Deadjournal

I honestly think this is a great anime with clever humor and a unique visual style, but as an average gaijin pleb, I probably miss a lot of the references and nuances happening on screen. I wouldn’t call myself an expert on Japanese culture, but I’m not a complete novice either, and yet I only understood maybe 50–60% of the gags in the show. Unfortunately, that wasn’t enough to fully enjoy the experience. Even the jokes I did get didn’t feel strong enough to rate the anime higher than a 6/10. If I remember correctly, the previous seasons weren’t as dense with references and were easier to follow. Another issue with the third season is the repetitive structure of the episodes: each one starts with an event that sets up the theme for the jokes, followed by a series of gags based on that theme. It gets pretty monotonous after 3–4 episodes.

A sweet, calm, and pleasant anime, best enjoyed on a rainy day, wrapped in a warm blanket with a cup of hot chocolate in hand. The first few episodes nearly put me to sleep, but gradually, I found myself drawn into the world on the other side of the screen.

This anime is both clichéd and original at the same time. The plot is predictable and reminiscent of your typical dime novel, but it avoids most of the common anime clichés. I watched the entire series with ease, found the events on screen believable, and even empathized with the characters (even though, of course, I knew how it would end from the very start). The pacing is calm and slow, with a focus on slice-of-life moments rather than drama. There are no excessive emotions or other typical anime tropes, which is quite refreshing. That said, this is one of those shows that fades from memory almost as soon as you finish it.

I also read the manga and can say that the series stays pretty faithful to the source material.

I've read the original visual novel, but I only decided to watch the adaptation recently. I have to say, I was truly impressed by the visuals in this anime. It’s hard to believe it aired in 2006, the artwork, 3DCG, and special effects rival even some modern TV series.

The main issue with the adaptation is its fast pacing. With only 24 episodes, there’s not enough time to fully develop the plot. As a result, viewers who haven’t read the original visual novel may find themselves confused. On the other hand, this might serve as a great incentive to dive into the VN. For the average viewer unfamiliar with the source material, there will undoubtedly be plenty of unanswered questions by the end. Perhaps this explains why it has a relatively low score on MAL.

That said, it was still a pretty good adaptation overall.

This anime felt pretty mediocre to me, both in terms of story and visuals. Sure, animation quality isn’t as important as the narrative, but here the plot feels even cheaper than the art, it’s riddled with inconsistencies and plot holes that only the least demanding viewer could overlook. There are so many silly moments and logical gaps that I found myself instinctively facepalming more often than not. But considering the target audience, little girls, the creators clearly didn’t bother too much with such “unnecessary” things.

As for the characters, hardly anyone stood out. Maybe Nakago, but even he’s made entirely of clichés. Nuriko was somewhat interesting, but their abrupt shift from hatred (and even an attempt to drown Miaka in a swamp) to unconditional love and friendship with her was jarring and felt completely unearned. It was unnatural and lacked any believable justification.

And then there’s the ending. It’s awful. Not only is it overly drawn-out with way too many convoluted twists, but it’s also entirely predictable from the start. If the series had wrapped up around the midpoint of its final arc, it would have been far better than the agonizing mess we got in the last episode.
Final Score: 6/10

This anime will likely only appeal to fans of retro shows.

That said, Fushigi Yuugi had tremendous potential. The ancient China-inspired setting and the isekai genre are both concepts I really enjoy. Unfortunately, it didn’t live up to what it could’ve been. Even so, I don’t regret watching it.