka and think "determined leader"?! Yeah right! All I can say is that you will have to see it for yourself. Fushigi Yuugi is one of the most absorbing anime I have ever come across. It will make you laugh, it will make you cry, and it will show you characters that you will never forget. The story is brilliantly done, and it displays in such poignant clarity just how much joy and pain life can hold in store for you, and the incredible strength of character it takes to weather it all. So sit back and let Fushigi Yuugi sweep you away...