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Saiyuki Overview
Here is the Saiyuki overview and character analysis compiled for those interested in Saiyuki anime and manga fanfiction.
Many thanks to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
whymzycal for her beta skills and fact-checking. I couldn't have done it without her corrections and support!
Some scanned images from AnimePaper.Net, some screencaps from Saiyuki Reload and Gunlock Gallery.
Saiyuki is a shoujo manga and anime adaptation of the Chinese Legend, Journey to the West, by mangaka, Kazuya Minekura. It is released in Japan through Zero Sum monthly magazine. English licensed versions of the Saiyuki manga and anime are widely distributed by TokyoPop. The first arc of the series, the one popularly called Gensoumaden was published from 1997 to 2002. Subsequent arcs, Gaiden, Gunlock and Reload followed or were interwoven with the main story. The Burial Reload and Even a Worm arcs are still in production, both as serialized manga and OVA.
The original myth, Journey to the West, was a legendary story about a Buddhist Monk, Genjyo Sanzo, who traveled to India in order to retrieve the Seitan Scripture, one of the Buddha’s sacred sutras upon which the foundations of Devachan (heaven) and earth rest.
At the beginning, the anime did not depart too much from the original manga, although there were a lot of "filler" episodes and some arcs --- the one concerning Homura, for example, and Gunlock --- took their own tangents. At present, there is a huge difference between the quality of the manga and OVA and the earlier work in general. The earlier stuff had an adolescent quality, albeit a violent one. The Burial Reload and Even a Worm arcs are definitely geared to more adult sensibilities through the complexity of the stories, artwork and general themes.
Saiyuki does not proceed in a linear fashion. It paddles backwards up the stream of time into past lives and past-present life stories, and sometimes spirals over stories that have already been told in order to rework them with a fresher, more subtle perspective. The work which is presently in production, for example, deals with stories that have been covered or touched upon before, but never like this.
Saiyuki features gritty, hardboiled and occasionally comic characters with dark secrets, placed in a somewhat modernized fantasy setting. They must save their world from anarchy and bloodshed by engaging in lots and lots of anarchy and bloodshed. There is humour mixed in to lighten the stories, mostly of the comic and slapstick sort, but with a fair bit of dark, satirical and double-edged stuff as well. There is also some exploration of certain Buddhist principles from the Zen perspective, although, earlier on, a reader had to squint hard to find it.
In this modern-day adaptation, Genjyo Sanzo acquires four companions: Son Goku, whom he releases from a 500-year imprisonment on Mt. Gogyo; Cho Hakkai, a tutor, and Sha Gojyo, a gambler, both of whom have done small private investigative jobs for him in the past; and a small white flying dragon named Hakuryuu who has the handy ability to transform itself into an old-fashioned army-style jeep, Jipu. Genjyo Sanzo and his four companions are called the Sanzo Ikkou (Sanzo Party.) Together they battle demons, fallen gods and renegade priests in what is essentially a long rambling “road-trip movie” westward. As the story unfolds, so do the secrets of their pasts, not only within that lifetime, but in the dramatic tale of their previous lives as gods in Gaiden.
The anime begins with a mockumentary-style narration by one of the minor gods in Devachan, Jiroshin, describing a war that took place in heaven and on earth 500 years before and the devastating repercussions that are still rippling out across Tougenkyou (Shangri-La), the earth. His recitation is abruptly cut short by Kanzeon Bosatsu, the Divine Goddess of Mercy, who calls the monk and his party "punks" and insists this whole adventure is nothing more important or special than a distraction from the boredom of heavenly routine. This sets the tone for the series.
Within the basic story structure, there are many layers. I’ve attempted to lay them out in distinct arcs below, but the different story-lines are interwoven quite intricately in the anime and manga.
Humans and demons have peacefully co-existed in the kingdom of Tougenkyou for 500 years, as demons voluntarily restricted the use of their supernatural strength and magic by wearing power inhibitors in the form of jewelry. Recently, however, a phenomena called The Minus Wave has caused demons to lose their ability to restrain their basest, most primal instincts. The Minus Wave comes about when demonic magic is combined with human technology. Demons tear off their inhibitors and go berserk through the human population, who are no match for their magically enhanced strength and supernatural powers. Mass murder and mayhem ensue.
Genjyo Sanzo has attained the highest state of self-realization for a Buddhist at that time, has just released Son Goku from his prison, and is based out of a monastery in Chang’an. He is charged by the Buddha’s Three Aspects, called The Sanbutsushin, to take his three companions and stop the source of the Minus Wave.
Genjyo Sanzo has many reservations about the four characters entrusted to join him in accomplishing this task. They each have suffered tragically in their pasts, and three of them are half-demon, half-human. (The fourth is half-dragon, half-jeep.) Sanzo is worried that the demonic side of their constitution will be rendered unstable by the Minus Wave. The Sanbutsushin advise him to lay aside his concerns and “see with the eyes of his heart.” If he learns to perceive through the heart, it will become obvious that the half-human side of their nature will prevail. For some inexplicable reason, this doesn’t reassure him….
Sanzo must retrieve the stolen Seitan Scripture from a renegade priest-scientist based out of Houtou Castle in India. This renegade is the one combining demon magic with human technology in an effort to resuscitate a long-sealed demon.
Houtou Castle, that cheery ground zero for the Minus Wave.
500 years before, Houtou Castle was the scene of a famous battle between heaven and earth. The ox-demon King Gyumaouh went mad. In his madness, he asserted the superiority of the demon race, and started consuming human beings, inciting the rest of the demon world to rebel. Upon completion of the battle, he was killed, sealed within a magical coffin and harmony between mankind and demons followed.
Gyumaoh’s second wife or concubine, the nine-tailed fox-demon, Gyoukumen-Koushu, works to revive him. To this purpose, she has enlisted a team of human scientists, including the very creepy Dr. Nii Jianyi, his lab assistant, Dr. Huang and a strange youkai test subject whose main purpose, apart from having strange tubes and sensors stuck all over him, seems to be playing chess and laughing at Dr. Nii's slimy jokes.
Gyoukumen-Koushu is a vicious, calculating villain who does not care a whit about the immense suffering she causes in order to attain her desire. This is established early in the arc. One of the appealing things about Minekura's storyline and character developments is that things aren't usually spelled out in such black-&-white extremes, particularly with regards to the group of demons which Gyoukumen-Koushu conscripts into her service under Gyumaoh's son, Prince Kougaiji.
Many thanks to
whymzycal for her beta skills and fact-checking. I couldn't have done it without her corrections and support!Some scanned images from AnimePaper.Net, some screencaps from Saiyuki Reload and Gunlock Gallery.
SAIYUKI: JOURNEY TO THE WEST
Saiyuki is a shoujo manga and anime adaptation of the Chinese Legend, Journey to the West, by mangaka, Kazuya Minekura. It is released in Japan through Zero Sum monthly magazine. English licensed versions of the Saiyuki manga and anime are widely distributed by TokyoPop. The first arc of the series, the one popularly called Gensoumaden was published from 1997 to 2002. Subsequent arcs, Gaiden, Gunlock and Reload followed or were interwoven with the main story. The Burial Reload and Even a Worm arcs are still in production, both as serialized manga and OVA.
The original myth, Journey to the West, was a legendary story about a Buddhist Monk, Genjyo Sanzo, who traveled to India in order to retrieve the Seitan Scripture, one of the Buddha’s sacred sutras upon which the foundations of Devachan (heaven) and earth rest.
At the beginning, the anime did not depart too much from the original manga, although there were a lot of "filler" episodes and some arcs --- the one concerning Homura, for example, and Gunlock --- took their own tangents. At present, there is a huge difference between the quality of the manga and OVA and the earlier work in general. The earlier stuff had an adolescent quality, albeit a violent one. The Burial Reload and Even a Worm arcs are definitely geared to more adult sensibilities through the complexity of the stories, artwork and general themes.
Saiyuki does not proceed in a linear fashion. It paddles backwards up the stream of time into past lives and past-present life stories, and sometimes spirals over stories that have already been told in order to rework them with a fresher, more subtle perspective. The work which is presently in production, for example, deals with stories that have been covered or touched upon before, but never like this.
Saiyuki features gritty, hardboiled and occasionally comic characters with dark secrets, placed in a somewhat modernized fantasy setting. They must save their world from anarchy and bloodshed by engaging in lots and lots of anarchy and bloodshed. There is humour mixed in to lighten the stories, mostly of the comic and slapstick sort, but with a fair bit of dark, satirical and double-edged stuff as well. There is also some exploration of certain Buddhist principles from the Zen perspective, although, earlier on, a reader had to squint hard to find it.
THE SANZO IKKOU
Illustrations taken from Kazuya Minekura's Art Book Salty Dog III.
 |  |  |  |  |
| GENJYO SANZO | SON GOKU | CHO HAKKAI | SHA GOJYO | HAKURYUU |
Illustrations taken from Kazuya Minekura's Art Book Salty Dog III.
In this modern-day adaptation, Genjyo Sanzo acquires four companions: Son Goku, whom he releases from a 500-year imprisonment on Mt. Gogyo; Cho Hakkai, a tutor, and Sha Gojyo, a gambler, both of whom have done small private investigative jobs for him in the past; and a small white flying dragon named Hakuryuu who has the handy ability to transform itself into an old-fashioned army-style jeep, Jipu. Genjyo Sanzo and his four companions are called the Sanzo Ikkou (Sanzo Party.) Together they battle demons, fallen gods and renegade priests in what is essentially a long rambling “road-trip movie” westward. As the story unfolds, so do the secrets of their pasts, not only within that lifetime, but in the dramatic tale of their previous lives as gods in Gaiden.
The anime begins with a mockumentary-style narration by one of the minor gods in Devachan, Jiroshin, describing a war that took place in heaven and on earth 500 years before and the devastating repercussions that are still rippling out across Tougenkyou (Shangri-La), the earth. His recitation is abruptly cut short by Kanzeon Bosatsu, the Divine Goddess of Mercy, who calls the monk and his party "punks" and insists this whole adventure is nothing more important or special than a distraction from the boredom of heavenly routine. This sets the tone for the series.
Within the basic story structure, there are many layers. I’ve attempted to lay them out in distinct arcs below, but the different story-lines are interwoven quite intricately in the anime and manga.
The Gensoumaden Saiyuki Arc:
Humans and demons have peacefully co-existed in the kingdom of Tougenkyou for 500 years, as demons voluntarily restricted the use of their supernatural strength and magic by wearing power inhibitors in the form of jewelry. Recently, however, a phenomena called The Minus Wave has caused demons to lose their ability to restrain their basest, most primal instincts. The Minus Wave comes about when demonic magic is combined with human technology. Demons tear off their inhibitors and go berserk through the human population, who are no match for their magically enhanced strength and supernatural powers. Mass murder and mayhem ensue.
Genjyo Sanzo has attained the highest state of self-realization for a Buddhist at that time, has just released Son Goku from his prison, and is based out of a monastery in Chang’an. He is charged by the Buddha’s Three Aspects, called The Sanbutsushin, to take his three companions and stop the source of the Minus Wave.
Genjyo Sanzo has many reservations about the four characters entrusted to join him in accomplishing this task. They each have suffered tragically in their pasts, and three of them are half-demon, half-human. (The fourth is half-dragon, half-jeep.) Sanzo is worried that the demonic side of their constitution will be rendered unstable by the Minus Wave. The Sanbutsushin advise him to lay aside his concerns and “see with the eyes of his heart.” If he learns to perceive through the heart, it will become obvious that the half-human side of their nature will prevail. For some inexplicable reason, this doesn’t reassure him….
Sanzo must retrieve the stolen Seitan Scripture from a renegade priest-scientist based out of Houtou Castle in India. This renegade is the one combining demon magic with human technology in an effort to resuscitate a long-sealed demon.
Houtou Castle, that cheery ground zero for the Minus Wave.
500 years before, Houtou Castle was the scene of a famous battle between heaven and earth. The ox-demon King Gyumaouh went mad. In his madness, he asserted the superiority of the demon race, and started consuming human beings, inciting the rest of the demon world to rebel. Upon completion of the battle, he was killed, sealed within a magical coffin and harmony between mankind and demons followed.
Gyumaoh’s second wife or concubine, the nine-tailed fox-demon, Gyoukumen-Koushu, works to revive him. To this purpose, she has enlisted a team of human scientists, including the very creepy Dr. Nii Jianyi, his lab assistant, Dr. Huang and a strange youkai test subject whose main purpose, apart from having strange tubes and sensors stuck all over him, seems to be playing chess and laughing at Dr. Nii's slimy jokes.
 |  |  |  |
Gyoukumen-Koushu, the ninetailed fox demon, whose name means "Jade-Faced Princess," and Gyumaoh's concubine;
Dr. Nii; Dr. Huang and the mysterious youkai test subject called "O1."
Dr. Nii; Dr. Huang and the mysterious youkai test subject called "O1."
Gyoukumen-Koushu is a vicious, calculating villain who does not care a whit about the immense suffering she causes in order to attain her desire. This is established early in the arc. One of the appealing things about Minekura's storyline and character developments is that things aren't usually spelled out in such black-&-white extremes, particularly with regards to the group of demons which Gyoukumen-Koushu conscripts into her service under Gyumaoh's son, Prince Kougaiji.
The Kougaji Tachi
 |  |  |  |
| Kougaiji | Yaone | Dokugakuji | Lirin |
Gyumaouh’s first wife, Rasetsunyo Kou, was captured and encased in stone by his mistress, Gyoukumen-Koushu, in order to coerce Gyumaouh’s son, the demon prince Kougaiji, to find and steal the remaining Sutras, one of which --- the Maten Scripture --- is in Genjyo Sanzo’s possession.
Rasetsunyo Kou, Prince Kougaiji's mother and Gyumaoh's first wife,
now encased in stone.
Kougaiji has four faithful demon companions who serve as his henchmen: Dokugakoji , Yaone, and his half-sister, Lirin. These four demons coordinate demonic attacks on the Sanzo Ikkou and are known as the Kougaiji Tachi (the Kougaiji Faction.)
NOTE: Since first posting the overview, I've been referred to an excellent breakdown and synopses of episodes for Saiyuki, Season One (compiled bykisarazumama) for those who want more detailed storylines:
General Kenren and Field Marshall Tenpou in their previous lifetime as war gods in Saiyuki Gaiden.
Before they incarnated into their present lifetimes, the Sanzo Ikkou were rebellious gods in Devachan.
The Burial arc essentially concerns any history of each Ikkou member within the reincarnation cycle of the story's present timeline, prior to their reunion in this life.
Minekura utilizes many painful flashback sequences interwoven within the main Gensoumaden story and other arcs, Reload and Gunlock, so that Burial is by no means linear. Also, she is reworking the story in greater detail with the ongoing arc Burial Reload, and since those details are also germane, the story is even less straight and narrow. I have tried to separate the past from present storylines, however, in order to make them more clear.
The Reload Arc deals with some of the casualties and wounded people out of the Ikkou's past and how they resurface to create obstacles and outright opposition to their journey.
Genjyo Sanzo finds himself on the receiving end of some dubious offers of alliance from Hazel Grouse, a sinister pastor from the far West, who sucks the souls from freshly killed demons with a magical talisman. He uses these souls to re-animate the bodies of dead humans who are then bound to him as his slaves. Sanzo doesn't require any allies, thankyouverymuch, even if they were a little less suspicious than this wholesome-looking, wide-eyed man of the cloth. Sidekick Gatto, a huge and taciturn Native American, protects Hazel at all costs with a pair of revolvers without reason, argument, or any apparent sense at all.
The story deals with the difference between killing demons indiscriminately because one believes that the entire race is a menace to humanity and should be exterminated, and killing them for the sake of self-protection in the moment. It also reveals the deep fissures in understanding between the fully human Genjyo Sanzo and his half-demon, half-human companions.
The differences between Gunlock, the anime, and Even a Worm, the manga which is still in production, are so huge that when I tried to tie the stories together, they made no sense. They involve the same basic themes --- those which I've already spelled out --- but their content and plot lines are completely different.
A former disciple of Sanzo's comes back to haunt him and torment the Ikkou.
Go Dougan.
Bitterness seems to be the theme of this OVA. Go Dougan was selected by the monks at Keiun Temple to be Sanzo's disciple, but Sanzo didn't want a disciple. Dougan adored Genjyo Sanzo and wanted to serve him. When Sanzo left on his journey westward with the Ikkou, he was filled with jealousy. After slaying over a thousand demons, he took over a castle and set up a series of spectral traps with which he snared each of the Ikkou, setting them one against the other, or so it seems, except Sanzo.
Sanzo responded by climbing up to the cave on the mountain behind the castle where Go Dougan was situated. There, he found thousands of orange paper airplanes identical to those which his master Koumyou used to fold for him. Dougan uses the airplanes to transmit his spells.
During his confrontation with Dougan, Sanzo learns the truth. He throws Dougan's jealousy back at him, however, since he did not choose the Ikkou; they were foisted upon him. This astonishing bit of news, along with the recitation of the Maten Sutra which obliterates all of Dougan's airplanes is like that last drop of poison for the embittered demon.
Rasetsunyo Kou, Prince Kougaiji's mother and Gyumaoh's first wife,
now encased in stone.
Kougaiji has four faithful demon companions who serve as his henchmen: Dokugakoji , Yaone, and his half-sister, Lirin. These four demons coordinate demonic attacks on the Sanzo Ikkou and are known as the Kougaiji Tachi (the Kougaiji Faction.)
NOTE: Since first posting the overview, I've been referred to an excellent breakdown and synopses of episodes for Saiyuki, Season One (compiled by
kisarazumama) for those who want more detailed storylines:
The Saiyuki Gaiden Arc
General Kenren and Field Marshall Tenpou in their previous lifetime as war gods in Saiyuki Gaiden.
Before they incarnated into their present lifetimes, the Sanzo Ikkou were rebellious gods in Devachan.
Saiyuki Burial
The Burial arc essentially concerns any history of each Ikkou member within the reincarnation cycle of the story's present timeline, prior to their reunion in this life.
The Moon and the Dark of Space
 |  |
| Koumyou proposes a wager | Ukoku Sanzo-Hoshi |
Minekura utilizes many painful flashback sequences interwoven within the main Gensoumaden story and other arcs, Reload and Gunlock, so that Burial is by no means linear. Also, she is reworking the story in greater detail with the ongoing arc Burial Reload, and since those details are also germane, the story is even less straight and narrow. I have tried to separate the past from present storylines, however, in order to make them more clear.
Saiyuki Reload Arc
The Reload Arc deals with some of the casualties and wounded people out of the Ikkou's past and how they resurface to create obstacles and outright opposition to their journey.
The Reload Arc
 |  |
| Chin Yisou (top) and Rikkudu aka Shuei (bottom) | Kinkaku, one of the identical demon twins and his "brother" Ginkaku (top) and Kami-sama (bottom) |
Saiyuki Gunlock and Even a Worm Arc:
Genjyo Sanzo finds himself on the receiving end of some dubious offers of alliance from Hazel Grouse, a sinister pastor from the far West, who sucks the souls from freshly killed demons with a magical talisman. He uses these souls to re-animate the bodies of dead humans who are then bound to him as his slaves. Sanzo doesn't require any allies, thankyouverymuch, even if they were a little less suspicious than this wholesome-looking, wide-eyed man of the cloth. Sidekick Gatto, a huge and taciturn Native American, protects Hazel at all costs with a pair of revolvers without reason, argument, or any apparent sense at all.
Hazel Grouse and Gatto
 |  |  |
| Hazel Grouse | Hazel and Gatto | Gatto |
The story deals with the difference between killing demons indiscriminately because one believes that the entire race is a menace to humanity and should be exterminated, and killing them for the sake of self-protection in the moment. It also reveals the deep fissures in understanding between the fully human Genjyo Sanzo and his half-demon, half-human companions.
The differences between Gunlock, the anime, and Even a Worm, the manga which is still in production, are so huge that when I tried to tie the stories together, they made no sense. They involve the same basic themes --- those which I've already spelled out --- but their content and plot lines are completely different.
Saiyuki Requiem Arc:
A former disciple of Sanzo's comes back to haunt him and torment the Ikkou.
Go Dougan.
Bitterness seems to be the theme of this OVA. Go Dougan was selected by the monks at Keiun Temple to be Sanzo's disciple, but Sanzo didn't want a disciple. Dougan adored Genjyo Sanzo and wanted to serve him. When Sanzo left on his journey westward with the Ikkou, he was filled with jealousy. After slaying over a thousand demons, he took over a castle and set up a series of spectral traps with which he snared each of the Ikkou, setting them one against the other, or so it seems, except Sanzo.
Sanzo responded by climbing up to the cave on the mountain behind the castle where Go Dougan was situated. There, he found thousands of orange paper airplanes identical to those which his master Koumyou used to fold for him. Dougan uses the airplanes to transmit his spells.
During his confrontation with Dougan, Sanzo learns the truth. He throws Dougan's jealousy back at him, however, since he did not choose the Ikkou; they were foisted upon him. This astonishing bit of news, along with the recitation of the Maten Sutra which obliterates all of Dougan's airplanes is like that last drop of poison for the embittered demon.
Fandom Resources:
| General Information Access: | Creative Support and Fanworks: | Character-centric communities: | Pairing communities (in no particular order of importance, and placement of slash does not connote meaning other than the pairing itself.): | Archives and Exchange Communities: |
|
Nitro: the Official Site for Kazuya Minekura (Japanese). Reload: Purchase DVDs. Zero Sum monthly magazine, which publishes "Burial Reload" and "Even a Worm." TokyoPop, English Translation license holders for manga. ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif){kind=small} saiyuki: general Fan community.Gunning for Buddha: List of Episodes for Season One saiyuki_manga: latest raw scans with translations on the sidebar (not scanlations. Saiyuki is licensed.) radiofreebanri: latest raw scans (with hilarious commentary.)saiyuki_dub: Saiyuki anime dubbingminekura_101 Matters relating to mangaka, Kazuya Minekurasaiyuki_media Saiyuki media |
saiyukiwriters: Saiyuki writerssaiyuki_het: Heterosexual fanworks in all M/F pairings.saiyukiyaoi: Boylove fanworks in all M/M pairings, primarily art & fanfictionsaiyuki_gaiden: Fanworks involving the Gaiden characters1000_miles_west: Saiyuki shortfics100_roadtrips: Saiyuki drabblessaiyuki_time: Saiyuki writing challengessaiyuki_smut: Saiyuki smutsaiyuki_ecstasy: Saiyuki role-playsaiyuki_icons: Saiyuki icons |
saiyuki_ikkou: All four and Hakuryuusaiyuki_gaiden: Saiyuki Gaidensaiyuki_reload: Saiyuki Reloadpullsomestrings: Chin Iisoudougan_lovers: Douganekg_anon: Gojyokarma_cowboy: Gojyobaka_saru: Gokuhakkailove: Hakkaimaa_maa: Hakkaiikinahare: Hazelprince_of_war: Homurahomura_tachi: Homura-tachiprinceofdemons: Kougaijidepg_anon: Sanzosanzou: Sanzonirvanareject: Sanzo |
blondes_n_sarus: Sanzo/Gokubad_friends: Gojyo/Sanzocamelliamour: Gojyo/Hakkaigold_magic: Sanzo/Hakkaihardlove: Gojyo/Hakkaiheretic_love: Homura/Gokuhg_fireflies: Hakkai/Gokukentenkon: Kenren/Tenpou/Konzen + Hakkai/Gojyo/Sanzokougaijixyaone: Kougaiji/Yaonelove_you_weird: Unconventional Saiyuki Pairingsmenofthecloth: Sanzo/Hazelsan_kou: Sanzo/Kougaijisanzoxgoku: Sanzo/Gokusnarky_love: Homura/Sanzosubtle_creature: Ni/Kougaiji |
Minus Wave Echoes from the West Seeing Red Festival of Fanfiction: (Redheads, so Gojyo and Kougaiji) Saiyuki Anonymous Kink Meme yuletide_smut: Christmas exchange, membership requiredvalentine_smut: Valentine Day exchange, membership required7thnight_smut: AU exchange, membership required |
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(It's nice to know who *this* Son Goku is:)
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Most of the fanfiction is based on the manga. Not all of it, though. Generally, any stories about [Gaiden Arc] Homura, Zenon and Shien (and definitely anything written about Rinrei) will be based on the anime. The only thing I've ever seen about him in the manga is an omake at the end of Gaiden --- nothing like the anime. The Even a Worm Arc (manga, as concerns Hazel and Gatto) is really different than the Gunlock anime, almost a separate universe.
I hope that helps ...
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I don't even think I own any manga. This should be fun:)
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