Fushigi Yuugi Genbu Kaiden

Fushigi Yūgi - Genbu Kaiden (ふしぎ遊戲 玄武開伝) is a manga written by Yuu Watase. It is a prequel to Fushigi Yūgi, telling the creation of "The Universe of the Four Gods" and the story of the Genbu no Miko, or Priestess of Genbu, briefly mentioned in the Fushigi Yūgi manga and anime.

Fushigi Yūgi Genbu Kaiden was first published in Sho-Comi in 2003. New chapters are published quarterly in the Fushigi Yūgi Perfect World magazine, and new volumes of the manga come out in Japan bi-annually. This manga is still on-going, making occasional appearances in the Sho-Comi "zokan" issues. Fushigi Yūgi Genbu Kaiden has been licensed in English in North America by VIZ Media and in Singapore by Chuang Yi.

Story
In Japan of 1923, a 17-year-old girl named Takiko Okuda is living with her ill mother after recently moving to a small town. Her father comes home one day (he's never home, as he's a busy novelist), much to Takiko's chagrin. He apparently has been working on something called "The Universe of the Four Gods" and even after returning home, is obsessed with the book. Her mother soon dies and Takiko becomes angry at her father for ignoring the two of them. These feelings, paired with her feelings of loneliness and uselessness at being rejected both in love and by her father, lead her to attempt to tear the book apart. However, it instead whisks her away to the country of Hokkan(Beî Jîa) where all of her adventures begin.

Differences between Genbu Kaiden and the original Fushigi Yūgi
In terms of basic storyline, Genbu Kaiden is like Fushigi Yūgi in that Takiko becomes the priestess, has to search for the seven Celestial warriors, and is trying to summon the god so that she can receive three wishes. However, this is where the similarities end. While the priestesses of Suzaku and Seiryu are regarded as saviors who show up when the country is in trouble, Takiko and her warriors are feared as bad omens whose appearance itself brings misfortune. The Genbu bunch had several assassins sent after them; also, while Miaka had the luxury of consulting Tai Yi-Jun, Takiko does not, although Tai Yi-Jun has helped them in some tight spots. Furthermore, Takiko is far more aggressive and inclined to fight (armed often with a naginata) than the more naive and optimistic Miaka.

Another major aspect of Genbu Kaiden that is largely different from Fushigi Yūgi is the nature of the main couple's relationship. Typical for such a story, Takiko ends up falling in love with the first Celestial Warrior she meets, Limdo (or Rimudo), like Miaka's relationship with Tamahome. One primary difference is that that Takiko and Rimudo take longer in developing feelings for one another, allowing for a more mature relationship to form by the time they admit their feelings for one another in the 5th volume, though before that there was a great deal of tension and obvious attraction towards each other. Miaka confessed her love for Tamahome at the end of book one, though he rejected her because of his obligation to his brothers and sisters.

As even Yū Watase herself admits, the handling of the material in Genbu Kaiden is inevitably much more mature than in the original Fushigi Yūgi. Whereas the original had begun more like a romantic comedy, Genbu Kaiden remains largely a fantasy adventure with the romance more subtle-keyed below the emotional struggles of its main characters. Her art style has also matured since Fushigi Yūgi to become appropriately expressive in tense scenarios.

The eventual conclusion of Genbu Kaiden will likely follow the one given in the original Fushigi Yūgi, of which fans of the original will know Takiko's fate will differ greatly from Miaka Yūki and Yui Hongo, the Priestesses of Suzaku and Seiryū respectively. It is expected that Takiko will be murdered by her own father to prevent her from being consumed by Genbu.

Characters
Note: The seiyus listed are from the drama CD version. As such, some characters may not have a seiyu as the CD dramas may not involve every character from the manga.

Stars of Genbu (Seishi and miko)

 * Takiko Okuda (奧田 多喜子)
 * A seventeen year old schoolgirl, whose mother has recently died of tuberculosis and whose father seems to care more about his research than his own family. She is revealed to be the Priestess of Genbu, whose destiny will be to summon the god Genbu with her own will after she has gathered the Celestial Warriors and have it grant three wishes of her choosing. Takiko is impulsive and strong willed, though she can be insecure at times. She can fight well with a naginata, a spear-like weapon, and does well in her studies. Takiko was in love with Takao Ohsugi, a friend of her father's, but her love was unrequited.  Uruki falls in love with her and she eventually comes to reciprocate, though they must keep their relationship a secret.


 * Uruki/Limdo/Rimudo Roun/Liwûtû Lang-Huî (女宿 ロウン・リムド)
 * Uruki is the sixteen-year-old crown prince of Hokkan and the only son of the emperor's brother. At the time of his birth, a priest prophesized for his father "When the Priestess opens the Book of the Four Gods of Heaven and Earth and appears, your son will definitely kill you." At this time, the Prince, fearing for his own life, tried to have his son killed. Limdo's mark means 'woman' and only appears when he is in woman form. Limdo must be in female form in order to utilize his celestial powers of controlling the wind, which seems to be a sore spot with him. He is in love with Takiko and they confess their love for one another later, but their relationship is kept a secret.


 * Tomite/Chamka Tan (虚宿 ターン・チャムカ)
 * Sixteen year old Tomite is a bounty hunter from the Ha tribe and Hikitsu's childhood friend. He's a bit of a pervert, but sensitive about his mother Boraate (Borate). His mark means 'emptiness' or 'void' and he is a master archer. Combined with his ability to create ice, Tomite is able to shoot arrows of ice. He is the first Celestial warrior that Takiko gathers, as Uruki, the first found, refuses to acknowledge his destiny until later on, and is in a delicate position with the Qu-dong army. Tomite appears to be jealous of Uruki concerning his relationship with Takiko, most likely because he has some feelings for Takiko. Known to fans of the original Fushigi Yugi, Tomite and his friend Hikitsu became the guardians of the Shinzaho of the Genbu priestess after their deaths.


 * Hatsui/Zaraa Erutai (室宿 エルタイ・ザラ－)
 * Twelve year old Hatsui is the son of healers who finds it difficult to trust in others. He cries a lot and also stutters when he speaks (at least in the Japanese version of the manga). When his parents died, they left him a large debt to pay off. The villagers picked on him until one day he accidentally killed them with his ability to fire needles from his body. When Takiko found him, he was being 'looked after'(or rather, being used to kill off enemies, particularly Takiko & Co.) by Fen (a female assassin who was hired by Uruki's father to kill the Celestial Warriors and priestess).


 * Namame (壁宿)
 * Namame was born from the Seimei stone (Star-Life Stone) near Iferui. He usually takes the appearance of a little stone doll, although when Takiko first found him, he was a stone giant, protecting the oracle Anlu, who was in his mouth. After being traumatized by human cruelty when he attempted to fit in, Namame found it very hard to trust others; it took Anlu a whole day of sitting right next to him to earn his trust. He was "protecting" Anlu when Takiko & Co. found him. Namame was the fourth Celestial Warrior found by the Genbu priestess. His character, "Bi", is typically found on the back of his head. Namame has the power to control the earth, which allows him to manipulate the ground itself, create earthquakes, and shape stones into whatever he desires.


 * Hikitsu/Emthatt Chen (斗宿 チェン・エムタト)
 * Twenty-one year old Hikitsu is a member the Han tribe. He has a little sister named Ayla and once saved Tomite from being killed by monsters (which also killed Tomite's father) when the two of them were children. He controls water in the form of snakes, but also has another power he called 'Shikyokan', where anyone who looks upon the eye with his Seishi mark is forced to remember their worst memories. The latter power doesn't seem to be under control, the eye is usually covered and it has accidentally been used on Takiko . Known to fans of the original Fushigi Yugi, Hikitsu and his friend Tomite became the guardians of the Shinzaho of the Genbu priestess after their deaths.


 * Inami/Tarma (牛宿 タルマ)
 * Inami is a senior prostitute. She is not the owner of the brothel as previously thought, she is just the temporary owner. The original owner of the brothel had discovered that Taruma was a Celestial Warrior and knew of the persecution Inami would faced if found out, so they moved the brothel from Hokkan to Konan for her safety. Inami's power is being able to control her hair to great lengths and is able to use a pipe as her weapon. She joins Takiko and the other Seishi after great encouragement from the other prostitutes.


 * Urumiya/Hagus & Teg (危宿 ハーガス & テグ)
 * It is revealed that Hagus is only half of Urumiya (only half of the character is shown), therefore, he is not complete. His elder twin brother, Teg, carried the other half of the character. Though Hagus fights against the celestial warriors of Genbu and has the ability to absorb their powers, he is not necessarily evil as he is seen saving children during some of the battles. He has a goal to destroy Uruki, in order to rescue his brother. He is under the command of Uruki's father, King Temudan.

Other Characters (Book of Four Gods)

 * Hakei
 * The Crown Prince of Kotou (the land to the east, protected by Seiryu). He is evil, but always hides his intentions with a friendly attitude towards Uruki (in "Taki" form) and is bent on invading Hokkan. Shigi and Hien are under his command.


 * Shigi
 * A beautiful, yet cruel, boy. Always insists that Genbu must absolutely not be summoned. He kills The Oracle, Priestess Anlu, Namame's guardian. His weapon resembles a whip, but is made out of what looks like nunchuku. He is constantly wearing a smile on his face (even when he is brutally killing someone) and is not one to be underestimated in battle. Speaks very politely, almost like a woman. In the most recent chapter, Shigi is discovered to have been castrated and tortured when he was younger.


 * Hien
 * A violent, hot-tempered man whose arm was cut off by Uruki. Bent on getting revenge for having his arm cut off. Shigi and Hien are commanded by Hakei to take "Taki" (who is actually Uruki's identity when he joins the Kotou army in his man form) and fight with him against the Genbu Celestial Warriors and priestess. Although Hien does not trust Taki (and it is later revealed that Shigi did not either), they do not throw him out of the army, as Hakei is adamant that he should stay.


 * Temudan Roun
 * Father of Uruki. He was the prince of Hokkan, due to be king except that he had inherited a strange disease: his limbs slowly fall off, bit by bit (he was supposed to die by the age of 20, which is why his younger brother received the throne; but Temudan did not die, so he waits as first in line to the throne.) He has replaced each missing limb with one made of lead.  He believes that Uruki will kill him when the Genbu no Miko appears, so he is very keen on killing his son, Genbu no Miko and the Genbu Celestial Warriors. Hagus is currently under his command.


 * Borate Tan
 * Tomite's mother. The one who first accepts Takiko as the Genbu priestess followed by the rest of the village. She and the village people, the Ha tribe, might be the only ones who thinks that the coming of the Genbu priestess and the summoning of Genbu is a good thing. Takes an arrow for Takiko when it is shot at her during a raid of the village of the Ha tribe.


 * Ayla Chen
 * Hikitsu's (Chen Emutato) younger sister. Has been encased in ice for a year together with the beasts that had attacked the Ha and Kan tribe's former village. She was finally released when Tomite returned to the place to search for Hikitsu. Currently staying with Boratte, Aila still loves Tomite, despite the fact he was the one who encased her in ice.


 * Oracle Anlu/Anru
 * An Oracle protected by Namame. It took her a long time to win his trust, as he had been treated very cruelly by other humans when he attempted to fit in. She is killed by Shigi and Hien's men after she prophesized that "The priestess will definitely summon Genbu- Go away!". With her dying words, she reveals to Takiko the key in communicating with Namame (her necklace, which is made out of the same rock as him).

Other Characters (Takiko's world)

 * Einosuke Okuda (奧田 永之助)
 * Takiko's father is a researcher of folklore who seems more concerned about his most recent discovery, the Book of Four Gods, than he does for his sickly wife and their impetuous daughter. Takiko believes her father does not love her or her mother and deeply regrets that Takiko was born a girl rather than a boy.  When his daughter is pulled in the Book of Four Gods, her father reads the book, which allows the story to progress, and gradually comes to realize and understand Takiko's feelings.  When she briefly returns to her own world, her father apologizes for regreting that he would have preferred a son over her and confesses that his interest in the book was largely in hopes that a wish from one of the four gods could cure Takiko's mother.


 * Takao Ōsugi
 * Takiko's first love and her father's research assistant. He gently rejects her feelings because he loves his wife, but does seem to care about Takiko in a friendly manner.  Takiko seems to be friends with his daughter, Suzuno, who will one day become the Priestess of Byakko.  According to the original Fushigi Yuugi, after the deaths of both Takiko and Einosuke, Takao is entrusted the book in hopes that no one should suffer the same fate as Takiko.