Miaka (from TV series)
A few weeks ago I got a complete cheapie set of Fushigi Yuugi. It tended to confirm my impression that this series has not stood the test of time particularly well. I was surprised, though, to discover how many OVA episodes came with it (13), and I have now had a bit of time to sort them out.
Labelled as “Oni” are the first OVA set (3 episodes) released in 1996, with an entirely non-Watase script, and generally regarded as rather poor, and the second OVA set of 6 episodes, from 1997. The latter is based on manga volumes 14-18, though much more loosely adapted than is the case with the TV series, and is generally regarded as being better than OVA #1 despite being an attempt, as in the manga, to spin out the story at the request of fans past its natural ending. Apparently these 6 OVA #2 episodes are 45 minutes each.
Then there is OVA #3 “Eikoden”, 4 episodes of 30 mins each, released in 2001, and adapted from a novel by Megumi Nishizaki, based on Yuu Watase’s characters. I’ve seen part of OVA #3 and not been much impressed by this attempt to drag the original characters out for a further airing.
There are also two TV specials from 1996, never released in the US, probably because they are mostly a recap of the TV series.
And if you want more, Megumi Nishizaki actually wrote 13 spin-off novels, and there’s a Fushigi Yuugi prequel manga, Fushigi YÅ«gi – Genbu Kaiden by Yuu Watase.
(for more about any of the above, see articles in Wikipedia.)
i love fushigi yugi