Review of Saiyuki Reload: Volume 1

Introduction

That `Reload` doesn`t bode well. The last time I saw reload, or a variant thereof printed on a DVD, it turned out to be a rather disappointing sequel. Actually, the word itself implies a sequel or a continuation, and I feel wary about jumping feet first into the middle of a story. Unfortunately, with Saiyuki Reload that is exactly what has happened. The first lengthy series, simply named Saiyuki hasn`t even been released yet in the UK, ADV own the rights and have released all 50 episodes in the US. Following that series is a film, Saiyuki Requiem, which indeed has been released in the UK, again by ADV. Then comes this series, shorter at 25 episodes. In the US, the distribution rights fell to Geneon, which explains why MVM are now releasing it here. Incidentally, that isn`t the end of it, as Geneon are currently releasing Saiyuki Reload Gunlock, the next series in the US, and that will probably also come to the UK, depending on how this series does. So it seems that interest in Saiyuki will no doubt require either great patience, or a willingness to import. Either way, deep pockets seem to be in order.

That is until you realise that this is Saiyuki, based on Journey To The West. A quick glance at IMDB reveals countless adaptation in Japan over the years, and only the anime film from those titles noted above makes their list. We in the UK have already had a taste of it, and those of my generation will have fond memories of Monkey, the 1978 version of Saiyuki that received a curious dub and attained cult status. The one thing I recall about those episodes was that continuity didn`t play a big part. You could watch an episode at random and enjoy it without reference to the others. With that thought in mind, this anime version of Saiyuki doesn`t seem as daunting a prospect.

There has been an update of course, with the characters and story moved to the present day. It appears that someone has been trying to resurrect the demon Gyumaoh, which causes no end of mischief in the demon world. That of course impacts on the human world and of course someone has to do something to restore the balance. Step forward the priest, Genjyo Sanzo and his supernatural companions, Son Goku, Sha Gojyo and Cho Hakkai. Together they travel west to India (in a magic jeep named Hakuryu) to deal with the menace.

The first four episodes are presented here.

1. The Bullets Have Been Reloaded
A town, previously at peace now finds itself under assault. Women are being abducted and murdered and the suspicion falls on demons. Those suspicions intensify when four strangers come to town and book into the hotel. But the culprits behind the crimes are no demons. Indeed the only demons in the town will be the ones the strangers bring with them.

2. Writhing Trap
Another day, another town, and Sanzo and his companions come face to face with the demon Kougaiji and his associates. They want the Maten Scripture in Sanzo`s possession to aid the revival of Gyumaoh. But before the two groups can confront each other, they are interrupted by the townsfolk, who themselves are suffering from demonic possession.

3. Toughest Enemies Ever
It`s a demon free for all as random attacks keep mounting up. It`s not a problem for the Sanzo party who deal with all situations with brutal finality. That is until the day the foursome wind up facing themselves. It`s hard to fight someone who knows you as well as you know yourself. You can bet an especially sneaky demon is behind this.

4. Final Promise
The imbalance that tore apart the demon and human worlds also affected one small town with bloody results. However one demon named Ranpa was spared the madness. From childhood he had a great affection for the town`s nurse Rinlan, and promised to finish a painting of her. But the madness that turned the other demons against humanity will soon claim him, and time is running out. Meanwhile Sanzo has a cold and needs some medicine.

A Saiyuki Extra comedy skit follows each episode.

Video

Saiyuki Reload is presented on a single layer disc with a 4:3 regular transfer. There are a few compression artefacts, but it doesn`t really hurt the animation that much. It`s a simple, no frills anime, it really only comes alive for the action sequences, otherwise it`s comparatively static. The character designs are generic but effective, and the demons have those characteristic pointed, stick out ears common of the Japanese supernatural. More generic is the world design, the succession of villages all look identical, and there is nothing really striking or unique about any of it.

Audio

You get a choice of DD 2.0 English and Japanese, complemented by English subtitles and signs. Aside from the annoying theme tune, the dialogue is clear throughout. As usual the Japanese track was my choice, but what I sampled of the English dub was reasonable enough, if unspectacular.

Features

You get the creditless opening, as well as the original Japanese opening, so you get to hear that annoying theme twice more. Other than that there are trailers for Requiem From The Darkness and Tenjho Tenge.

Conclusion

I learnt that nostalgia isn`t always a good thing, when I recently watched an episode of Monkey. The dubbing quickly lost its appeal and what was left was dull and formulaic. I had the same reaction to Saiyuki Reload, which doesn`t have the benefit of an atrocious dub to laugh at. Formulaic television can be weak of course, but here it actually benefits Saiyuki Reload, as what little continuity there is can be rapidly picked up through the episodes. The storyline is thin enough to be unimportant. After all, the destination matters less than the journey in this case. The characterisations are thin enough that when we meet someone who appeared previously, it only takes a brief acquaintance to get a handle on who they are and what their motivations are. This means that you can come to Saiyuki Reload without having to worry about the earlier series to any significant degree.

The bottom line is that it is formulaic, and the episodes revolve around a monster of the week arrangement. Group comes to new village, encounters a new demon/demons that exhibit different quirks from previous foes. Heroes defeat demons. Heroes move on to next village. Rinse and Repeat! No doubt as the series progresses, there will develop an overarching storyline or big boss menace, but there`s no hint of that as yet. Even formulaic television can work as long as you have interesting characters to work with, just look at the A-Team. Unfortunately, the Sanzo party are a quartet more notable for cliché than quirkiness. I`m sure that you have encountered similar characters in anime before. Son Goku is the brash young kid who loves to fight, and when he`s not fighting he likes to eat. Sha Gojyo is the `cool` guy with an eye for the ladies. Cho Hakkai is the gentle soul, invariably polite and the sensible one of the four. Finally Genjyo Sanzo is the badass monk with an attitude. Never without a cigarette far from his lips, and toting a pistol, he likes to kill things. I think he`s also supposed to be a Buddhist monk. And as you would expect, the four are constantly at each other`s throats when there aren`t any demons to fight. The demons they do encounter are invariably stupid, and easy to defeat. The conclusion to episode three is perhaps the lamest climax to a confrontation I have yet seen. It`s supposed to be a joke I guess, but it falls flat. Episode four departs from the formula a tad, to tell a more romantic story, but it does little to inspire, itself coming across as tired and clichéd.

I`m doing Saiyuki Reload a disservice, as it isn`t bad. Compared to a lot of other anime offerings it seems lacking, but taken on its own merits, the characters are entertaining, and there is a fair degree of tongue in cheek humour infused in the episodes. That comes out in the Saiyuki Extra segments, which have fun with the main characters. The first one answers the quite logical question of why they didn`t simply catch a plane to India, and is quite humorous.

Saiyuki is a legend, which explains why this anime series is so long running. Not coming from that cultural background the legend doesn`t carry that same cachet with me. Then again, I`d be hard pressed to explain why the BBC renewed Robin Hood for a second series. Having seen so much variety in anime, I can`t help seeing Saiyuki as dull and simplistic in comparison. Hopefully the stories will improve and diversify as the series progresses, but I can`t envision the characters gaining that crucial third dimension. I can see that Saiyuki is aimed at the younger fan, and those young teens and pre-teens looking to graduate from the Saturday morning `toon to more sophisticated anime would probably find this ideal. For anyone a little more experienced, leaving your brain at the door would be recommended.