An action-packed opening to a beloved series.

Suzuno is a dramatic but loving young girl who recently lost her close friend. She is desperate to stay close to her parents and happens to find the book "The Universe of the Four Gods". Unknowingly to her, Suzu is being called to the book. After a terrible tragedy, the book alters Suzu's life.

The pace of the story moves quickly and the cast of characters is relatively limited. The plot has a steady build and takes a surprising turn that will delight readers. Suzu is expressive and despite her age, she is perceptive of the things occurring around her. The illustrations capture the emotions and intensity of the scenes. The shading is expressive and the dialogue is revealing.

An exciting introduction to the series with several references to other books in the series. I look forward to the second volume.

Fushigi Yûgi: Byakko Senki, Vol. 1 by Yuu Watase is the first volume of this story arch, but is part of a larger story. I have not read the previous parts but was still able to catch on to the story. I think those that know the previous parts will definitely get more out of the read than newcomers, but everyone should be able to enjoy the read.

The year is 1923. Suzuno Ohsugi’s father, Takao, warns her to stay away from The Universe of the Four Gods, telling her it’s a book that only men can touch. He knows that in order to enact its story, the book needs one last heroine: the Priestess of Byakko! After the Great Kanto Earthquake strikes, Suzuno and Takao are trapped in their burning home. Takao has only one chance to save his young daughter, and that is to send her into The Universe of the Four Gods!

Fushigi Yûgi: Byakko Senki is a manga style graphic novel that does a good job of laying the groundwork for a grand finale, without making this part of the story feel any less important that what happened earilier in the Fushigi Yûgi world. Suzo's background and trauma over what happens in the first part of this book were really well done, although I struggled a bit with the more 'current' aspects of her life. As a whole I liked the story, there was a good blend of character building, world building, action, and emotion. The artwork matched the story well and kept it moving forward. I wish I had the broader knowledge that would have come from reading the earlier Fushigi Yûgi material, only because I have a feeling that the world building that has gone into the story is even better than this small sliver let me grasp. Of course, my only other issue was that just as big things were starting to come to a head the volume ended, which I should have expected with this adventure/fantasy style of series. It just made me sad to see that I had reached the end, and left me craving the next issue and the time to go back and read the previous story lines.

I think that those that have read the previous parts of the larger Fushigi Yûgi series will definitely want to pick this up, and newcomers might want to give it a look.

Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for the advance copy of this book!

This book was very cute and I really enjoyed it. The art was very easily read and easy to follow. The plot and storyline in the book gave me what I was looking for. I highly recommend this author. I loved the writing. I will be looking for other works in the future from this author.

I can not provide feedback as I downloaded the title to the app but then it was replaced by a random book and I have been unable to recove it.

Bsed on the other works by this author I would assume it's just as enjoyable and a 3*.

ARC COPy...it has a promising start and did like the "story" within the book is real but hmm didn't hold my attention strong.

I've loved Yuu Watase since I discovered Alice 19th at my public library as a teen (and where I'm not the selector of graphic novels!)! I enjoyed Fushigi Yugi and loved Genbu Kaiden, so I was ecstatic to hear that Byakko Senki has been licensed. The one thing that brings this volume down a bit for me is that you really need to have read Genbu Kaiden to understand the beginning of the story. You could read it as it is, but you'd be really confused. I think everyone should read the original and Genbu Kaiden anyway, but if this is their first foray into the world, they're going to be confused and probably not enjoy it. That said, I enjoyed it! There are a couple of topless lady scenes, for those who need to know about that type of content.

I was a little reluctant to return to the world of a series that was so important to me when I first began reading manga, but I'm happy to say that Yuu Watase managed to infuse a whole new story and setting with enough of the same emotions and ambiance of the classic for it to both be nostalgic and totally original. I'm really happy that it reads like a wholly original idea while maintaining the elements of The Universe of the Four Gods to tie it into the previous stories.
The art is gorgeous and classic shojo. I've always had trouble telling Watase's characters apart and that remains a problem, but I've always forgiven it just because they're all so pretty.
Overall, it was an action and emotionally-packed beginning that I'm really looking forward to following.

Many happy thanks to NetGalley and Viz for the early read!

Full disclosure: I never finished the original Fushigi Yugi or Genbu Kaiden. I did however read everything else this mangaka has done. I really liked Alice 19th, I was fascinated by Ceres and Absolute Boyfriend, and I did not care for Fushigi Yugi. In my defense, I liked the premise, I just didnt like Miaka. I will admit though, the series was wildly influential and kick started portal fantasy shojo.

Now for this book, as the beginning in the last entry in The Universe of The Four Gods.

It was a bold choice to have Suzuko visit the book-verse as a child. It helps set this series apart from the others and the way it plays out makes for compelling plot adhesion. I also like the rival priestess angle in this better than in the first series (I never cared for violence against women for plot motivation). I will be interested in seeing how the time fluctuation will be dealt with.

If I had to name a problem, it would be the potential for middle-eastern orientalism (as weird as it sounds) since the land of Byako is a desert.

The biggest thank you ever to VIZ Media, NetGalley, and Yuu Watase for the opportunity to read Fushigi Yugi: Byakko Senki in exchange for an honest review.

I am a very long-time fan of Yuu Watase’s work. She is my all-time favorite mangaka, and I own all of her English translated volumes from VIZ, as well as a few Japanese volumes that were never translated (VIZ, please translate Appare Jipangu and Eppotrans Mai, thanks!). When I was in sixth grade, I walked into my small local bookstore and came across these strange books that read from right to left. I later found out they were called manga, and that would shape my interests for the rest of my life. Those two manga I picked up were Fushigi Yugi: The Mysterious Play and Ceres: Celestial Legend, two major works by Yuu Watase.

Following Fushigi Yugi: The Mysterious Play, telling the tale of two of the four gods, Suzaku and Seiryu, Watase eventually released Fushigi Yugi: Genbu Kaiden, my favorite of the tales so far. It was a long wait for that ten-volume series to complete, and even more of a wait knowing she must eventually write the story of the Priestess of Byakko. And thus, in 2020, Suzuno’s story is finally being released in English. Worth the wait with its beautiful art, this magnificent cover, and the beginning to a very promising story.

I was wondering how Watase would make the story of Byakko a bit different than her previous Fushigi Yugi tales, and I am not disappointed. Rather, I am left quite excited!

While you can read this book without necessarily having read the other tales, I highly recommend at least reading Genbu Kaiden first, as it references Takiko (the Priestess of Genbu) and her father, and what happened to them both.

This volume begins with an eight-year-old Suzuno who adores her father. Her father, a friend of Takiko’s dad, tries to destroy The Universe of the Four Gods, the book that brought Takiko inside its pages to become the Priestess of Genbu. Worried for his own daughter’s fate, he tells Suzuno to stay away. When an earthquake hits, Suzuno’s father encourages her to enter the book to save her from being killed in the earthquake. The reader gets a glimpse of some of the key characters that will play a major part later in the story; Suzuno’s stay as a little girl is quite short.

When Suzuno is eighteen, she struggles with waking nightmares, trying to remember what happened when she was in the book. Was it a dream, or was it real? After losing The Universe of the Four Gods, all Suzuno wants is to find the book and put her waking nightmares to rest.

Side note: I was disappointed that this volume did not include the short story “Byakko Ibun,” which highlights both the past of Seiryu warrior Miboshi, and a leading character in Byakko Senki who transforms into a tiger. This short story was quite intriguing and really added to my appreciation of this tiger girl who isn’t exactly very nice when we meet her in Byakko Senki. VIZ, please add this to a later volume or release it as a comic or something!!!!! 🙂

This book is such a fantastic read. Whether you are a long-time fan or new to Fushigi Yugi, you will not be disappointed by this book! Now…when will Watase come out with the next one and how long will we have to wait for a translation? ^_^’

3.5
I have a slightly unique perspective to this story as the only arc I've read is Genbu. So, to read this next feels like a natural progression of the story.

I found it very similar to Genbu in how the protagonist acts and the story progresses. So far, it seems fairly obvious, but I am assuming there will be twists to come in the future installments. The characters do feel somewhat flat, even for a first volume. Out of all of them, child Suzuno had the most development, and I found her older self dull and uninteresting. I'm hoping her character will progress past "lonely girl with PTSD" in the future books.

I was definitely most interested in the story when she was in the book than any other time. I found the parts of the human world to drag and feel milked to add tension. Also, you have to have some suspension of disbelief as a lot of the story in this, and in Genbu, was very contrive and worked around multiple accounts of things just "happening" at the right time.

But all of that to say, I'll try out the series.

Suzuno is a sweet, ten-year-old child who loves her parents very dearly, growing up in 1920s Tokyo. Her father has a book, The Universe of the Four Gods, that he forbids Suzu from touching. Then, the Kantō earthquake of 1923 strikes and destroys her home. Suzu’s father tells her to open the book in order to save her, and she is transported into the book to the country of Xi-Lang. There she meets Ning-lan, a woman who can turn into a tiger. Later, Ning-Lan and Suzu meet brothers Karm and Kasal, who tell Suzu the legend of the Priestess of Byakko. When Ning-Lan turns on Suzu, Suzu is transported back to Japan, and is immediately beset upon by human traffickers. She is rescued by a boy named Seiji and Dr. Oikawa, a friend of her father’s, but she loses the book in the process. A significant time jump occurs. Suzu is in high school, struggling with dreams and slivers of memories from losing her family to being attacked by a tiger. Seiji joins the military in hopes of establishing a life for himself, and while an injury ends his military aspirations, he asks Dr. Oikawa for Suzu’s hand in marriage.

The entire Fushigi Yûgi universe is an example of Isekai where the main character is transported to another world and has to achieve a goal - in this case, summoning the god Byakku. It’s also a reverse harem - the main girl character will have lots of male suitors desperately in love with her. Based on the way he is illustrated, I suspect that Kasal, despite being much older than her, will become the main love interest in Xi-Lang, and Suzu will have to battle herself to figure out if she wants Seiji or Kasal. Suzu is helpless and innocent throughout the first volume, which is typical of a Watase story. While today's readers might not find as much appeal out of a helpless girl surrounded by strong men, this will appeal to your romance readers who crave drama and difficult choices. Seiji is, as far as this volume shows, a good guy, so the struggle between all the different men, from Xi-Lang or Japan, will be bittersweet. The formula for all three series is identical, so I am interested to see what makes this series different than the original. Watase does mention in a letter in the volume that their struggling health will mean volumes will come out less frequently, so this might further frustrate readers who need to know what's going to happen to Suzu next.

One of the main things that always draws me to Watase series is their art. The Fushigi Yûgi stories take on medieval civilizations like China and India as their inspiration, so the clothing is richly detailed. I am always drawn to the eyes of Watase's characters because they are drawn with such care and beauty. Characters' surroundings are also lush and carefully depicted.

VIZ rates this series for older teen. There is above-waste frontal female nudity and a hint of sexual favors. Watase stories usually have some sex and nudity, but not gratuitously. Any violence to be had will be magical, most likely with very little gore.

Sara's Rating: 9/10
Suitability Level: Grades 10-12

I've been a fan of Fushigi Yugi for many years now, and I was so excited to see the fist volume of Byakko Senki available. It feels wonderful to be reading more of this story so many years on, and I'm excited to see the pieces fit together.