Miaka No Yuugi Forward: This text has been passed around on message boards. I'm 
flattered that a few of you consider my thoughts on Miaka provocative enough to 
be worth reposting, but please ask before reusing content from my domain. I'm 
not angry, per se, but I would like to be notified prior to redistribution of my 
words.

In the spirit of not royally pissing off everyone, and because I'm feeling 
uncharacteristically generous today, I've decided to do the unthinkable and 
defend Miaka Yuuki. I know I've slammed Miaka more than once, and if you've read 
many of my Fushigi Yuugi posts to the newsgroup rec.arts.anime.misc, you know 
well that I am not a Miaka fan. But nevertheless, I shall defend her. The reason? 
To level out my previous ranting about nice characters. No, I haven't been 
flamed about it, nor do I expect to be flamed about it (as of this time, no one 
has flamed me for my rants section, curiously enough). I want to add some 
alternate perspective to what may have seemed like a shortsighted attack on cute, 
funny, naive, likeable characters. This being so, I chose the most frequently 
assaulted among them: Miaka Yuuki.

Now, I am not a Miaka fan. I don't loathe her with all my being, and I don't 
feel warm and fuzzy when I think about her. I know the character, I've 
experienced the character, and I have opinions on the character. That's about it.

So on with the show. Beware of spoilers. They are few, but there are enough that 
I advise exercising caution.

If you aren't well-versed in the ways and woes of Fushigi Yuugi, you just haven't 
lived a full life. That's a fact. It's not the greatest manga ever written, nor 
the most amazing anime ever made, but it's a damn good show. Yet one thing is 
most consistently brought up when the show's critics speak their minds. That one 
thing is Miaka, the main character. Miaka redefines the clumsy but sweet heroine. 
She's tenderhearted, selfless, and, if you'll pardon my saying so, kind of dim. 
Luck of the draw, I guess.

Among Fushigi Yuugi viewership, Miaka is hated by many, and the reasons are not 
as simple as some may argue. It isn't purely jealousy that eggs on the jeering 
crowd. The fact is, Miaka represents some exceptionally flawed writing. She runs 
on repeat, and I could swear the reruns extend back into the rudimentary 
principles of Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon. I'll try to cover the important 
factors point-by-point.

First, the constant run of good luck. Miaka is foil to Yui. What so many Fushigi 
Yuugi watchers do not seem to see is that the original Suzaku versus Seiryuu 
story line reiterates one point no less than a dozen times: Self-imposed 
delusions are the most dangerous sort. Yui is one side of the coin, Miaka is the 
other. Yui sees the worst in everything, Miaka sees the best in everything. All 
turns out badly for Yui, but serendipity is forever on Miaka's side. It is her 
weapon of choice. Seiryuu is the god of war, Suzaku is the god of love. They are 
two extremes which coincide and sometimes clash. The two primary Miko stand for 
negative and positive. Ergo, Miaka's good luck never runs out, and Yui's bad 
luck sees no end. There you have the explanation (as best I can offer) for none 
of Miaka's asinine tactics killing her off.

Second, the business of all her suitors. If Miaka is a slut, what does one call 
a real whore? A super-slut? Miaka isn't slutty. She tries to use sexuality to 
her advantage twice: Once to flirt with a guard and once to trap Nakago into 
giving up the Shinzahou. The first occasion was a success. The second was not, 
but is it fair to blame Miaka for trusting the fake Taiitsukun? Hardly. For many, 
one of Miaka's most endearing traits is that she has faith in others. This is 
naivete, and it can be grating, but it's also a valid character trait. Note, too, 
that Miaka never accepted the overtures of men other than Tamahome. She 
considered it, but ye gods, she's fifteen years old! If an emperor of dazzling 
beauty and poise offered to make a girl his bride, nary a woman on the planet 
wouldn't pause and think about it. Hell, most wouldn't even pause. Furthermore, 
remember that Miaka is the Miko is the god of love. I shouldn't need to expand 
on why that is relevant.

Third, the unfortunate fact of Miaka's limited intellectual capacities. She can 
be an unbearable dope, but not everyone can be a genius. Miaka makes bad spur-of-the-moment 
decisions; she isn't one to think things through. There's no debating that she 
isn't the sharpest tool in the shed, but most of Miaka's alleged stupidity is 
born from her unwavering desire to please.

Fourth, and most important, is how idealized Miaka is. This is where she gets my 
poor, trod-upon goat. Miaka is too good to be true, and for this reason, I don't 
like her. On the other hand, from a purely objective standpoint I can honestly 
say I think Watase-sensei intended Miaka to be that way. It was the point of the 
story. Miaka isn't meant to be a role model for young girls everywhere - she 
merely stands for certain qualities they are being encouraged to harvest in 
themselves: loyalty and kindness.

Fifth, the argument that she never learns. She does, but it isn't until the very 
end. Same with Yui. There's a good reason for this: Until the real world was 
involved in Suzaku's and Seiryuu's dispute, everything around Miaka was 
psychologically intangible. It was a book she could open and shut. If she could 
will herself out of it once, she could will herself out of it again. It was a 
roleplaying game gone wild. The name of the manga is Fushigi Yuugi, which means 
"mysterious game/play." Taking that into account, Miaka's happy-go-lucky 
demeanor is most justified, insofar as why Watase wrote her as such. Yes, Miaka 
was immature, but the other characters come right out and tell her this. By the 
time Seiryuu has trashed half of Tokyo, Miaka has stopped acting like a little 
girl. She's grown up, gotten stronger, and seen how foolish she was. Don't 
believe me? In the second story line (tankoubon fourteen through eighteen and 
OVAs), Miaka is a very different person from who she was in the original story 
line. She did mature. Yeah, it was a long, bumpy ride, but the way it came 
together is, as in the case of Magic Knight Rayearth, what makes it all 
worthwile.

return to underhanded