Saiyuki RELOAD GUNLOCK, the continuing anime incarnation of Kazuya Minekura's "Saiyuki RELOAD" manga, is now airing weekly in Japan. But TV Tokyo and its affiliate stations aren't the only place episodes can be seen, what with pirates making them available for download worldwide on the Internet scant hours after broadcast. With episodes so accessible so soon, there doesn't seem much point in writing about them in detail...but what the hell! So, here's some random yammering after--and sometimes even during--each week's broadcast! (Grateful thanks go to Lux for maintaining her tremendous Saiyuki RELOAD GUNLOCK screencap gallery, Still Not There Yet--please don't abuse it, folks!)
This episode kicks off a three-part adaptation of the "Even A Worm" arc...HEYYY, NEW OPENING TITLE!! Same opening song, but new visuals, all color!
GUNLOCK's first opening titles had been a very stylish packaging of existing animation. This time there are a few existing shots, but much is new...with a staff of nine producing the new opening, as opposed to last time's staff of one! There are some intriguing images--including one from the latter half of the Genjyo Sanzo section of "Burial," of Sanzo looking out the window at the moon (page 167 of the third RELOAD tankoubon)...and Gojyo sprawled sweetly asleep in the jeep in the moonlight...and the Kougaiji-ikkou...and even some shots of Hazel and Gato. And there's a sequence I already love to pieces--just don't think about the logistics of it: Our four in the jeep drive up a steep sand dune, and the momentum carries them off its top, into the air. Then we're at the bottom of the dune, watching as the jeep goes soaring by overhead and becomes silhouetted against the bright sun...it disappears briefly into the glare, and tiny Hakuryuu emerges, gliding onward! (Awwww~!) Hakuryuu then comes down and lands on Hakkai's shoulder.
There's a minor staff change too, or rather an addition--the "character design" credit of Noriko Ootake (who supervised the animation of the new opening title visuals) is joined now by a credit for Sayuri Sugitou for "guest character design" (she's also assisted with animation supervision for a RELOAD episode and two GUNLOCK episodes so far).
Here's a new commercial for August's Saiyuki RELOAD GUNLOCK game...Goku vs. Sanzo, Chin Iisou vs. Hakkai...and Kami-sama vs. Kougaiji, yowza!
A churchful of people are gathered to pray. Before them, a blue-eyed, strangely silver-haired young man, bishop Hazel, is praying over a deceased, blue-eyed child. Hazel throws his arms wide, and gleaming lights swirl into a pendant he's wearing, and on into his hands. He places a hand over the child's face...and the child awakens. It's a miracle! The people rejoice as the child, now with golden eyes, gets up. Hazel smiles to his companion, Gato, who waits off to the side.
Meanwhile, the Sanzo-ikkou is driving along. Starving Goku can hardly wait for the next town. Suddenly, a pack of rather zombie-like people hurries into their path. Rather than fearing youkai, these humans are bent on killing any youkai they find, and attack the three youkai members of our four! They quickly prove to be stronger than a typical person, and Goku is spooked to discover that they don't smell like they're alive; they remind him of the shikigami controlled by Chin Iisou. Sanzo finally resorts to shooting one, and the man crumbles--just like a shikigami. The rest of the attackers run away.
Elsewhere, Gyokumen is excited about the potential Nii's newest plan offers. It's the "power of heresy," being carried out by a "blue-eyed angel" from the west.
A storm is coming, and the Sanzo-ikkou hurries on into town. As they head for an inn, Goku sees a hat swept into the air by the growing wind, and leaps up to snag it and return it to its owner--Hazel. Hazel gives him an Osaka-style "ooki ni" of thanks, and they go their separate ways as the rain hits.
Our four get safely checked in and cleaned up. As they towel off, the strange humans who attacked them are on Hakkai's mind--if they're shikigami, who made them and is controlling them?
A flashback--churchbells are tolling. A silver-haired young boy is running. He falls, shrieking for his master. Hazel suddenly awakens in bed, with Gato standing sentinel nearby, and directs a thought to that mysterious master that he's come to this cursed continent at last.
Commercial break. This issue of ZERO-SUM will have offer the Zero-Sum Comic Card Collection, including a trading card of Sanzo.
The rainy night continues. Suddenly, the windows of an inn room burst open, and youkai leap in, stabbing beds to kill the Sanzo-ikkou...but those beds are empty! The Sanzo-ikkou steps back into the room, and the youkai are quickly dispatched.
Outside, though, more youkai are killing the town's humans! Goku hurries out to help. He's too late to save one man...but as Goku fires up to attack the youkai who killed him, Hazel slips into the fight before the monkey and sends the youkai flying with one kick! Goku recognizes Hazel as the man whose hat he returned--and is intimidated as hulking Gato also appears with two sizeable revolvers, shooting away several youkai. Hazel begins chanting, the youkai bodies begin to glow, and blue balls of light streak up from them, drawn into Hazel's pendant. An astonished Hakkai realizes the lights are youkai souls.
Gato is stabbed by two youkai swords in the gut and another in the arm, but continues to shoot, and Hazel continues to harvest. Hazel heals Gato's wounds by holding the glowing pendant up to them, and the pair go back to work to finish off the last of the youkai and collect their souls.
A girl peeks from a doorway and sees her father--the man Goku was too late to save--dead in the street. Hazel smiles comfortingly, spreads his hand before the dead man...and the man returns to life, now with golden eyes! The Sanzo-ikkou is astounded.
Hazel introduces himself and Gato to them. He informs them that he and Gato have come from a different country in the west--and that they've come to kill all youkai in order to make a world for only humans.
Wonder if the end-title visuals will be different...? YES!
New song, too! Called "Shiro No Jumon," the music and lyrics are by Akihito Tokunaga (who also wrote the music for "Fukisusabu Kaze No Naka De" and "Don't Look Back Again"!), it's sung by a group called "doa"--and it's mighty damn cool! (For those of you of similar vintage, think "Fukisusabu Kaze No Naka De" crossed with the end theme of Orguss, "Kokoro Wa Gypsy"...too great!) The visuals are all Minekura art, and range from pieces from the original Saiyuki manga all the way up to the image on the Sanzo trading card coming out in next week's ZERO-SUM!
Next time (oh, crap, it moves to 2am next week), we learn more about Hazel and Gato in "Kiseki No Yukue ~pilgrim~" ("The Whereabouts of the Miracle ~pilgrim~"...say it in a John Wayne voice... ;^) )
This will be interesting to see--first Saiyuki script by this writer, first Saiyuki episode for this director and animation supervisor...
No changes to the opening titles. Commercial for the upcoming PlayStation 2 Reload Gunlock game--heyyy, Kami-sama's in it!
The Sanzo-ikkou is driving through a town at sunset. They'll need to keep going, but stop outside a shop to grab some nikuman for the road. Sanzo waits outside while the others go in. He smokes and watches some crows...and he in turn is watched by someone hiding beside a building. The someone approaches...and Sanzo is startled by his child-sized stalker.
The other three come out--but Sanzo and the jeep are gone, with just Sanzo's cigarette left behind! Hakuryuu comes flying back, having seen where Sanzo went, and they set off in pursuit. Night has fallen, and the jeep speeds them toward a spooky-looking mansion, high on a cliff.
Inside the mansion, bodies of dolls--a few finished; most not--are scattered around a room. In an adjoining room, Sanzo sits blankly before a security monitor showing various parts of the mansion and its grounds. Behind him, his captor appears: a very human-looking, purple-haired living doll who's pleased about the beautiful face she's going to take. But the monitor shows that some unexpected visitors have pulled up at the mansion gates.
Outside, the gates swing open, and Gojyo, Goku and Hakkai accept the invitation. The long walkway to the mansion is lined with ranks of dolls that could be cousins of Chin Iisou's doll, and their hundreds of eyes quickly creep out Goku and Gojyo. Hakkai's brand of humor doesn't help matters.
Suddenly, the mansion door opens--and it's the purple-haired doll, warning them they aren't allowed to enter. Goku's demand for Sanzo sends her into laughter, which in turn sends the sentinel dolls soaring into the air, sprouting revolving blades! Our three fight back, doll pieces littering the grounds--and the battle continues as another wave of dolls rises, mouths shooting sizzling needle-things!
Suddenly, a different purple-haired girl doll--far less realistic-looking than Sanzo's captor--beckons. As the shattered doll bodies start to regroup and rise again, following her seems like a pretty fine idea, and she leads them into the mansion. (Y'know, this is a pretty nicely drawn episode...)
In a room of doll parts and wigs, she explains that her name is Junfa, and this is where she was born. Her creator had made her with great affection. All dolls have spirits, but she's special; she became able to speak when an evil spirit took over the mansion after her creator left. Goku wonders if that's how that other doll can speak too, but Junfa explains that the other doll, named Shudou, actually used to be a human being. When Shudou died, her soul went into a doll body; now that evil spirit makes Shudou take humans' faces she fancies and rip them off and wear them. Unless they hurry, they won't be able to save their comrade.
With their arrival, though, Junfa is hopeful they might be able to help defeat the evil spirit too. But as she asks for their help in defeating him, she's suddenly stricken, clutching her face. She runs away, and although Goku pursues her down the hall, she disappears. Goku is still in view, though--on the security monitor. Shudou watches with blank-eyed Sanzo. She'd thought the three had run away, but now it's clear they intend to rescue Sanzo. So before she takes Sanzo's face, she's got another use for him...
Hurrying through the mansion, the three spot Sanzo on an walkway above. He looks impassively down...then aims his gun at Goku, and fires.
Commercial break...The first RELOAD GUNLOCK DVD goes on sale August 25; seven volumes are planned. The sixth of seven RELOAD DVDs goes on sale June 25. I keep missing this Kenranbutousai The Mars Daybreak show, but it looks interesting in the commercials...(and if nothing else, The Mars Daybreak would be a great name for The African Sun's first foal!) Hey, Flow-war has their first full-length album coming out. It's called "ID," and goes on sale June 23. They're also going to tour, with a stop June 26 at Shibuya BOXX.
Sanzo's shot just misses Goku. Sanzo keeps the gun trained on them as Shudou floats behind him, laughing that he wants them to leave. Hakkai suspects that Sanzo has been hypnotized.
"How do you feel now, with your beloved friend ready to shoot you?" gloats Shudou. The effect isn't the desired one. "He usually shoots at us!" Gojyo informs her.
Sanzo prepares to fire, and Goku and Gojyo are startled to see Hakkai preparing to launch a serious chi blast. Hakkai asks them to join him in attacking; that should wake up Sanzo. It's some fun Gojyo and Goku never expected to have! The three let loose on Sanzo in a lopsided battle, and Shudou is soon shrieking that Sanzo's face will get damaged.
The force of the fight finally hurls Sanzo out of the mansion. Goku scrambles after him in concern, and is relieved to see Sanzo getting back up--but then Sanzo again aims and fires! This time, though, it's because Sanzo is back to his usual cranky self. Hakkai and Gojyo join them, explaining it was all for Sanzo's sake--and earning more gunfire.
Shudou tries to retrieve him, but when Sanzo fights back, her rage sends everything left of the dolls outside into a whirling force that slices through anything it touches. The confrontation is suddenly interrupted by Shudou's scream--as she transforms into Junfa! As she changes back and forth, Shudou arguing with Junfa, Hakkai muses that the evil spirit isn't in the mansion; it's actually in this doll's body.
As Shudou remembers it, when she was a human girl, her father the dollmaker had liked a doll he was making--Junfa--more than he liked her. Shudou put on a doll's face as a mask to protest, but her father slapped her for it. Wearing the doll-face mask, Shudou hung herself. Her soul went into the body of Junfa because she wanted to become a doll made by her father, so that he would love her.
But instead, her grieving father took a hammer to the dolls. Before he could smash her too, she killed him--"the penalty for not loving me!" she declared with a laugh.
But no, Junfa insists, Shudou is wrong. She's the doll created by the dollmaker, and everything that went into a doll's creation becomes part of its spirit. She was created to be Shudou's own doll, something the dollmaker was making for his daughter's enjoyment. He was trying to create the best doll possible to give Shudou because he loved his daughter so much; he even gave the doll Shudou's face. Junfa tries to show Shudou the photograph that her father worked from, to remind her, but Shudou refuses to look at it.
Now Shudou is back in control, and determined to take Sanzo's face. The whirling force moves in closer and closer around Goku, Gojyo and Hakkai; she'll take their lives if Sanzo refuses. But Sanzo shoots. As she falls, the whirling force surges inward--but then fortunately slows, and the clattering dolls that formed it finally fall.
Gojyo is cranky that Sanzo would have let them die; after all, they had come to save him. Sanzo points out he never asked them to do it.
Sanzo goes to the dying Shudou and slowly pulls her top face off. The face underneath is indeed that of the girl in the photograph. On the back of the photo, the father had written an apology to his daughter. Hakkai reads it aloud, and Shudou passes away understanding at last what she meant to her father.
Next time: The "Even A Worm" arc gets underway with "Nishi Kara Kita Otoko ~open your eyes~" ("The Man Who Came From The West ~open your eyes~").
No changes to the opening titles. Morning in a town. Hakkai walks down a building's steps with a regretful backward glance, and drives away alone in the jeep.
Back in the room, Goku recalls seeing Hakkai leave. Hakkai hadn't responded when Goku called--had he maybe been angry? Oh well...Goku tosses aside a food wrapper. It joins the rest of the mess he and Gojyo have made of the room, between empty food containers and cigarette butts.
Sanzo finally gets out of bed. He doesn't seem particularly worried about their missing comrade--who at that moment is out looking thoughtfully at a lake.
Goku remembers when Hakkai had a cold. It was hard for always-worrying Hakkai to rest, making the others promise to be careful and take care of themselves.
Hakkai is now at a teahouse with a beautiful mountain view, enjoying tea.
Back at the room, Goku gamely takes on the task of making tea for the others. But the result tastes terrible...because somebody replaced the tea leaves with hijiki (edible seaweed)! Gojyo and Sanzo try to light up, but aren't able to smoke...because somebody replaced their tobacco cigarettes with chocolate cigarettes! They find Hakuryuu at the window with a message written by Hakkai on a whiteboard: He won't come back until they reflect upon what they've done.
Goku cleans the place--by cramming all the junk into one floor-to-ceiling pile!
Gojyo cooks some special curry...which first sends the other two dashing away about to puke, and finally even gives Gojyo the heaves--just by looking at it!
Doing the laundry doesn't go well for Goku...
As Hakkai continues to enjoy his vacation in that scenic teahouse elsewhere, the other three console themselves by eating at a Chinese restaurant. It's a great meal, and even Goku manages to get full. Sanzo reaches for his gold card to pay...but the card isn't there.
Commercial break...
Gojyo is now working as a waiter at the Chinese restaurant, to the delight of giggling female patrons. Goku is doing dishes. Pink-frilly-apron-clad Sanzo is probably supposed to be doing them too, but sulks instead, smoking in a chair near Goku (who's also wearing an apron, though it's not as, heh, pretty as Sanzo's...).
Suddenly, the mortified Gojyo sees a new customer arrive--Hakkai! Gojyo disguises himself and takes Hakkai's order. Goku is excited to hear the news, and hopes Hakkai has the gold card.
Gojyo's cover is blown while serving Hakkai (a roast pig? Hakkai's a cannibal!)--and Hakkai acts as though he doesn't know him! Cranky Gojyo reports this to the others.
Goku sidles out to the dining area and tries to speak with Hakkai. Hakkai politely requests service. Gojyo tries again, but also gets a cold reception.
Sanzo blames Gojyo. Gojyo blames Sanzo. An argument erupts, and Goku rushes back out to Hakkai with a heartfelt request. Hakkai comes back to the kitchen with him, and stops the argument with a single baleful look.
Goku apologizes most deeply and begs Hakkai to come back; they're in a terrible way without him, and know they hadn't behaved well. Gojyo admits it too. But Sanzo is unrepetent! Goku and Gojyo make the messes, he insists... Hakkai can't help breaking into laughter; that's just the way they are and how they'll stay. He forgives them, and reaches into his pocket to return the gold card...but ooops, that pocket is empty! Outside, a black cat strolls past the jeep and down the road, the gold card in its jaws...the jeep sweat-drops...
Hey, a commercial for the Saiyuki Reload Gunlock PS2 game! Coming August 5!
Commercial for Monkey Turn. It's the "number-one boat racer story." (Uh-huh. Name a second boat racer story...)
Say, here's another previously-unannounced pinch-hit appearance by series director Tetsuya Endou, as this episode's co-storyboarder...
Next time: Sanzo has disappeared! (Wherever he is, he's trying to put his gun to use...) The other three search for him, and discover a place where men are being turned into something else... It's "Karakuri No Yakata ~two faces~ ("Mansion of Marionettes ~two faces~").
GO TO RELOAD RICOCHET: Saiyuki RELOAD Episodes #1-4
GO TO RELOAD RICOCHET: Saiyuki RELOAD Episodes #5-8
GO TO RELOAD RICOCHET: Saiyuki RELOAD Episodes #9-12
GO TO RELOAD RICOCHET: Saiyuki RELOAD Episodes #13-16
GO TO RELOAD RICOCHET: Saiyuki RELOAD Episodes #17-19
GO TO RELOAD RICOCHET: Saiyuki RELOAD Episodes #20-22
GO TO RELOAD RICOCHET: Saiyuki RELOAD Episodes #23-25
GO TO RELOAD RICOCHET: Saiyuki RELOAD GUNLOCK Episodes #1-4
GO TO RELOAD RICOCHET: Saiyuki RELOAD GUNLOCK Episodes #5-10
GO TO RELOAD RICOCHET: Saiyuki RELOAD GUNLOCK Episodes #14-17
GO TO RELOAD RICOCHET: Saiyuki RELOAD GUNLOCK Episodes #18-20
GO TO RELOAD RICOCHET: Saiyuki RELOAD GUNLOCK Episodes #21-23
GO TO RELOAD RICOCHET: Saiyuki RELOAD GUNLOCK Episodes #24-present
GO TO RELOAD RICOCHET: "Saiyuki RELOAD GUNLOCK Episode #1" April Fool's Edition!
BACK TO JOURNEY TO THE REST: A Roadside Revelry in Saiyuki and Its Doujinshi.
This page was created October 23, 2003. Last updated September 9, 2004.
The Nama-Yammer, Yammer, and Yammer-hammering inbetween are copyrighted features of JOURNEY TO THE REST. This page's text and source code are copyright Kagenami Q. DO NOT USE WITHOUT WRITTEN PERMISSION. Saiyuki, Saiyuki Gaiden and Saiyuki RELOAD are copyright Kazuya Minekura/Issaisha; Gensomaden Saiyuki is copyright Kazuya Minekura/Issaisha, Saiyuki Project and TV Tokyo 2000; the Saiyuki RELOAD anime is copyright Kazuya Minekura/Issaisha, TV Tokyo, Dentsu and Pierrot 2003; Saiyuki RELOAD GUNLOCK is copyright Kazuya Minekura/Issaisha, TV Tokyo, Dentsu and Pierrot 2004. All images are copyright their respective artists and creators. No copyright infringement is intended or implied.