Fushigi Yuugi: SEIRAN DEN -- Tomo-centric Summary

The Fushigi Yuugi light novel SEIRAN DEN focuses on Nakago's life story from his sad childhood up until his ascension as the general of Kutou. Characters include Matuta (Nakago's mother), Taria (Nakago's childhood friend), Gi Koyuu (original general of Kutou), The Emperor of Kutou, Eichuu (Nakago's inferior rival), Soi, and TOMO!!! The book was written by Megumi Nishizaki with the advice and direction of Yuu Watase. Illustrations were by Yuu Watase.

Fushigi Yuugi light novel:  Seiran Den.  Characters presented are Nakago, Soi, and Tomo.  The guy on the top-left is Eichuu, the serious mustache man is Gi Koyuu, the evil bearded older man is the Emperor of Kutou, the little girl on the second-right side is Taria, and the woman on the far-right side is Matuta.

CHAPTER 5: The Mysterious Man of Gyougokuza

• Tomo was first introduced as the Mysterious Man of Gyougokuza, performing on the stage in front of the Emperor of Kutou and his palace. He was often called by his "real name" Ragun throughout the novel's story.
• Although Kutou is a country full of political strife and the citizens could not afford such theatrical productions, the Emperor insists that the theater troupe to stay at the palace and perform for him and his subjects. He especially liked Tomo’s performance with his "casual elegance."
• Tomo, a professional actor and dancer, was charismatic on stage. And out of nowhere and all of a sudden, he revealed himself as a Seiryuu Warrior to the Emperor. He even flashed in front of everyone to show his mark, which was located at his lower abdomen...kinky. The king and everyone else were amazed to find the second Seiryuu warrior. I’m surprised he didn’t get arrested for public indecency lol.
• Tomo was amazed that there’s another Seiryuu warrior at the palace.
• Although Nakago’s first Seiryuu warrior encounter was with Soi, his first formal encounter was with Tomo. The time when he met Soi, he didn’t know that she was a warrior (neither did she). They’ve only met just a fleeting moment and parted ways immediately. She remembers him, but he didn’t remember her. Thus, Tomo was the first Seiryuu warrior to formally meet Nakago. And it was a meeting that Nakago DEFINITELY remembered.
• The time when both Nakago and Tomo met for the first time in a room, they just paused there and look at each other. Tomo had a casual air to him and said that they should be friends since they are both Seiryuu warriors. He even gave Nakago a bow as if he’s on stage and had his hand out for a handshake. Nakago was cold and didn’t seem interested, he said that they shouldn’t work together until the Seiryuu priestess appears. Otherwise, they’re both simply just there to entertain the Kutou Emperor. Having been rejected on their first meeting, Tomo was very upset by this and “quivered in humiliation.” Considering that Tomo’s life was surrounded in loneliness, and finally getting to meeting someone who’s also a Seiryuu warrior but ended up getting rejected by him, of course he’s going to feel like the world will never love him. Still violently shaking, Tomo fired back at Nakago, “Aren’t you supposed to be the one who “entertains” the Emperor?!” (Hmmm how did he know?). Tomo insisted that he and Nakago are similar. Nakago said he has no interest in becoming an actor and doesn't want to see Tomo’s "hideous" painted face anymore. Not the best first encounter, as you can see.
• Hearing all of this and thinking there's no use in continuing the squabble, Tomo calmed himself down and was about to leave Nakago in his room. Nakago stopped him and asked about Tomo’s powers. Tomo smiled and showed it to him.
• Nakago who’s usually calm and cold, was shaken by what he saw. He saw his own past, the time when his mother and father met at a lake before he was born (they were seen as shadows). Insane how Tomo’s shell can capture not only people’s memories, but the past before they were born.
• Tomo went on to say because of his illusion spells and his illusory shell (Shin), he now knows “everything” about Nakago. From his past, to his sentiments, and to his ultimate game plan (kill the Emperor, destroy Kutou, take over the world, etc.). He even knows what he wants. At this point, perhaps Tomo knows the most about Nakago. He may not be the most sympathetic like Soi was, as he mocks Nakago’s past, but he surely knows more than she does. Hence, that’s probably why Nakago plans with him the most out of all the Seiryuu warriors as seen later in the novel and in the original manga and anime series.
• Tomo said that Nakago at least had a loving parent and friend that wanted to be with him—Tomo had none of that. No mother, no father. He was found by a group of people and became a dancer on the streets in a travelling troupe to make a living, and had to learn that life was cold, lonely, and cruel since he was essentially born.
• Sometime in his life, Tomo found out he was a Seiryuu warrior coupled with the powers of illusion. With this, he realized he can do unimaginable wonders.
• Tomo’s display of love to Nakago is a mix baggage, but he thinks that showing Nakago his painful past would make him love him (um, okaaay). Because they both grew up in the “darkness” where they've felt hate, anger, loneliness, blame, and self-loathing, Tomo told Nakago that he can relate to him and that both can use their rage and vengeance against the cruel world if they work together.
• Tomo was not aware that another Seiryuu warrior was about to enter the palace in the near future.
• Soi, with the help of Eichuu (Nakago's inferior rival), arrived at the palace as a servant girl. She’s been a prostitute since she was 12 years old (now 18 in this story). For many years, she vowed to meet and profess her love to the man that briefly saved her from a brothel owner. Still, she didn’t know she was a Seiryuu Warrior at this point. She's still a naive and nervous girl.

Fushigi Yuugi light novel:  Seiran Den.   Tomo knows everything about Nakago.  Nakago is annoyed by Tomo's mockery.

CHAPTER 6: Eerie Mirage

• Soi worked under the Head of the Palace Ladies HinHin. While Soi entered the grand palace room, there was a stage performance that was in session. Guess who’s the star here? TOMO! He was dancing on the stage with other performers. Soi’s attention was on Tomo and she was amazed by his beautiful dancing. This was her first time seeing him. She also saw Nakago and the Emperor from afar. At last, she found the man she was looking for all these years. The emperor was watching the show (Tomo is his favorite dancer). Nakago looked away from the stage, not caring about the opera nor Tomo. All the palace girls, especially HinHin, were admiring Tomo, saying how handsome he is.
• Soi came closer to Nakago and the emperor. When Soi was about to serve the Emperor something, the dirty man took a liking to Soi. Soi was nervous and accidentally spilled wine all over the emperor. The performance was halted and all the performers and even Tomo stood still. When things settled finally (I forgot how), the performance resumed and Tomo danced again. Soi noticed that Tomo’s gleaming eyes were set on Nakago. She felt sad all of sudden.
• A little after the opera, Tomo and Nakago were in the same room. Through the Shin, Tomo showed Nakago his painful past when his village was destroyed, his mother being raped by Kutou soldiers, him killing the soldiers and his mother with his powers, and his childhood friend Taria executed right before his eyes. Because he’s not the most empathetic person, Tomo mocks Nakago’s helplessness in these situations. From saying that his mother probably hated him for killing her with his chi blast, and that he couldn’t use his powers to save Taria. He made comments while watching Nakago's memories unfold, saying things like, "Oh this part looks good. This part was better than the last!" He even pointed at Nakago’s single blue pearl necklace and said that he knows what it represents (Taria’s friendship). Nakago was clearly upset that Tomo was poking fun at his childhood, but he held his composure. Tomo then, almost sarcastically, said he could relate to Nakago and that someday they both will rule the world with vengeance. Tomo continued on to say that he knows more about Nakago’s secret...and said that the latter used to be a pretty little boy...so pretty that the Emperor...(molested him). This was Nakago’s breaking point and he slapped the shell out of Tomo’s hand and told him to get out.
• Little that Tomo knew, Soi actually peeped into the room and saw the last bits of Nakago’s memories unfold before her eyes. When Nakago and Tomo found out about her watching, she was pulled away by Eichuu. Tomo noticed that Soi has a liking for Nakago. Being a cocky person himself thinks that she doesn’t have a chance with him.
• Soi did not understand what she just saw from that room, but she knew it made Nakago upset. Eichuu, from kind savior to total douchebag, became possessive of Soi and was talking smack about Nakago. Soi didn’t know what Tomo meant when he mentioned about Nakago being with the Emperor. Eichuu revealed that Nakago was the Emperor’s plaything, and even went on to make homophobic remarks and slurs, saying that Nakago must be “rubbing his ass with that gay bastard Tomo.” Soi didn’t care about Tomo, but she felt sad for Nakago on what he had to endure.
• Somewhere along the line, Soi found out that she’s a Seiryuu warrior and has the power of controlling a man’s chi via bedding technique (she had not found out that she can also control the weather and thunder).

CHAPTER 7: Seiryuu’s Vow

• (My favorite part of the novel) A week after Soi’s personal discovery, Tomo was treated like a celebrity after gaining fame from his theatrical performances and by being a Seiryuu warrior. He was surrounded by a whole bunch of fan girls from the palace, all wanting him to sign autographs. Tomo had to farce a smile in front of them. His biggest fan is 15 years older than him and he could never remember her name. He called her PinPin, in which she corrected him, “HinHin,” a few times. While he was signing autographs, a girl asked him, “You put on heavy makeup often. How do you take care of your skin?” He replied, “I made sure to have lots of sleep.” Another girl asked him about his feathers in which another girl made an assumption that it must be his Seiryuu weapon. Another girl wanted to see his celestial mark (!) and even attempted to flip his clothes over! Her hand was a bit too close to his crotch that Tomo even let out a shrill shriek. Extremely overwhelmed by the situation, he announced that autograph session has ended. All the girls went away.
• Tomo saw Soi walking in the distance and initiated the conversation with her. He noticed Soi was in love with Nakago and knew that she sympathized his past. The pleasantries swiftly went downhill. Tomo said that Nakago needs "violent hate" power in order to bolster him and that he will lead him to the path of hate. With a look of concern, Soi didn't like the sound of that. Tomo slyly told her that she shouldn't bother with Nakago because she's too young and wouldn't understand him, and that she has no chance with him. Soi quickly called out on Tomo, saying that he's a horrible person for showing things that make Nakago sad and upset. Tomo was taken aback by this and was about to make a retort, but Soi fired away, saying that he doesn't know when to stop mocking Nakago's sensitive past...and his powers STINKS!!! Tomo was highly offended by the disparaging comments. Soi proudly walked passed Tomo after verbally roasting him. With her new found powers and identity, she had a surge of confidence in herself. Being insulted by a mere servant girl, Tomo thought, "THAT BITCH!!" and stomped away. This is the beginning of their rivalry.
• There's a part where Soi did the bedding technique on Nakago to raise his chi. Soi mentioned that she remembered how he briefly saved her from a brothel owner. Nakago did not remember such an incident and said something cold towards her. Although somewhat rebuffed by what he said, Soi went on to say that she felt sorry for him and what he had to endure as a child. Nakago went to sleep and a single tear came down his closed eye.

CHAPTER 8: Confession of Suffering

• Tomo, with his makeup off, had watched Soi and Nakago from outside of their room. Not only did he found out that Soi is a Seiryuu warrior, but she has the power to control a man's chi. What hurt him most was that she got to do it with Nakago. Knowing about this, his fist clenched next to his wrenching heart.
• Tomo composed himself. He rationalized that there is no love between those two (and probably he was not wrong either). "She was there just to raise his chi. He did not return the affection." Tomo smiles at that thought.
• HinHin, Tomo's #1 fan, was apparently stalking him and gave him a startle. Tomo, who always forget his fan’s name, called her PinPin in which HinHin corrected him...again.
• The older woman told Tomo that she was in love with him for a long time.  Now knowing what he looks like underneath the facepaint, she went totally bonkers for him, saying how absolutely GORGEOUS he is!  She also confessed that she used to be infatuated by Gi Koyuu, and then was crushing towards Nakago.  But she  kept her “chastity” pure all this time until she meets the right man, now thinking that she saved it just for Tomo (uh oh!). She was very much in love, ready to pounce on him with “so much horse power” that Tomo cannot withstand. He was very nervous and overwhelmed by this "horse-faced" woman who is 15 years older than him. She kept calling out his name, "Ragun!"  
• In a pinch and needing to think of something quick to get away from the clingy woman, he hastily made a dancing a move and whisked the older woman along with him. She was quite enthralled by this. He then showed HinHin the Shin and told her that it creates illusions of whatever she wants and that it should keep her occupied. Already under a spell, HinHin imagined herself making love with Tomo. In reality, she was clinging and rubbing herself on a tree. Tomo manages to escape.
• Tomo then walked towards the Shrine of Seiryuu where he saw General Koyuu. Hiding away so he won’t be seen, Tomo watched the general from outside as he cocked his head in curiosity. Here in this shrine, Gi Koyuu was praying to Seiryuu and had a bad feeling about Nakago. Tomo listened intently. And then, Gi Koyuu uttered, "Matuta." Tomo recognized that name as it belongs to Nakago's mother. It all makes sense now--Gi Koyuu is Nakago's father. The general that slaughtered Nakago's tribe and ordered that his best childhood friend to be executed, is also the father of Nakago. Tomo smiled as he was thinking about an evil scheme that would make Nakago's revenge come in a complete circle. Come to think about it, Tomo found out about Nakago's father before anyone else did. He was the first to know.
• While Soi was doing her laundry outside, Tomo came into the scene. You know where this is going. Tomo started it, taunting at Soi's skimpy outfit. Soi countered, pointing how horrendous Tomo looked with his outfit and makeup. Tomo said that Soi has slutty powers. Soi was humiliated but also disgusted that Tomo secretly watched her and Nakago do their thing. Being smug as usual, Tomo said that Soi probably wanted to use her powers on him too, and said that he already declined. Thinking of a quick comeback, Soi threw a homophobic slur at Tomo, calling him a "homo." Tomo calmly retorted, "Not homo. It's Tomo." He further said that there's no love between her and Nakago, and that he will be the one who would truly raise Nakago's power...via hate and revenge. Soi didn't like the sound of that. Tomo was obviously plotting something wicked, but would not tell Soi. He stuck his long tongue at her and danced away. Tomo definitely won this round. The guy was pure sass.

Fushigi Yuugi light novel:  Seiran Den.   Tomo being a major troll to Soi.

CHAPTER 9- The Indigo Pearl of Seiran

• Somewhere within the novel, Gi Koyuu and Eichuu plotted to kill Nakago because both knew that he was getting too powerful and that his intentions may go against Kutou. Gi Koyuu was still not aware that Nakago is his son. Soi knew about this first and told this to Nakago. Nakago went out alone to the Seiran lake where his mother and father first met. Gi Koyuu, Eichuu, and their army set their way towards the lake to dispatch the Seiryuu warrior.
• Soi was concerned, looked for answers, and realized that Gi Koyuu is Nakago's father. Now that she knows the truth, she set herself on horseback towards the lake, hoping to stop the violence if she were to tell Nakago who his true father is. Before riding off, HinHin asked Soi to "be nice to Tomo." This lady really likes Tomo. But, Tomo is nowhere to be found in the palace. Where did he go?
• When Gi Koyuu, Eichuu, and their army surrounded Nakago by the lake, they did some talking back and forth, and then they drew their swords at each other. The army, instead of pointing their weapons at Nakago, they all pointed at Gi Koyuu. Even Eichuu was drawing his sword and lunged his attack towards the older general. What's going on? Aren't they here to kill Nakago?
• This is the work of none other than Tomo himself. He used his illusory magic to make Nakago look like Gi Koyuu and Gi Koyuu looking like Nakago. Hence, why Eichuu and the army thought they're fighting against Nakago when they're really charging towards Gi Koyuu. Tomo was very pleased that Nakago plotted with him, knowing that he needed his powers in order for the plan to work in their favor. Although Nakago benefited this because he didn't have to use his own powers, he felt disgusted that he had to "borrow" Tomo's powers to "cheat" against his enemies.
• Gi Koyuu had no choice but to kill Eichuu, and then battle against Nakago. The army backed away as they knew that this fight must be made between the two men alone. The two fought. Sometime during the battle, the illusions wore off and Nakago and Gi Koyuu seemingly traded places. The army men were flabbergasted. Tomo did not like this, but continued to watch anyway. Tomo noticed that dark clouds were brewing in the sky above, not knowing that it's coming from Soi (even Soi was not aware of this). When Nakago was briefly losing ground on the fight, Tomo looked away.
• Gi Koyuu was charging towards Nakago, and then he heard the voice of Matuta called out all of the sudden. She said that Nakago is his son. Gi Koyuu stopped at his tracks. This was Nakago's chance to strike, so he stabbed Gi Koyuu through.

CHAPTER 10- Oath to the Heavens

• Nakago then found out that Gi Koyuu is his father, after killing him.  Soi arrived a little too late to stop the battle.  She saw Tomo from afar.  Tomo looked back at her with a smug "Hmph."  He wanted this to happen.  He knew Gi Koyuu was Nakago's father all this time, but didn't tell anyone else.  He believed Nakago killing his father would further his vengeful agenda.
• Nakago told Soi that it's pointless for Seiryuu warriors to band together when there is no priestess around.  Soi wanted to stay with Nakago.  Nakago told her to go away from the palace and not to see him until the priestess arrives.  Soi was sadden, but did what she was told.  
• Nakago told the same to Tomo, saying that he should also leave the palace, even as a performer.
• Tomo and Soi, not looking at each other, went off their own ways in opposite directions.  They would meet again barely a year later.

Author's Commentary on Tomo

Megumi Nishizaki said she loves Tomo, but she basically put him in the story mainly for comic relief. His scenes were quite funny in this book, I must say.

Yuu Watase said that there’s a theme of unrequited love in this novel...Well, except for Tomo, who was mostly there for comic relief.




My Observation and Analyses for this novel

The character dynamic between Tomo and Nakago played out quite differently than what most fans would expect. Everyone knows that Tomo is in love with Nakago who is the big bad boss that "everyone" is afraid of because he's extremely powerful. But when Tomo and Nakago met each other for the first time in the novel, it didn't go without quarrel. Tomo wanted to be friends with Nakago, but the latter pushed him away. Tomo said some passive-aggressive remarks on Nakago, and Nakago called him ugly. Yup, that's quite a rocky first impression.

Things quickly change when Tomo showed his powers to Nakago. Even though Nakago is the strongest of the Seiryuu warriors, it seems that Tomo's powers took a strangle hold on him. Tomo knows about Nakago's entire life because of his "mind extracting" powers from the Shin, and that in turn might've made Nakago mindful of the illusionist. Thus, this was probably why Nakago treated Tomo as an equal, which can be seen in the Fushigi Yuugi anime and more so in the manga. There is a power dynamic between the two. Tomo is very aware that Nakago is very powerful, but still had the audacity to mock his painful childhood..and Nakago had to deal with it (except for the "Emperor" part). Tomo is not afraid of Nakago. If anything, Tomo is probably the only Seiryuu warrior who could openly berate and criticize Nakago without getting blasted by his chi balls. Though according to Yuu Watase, Tomo acts critical towards Nakago because that's how he displays his affection towards him, kind of like when "a boy kicks a girl, that means he likes her," (though, that is not a preferred way of showing love). Also, Tomo could never tell Nakago about his true feelings because it would be too embarrassing for him. But because both of them have dark pasts full of hateful sentiments, Tomo believes that if he pushes Nakago to fulfill his vengeful goals, he's essentially doing him a favor.



It's known in written character bios that there's conflict between Tomo and Soi because they're competing for Nakago’s affection.  Watching the anime alone, Tomo and Soi’s rivalry wasn’t made apparent—they just look like villains working together to do their evil scheme. The manga showed some subtle aversion between the two where Tomo scowls at Soi or when he belittled her when she failed to have Tamahome to sleep with her. Otherwise, the rivalry wasn’t obvious at all.

Tomo scowling at Soi.

Tomo belittling Soi.

The light novel, on the other hand, shed light on their antagonism against each other. But their strife goes deeper than the "He's mine! No, he's mine" cliche. On their first clash, Soi didn't like Tomo because he was being mean to Nakago, and Tomo didn't like Soi because she called out on him...for being mean to Nakago, and she insulted his powers lol. Tomo is jealous that Soi gets to sleep with Nakago. Soi is frustrated that Tomo gets to share secrets with Nakago. Usually Tomo starts the drama, and then the two slander each other like immature high school kids.

Aside from their frivolous squabble for Nakago, the core of their conflict within the novel is the tug of war between good (Soi) vs. evil (Tomo). Tomo wants to push Nakago towards the path of hate. Soi wants to find that sliver of good within Nakago so she could lead him to the path of love. Although Nakago ultimately chose Soi in the end, he kept on choosing Tomo's route because his hatred was so strong. Tomo wanted Nakago to kill his father, which he did, and Soi was too late to stop the bloodshed. From then on, Nakago committed one atrocity after another as demonstrated in both the anime and the manga, choosing the path of hate.

Even after Tomo's death, the rivalry between him and Soi hadn't ended yet. When Nakago opened Tomo's Shin, it revealed a projection of Miaka and Yui's world. At that point, Nakago wanted to conquer not only his world, but also the priestesses'. This can be said that Tomo, even after death, still leads Nakago into his direction. Soi didn't seem to like the idea of Nakago having an interest in Yui's world, mostly out of jealousy towards the Seiryuu priestess. But acknowledging the character bios and the light novel, this would look like a continuation of Tomo and Soi's rivalry, especially when Nakago used Tomo's Shin in front of Soi. It also didn't help that Nakago continued to utilize Tomo's shell after Soi's death, and wrecked havoc on the good guys. Nakago wants to enact his revenge on the world, and that's what Tomo wanted. From the looks of it, it seems that Tomo was on a winning streak for the majority of the story line. Although Soi is the one who truly understands how Nakago "feels," Tomo sure knows what Nakago truly "wants."



From what I read from past analyses of Tomo's character, many fans were unhappy with his characterization in the novel. Most expressed disappointment because they wanted to know more about his childhood past. Yes, I too would like to have more information on Tomo's background story. But to be honest, I actually like Tomo more after reading this novel, oddly enough. In this story, Tomo was the kind of character that makes the likes of Nakago run for his money, thus it explains why he was treated almost like an equal in the manga/anime. I also liked his playful and mischievous personality, despite being an absolute troll towards both Nakago and especially to Soi. Who knew that Tomo was a top-notch dancer and performer on stage?! We don't get to see that in the manga and anime where he only stood in one spot and played around with his clam. He was also treated like a celebrity and garnered a lot of fangirls vying for his autograph! I thought his interaction with HinHin was hilarious too.

Well, that's my 2 cents!

SOURCES

Fushigi Yuugi Light Novel:  Seiran Den -- English Translation

Russian Fushigi Yuugi Site--Light Novel Images