Again, while the landscape may be exotic and fantastic, one key struggle is the internal one:

• The heroine Miaka is at first a stressed-out student trapped in "examination hell."
  She thinks her test scores will determine her life.
• These worries, of course, fade away when she enters the magical world inside a book, and faces life and death
• She feels overwhelmed by tragedy as death strikes down her friends
• Caring for and protecting her loved ones becomes her top priority
• She learns she has a duty to persevere despite suffering and loss