Fushigi Yugi is the story of carefree high school called Miaka who, together with her more serious best friend Yui, finds a book entitled "The Universe of the Four Gods." The book is magic, and it transports them both into its story and the world described there, where Miaka becomes embroiled in a fantastic adventure. An epic romance with a handsome warrior also awaits Miaka as they set out to find and befriend seven Celestial Warriors, including dashing mercenary Tamahome and wannabe empress Nuriko. Only then can Miaka summon the power of the god Suzaku, find her true love, and get home safely. The series creator, Yu Watase, is an incredibly prolific manga artist who has produced more than thirty compiled volumes in the past ten years. She also picked up the 43rd Shogakukan Manga Prize for her most recent series, Ayashi no Ceres (Ceres, Celestial Legend). Fushigi Yugi was an unexpected hit in Japan, breaking a long-standing anime industry theory that no anime based on a shojo (aimed-at-girls) manga could do well on TV.