If you would like to do a Fanart feature for a month, check out the Submissions' Page, pick a fanart, contact the artist, and write the article. I'd love to get out of writing this section every month because I'm already HTMLing and setting up the 'zine (I'm lazy too, but that's beside the point) and because fresh opinions and ideas are always wanted. So get those articles in!

Onto the feature.

This month's fanart feature isn't fanart in the conventional sense where the artist draws his or her interpretations of the characters. It's computer renderings of the jewelry by laurelgand.

The jewelry that is worn in Fushigi Yuugi plays a more important role than in most other animes. Who knows, one minute you might be wearing your favorite set of bracelets but should you summon a god while wearing them, the next thing you know is, those pretty decorations become an artifact sought by ambitious shichi seishis who need them to summon their god. What a way to up the value of your accessories.

Despite the role that the accessories play in FY, many artists focus on the characters rather than the jewelry. The jewelry tends to get reduced to beads on a string or a tiny detail when compared to the clothing. That's why I love what laurelgand did here. Not only are the pictures clear and well done, the jewelry is displayed not as an accessory, but as a work of art. They accent the wearer for a reason, and it is very cool to see someone who took the time to display the reasons why the jewelry is an emphasis on the character and not just a piece of extra clothing. After all, if you were going to summon Seiryuu, would you wear red earrings?

More of laurelgand's work can be found here:
The Jewelry of Fushigi Yuugi

This is confuzcius and the Helpful Nakago Head, signing out.

Jewelry pics copyrighted 1999 laurelgand
Article and Nakago head copyrighted 1999 confuzcius.