Fushigi Yuugi Redux

[dangermousie]

Fushigi Yuugi is crack.

Seriously.

Not only did it take over a week of my life a few months back, but last night, after Veronica Mars ended, I was waiting for my husband and didn't feel like reading my book. So I decided to put in a random ep of FY (it was the ep where Tamahome, under Nakago's control, comes to kill Miaka and he and Hotohori fight) and guess what? Within minutes, I was sucked back in, and now I simply must rewatch the whole series. Not only that, but this morning, before going to work, I watched FY's end (which still makes me gasp and squee and faint) and, to my not-so-everlasting shame, I ended up watching the music videos in extras, which I'd already seen before. Well, not all of them, because there are 20+, but the first three (an early events one, a Miaka-Yui-Tamahome one (interestingly it's Miaka who has to chose between the two) and a Tamahome one). Yup, I am a goner.

But watching the scene in the Tamahome video where he breaks through Nakago's magic barrier to get to Miaka (who is about to be painfully offed by Nakago and Yui) made me understand Yui, just a bit. I still think she is a whiny emo kid who needs to pull it together, but I can understand her thinking that it's unfair: Miaka had a good time in this world. She has been the guest of the Emperor. She didn't get raped in the back alleys (though she would have been if Tamahome didn't interfere). For her to have this gorgeous guy willing to do these amazing things for her, Yui probably thinks, is too unfair. If she, Yui, had Tamahome instead, this would even things out a bit.

Of course, what Yui doesn't realize, as she envies Miaka having someone willing to risk everything and do amazing things for her sake, is that she has someone like that. Only in her case, it's not a hot young guy, it's her best friend, Miaka herself. While Miaka has no strength (or need) to break through magic barriers, what she is willing to do to save Yui, and what she does do, is definitely just as huge. But of course Yui is caught up not only in her resentment (when you've had such bad luck, it's not unnatural to be resentful of the lucky ones. Though seeing Miaka's tribulations throughout the show, I'd argue she had more horrible stuff happen to her than Yui, but it's how you deal with the bad things that is most important), but in her desire to be first to someone. To always come first to just one person is tied in with her 'rape' as she thinks that if she is the most important person in the world to someone, that would prove her worth. After all, there is no doubt that for Tamahome, Miaka always comes first, and Yui is frustrated she can't have that. She thought Miaka could be that person, and realizing (wrongly) that she is not first for Miaka, that Tamahome is, is what leads her to go evil completely. (Interesting magical parallel to a very real world situation where long time friends often feel left out when their friend gets a boyfriend). It is a wrong perception, IMO. True, Miaka loves Tamahome. And there is no question that she choses him over Yui later on. But by that point, Yui has gone over to evil and has been approving nasty things that hurt her friends. Even then, Miaka tries to save her. The question that Yui should be thinking about (and what she finally realizes) is that she shouldn't be thinking about 'Does she care about me more than about anyone else?' but 'how much does she care for me?' And, after all, Miaka and Tamahome grow much closer with their shared experiences and Miaka and Yui grow estranged because of their enmity. If she had to pick who is most important to her at the time Yui goes over the Dark Side, I don't think Miaka's answer would have been as clear-cut.

Also, Yui doesn't treasure when she does come first to someone. Because there is a person in FY to whom she is number 1 priority: Suboshi. Yet Yui seems to care for that fact as much as I would for a stick of wood. Ultimately, all of this is just hollow substitute for proper healing for her emotional wounds and getting her head on straight.

So yeah, before I ramble more, I should stop. And yeah. Fushigi Yuugi is crack.

Comments

[ilanala]

Damn it, now I want to rewatch FY, since I haven't watched it in years. It's a good thing I don't have it with me or I'd be screwed.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Yeah...It's addictive. It's funny, because I honestly thought I'd watch a few minutes and it would be it.

[crumpeteer.livejournal.com]

I think the problem with Yui is that she makes herself unhappy in a lot of ways. As much as I hate her, you can't say that Miaka doesn't try to make the best of things. With Yui, because she doesn't get as much as Miaka, she's unhappy. I personally like Suboshi, he's a nice guy, but Yui completely overlooks him in her concern with the fact that SHE doesn't have a massive harem to pick from and HER bishounen isn't quite as dashing as Miaka's. Had Miaka been in Yui's position, she probably would have befriended Suboshi, become an OTP and Nakago would have died from the saccharine or killed himself in response to her stupidity. Nakago would have had nothing to work with in Miaka since she isn't able to be manipulated because of her self pity (no, Miaka's crimes include getting super bishounen killed and eating everyone out of house and home, but not self pity). You work with what you got and Yui doesn't understand that.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I personally like Suboshi, he's a nice guy,

I think Suboshi is a horrible raging psycho (he gruesomely murders Tamahome's family which consists of sick people and kids) but Yui doesn't object to him on those grounds. It's more of "Miaka doesn't want you, so I don't either."

I think Nakago wouldn't have been able to get anything from Miaka because the first time he would have tried to do something evil and underhanded, she wouldn't go along. Yui is very passive and Miaka not the least so.

eating everyone out of house and home

ROFL.

[crumpeteer.livejournal.com]

Sorry, I meany Amiboshi was the nice guy. He and Miaka would have become an OTP or perhaps Miaka would have kept Suboshi from going nuts and been an OTP with him. I don't know why I always confuse their names.

And Suboshi wouldn't have gone psycho had it been Miaka instead of Yui.

[amiboshi.livejournal.com]

Suboshi going 'psycho' had really nothing to do with Yui. ^^ It was Nakago that gave him the idea, and I think a little bit of the 'Yo-Yo Boy is off his nut' is kinda misdirected. Not to mention incorrect, because he's not. Suboshi is just behind on his maturity development due to a life of abuse, abandonment and physical illness. That's not to say he isn't at fault, though. Don't get me wrong. He's at fault, yes, but Nakago shares a lot of blame, and he didn't go crazy. ^^;

[crumpeteer.livejournal.com]

Had Miaka been in Yui's place, she would have gotten directly involved with their lives like she does with her own group. Nakago wouldn't have had a chance to manipulate things because Miaka wouldn't have gone along with it. Yui gives Nakago free reign, therefore he does what he wants.

And Suboshi DOES lose it there with Tamahome's family. What he does is not rational even if Nakago did put it in his mind and even if he was mad. Sane people do NOT go out murdering families, no matter what has been told to them. It's not rational since Suboshi CAN act normally when he wants to. He's not a raving lunatic by any means, but he is nuts when he kills Tamahome's family. No one goes in, bludgeons a bunch of old people and children to death, and taunts their family member over and gets out without me calling them psychotic in some sense.

You get mad at someone you key their car, challenge them to a duel, ANYTHING other than beat their family to death. No matter WHAT the blond guy tells you.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

No one goes in, bludgeons a bunch of old people and children to death, and taunts their family member over and gets out without me calling them psychotic in some sense.


Basically, after that, Suboshi was lost to me. I didn't care what else he'd done or would do, that was an unforgivable thing and after that, I was all for Tamahome (or anyone), bludgeoning him to death. I ended up feeling a bit sad when Nakago died (though his death was well deserved) but felt nothing when Suboshi bought it, but a sense of satisfaction.

[amiboshi.livejournal.com]

I'm not denying Miaka's ability to storm in and perhaps get heavily involved with their lives, for the better to some degree, but... I honestly don’t think that Miaka’s involvement would stop Nakago from getting down to whatever it is that he wants done. And for all the free reign that Yui, yes, did give him, I don’t believe for one second that she’s so heartless that she’d endorse the murders of four sick children and an old man over Miaka. That’s why she was never told. She never found out, either. It could've easily happened with Miaka, too... If the situation was similar. More than likely, if their positions were swapped, the scenario would probably be entirely different. Or maybe not. We’ll never know. Either way, Yui’s presence honestly has nothing to do with it.

Also, as these are fictional characters, I'm going to throw out regular judgements here, and normal society standards. Deconstructing Suboshi as a character, again, I disagree and argue that he isn't 'nuts', nor was he in that situation. We're probably not going to see eye to eye on this, but I'd like to make a point that you can't necessarily judge the sanity level of a person who is incredibly screwed up on a scale of people who have lived normal, healthy lifestyles. You can't get into them and make that decision if you look at them from such a stand-point. I agree that he CAN act normal, but normal is VERY subjective, and his actions, even the crazy ones, are probably normal to HIM. Same with his thoughts. Again, regular judgements aside here. I’m deconstructing him to get into his mind, as opposed to being an outsider defending a criminal for their actions. I probably wouldn’t defend a murderer for their crimes, but Suboshi’s not real. ^^; I feel no guilt in this. XD

From the top, repeating myself, Suboshi grew up physically ill, was nearly cruelly murdered as a child himself, and lived for years with a family of dominating female figures who treated him worse than a slave. When he was still incapable of caring for himself (He wet the bed until he was seven, if that says something about this.), Amiboshi ran away, abandoning Suboshi and he had nothing. Already this has established that Suboshi had no parental figure from his parents' death on, only a brother who accepts him for all his faults, as good or bad as they may come, who then up and left. Suboshi later, when on his own, acted out against the family he lived with via violence. His ideas of right and wrong, they're incredibly twisted already at his age. They're not clear-cut, uncomprehending of consequences and selfish. He’s immature, extremely behind on his development, sheltered... Then it gets even worse.

After beating up one of the girls teasing him from the Sho-Chiku-Bai group, he’s sold to the Basara, the last remaining guerilla troupe of Kutoukoku, made up entirely of young boys with a few scattered adults here and there. Suboshi was 12. Dealing with his abandonment, abuse, overcoming his weaknesses, probably also having to fight and kill, to top it all off, Suboshi had no friends within the Basara except Li (And Shunraku, but... That's not really a friend. c_C). However, Suboshi also stated that he would kill Li without a second thought. Hell, he attempts to kill Amiboshi too when they reunite, why not his only friend.

Back to the Basara though, and having to fight and kill... They exist for the express purpose of taking down Nakago, sending the boys out to their deaths, burning down villages... Honestly, that can’t really be good for anyone. Then, there's Suboshi... It's a lot to take in for a twelve year old, being a soldier when you're already pretty messed up. Any chance of obtaining what would be a normal life is abolished here.

To be continued, since I broke the buffer...

[amiboshi.livejournal.com]

Anyway, a large-scale battle happens near the end of Ryuuseiden, blah blah, and the conclusion is ever so sweet as both Suboshi AND Amiboshi laugh at the Sho-Chiku-Bai group, since they wound up homeless, begging for cash. Then they’re separated again. Death, right, wrong, murder, insanity; to Suboshi, these words have an extremely different meaning because of how he grew up and the things that happened to him, making me refer to my earlier point. It’s extremely hard, perhaps even impossible, to judge him by the standards of a healthy lifestyle, because it can’t be done. I thought he was crazy too, once. In fact, I hated Suboshi with a complete and utter passion. He was heartless and cruel, and I loved Tamahome to pieces... until I got stuck playing Suboshi on a mu* about seven years ago.

Tamahome’s family... When Suboshi lost the only family he had, not knowing the circumstances, he was left to his own devices as to how Amiboshi 'died'. He wanted to do SOMETHING, but wasn't sure what. I’m sure at his point of grief, anything would have been acceptable. He could have been told to throw himself right into Suzaku territory and die as a result, to which he probably would’ve. Nakago gave him the idea, he went with it, because he couldn't come up with one on his own. It stuck because it was something. Something profound. Revenge for the brother who had accepted him without question, even after Suboshi attempted to KILL him, as well as perhaps an underlying urge to prove to Nakago that he was just as much of a soldier/strong individual as anyone else. Nakago did make it a point to let Suboshi know how inferior he was, in emotional control and ability, and it must’ve been hard to go from the Basara, where he was the best they had, to... nothing. Anyway, revenge. Eye for an eye. A family for a family. Whatever the reasons, it wasn't pointless bludgeoning for absolutely no reason. Amiboshi was helpless in enemy territory and murdered by the lot of them, so he took away Tamahome's family. The only thing related to 'crazy' I might accept here is a crazed state of grief, but I sincere disagree that HE was nuts on his own terms or anything of the like at the time.

From a writer perspective, it was required for the story, otherwise it wouldn’t have moved forwards. Miaka probably wouldn’t have been provoked into such immediate, passionate action. The end! My apologies for using Ryuuseiden to back-up a lot of my examples here, but their lives in the anime aren't really expounded on, aside from the fact that they were orphaned. I, honestly, couldn't find reason to understand Suboshi while playing him until I read Ryuuseiden too. ^^; I'm not trying to get you to like (He's not an easy character for me to like either.), forgive (Sorry, Suboshi, your life did suck, but what you did was unforgiveable.) or pity (... Okay, I kinda feel sorry for him, honestly.) Suboshi, either... Just... providing a valid argument for my point of view that I don't think he was off the deep end and that he can't be judged unless you're actually looking into his head, or the things that happened to him. *hops off the soap box*

[banana-babe-qt.livejournal.com]

Good point you got there, one thing though, Yui was never really raped.., but she wasnt lied into thinkign she was, but still ya know? That's why I like the OAVs and stuff cuz Yui isn't so much of a bitch. lol ^_^

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Yeah, Yui's finding out she wasn't was a huge thing for her. I don't think she would have bounced back without that.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Yeah, definitely like Tamahome.

still don't like her at all...any normal person...well, not really going to go there :p

Agreed. She basically had this huge horrible tantrum that got a lot of people killed. And yeah, not cool on the OVAs.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Tamahome :)

Not that this is a surprise :)

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Tamahome. Less mopey. Cooler outfit. Plus uber-cool fighting powers and besides I like the series better than the OVA.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

The very end of the third one? Yes. I didn't really watch the OVAs because I didn't care for the premise, but I watched bits and pieces.

[nova-usagi.livejournal.com]

Hi, I saw your post linking to this in the Fushigi Yuugi, so please excuse me for intruding...

Very right. Fushigi Yuugi seems addictive for me as well. I think it's a little to angsty in some parts, but I really enjoy it.

With Yui, I think that she deserved a good slap. It's true that Miaka's company was friendlier, kinder, maybe more attractive and devoted to her and Yui wanted that. She wanted to be the Suzaku no Miko. Yui didn't really like Tamahome so much as she liked that he saved her when they first arrived, didn't seem interested her and Miaka, etc. I can remember that Yui had cut her hair earlier in effort to chase away guys, so I don't think that she was actually interested in having a romantic relationship with anyone. She wanted a hero, a friend to cherish her, stay by her side and keep her safe in that foreign land. Nakago couldn't really be Yui's savior, because as far as she knew, he didn't rescue her from her attack in time (unlike Tamahome). Nakago was too distant, too emotionless, and In Yui's opinion, probably a little too old to be someone to be all too close to.

Yui said that she felt unclean at the end of the anime because she thought that she had been raped, right. I think she also felt used/dirty because Miaka didn't seem to share her experience, her pain and danger like Yui had when she had entered back into the world (not like Miaka can even read old Chinese, right). Yui was genuinely worried for her friend, but when Yui was sucked back into the book, Miaka didn't experience the same connection. Was it because Yui was in company with Seiryuu or had become their Miko? I don't remember. Miaka may not be the angst queen of self-pity, but she can at least seem pretty oblivious to other people's feelings. Like you said, Yui wanted to come first for someone, felt like she same second or even less improtant to Miaka (since Miaka took so long meet up with Yui and didn't seem to know what accidents Yui had experienced), and felt rejected by Tamahome. Yui had to chase off boys before, so Tamahome rejecting her for childish, selfish Miaka is kind of a slap in the face. She feels even more unlcean then I bet.

Honnestly though, Yui didn't have celestial warriors that felt comfortable or even cared enough to help her get over her troubles. Nakago wanted Yui to stay depressed, angsty, angry, and bitchy so that he could use her easily. Soi did everything for Nakago and didn't feel connected to Yui, Tomo did what he did for Nakago as well, Miboshi and Ashitare weren't very connected to Yui either, Amiboshi didn't really ever get to know Yui, and Suboshi wasn't very capable of helping Yui, much less himself. So there was no one around to actually care for Yui and give her the good slap or two that she needed. No one was there to straighten her up or tell her that she was wrong.

Miaka on the otherhand learned a lot from her characters, had to earn their trust, and wasn't allowed to treat them however she liked. All of Miaka's people saw her as their savior in some way as well. They all cared for her, which is different from Yui and her people. Unlike Miaka, Yui had to make a comeback (to good and common sense) almost all on her own, with no one really pushing her along. Tamahome was probably the only one that didn't play along with Yui, but it didn't help so much since he was in love with Miaka, not her.

I don't know, but I feel like Miaka is given more credit than she deserves. She makes a lot of mistakes that cost other people their lives, all because she's focussing too much on certin things. She had a lot of people there to help her do the right things as well. It would've been hard for Yui or Miaka to fall from grace and good character as Suzaku no Miko.

Anyways, that's just some of what I think about Yui and Miaka.

[amiboshi.livejournal.com]

That was totally awesome. :O

Also, the reason why the connection was gone when Miaka went back to the real world is due to the fact that she removed her uniform. ^^

[nova-usagi.livejournal.com]

Oh yeah, I forgot about the uniform. Thanks for mentioning that.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I agree that Yui did have reasons to 'go bad.' After all, what happened to her was horribly traumatic. That is why she is granted a HEA at the end and that is why I love FY: things aren't black and white.

But I do think that her reaction was out of proportion to the stimuli. She had reasons for her actions, but not justification.

I think the difference between her and Miaka is highlighted in the girls' respective reactions to their rapes (or what they think were rapes). Someone said that Yui then uses her sexuality as a weapon (tries to get Tamahome, wanders around in only a shirt). Clearly, as her behavior as Seriyuu no Miko demonstrates, she turns her trauma outwards. Miaka, OTOH, retreats into "I am dirt unworthy of anyone" mode, and her trauma goes inward. She doesn't harm anyone but herself with it.

Miaka has flaws, and plenty of them (which is, once again, why I like FY. Perfect people are boring). Her flaws, however, are different from Yui's just as are her virtues. I happen to prefer the Miaka combo and think she is a better person than Yui, but I can see how other people can think otherwise. It all depends on how much weight you give whatever qualities and how important you think they are.

I don't think any of the major character deaths are Miaka's faults though, not just because they are all killed on Nakago's orders and Miaka isn't responsible for the bad guy. Hotohori was always going to fight for his kingdom, for example. She is not the only one who couldn't recognize that Amiboshi wasn't Chiriko, and no one made any comments about it not necessarily being safe to carry a shinzaho on your neck. Could she have done things better? Yes, of course. But so could every single character in the story. None of them are all-powerful, all-wise, or all-knowing, and since it results in a good story, I don't mind.

[nova-usagi.livejournal.com]

Yes, I agree that Yui was out of line. That's why I thought she needed a good slap.

With deaths, I was thinking more along the lines of Byakko's seishi and maybe Chiriko. In the manga, she seemed to put herself into avoidable peril a little too much. Her running off alone always blew my mind.

Personally, I disliked both Miaka and Yui. Miaka was insanely positive and unrealistic, while Yui's character was over-the-top dramatic, bitter, and resentful, no matter how hard Miaka tried to make ammends. I think that Takiko's personality is a lot better, but it would be since Watase has had more experience creating heroines, right. I think I can remember notes in one of those Fushigi Yuugi books about it actually.