Review of Saiyuki Reload: Volume 7

Introduction

If there was one phrase guaranteed to raise my ire, it was `not as good as the manga`. It`s an uninformed opinion, as until recently I hadn`t even read a manga, but the logic follows. After all you can`t realistically compare a novel to a movie, as they are two completely different media. You would expect the same to follow for manga and anime, and while the latter is most often an adaptation of the former, there is a whole lot of scripting, directing, voice acting, colour and music, separating the two. Then my local library belatedly jumped on the manga bandwagon, and I had my opportunity to see what all the fuss was about. By one of those serendipitous coincidences, the only volume of Saiyuki it had was volume 9, which picks up the story after volume 6 of the Saiyuki Reload anime. In essence I got a preview of the three episodes in this volume…

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.

Another year of anime is marked with the close of another series. This is the final volume of Saiyuki Reload, and with three episodes it concludes the `God` arc and pretty much leaves everything where we joined it twelve months ago.

23. Our Way
24. Rematch
25. Conclusion

The Sanzo party isn`t in a good way. They got their clocks cleaned by God, and worse the scripture was taken from Sanzo. They`re licking their wounds and attempting to heal in a hotel room before going back for the scripture. But something is wrong; they are at each other`s throats and none too enthused for the inevitable fight. Before they face God again, they`ll need to get their mojo back, and that means a timely pep talk from Goku of all people.

There are only two Saiyuki Extra comedy skits in this volume, as the final episode goes without.

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

You`ll find the Textless Opening (Version 2), Original Opening (Version 2), a Line Art gallery with 21 images, and finally trailers for Berserk and the forthcoming Witchblade series.

Conclusion

It`s not as good as the manga. Come on! You must have seen that one coming. Given my experience with the series to this point, I was surprised to find that I enjoyed that single manga volume more than any of the anime episodes. The art is much more effective in monochrome as opposed to the primary colours of the animation, there is a certain wit and a degree of subversive subtext to the manga that just doesn`t come across in the animation, but best of all is that the reader dictates the pacing. I read the equivalent of these final episodes in around 40 minutes. With the series, you have no choice but to sit there for the hour or more that it takes for the animation to unfold.

I feel like a CD stuck on repeat, as I once again decry the unimaginative animation, dull, uninspiring storylines, stock characters and juvenile feel to the show. Goku`s solution to the self-pitying Sanzo party is a game of Mah-jong. What comes across as a left-field absurdist bit of characterisation in the manga, here is dull and tedious time filler before the final confrontation. Okay, I`ll stop talking about the manga now. The biggest problem with the finale of this series is relevance. We`ve been presented a story with the Sanzo party heading West to save the world from a demon menace. There is even a set of interesting foes for them in Kougaiji and his companions that are trying to steal the scroll from them. But none of that matters in this climax, and the God character is just an impediment for the heroes to overcome before they can continue with their journey. We`re thrown a wink at the end when the power behind God is revealed, but it`s too little too late, and I was hard pressed to care.

Saiyuki Reload has been an exercise in frustration. Over the last year I have been presented a series with an interesting premise, characters that if written better could be appealing, and the occasional glimmer of promise with some episodes that transcended the drudgery of the series. Early on when most of the episodes were stand alone, I would have characterised this series as fun but forgettable, useful to watch when you can`t be tasked with something weightier. But as the series entered its second half, episodic stories gave way to arcs, and as none of them advanced the characters or overall story, watching the show became ever more pointless. Let`s face it, when the comedy skits at the end of each episode are the most enjoyable parts of the disc, then the show has a problem.

The final sentiment in this series is "Their Journey`s Only Just Begun". It prompts the question, what was the point of the last 25 episodes? Or rather the previous 50 episodes of the Saiyuki series, the Saiyuki Requiem movie, and these last 25 episodes? Will the answer come in the Saiyuki Reload Gunlock series? I`d rather have my eyeballs flossed than find out. Saiyuki Reload is anime of the last resort and best avoided.