Review of Saiyuki Reload: Volume 5

Introduction

Do you remember Monkey? Loads of kung fu action, flying clouds, an infinitely extendable pole, fnar, and a Buddhist monk of indeterminate gender, all topped off with the most comical dub you will ever hear. In its native Japan it`s called Saiyuki, and is one of countless adaptations of the Journey To The West legend. The four heroes were on an endless journey, battling the forces of evil each week, only to have to start afresh at their next stop off point in the following episode. It`s nice, routine, formulaic storytelling that television used to love once upon a time, where continuity isn`t a problem, and episodes can be inserted into the schedules when convenient.

Saiyuki is no stranger to anime, and with this Saiyuki Reload series from MVM, we join the travellers 50 episodes and 1 movie into their journey. It doesn`t seem as if a lot has happened in that time, indeed the four travellers keep on heading west with no end in sight. 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. Naturally, that 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.

We`re coming up to the hind end of the series, which means diminishing returns when it comes to episodes. Just three on this volume, and for once, just the one story.

17. Impossible Wish
18. Sad Bond
19. "God"
Hakuryu is tired, so the Sanzo Party take a couple of days off to rest their weary bones in a small non-descript town, much like all the other towns we have seen so far. Once again, Gojyo draws the short straw, and gets sent out to run errands while the others put their feet up. Grumbling all the way, Gojyo winds up rescuing a young boy from a group of bullies. In gratitude Kinkaku offers to grant Gojyo`s wish and get rid of the bad people in his life. Not thinking anything off it, Gojyo returns to the hotel to find his friends (who he had just been grumbling about) keeled over, apparently dead. Kinkaku and his warped twin brother Ginkaku turn up, expecting gratitude. Kinkaku has been granted a magic gourd by God, with which he takes away the souls of all the bad people. Gojyo isn`t grateful for this, and through sheer willpower the priest Sanzo managed to keep his body and soul together. The twins are shocked when the two turn on them. Sanzo wants to simply kill the pair, but Gojyo stops him, seeing something of himself in Kinkaku. It gives the twins time to escape. Now Gojyo and Sanzo must find them, and the God who has deluded them into acting this way. Meanwhile Hakkai and Goku`s souls are trapped in Limbo.

A Saiyuki Extra comedy skit follows each episode.

Video

Saiyuki Reload is presented 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

This disc contains the Commercial Collections (Gojyo Version), which are two minutes of the trailers used to promote the series in Japan, as well as trailers for Basilisk and GunXSword. Also on this disc is the new textless ending, as well as the original Japanese version of the second ending.

Conclusion

Well, I guess I was premature when I thought volume 4 presaged the show`s final arc. It certainly seemed a significant development when Kougaiji donned the magic bracelet, and let loose all manner of havoc in the bad guys` ranks. It would have seemed logical to develop that further in the final episodes. But volume 5 ditches that story altogether, yet in its three episodes builds a strong tale, and also introduces a new character that can also be construed as this season`s big bad wolf. Your guess is as good as mine as to which story will lead into the final episodes, but there is one thing worth noting. Waxing and waning like the phases of the moon, volume 5 is where I find Saiyuki Reload interesting again.

A lot of it has to do with the three-episode arc. Instead of being dished out bite-size morsels, we get what is in effect a mini-movie, which takes the time to offer a more robust story that focuses on the characters. Then, surprisingly for Saiyuki Reload, there is copious character development. With Gojyo getting the most of it when he sees himself in the deluded child that attacks them. His experience in these episodes pushes him into making an irrevocable decision. Also we get to see another side of Hakkai, or rather Goku does, and we just see his flabbergasted reaction. It also changes the dynamic of the characters by splitting them up. The mellow and easy going Goku and Hakkai are trapped in Limbo fighting purple critters, while the abrasive and constantly sniping Sanzo and Gojyo are teamed together in the effort to rescue them. Yet they spend more time at each other`s throats than they do fighting demons.

The end of the tale is also noteworthy, as it certainly isn`t the usual happily ever after. In fact this is as bleak as Saiyuki Reload has gotten so far, and rather than preserving the status quo like good formulaic television, this winds up setting things up for further story developments. Finally the big reveal of the bad guy offers a pretty unexpected villain, and it certainly doesn`t look to be a scroll-hunting demon. In fact it could be their toughest challenge yet.

Saiyuki Reload hasn`t endeared itself to me with its rather dull and juvenile storylines, it`s the sort of stock, low denomination anime that is fine to watch when you have a dozen other things on your mind, but doesn`t really bear deep scrutiny. Yet this volume turns out better than most, with an interesting story, and some surprisingly meaningful developments.