If you've ever watched The NeverEnding Story or Alice in Wonderland, Fushigi Yugi will feel eerily similar. You see, teenage girls Miaka and Yui are in their school library and wind up being sucked into a book Universe of the Four Gods after they mistakenly start reading it. The reader becomes involved in the plot as if it was their life and if they wish to return to the real world they have to complete the story.

Miaka and Yui are quickly seeded as lead roles on opposite ends of the coin and each has a goal that needs to be accomplished, thus pitting them against each other. As each girl becomes a Priestess they gather seven warriors each to aide their cause and propel the story forward. As the Priestess of Suzaku (the phoenix) it's up to her to summon the deity and right all the wrongs in the world.

This installment features a truly gut wrenching tragedy that befalls Tamahome and Miaka's resolve falters slightly. Their quest for the Shinzaho continues forward, but Yui and her seven warriors stand in their way. With a lot of fights, personal conflicts and plot twists to overcome, this volume of the show is rich with story and emotion.

Written by Yuu Watase, Fushigi Yugi is definitely an anime with strong, determined characters and a fleshed out plot. It may have a slower pace than most anime these days, but the shows length allows it to tell a rich romantic fantasy story that draws you in. Watase's unique artwork is represented throughout this series and is very similar to her manga works. While most of her manga are romantic fantasy Fushigi Yugi has garnered the most critical acclaim and widespread popularity.

The only problem here is that this review is for volume five out of eight, so unless you have spent time with the series prior to this release you'll probably be lost. There is a recap episode that essentially brings you up to speed on what's happened so far (because a lot happened), but you're much better off experiencing this show from the start.

With 52 episodes in the series, volume five encompasses numbers 27-33. If by any chance you couldn't afford the steep price for the previously released boxed sets, you can't go wrong with the individual volumes. With the DVDs being released by Geneon, these seven episode discs pack a lot of punch in terms of story telling and play time. Fushigi Yugi is an engrossing story that will strike a cord somewhere in you, but unless you start from the beginning of the series there's not much point to pick this volume up.

Fushigi Yugi is presented in full frame 1.33:1 aspect ratio with a transfer from its original production about a decade ago. It may have something to do with the shows age or simply because of compression, but there were more than a few moments where I noticed grain and some pixilation. It wasn't anything that marred the experience, it was just noticeable enough for me to point out.

One thing you may notice about this show is that it has a very "classic" look to it in terms of design. The characters and overall art style are the essential standard to how a fantasy world is supposed to look and it's a testament to Watase's art direction. If you're the type of Otaku that's only into high tech modern anime with no appreciation for the classic style you may not enjoy it, but for those of you with an open mind you'll love how this show looks.

With both Japanese and English 2.0 audio tracks plus optional English subtitles, Fushigi Yugi has the standard languages covered. For the most part both tracks play out equally well although there are some voiceovers that left a lot to be desired. The quality of these tracks holds up well given the show's age, but there are some moments where the audio will become muffled.

There are absolutely no extras on this volume of Fushigi Yugi, but that probably has something to do with the fact that they crammed seven episodes onto this disc. Even so the disc is very barebones with nothing more than the audio menu and episodes with chapter selections.

Fushigi Yugi is one of those anime that you need to start at from the beginning or else you will be hopelessly lost. It's a sweeping story about romance and action set in a fantasy world with magic and swordplay. Considering the show came out the better part of a decade ago you could almost call it a timeless classic and considering there are over 50 episodes, this show will stick with you a long time.

The video and audio quality is decent enough, although there are a few rough spots with each. The lack of any sort of extra content is annoying, but with seven episodes packed onto this disc there's really not much room for any. If you've already been watching the series and are in a position where you want to pick up volume five, then I definitely recommend it. Otherwise you're better off starting at the beginning of the show and working your way through.

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