So I've been reading the newest version of Fushigi Yugi lately and I'm actually enjoying it even more than the first one. The main characters are Takiko Okuda, a young girl from Japan who spends her days looking after her sick mom and attending an all girls school. The young man is Limdo Rowan, a prince from a country in side of the mysterious book Takiko's father brings home from a trip. Once Takiko is pulled into the book the two meet and the story truly starts.
One thing I liked better about this version is that the main character has about 100% more guts than Miaka did in the original. Because of the era Takiko grew up in (the 1920's) she's actually trained in weapon fighting and one of the first things she does is get one built for her self in the book world. She never acts helpless, even when she's scared and she never turns to food for comfort (unlike Miaka). So far she has failed to get anyone killed.
Because of the epic nature of the story there is quite a lot of violence and adult themes. The country in the book world is entering an ice age and people are poor and starving. Young women are forced into sexual slavery and prostitution. War, and all of it's trappings, is quickly approaching. Mostly these dark scenes are mixed in with light humor and a love story so the book never gets depressing even while we feel deeply for the characters.
And now the best parts of a Yuu Watase series: The Awesome art and the hours of painstaking research she puts into her work. Here is a lady who loves what she does and it really shows. She even talks about the research trips around the world she takes in the sidebars. Her line are is gorgeous. I would buy her books just for the pretty art, but the story telling is just as good. While it's still being printed in Japan and we have to wait for the next issue I highly recommend picking it up for your library, or even for yourself. 
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