Saiyuki

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This article is about the animated television series. See Journey to the West for the original novel and Monkey (TV series) for the live action.

|} Saiyuki, also known as in Japan, is a popular manga series created by Kazuya Minekura and loosely based on the famous Chinese novel Journey to the West (Xī Yóu Jì). Studio Pierrot has adapted it into an anime as well, although the storyline is not yet complete.

Gensomaden Saiyuki deals with the fortunes of four fighters - the monk Genjyo Sanzo (Romanized Genjo in the anime and Singapore English manga), the monkey deity Son Goku, the half-demon Sha Gojyo (sometimes spelled Gojou), and the demon Cho Hakkai, who have been dispatched by the Sanbutsushin (The Three Aspects of the Buddha) to India to investigate the reasons behind the recent insanity among the demons. Demons, who have formerly coexisted peacefully with humans in Shangri-La, are going berserk and turning against them.

Anime Adaptions

The original anime series is produced in North America by ADV Films. The sequels Saiyuki Reload and Saiyuki Reload Gunlock are licensed by Geneon in North America. Enoki Films holds the U.S. license to Saiyuki under the title Saiyuki: Paradise Raiders, yet ADV chose not to use the subtitle. There has also been a movie (Saiyuki: Requiem) adapted that is licensed by ADV. In Singapore the anime is produced by Odex, though it's reportedly the 2ed OAV. A new OAV is planned by Studio_Pierrot, which will cover the Burial arc of the Saiyuki Reload manga.

Manga Series

The Saiyuki manga is comprised of three separate series:

• Saiyuki, 9 volumes, complete.
• Saiyuki Reload, currently at 6 volumes, still running in the monthly Japanese manga magazine [Zero Sum]. This series continues where Saiyuki leaves off
• Saiyuki Gaiden, currently at 2 volumes, is currently being published in the quarterly Japanese manga magazine [Zero Sum WARD]. This series takes place in heaven 500 years before the first Saiyuki series.

The Saiyuki and Saiyuki Reload manga are published in English in North America by TOKYOPOP, and in Singapore the first series is published in English and Chinese by Chuang Yi.

Saiyūki: The Journey to the West Novel

Saiyūki is the Japanese name for Journey to the West, or Xī Yóu Jì (西遊記) in Chinese. While Saiyūki is normally written "西遊記" ("Journey to the West"), Kazuya Minekura writes the title as "最遊記" ("Journey to the Extreme"). This is a pun, as both are pronounced "saiyūki." It is a popular Chinese novel that has inspired several Japanese works, including

• Nobita no Parallel Saiyūki, a Doraemon anime movie
• Gensōmaden Saiyūki
• Saiyūki Series, or Monkey in English
• Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z
• Saiyuki, Journey West, a tactical-RPG game (based on the system used in Final Fantasy Tactics) by Koei for the Playstation.

Names of characters in the Chinese novel are pronounced differently in Japanese:

• Genjyo Sanzo (玄奘三蔵) — Xuan Zang (玄奘) or Tang San Zan (Tang's three scriptures), Buddhist monk who uses a gun which can exterminate demons and a fan to silence Goku and Gojyo when they start to quarrel and can use sutras to defeat stronger demons.
• Son Gokū — Sūn Wùkōng (孫悟空), the monkey king, who is equipped with:
• * kinkoji (緊箍児), a magical head band placed by Sanzō Hōshi / Xuan Zang
• * nyoibō (如意棒), an extendable fighting stick
• * kintoun (觔斗雲), cloud mobile
• Cho Hakkai — Zhu Bajie (豬八戒), a pig monster
• Sha Gojyo — Sha Wujing (沙悟淨), a water demon classified as a kappa in some translations
• Gyū Maō — Niu Mowang (牛魔王) Ox King

Continuity of the Anime With the Manga

The first part of the anime remains fairly faithful to the manga it is based upon. Up through volume six of the manga and through episode 22 of the anime the plot remain consistent with a few filler episodes. After that point, the manga goes on the Kami-sama arc, which is in the latter half of the Gensōmaden Saiyūki anime. The anime embarks on an entirely different storyline involving the War Prince Homura and his companions Zenon and Shien, which Kazuya Minekura helped to write and do the character designs for. In Saiyuki Reload they continue the search for Kami-sama. The most recent anime series is Saiyuki Reload Gunlock.

BL Content

Minekura's series are noted for their complex male characters and the relationships they form. While many of her works feature Boy's Love overtones, Saiyuki is primarily an action series - BL content is mostly subtextual. However, the series was extremely popular among doujinshi circles; though it reached its peak in 2001, it still inspires doujinshi creators. The BL content is tame compared to Patalliro Saiyuki; another anime/manga parody of Zaiyuji & one of the few BL series by a male mangaka.

Inconsistencies

In a late episode both Gojyo and his brother Dokugakuji have their weapons broken by Shien but in the next episode with the battle against Zenon the weapons are miraculously fixed and are stronger.

Just before that, after Sanzo, Goku and Gojyo leave Hakkai to deal with the demon army, there is a split screen shown when Sanzo yells at Goku. During that, Sanzo is drawn wearing his scripture, when clearly the reason they're there is to recover it since it had been stolen.

Manga/Anime Changes/Differences

• Gojyo's hair is crimson, but in the Gensoumaden series his hair seemed to lean towards a pinkish red in colour.

• Kenren's hair is actually black, as seen in the Gaiden Manga and in the artbooks; however, in the very first episode of Gensoumaden Saiyuki, and later in the Gaiden episodes, it is the same pinkish red as Gojyo's. Also, Tenpou's hair is shown as green in the first episode, but was otherwise shown as brown.

• Kanan is shown to have light hair in the manga, a dark dirty-blonde shade, whereas in Gensomaden Saiyuki and Requiem she is shown to have dark brown hair like Hakkai's. However, in the Saiyuki Reload anime she is shown to have dirty-blonde/chestnut hair.

• Kanan is Hakkai's elder twin sister in the manga, but in the anime she is his non-blood-related wife.

• Kanzeon Bosatsu's breasts are extremely visible in the manga, as are the Spider Youkai's; however, due to rating concerns, they are covered in the anime.

• Hakkai rips out his eye in the manga, whereas he merely damages it in the anime.

• Saiyuki Reload Gunlock follows some of the events of the Saiyuki Reload manga. Much of the Hazel arc had not yet been written when the anime was being produced, therefore the story and characterization of Hazel in particular is different from that in the manga.

Unsolved Mysteries

• The origins of Jeep/Hakuryu.

• The origins of Hakkai's limiters (the inspiration for MANY fanfics).

• Sanzo's semi-automatic 6-bullet-magazined gun and eternal supply of bullets.

• Sanzo's harisen's location when it is not in use.

Trivia

• A two-page spread color insert at the beginning of volume five contains some information about the story in English. The series's title is translated as "Saiyuki: The Legend of the Western Journey into Danger", "youkai" as "ghost", and "Gyumaoh" as the "Great Phantom King Gyu" (Maoh means Demon King), "Shangri-La" is Romanized as "Togenkyo" , "India" as "Tenjikukoku", and "Genjyo" as "Genjo".

• While the OAV Requiem is well known by fans, many are suprised to discover the interactive Saiyuki DVD "Kibou No Zaika". A new OAV is planned by Studio Pierrot, which will cover the Burial arc of the Saiyuki Reload manga.

• In addition to anime, the series has also been adapted into more than 15 audio drama cds, featuring the original Japanese voice actors from the anime itself. These drama cds generally follow the manga more closely than the anime does.

• Minekura often includes cameos by characters from her other series in the backgrounds of her manga. Kubota and Tokitoh from Wild Adapter appear in Saiyuki volume 1, while Gonou and Kanan appear in Stigma.

• The theater group Axle performed a stage version of Saiyuki in 2006.

• Compared to Xī Yóu Jì, the Kappa & pig personalities were switched in Gojyo & Hakkai.

• Homura & Dougan were not created by Minekura, but their character designs were.

• Before Saiyuki was ever released, Minekura's Studio Backgammon released a slew of pre-Saiyuki books in the early 1990s that have become rare collectors items.

• Minekura's distinct style causes a lot of her characters to look the same. While Hakkai's & Kenren's hair styles appear to be most-used, elements of many Saiyuki character designs appear in her other works.

• The episode in Gensoumaden with the 4 female demons was added to make Goku seem like his world revolved around more than food & Sanzo.

See also

• Hakuryu

External links

• [Enoki Films USA Saiyuki website]
• [Studio Pierrot page on Saiyuki]
• [Studio Pierrot page on Saiyuki Reload Gunlock]
• [Nitro: Kazuya Minekura official site]
• [Anime News Network - Saiyuki (TV)]
• [Saiyuki Reload Screenshots Gallery]
• [Saiyuki Reload Gunlock Screenshots Gallery]
• [Saiyuki manga review at Mangareviewer.com]
• [Happy Otaku's Saiyuki Doujinshis]

 

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