Any comments in brackets '[]' belong to Tetris no Miko, who translated these questions for me and you.

If Tamahome's family had not been killed, would he still have wished to be reborn in Miaka's world?
When Tamahome first came into Miaka's world, did he feel the presence of the "Taka" that was already there?
Was Taka spending most of his life searching for Miaka before he got into college?
Was Taka able to accept all the seishi he didn't remember when he re-united with them?
Why was Hotohori so narcissistic?
If Yui had been Suzaku no Miko, what would Hotohori have felt for her?
Did Hotohori accept the fact that there were bandits in his country?
What was Nuriko planning on doing if Hotohori were to find out he was a man?
About Chichiri's "no da"s and "na no da"s...
Why was Tasuki so tactless around Tamahome?
Did Tasuki want to have a younger brother?
Did Tasuki strive to be a man the exact opposite of his father?
Why did Mitsukake fail to act urgently in moments of urgency?
Chiriko is compared to a character of Japanese literature.
The meanings behind the kanji of the Suzaku Seishi's names
Quiz: Miaka and her Suzaku Seishi

If Tamahome's family had not been killed, would he still have wished to be reborn in Miaka's world?

In order for Tamahome to be reborn as a human in Miaka’s world, he was required to throw away the person he was in the book-world. The only reason Tamahome was able to say “I’ve got nothing else to lose” and abandon his former life was because his family was murdered by Suboshi. So what if….and this is a “what if”… Tamahome’s family had not been murdered by Suboshi? Would he still have made the same decision? Naturally, Miaka is very important to Tamahome, but if his family had stayed alive, he would have had to chose between Miaka and his family.

At first, Tamahome had wanted Miaka to live in his world (the Shi Jin Ten Chi Sho) with him, but when he came to Miaka’s world, he realized that Miaka, too, had a world she could not part with. This made it harder and harder for him to say the closer they got.

So Tamahome would have had to chose between his family and Miaka. Keep one and abandon the other. I am certain that Tamahome would not be able to make such a decision…but if such a decision came his way, which would he chose?

Especially if Tamahome’s father had been on his deathbed when the time came to make this decision. No matter how much Tamahome loved Miaka, he would have to chose his family, because Mitsukake would not be alive to heal Tamahome’s father.

But then there’s the possibility that Tasuki and Chichiri might offer to take care of Tamahome’s family. I can just hear Tasuki saying “What the hell’re ya worried about? We’ll take care of your family!” and Chichiri saying “That’s right, no da! You can count on us, no da!”. Also, if Hotohori had stayed alive, he too would have seen to Tamahome’s family’s welfare…

When Tamahome first came into Miaka's world, did he feel the presence of the "Taka" that was already there?

When Tamahome first traveled to Miaka’s world, he might have sensed that there was “another me” in her world… Perhaps it was at that time that he felt the presence of Sukunami Taka?

I think this is fully possible. As with the twins Amiboshi and Suboshi being able to feel each other’s pain from different worlds (perhaps with Tamahome is was different, though), Tamahome and Taka were most likely able to feel each other.

Of course, at the time, Tamahome was only aware that there was “another me that’s not me”, but not that there was “Taka”…

He was not necessarily aware of “Taka” but of the fact that his reincarnation had been living somewhere in that world.

But when Tamahome discovered that he was “created by someone of Miaka’s world”, and that he was not “real”, he must have thought that perhaps this “another me that’s not me” that exists in Miaka’s world was really the true him all along and that without him, he would never have been able to exist inside the book, because there would be no book.

Was Taka spending most of his life searching for Miaka before he got into college?

Though Taka had several experiences of his own, he was born with his memories from when he was Tamahome. When he was growing up, Tamahome’s memories were vivid in Taka’s mind… so did he make an attempt to search for Miaka before he became a college student?

I found several possibilities to that question:

1. He believed that he was fated to find her eventually.
“If I grow up into a man suitable for my beloved Miaka, fate will bring us together in time”, is something he could have kept telling himself. Because of this, searching for Miaka was not of his concern; only becoming the best man he could be to make her the happiest woman she could be was his main concern.

2. He had no where to start looking.
Even though Taka was born with Tamahome’s memories, he was unlikely to have remembered that when he appeared in Miaka’s world as Tamahome, that he was in Japan’s capital, Tokyo. It would be pretty impossible for him to remember something like that. He was too busy being overwhelmed with all the technology and other vast differences between his and Miaka’s worlds. He also would have had no idea exactly what year he was in Tokyo.

Taka was born a bit away from Tokyo (apparently, he was a farm boy from a small town in the big woods). Perhaps he could have said to himself as he saw pictures or news bits in Tokyo “Hmmm, now I think I went to this coffee shop with Miaka, and fought with Suboshi about here…” It’s also very unlikely that Taka would have remembered Miaka’s address. So even if he had wanted to look for her, he would have no place to start looking. He would just have to leave it in fate’s hands…

3. He wanted to avoid creating a time-paradox.
If Taka had found Miaka before she had entered the book-world, summoned Suzaku, and finished the book, he could have altered the events of that time, and could have consequentially erased his own existence as Taka. Because his existence as Taka depended on Tamahome’s existence and love for Miaka, Taka wanted to avoid contact with Miaka at all costs. He would simply have to wait until Miaka got into high school.

4. His reunion with Miaka could have been planned!
If theory number 3 is correct, Taka must have realized that he could only come in contact with Miaka AFTER her story with Tamahome ended. So perhaps Taka WAS able to find Miaka by using his memories as Tamahome? This would mean that Taka’s choosing to enter the same college Miaka’s older brother, Keisuke, went to was no coincidence. Find Miaka by attending school with her older brother…not a bad idea, wouldn’t you say?

Even if he still felt fate would bring him and Miaka together, attending college with his future brother-in-law wouldn’t be such a bad idea, anyway.

That is what I came up with, but what about you? Was one of your theories in my list? If you think something different, I’d love to hear it. While the theories are interesting, I don’t like to think that Taka planned it all, and that it really was just fate that brought them together. What kept Taka going was his belief that he would find Miaka again someday… What do you think?

How did Taka feel when Tasuki and the other seishi didn’t recognize him?

When Taka and Miaka were able to go back into the book world again, and reunited with Tasuki, he didn’t recognize who they were. At first, Taka was very upset and accused Tasuki of Alzheimer’s disease, but that was because while it had only been a half year since Taka had seen Tasuki, it had been two years for Tasuki since he had last seen Tamahome.

But wouldn’t we be more correct in saying that Taka had last seen Tasuki 18 years ago?

Granted, when Suzaku granted Miaka’s wish to be with Tamahome and allowed Tamahome to be reborn into Miaka’s world as Taka, the time was half a year ago. But we must not forget that Suzaku was able to cross over time and space to allow Tamahome to be reborn as Taka. So while Tamahome had become Taka about 6 months earlier, Taka had been Taka for the past 18 (and a few months) years.

So when Miaka, Taka, and Tasuki were reunited, for Miaka, it was six months, for Tasuki it was two years, and for Taka it was 18 years (plus a few months).

So even though Taka had not seen Tasuki in so long (and this was his first time meeting Tasuki as Taka and not as Tamahome), he still recognized Tasuki. Tasuki, on the other hand, had seen Tamahome a short while ago but did not recognize Taka. This must have been hard for Taka to understand. I get the feeling he was a little peeved when Tasuki didn’t recognize him.

But perhaps he also realized that Tasuki had no idea that he would ever see Miaka or Tamahome again, and was caught off his guard…

Why was Hotohori such a narcissist?

I admit Hotohori is beautiful. I will give him that much. You could even call him "extremely beautiful".

However, no matter how beautiful he is, he gets far too carried away about it.

But even as much a narcissist he is, he still is a wonderful emperor who cares for his country. We can safely say that Konan’s citizens were very fortunate to have him.

However, it is because he is such a good emperor that his narcissism is prominent.

But if Hotohori did not have this fault, he would have been too "perfect" and too bland of a character.

And then again, we can also say that his narcissism is part of his charm.

But how did he become this way? I have thought up several theories to explain Hotohori’s narcissism:

1. From having been used in a puppet regime by his mother, he lost confidence in himself:
Hotohori told Miaka that his mother’s deviousness caused him to become emperor at an early age, and while she was still alive, she used him like a puppet. When Hotohori noticed he had no will of his own, but simply obeyed that of his mother, and that he was no more than a puppet to his very own mother, he hated himself. And because he hated himself so much, he needed to lift his spirits somehow. However, he got carried away and became the narcissist we know of today.

Hotohori seemed over-confident in himself, while in reality, his narcissism came from his opposition to himself. What a sad existence.

2. From having grown up with people telling him "you’re beautiful" all the time:
There is no man more beautiful than Hotohori. This was probably apparent since he was very young. And those around him, knowing he might grow up to become their ruler, praised his looks. If those around him compliment him enough, he will learn to be attracted to himself, too. A simple look in the mirror only further confirmed that he was far more beautiful than anyone else around him.

Therefore, it was only natural that he become a narcissist.

3. He only pretended to be a narcissist:
Hotohori’s advisors were worried when Hotohori showed no interest in any of the women in his harem. They were constantly on his case to chose an empress.

Hotohori said that the reason he wasn’t interested in any of the women of his harem was because "Only Suzaku no Miko would do". But this explanation was a little hard to swallow. If he showed no interest in his harem for too long, he might also be suspected of homosexuality (which he also did not want), so he decided to pass himself off as a narcissist who will only marry a woman more beautiful than he is.

So he originally planned on pretending to be a narcissist, but he slowly turned into one for real. By the time he met Tamahome and Miaka, he was a complete narcissist.

4. Hotohori was not a narcissist, he just pretended to be one to humor those around him:
Hotohori was practically a perfect man. But he needed to cooperate with his advisors in order to rule the country. If he were too perfect a man, his advisors would feel uncomfortable around him, so he chose to pretend to be a narcissist to make them more comfortable.

On top of it all, he was also a Suzaku Seishi. It would obviously be awkward working with the other six if he were too perfect a man and an emperor to top it off with. Hotohori reasoned it would be hard to get along with his fellow Seishi if he were perfect.

So he threw his perfection aside and pretended to be a narcissist so the other Seishi would feel more comfortable around him as a fellow man with faults.

These theories are what I came up with, but what do you think? While I agree (4) is possible, I think it’s much more likely that he truly was a narcissist. However, maybe he was pretending to be a narcissist for a reason different from that mentioned in (4). Perhaps all his narcissism was a gag for the readers. Yes, I’m sure he really was a narcissist deep down.

Those of you who came up with different theories, please tell me what you think.

What if Yui had been Suzaku no Miko instead of Miaka?

Ever since Hotohori heard the story of Suzaku no Miko as a child, he waited eagerly for her to come. When Miaka appeared into Hotohori’s life he declared that she was exactly as he had envisioned her and proposed marriage to her.

But what if, and this is just a "what if", what if Yui had been Suzaku no Miko instead?

Even though it was Miaka he proposed to, if Yui had been Suzaku no Miko, would he have fallen in love with her, too? Would Hotohori have fallen for whoever turned out to be Suzaku no Miko?

I suppose the key point in finding the answer to this question is just what was Hotohori’s vision of Suzaku no Miko like all those years?

If Hotohori had envisioned Suzaku no Miko to be an oblivious, cheerful girl who needs to count on others, he might have not fallen for Yui.

But was Hotohori’s image of Suzaku no Miko the exact same image Miaka was?

If Hotohori’s image was simply a girl completely different from anyone in his world, and who had a very strong will of her own, either Yui or Miaka apply.

Perhaps the feeling he felt when he met Miaka might have been the same if he had met Yui.

But if Miaka really was fated to become Suzaku no Miko and it was no mere coincidence, perhaps Hotohori was fated to love her.

But if Suzaku no Miko was randomly chosen, then perhaps Hotohori wouldn’t have had an image in his mind of what she would be like. If this were the case, Hotohori would have fallen for Yui if she were Suzaku no Miko, or would he have?

When Hotohori saw what Yui had become as Seiryuu no Miko, his impression was probably that she was not a nice person, but if Yui had become Suzaku no Miko instead, he might have been drawn to her.

Either way seems highly likely.

Did Hotohori accept the fact that there were bandits in his country?

While he was aware of the possibility of bandits, what did he think of them? Were they considered friend or foe?

Once Tasuki became active as a Seishi, he left the bandits, but with the intention of returning to become their leader. But if Hotohori had not died in the war, would he have just allowed Tasuki to join a gang of bandits?

When Nuriko and Miaka went searching for Seishi at Mt. Reikaku, Hotohori was not able to accompany them at first, but was Hotohori aware of the bandits in his own country? Or did he even care that there were bandits in his country?

Later, Kouji and the other bandits of Reikaku joined forces with Konan to fight against Kutou’s soldiers, so perhaps Hotohori accepted the bandits?

In order for his citizens to feel safe in his country, Hotohori would not want bandits. But in fighting side by side with Reikaku’s bandits, he learned that they were not "bad" people.

After gaining trust with the bandits of Reikaku, Hotohori decided that after the battle with Seiryuu was over, that he would enlist them in his military, but unfortunately, he died in battle and was not able to carry that out.

Did Hotohori really consider the bandits an asset to his country? Since Hotohori always put his country first, I believe he did.

What was Nuriko planning on doing if Hotohori were to find out he was a man?

Nuriko was a very prized member of the harem. She, I mean, he was one of the most beautiful there.

What eludes me is what were Nuriko’s plans of escape? What if Hotohori actually visited his harem and tried to have sex with Nuriko? Hotohori would find out right away that Nuriko was really a man and he would have to leave.

I don’t suppose Nuriko could have thought Hotohori wouldn’t mind if he were a man?

Or maybe Nuriko thought that even if Hotohori found out he was a man, he would make Hotohori fall for him anyway?

I guess we can’t find the answer to this question unless we ask ourselves why Nuriko did such an outrageous thing as enter the harem in the first place. Was this him acting in the best interest of his goal as a Suzaku Seishi?

Nuriko knew that the Suzaku Seishi were the seven most important people to Konan. So I suppose he figured that even if he were caught, he would be forgiven because he was a Seishi.

The punishment for posing as a woman and entering the harem was execution. And Nuriko is a man who knew well of the value of life. So he wouldn’t be so stupid as to risk his life unless it was for a very important purpose. So I think he acted so drastically because he was a Suzaku Seishi.

About Chichiri's "~no da" and "~na no da".

Chichiri often put "no da" and "na no da" at the ends of his sentences.

I would like to discuss why he does this.

But it is apparent that Chichiri did not always say "no da". He didn’t speak that way in flashback scenes with Hikou, and he also spoke normally when he had his confrontation with Hikou after he became a servant of Tenkou. It is definite that Chichiri’s "no da"s came about after the deaths of his fiancee and Hikou, and after he lost his left eye.

"No da" and "na no da" are only used if the speaker is sure of what he is saying. Unless you have absolute confidence that what you are saying is true, you can’t really use "no da".

So that must mean when Chichiri uses "no da" in his speech, he is letting others know that what he is saying is genuine, and the truth.

Perhaps we can say that Chichiri’s use of "no da" is the same as the funny mask he wears?

Chichiri wears his mask so he will not forget Hikou and so others will not be repulsed by his hideous scar. This means Chichiri’s mask exists to "hide what should not be seen by others".

So Chichiri’s use of "no da" serves as a way of hiding his true feelings or his true self.

Chichiri must have felt overwhelming guilt after his best friend, Hikou, died. But no matter how much Chichiri denied it, he still felt that he was a murderer.

So his mask, speech pattern, and occasional super-deformed form were all for the purpose of denying the truth from himself and cheering up others or perhaps these traits were for a completely different purpose?

Why was Tasuki so tactless around Tamahome?

A pattern of Tasuki’s is saying tactless things to Tamahome, and then getting beaten up in return. Tasuki and Tamahome’s relationship was like they had been friends all their lives.

So whenever Tasuki let something tactless slip out around Tamahome, it was intended as an innocent joke. So we can assume that that was Tasuki’s way of showing affection.

But there might be a slight possibility that part of it was from a grudge Tasuki held against Tamahome from when Tamahome nearly beat him to death.

When Tamahome nearly killed Tasuki, he had been under the influence of the drug, "kodoku", and under Nakago’s hypnosis, so it was not Tamahme’s fault.

Of course, Tasuki was well aware of that, and he’s not the type of guy to hold a grudge forever, but it still is a possibility.

Tasuki had no hard feelings for his fellow bandits when they had been taken over by Eiken, so he must be a rather understanding guy.

But it still is possible that unconsciously, Tasuki still held grudges. So there is also a tiny possibility that Tasuki’s lack of tact around Tamahome was his inner-conscious acting.

You may remember that when Tasuki and Tamahome were chasing after Amiboshi, and when Miboshi’s monsters were attacking them, Tasuki’s Rekka Shin’en fried Tamahome by "accident". These could have also been "pay-backs" for what Tamahome had done.

Did Tasuki want to have a younger brother?

This is a sudden theory, but would Tasuki have liked to have any younger brothers? I’m not asking this because people think Tasuki’s gay or something just because he doesn’t like females, but for a different reason.

Tasuki was the youngest child in the family with five sisters above him. Tasuki had no younger brothers or sisters. I suspect that Tasuki wanted to have a little brother. Perhaps Tasuki resented the fact that his sisters did nothing but torment him and that if he had a younger brother of his own, he would love him and take better care of him.

I derived this theory from Tasuki’s kindness towards Chiriko. Wheneve Chiriko'’s character disappeared, it was Tasuki who always cheered him up and encouraged him to go on. [*in the manga, whenever Chiriko'’s character disappeared, he became a crybaby. -TnM]

Whenever I saw Tasuki and Chiriko in scenes like those described above, they always appeared as brothers to me. There’s the younger brother, Chiriko. Weak, and helpless, and afraid, and the ideal older brother, Tasuki, who protected and watched over him. Whenever I saw Tasuki taking care of Chiriko I always felt that perhaps Tasuki wanted to be an older brother.

If Tasuki had always wanted a little brother to take care of (unlike how his sisters had treated him), I do believe he saw Chiriko as a little brother.

But even if Tasuki DID have a younger brother, that doesn’t mean he would have necessarily treated him as nicely as he did Chiriko.

The way Tasuki'’s sisters treated him and the way Tasuki treated Chiriko were exact opposite behaviors. Perhaps the rotten treatment Tasuki received from his sisters all those years stirred up his brotherly instinct. Whenever Tasuki saw Chiriko feeling glum and compared it with his own experiences with his sisters, Tasuki must have felt sympathy for Chiriko.

Of course, we must remember that while Chiriko without his character was Tasuki’s ideal younger brother, Chiriko WITH his character was one of intelligence and knowledge; the exact kind of person Tasuki doesn’t get along with too well.

Did Tasuki strive to be a man the exact opposite of his father?

Tasuki’s father had so little presence that his existence was hardly felt by others even in the same room. This is the exact opposite of his son, who stood out the most among the Suzaku Seishi.

I suspect that part of Tasuki’s extreme sense of presence was born out of rebellion towards his father.

Tasuki grew up with an unremarkable father; a father whose very presence was seldom felt. Tasuki’s desire to fight his genes and not become a man like his father molded him into the man he is today.

If Tasuki grew up thinking to himself "I don’t wanna be a guy who know one ever notices if he’s here or not!", he’s bound to become a very prominent man. Or perhaps this is simply a given?

Or perhaps the abuse he received from his sisters all those years is what prompted him to run away from home to become a man of his own that would not be pushed around by mere women?

It’s also true that not only Tasuki, but his mother and older sisters were all very aggressive. Perhaps Tasuki’s reason for leaving home was a simple power-struggle.

Why did Mitsukake fail to act urgently in moments of urgency?

Mitsukake was notorious for his lack of speech and his calmness, and kindness. However, there was a time where he acted apathetic in a moment of urgency.

When Mitsukake had first met up with Miaka, Hotohori and the others, and had still not revealed his identity as Mitsukake, he told Hotohori, Nuriko, and Tasuki that Shouka had died a year earlier and that Miaka was in danger.

But while Hotohori and the others were furiously riding back in order to save Miaka in time, what was Mitsukake doing? Shaving his beard, cutting his hair, and changing his clothes! Why? As a Suzaku Seishi, it is his duty to protect his Miko from danger, and she was in danger! So why was he sprucing himself up instead?

Was it because he was going to see Shouka (mind you, she was a monster at this point) again? But that’s ridiculous! But what if it is true?

Or perhaps Mitsukake did not want to reveal to the others that he was Mitsukake until he cleaned himself up a bit? But that’s ridiculous! But if it’s true, then he must have been a man who cared greatly about his appearance!

What if something terrible had happened to his Miko while he was busy "freshening up"? Were his powers useless unless he cleaned himself up?

The Mitsukake who sacrificed himself to save many lives in the war with Kutou, and the Mitsukake who ignored the danger his Miko was in so he could clean up do not sound like the same person.

Hmmmm... I still don’t get it. Will I ever get it? I guess this question will just be one of those left unanswered..

Chiriko is compared to a character from Japanese literature

{In this question, the author compared Chiriko to a character from Japanese literature. As most non-Japanese fan would fail to understand the reference, we have not translated the question in its entirety. We have, though, translated the name of the work and character in question so that any Chiriko fans can research further on their own.}

The character Chiriko was being compared to was "Sharaku Housuke". He was from Tezuka Osamu's "Mittsu-me ga Tooru". [I'm not sure if this was a book or manga, or what...]

Housuke belongs to a race of people who have three eyes. Housuke is very smart and wise, but when he places the band-aid on his third eye, he becomes stupid. Hence the author's thinking Housuke is similar to Chiriko.

Kuri has provided some more info on this subject:
Sharaku is a junior high schooler who is the final descendant of the three-eyed race of superintelligent magical beings, and happens to also be a genius, self-absorbed, arrogant sociopath bent on taking over the world. However, when his third eye is covered, that personality subsides and he become slow-witted and immature, with no memory of his other self. (Obviously the eye is covered most of the time, with an x-shaped bandage.) The three-eyed Sharaku is, as you might expect, rather annoyed by this handicap, just as Chiriko is. They've got parallels in the crybaby and heightened intelligence department, as well as looking very young for their age. I don't know if Watase Yuu was directly influenced by Mittsume ga Tooru (though I expect every manga-ka's been influenced by Tezuka Osamu, directly or indirectly!) but there really are a lot of similarities between Chiriko and Sharaku.

The meanings behind names of the characters in Fushigi Yuugi:

The Chinese characters used to write the character’s names each have meaning. When Tamahome was often called "Ghostie" as a kid, it was because he had the symbol on his forehead.

Not only Tamahome, but all the other Seishi also had meanings behind their names and symbols. Watase-sensei researched the meanings behind their symbols AFTER she created their characters. When she found that many of the symbol descriptions fit her characters’ personalities (and powers), she was very surprised.

I, too, have done further research into their names and have found even more interesting similarities regarding their symbols. First, let’s take a look at the Suzaku Seishi:

Tamahome: Dead spirit, soul, ghost, demon. A spirit believed to have divine powers. One who gives wisdom to others, a monster. A supreme being above others. Fearless one. Ruthless one. Majestic one.

Hotohori: What sparkles in the night sky. The calendar. A small, round dot. The heavens, the sun, the moon, the stars, the Earth, etc. Absolute power and authority. One of great importance.

Nuriko: Willow. Branch, leaves, or roots of the willow tree. Other plants descended from the willow.

Chichiri: A hole dug in the ground so water can be drawn from it (a well). A hole that brings up what is under the surface. (Wells were sometimes marked/dug in the shape of the character). A gathering place for people of the village.

Tasuki: The wings of a bird. Shelter, salvation, rescue. (because a mother bird protects her chicks with her wings). Emerging from the four corners of an enclosed area. Beginnings.

Mitsukake: Four sprigs of wood which support a cart. Wheels. To meet, to rotate, to move. To return back, to rejuvenate. To be in pain, to be sad. A tool which tightens or loosens a bowstring.

Chiriko: To stretch (a bowstring). To grow. To spread out. To lengthen. To strengthen. To thrust. To release. A counter for chords, strings, etc. To swell. Pride. To assure. To take turn. To strike.

Watase-sensei wrote earlier that Tamahome is "fearless", Hotohori is "one of great importance". These meanings fit so well, it’s eerie.

Mitsukake’s "to be in pain" also fits him perfectly as he heals the pain of others and he himself has experienced deep emotional pain. His "to be sad" also fits him when he lost his family in the flood and his beloved to illness. "To rejuvenate" is what his very Seishi power is, too!

With Tasuki’s final command to Chiriko to "grow up and become big and strong!", Chiriko’s symbol fits perfectly as one of its meanings is "to become strong." Maybe while Chiriko had his complex about being small and weak, perhaps unconsciously, he hoped the meaning behind his character had some truth to it and that he would be strong some day.

The meanings behind the Seiryuu Seishi’s symbols will show up later in their section.

Quiz: Miaka and her Seven Seishi
[*Most of these are unanswerable to English-speaking fans and/or people who have only seen the anime, but try it anyway ^_^ -TnM]

1. When Miaka and Yui first fell into the book-world from the library, and noticed the library was no longer there, Miaka said "Not only is there no library, but there’s no ___, ___, or ___!" Fill in the three blanks with names of stores.

2. When the former emperor of Konan was entrusted with the Shi Jin Ten Chi Sho from Taiitsukun, there were hints written in on how to find the Suzaku Seishi. What were the two words used as Nuriko’s hint?

3. How old was Tamahome when his mother died?

4. When Amiboshi (disguised as Chiriko) offered to play some tunes for Miaka, what three popular music groups did she request?

5. When Tamahome was under the influence of the drug, "kodoku", and had a big brawl with Tasuki, Tasuki was nearly beaten to death. Which bones of his body were broken?

6. When Tamahome returned to Konan after being held captive in Kutou, he spent all night counting the money under his bed because one coin kept coming up short. Luckily, he finally found the missing coin. So how much money did he finally come up with?

7. When Miaka’s first attempt to summon Suzaku failed, Taiitsukun appeared and told them that if they obtained the "Shinzaho", that they would be able to summon Suzaku. When Miaka was talking with Taiitsukun in this scene, she mispronounced the "Shinzaho" twice. (Perhaps once was actually on purpose, though?) Which two names did she use when trying to say "Shinzaho"?

8. When Chichiri and the others were trapped in Tomo’s illusion of Sairou, Chichiri was seriously concerned about their mission, but Tasuki was getting drunk and dancing around with bottles and plates. What three things did he "impersonate"?

9. When the Suzaku Seishi tasted Miaka’s cooking for the first time, Tasuki said "Is this really something people can eat??", Mitsukake said "I’ll mix up some stomach medicine later". Chiriko described her food as having what flavor?

10. What’s the name of the coffee shop where Tamahome, Keisuke, and Miaka went to when Tamahome first came into Miaka’s world?

Suzaku Quiz Answer Sheet:

1. "Haagen Daz", "Mister Donuts", "Sky Lark". Yui was a little exasperated that all three of these were eating establishments. But concern for food is very much like Miaka.

2. "Palace", and "Super". "Palace" was because Nuriko was in the harem, and "Super" was because of Nuriko’s super-human strength.

3. Age 12. His mother died right after she gave birth to Yuiren.

4. "The B’z", "Chage and Asuka", and "Dreams Come True". It’s no wonder Amiboshi thought these were names of folk music.

5. Three ribs, his left arm, and his left leg. I suppose with that much damage done it was no wonder Tasuki wanted revenge.

6. 312 coins. Even after Tamahome was reborn as Taka, he still enjoyed counting up the change he got from recycling cans and bottles. A money-glutton all the way.

7. "Shingaoh", and "Shinsahoh". This scene was a little too serious for Miaka to joke, but then again, she’s the same girl who joked in front of Suzaku himself.

8. "Elephant ears", "Dragonfly", "Boobs". Chichiri was exasperated, but if you compare Tasuki’s behavior to other drunks who become violent or crybabies, I think he’s just fine.

9. "A flavor beyond human experience". I’m sure Chiriko was curious to research what made the food taste the way it did.

10. "Café Paradox". This is also the place Tamahome worked when he became Taka in the second part of the manga. Perhaps memories from his past life drew him there? Or did that café also bear significance to Taka himself? The idea of Tamahome drawing Taka there or Taka drawing Tamahome there is in its self a paradox. Perhaps I’m reaching a little too much on this one?