Saiyuki

Saiyuki (Gensōmaden Saiyūki) is a anime manga programme by Kazuya Minekura which was serialized in G-Fantasy from 1997 - 2002. The story is loosely supported on the Asian new Journeying to the Westbound (Xiyouji). In 1999, the Saiyuki OVA by Yeddo Kids was free. A gathering later it was adapted into an anime playoff by Studio Character. The Gensomaden Saiyuki: Mass show appeared in theaters in Japan in 2001. A result to this show is the Gensomaden Saiyuki: Kibou no zaika OVA, which is actually animation taken from an interactive game.

There are two sequels and two prequels to Saiyuki; Saiyuki Reload (最遊記 RELOAD), a manga sequel adapted into an anime, and Saiyuki Reload Blast are the sequels while Saiyuki Gaiden and Saiyuki Ibun are the prequels. Saiyuki Reload Gunlock (最遊記 RELOAD GUNLOCK) is an anime sequel to Saiyuki Reload. Saiyuki Gaiden had a few chapters adapted into the creation anime and its own OVA that has been produced by Apartment Pierrot and give be dubbed into English by Sentai Filmworks, using the creative vocalise actors of Gensomaden Saiyuki.

Plot

Saiyuki is the story of four anti-heroes: the monk Genjyo Sanzo (or just "Sanzo"), the monkey king Son Goku, the half-demon Sha Gojyo, and the man who turned into a demon Cho Hakkai (formerly known as Cho Gonou). They have been dispatched by the Sanbutsushin (the Three Aspects of Buddha, who relay the orders of heaven) to travel to India to stop the possible resurrection of the Ox-Demon-King, Gyumaoh. Along the way they are beset by inept assassins, bad weather, and their own tragic personal pasts. Meanwhile, the villains, two unlikely confidants, Gyokumen Koushou (Gyumaoh's concubine, a demon) and a mad scientist, Dr. Nii Jianyi (a human), continue their attempts to restore the long-dead king. These experiments, a forbidden mixture of science and magic, spawn the "Minus Wave", infecting all of the demons in Shangri-La with madness, shattering the fragile peace that once existed between humans and demons.

Concept

Saiyūki is the Japanese name for Journey to the West, or Xīyóujì (西遊記 "Record of the Journey to the West") in Chinese. While Saiyūki is normally written "西遊記", or "Journey to the West", Kazuya Minekura writes the title as "最遊記", or "Journey to the Extreme". This is her pun, as both are pronounced saiyūki.

Saiyūki is not the opening anime to accommodate the lie of Journey to the West, with the more famous Dragon Ball series being a primary example.

Minekura's Sanzō-Ikkō bears only a looking similarity to the germinal four in the Chinese new. Their calumny are the corresponding as the defamation of the characters in the Island novel, but conferred Japanese pronunciations:

• Genjyo Sanzo (玄奘三蔵) is Xuánzàng (玄奘) or Táng-Sānzàng (唐三藏, Tang's three scriptures).

• Son Gokū is Sūn Wùkōng (孫悟空), or the Monkey King.

• Cho Hakkai is Zhū Bājiè (豬八戒), a pig monster. His original name, Cho Gonou is actually Zhū Wùnéng (豬悟能), the Buddhist name given to Zhu Bajie by Guan Yin when they first met in the original novel.

• Sha Gojyō is Shā Wùjìng (沙悟淨), a water demon, classified as a kappa in some translations.

• Gyūmaōh is Niumowáng (牛魔王) Ox King

Saiyuki Manga

The Saiyuki manga comprises 5 separate series:

• Gensoumaden Saiyuki, 9 volumes, complete. This manga was serialized in the non-gender-specific manga magazine Monthly GFantasy.

• Saiyuki Reload, 10 volumes, complete. It was serialized in the monthly Japanese Jousei manga magazine Monthly Comic Zero Sum and completed its run in the August edition of 2009

• Saiyuki Reload Blast is currently serialized in Monthly Comic Zero Sum

• Saiyuki Gaiden, completed at 4 volumes, was published quarterly in Japanese shōjo manga magazine Zero Sum Ward. Saiyuki Gaiden was completed in May 2009. This series takes place in Heaven, 500 years before the first Saiyuki series. The plot is based around the four main characters of Saiyuki in their past lives, and details exactly what it was they did to get thrown out of heaven.

• Saiyuki Ibun, currently running in Zero Sum Ward follows Priest Koumyou Sanzo in his days before inheriting the Sanzo Title.

·         Anime

·         Gensoumaden Saiyuki is distributed in North America by ADV Films and comprises 50 episodes, which has a large amount of material added for the anime. The sequels Saiyuki Reload and Saiyuki Reload Gunlock are licensed by Geneon in North America, and consist of 25 and 26 episodes respectively. Saiyuki Reload is faithful to the manga from the fourteenth episode and onward, having deviated from it for the first 13 episodes. Saiyuki Reload Gunlock also starts off deviated from the manga, until midway into the series, but strays from it during its finale. Due to the change in licensing, the English voice cast is not consistent throughout all three series, and the characterization and general feel of the series may change noticeably in the second and third installments. Enoki Films holds the United States license to Saiyuki under the title Saiyuki: Paradise Raiders, yet ADV chose not to use this subtitle. There has also been a movie (Saiyuki: Requiem) adapted into English that is also licensed by ADV. A new OVA has been released by Studio Pierrot, which covers the "Burial" arc of the Saiyuki Reload manga; it is called Saiyuki Reload: Burial. The studio is currently working on producing an OVA based on of Saiyuki Gaiden

Video games

On 18th March 2004, in Japan, a Saiyuki Reload role-playing video game was released by Bandai for the PlayStation 2. The player is an original character who journeys with Genjyo Sanzo, Son Goku, Sha Gojyo and Cho Hakkai. The player commands the four in menu-based battles that allow for attacks, special attacks, and combination attacks. The game tells an original story, and Bandai included a bonus Saiyuki Reloaded voice CD for those who pre-ordered.

Saiyuki Reload Gunlock was released in Japan on August 5, 2004, by Bandai for the PlayStation 2. This fighting game features a total of eight playable characters including Sanzo, Goku, Gojyo and Hakkai as good as Kougaiji, Chin Yisou, Kamisama, and Hazel. Playable game modes include traditional single and multiplayer modes, as good as Practice Mode, Watch Mode, and a story Dramatic Mode, dating simulation games saiyuki. Soon Iyashite agerun saiyuki, saiyuki episode 2 eng dub, saiyuki wallpaper.