(no subject)

[jennaria]

FUSHIGI YUUGI

Genre: Romance

How much seen: one episode (dubbed in English)

What it's about: Girl falls into book. Come to find out that she is to be the priestess of Suzaku, and must gather the Seven Seishi so she can summon Suzaku and bring peace to the land, and the only reason I know this part is because it's in the official summary: it's certainly not in the first episode. All we get in the first episode is Miaka and Yui falling into the book, Yui falling back out again, Tamahome demonstrating he may be an ass but at least he's an occasionally useful ass, and two separate attempts at capturing Miaka for a slave.

We had some technical difficulties with this series. Kay argued with the controls for a while, before finally giving up in exasperation and telling me, "Either you will get the Japanese, or you will learn why [mutual friend] and I hate Crispin Freeman."

This wasn't entirely fair. The English dub is mildly horrifying, yes, but it can't be blamed entirely on the voice actors. Worse, apparently the Japanese script is equally horrifying, at least in regards to the aspects that horrified me. Miaka is deeply and utterly stupid. Whether deliberately or not, we're given the impression that the only reason Miaka accomplishes anything at all is because she's lucky, in the right place at the right time - and not the controlled, Trigun sort of lucky either. And I've already discussed my (lack of) fondness for concept of a doofus hero.

Overall opinion: Kay tells me that the side characters are genuinely interesting, but if you follow this series, you do have to deal with Miaka at the center of everything. No thank you: I'm not going to watch something where I spend this much time wanting to strangle the main character. I've got a long enough to-watch list with series that have good main characters.

*

Stef has come back down to join me, but she's absorbed in a book. Fortunately, we have David Bowie playing to keep me awake.

Comments

[branchandroot]

Yes, the Japanese is that horrifying too, in the Miaka, Queen of Doofus-land way. I think it's /supposed/ to be endearing and explain why all these men fall all over themselves to serve and protect her, but I also find it no end of annoying. And there's /really/ skeevy gender and sex issues going on. Yui, who is the one with a brain in her head, gets the short end of the stick /relentlessly/ and winds up going to the same mediocre school as Miaka in the end because, apparently, it's a cosmically bad thing to be an intelligent woman.

Not that I was really disillusioned by this one or anything.

[jennaria]

Oh lord. Kay gave me the quicky overview of what happens to Yui, and yeah, it's beyond terrible. It's worse than what Twelve Kingdoms did with a loosely similar set-up, and that was not good. Dammit, Japan...