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!)
Very sorry, all--got an awful stomachache and had to spend a major chunk of this episode in the bathroom...and since I didn't save the page within five minutes, the online connection got disconnected! So decided it would be best to just stop the Nama-Yammer. Feeling queasy, so will head to bed. Since the manga this is based on has already been published in English, may as well leave it at that. Very sorry again...
Before I go, though, will hang on long enough to get you the preview for next week...(This Snow Drop episode is soooo depressing--but really beautifully done! No wonder NEWTYPE recommended this episode...The whole manga story fit into a single episode.)
Okay, next week...Hakkai runs away. Really! He leaves a note (scrawled on a whiteboard) for Hakuryuu to show the squabbling others: he won't come back until they reflect upon what they've done. It's "Hakkai No Iede!? ~reflection~ ("Runaway Hakkai!? ~reflection~"). Hey, what's that black cat doing with Sanzo's gold card...?
Whew--barely made it! Was busy finishing putting up the new Fukusei Cel Gallery...
High atop a mountain, Goku, Hakkai and Gojyo await the return of Sanzo.
Earlier, the four stopped to consider how to make their way along this huge, forested mountain. Sanzo scouted on ahead on foot. He stops for a smoke, and is suddenly attacked by Lirin! Unfortunately, he blew a lot of his ammo in shutting up a squabble between Goku and Gojyo earlier...The scuffle loosens some rocks, and they both fall off a cliff.
Now, tired of waiting, Goku and Gojyo amuse themselves by shouting and listening to the echos. Gojyo shouts an insult about Sanzo; Goku shouts that he's hungry. Hakkai's not in a shouting mood; he's worried.
Sanzo's kyoumon flutters from a branch in the cliff face! He and Lirin square off on the ground below, and Lirin's stomach rumbles; Sanzo snorts that she's hungry.
Lirin recalls waking up and being reunited with her brother. Her brother had gone through a lot to save her, so now she's going to do her best to get the kyoumon for him.
Lirin notices a part of Sanzo's robes darken--is that blood? Gun drawn, he snaps at her to shut up. Why doesn't he shoot, she asks him. Could it be that there aren't any bullets? She starts forward--but he renews his aim with a confident air that again makes her pause.
He finally shifts, removing his outer robe--he has definitely been injured, and is bleeding! With his teeth, he tears his black...uh, what do you call that, besides vaccuum-sealed-shirt-thingie? That thing. He tears it into strips to bind the wound, trying to stop the bleeding, while still keeping the gun trained on her.
Lirin observes, bright-eyed, that he's going to sleep sometime. "And when you do--it'll be the end!" she leers. Commercial break.
Ad for the new Zero-Sum coming out tomorrow...last chance to get the "3 Years Ago/Snow Drop" drama CD...
Goku is certain that something must have happened to Sanzo, and goes to search for him, leaving Hakkai and Gojyo.
Blood continues to drip from Sanzo, and Lirin is determined to wait him out. Sanzo tries to pass the time with a cigarette--but the lighter isn't cooperating.
Lirin observes that his friends are waiting and must be worried about him. Sanzo is one cold guy... Sanzo is finally able to light up.
Goku treads through the mountain forest, calling for Sanzo. Elsewhere, some dozen cigarettes later, the standoff between Sanzo and Lirin continues, with Sanzo slowly weakening and Lirin, seated on a fallen tree, content to wait him out. He's getting bleary-eyed...
Hakuryuu is flying overhead, and is alarmed to see the kyoumon! On the ground, Goku gets a whiff of Sanzo's collection of smouldering cigarette butts. Hakkai and Gojyo are also out in search of Sanzo, and Hakkai hears Hakuryuu.
Lirin lays down the ultimatum to Sanzo to let her get the kyoumon...She leaps, and Sanzo fires. There'd been one bullet left!
She spins out of the way--but Sanzo has leaped too, and nails her in mid-air, smacking her to the ground. He dumps his empty shells and takes a seat next to the unconscious Lirin, kicking back and enjoying a smoke as he listens to his shouting comrades gradually find their way to him.
Afterwards, the four have reached a restaurant. The meal is interrupted by another Goku and Gojyo fight--and they're surprised when Sanzo doesn't use bullets to break it up. But they make such a big deal about it that Sanzo quickly reverts to old habits, firing away!
Huh--series director Tetsuya Endou returns as co-storyboarder...maybe because Ishidaira was on storyboards for two episodes in a row? (From the interviews with Endou in the anime monthlies and the way he crops up in previously unannounced spots in the credits, I like him--he seems to be way more hands-on in the production than Gensomaden director Hayato Date ever was...!)
Next time: Snow, and very nice-looking effects to go with it! They meet Yakumo. It's "Uzumoreta Yume ~snow drop~" ("Buried Dream ~snow drop~").
Usually go back through the episode a second time right after the first time--but am feeling pretty oogy and have got to get to bed. Will do the second viewing soon and clean things up then. (Need to watch the credits of #8 again too to fill in the names of the episode director and animation supervisor...had forgotten about that, arrgh...) Many thanks for your patience! G'night...
We have a ton of rain here with a typhoon fast approaching, but thankfully, the TV reception isn't affected... Same opening titles as usual. (Just six more days 'til the full-size "Don't Look Back Again" CD comes out! Can't wait...)
Our four are eating at an inn. Gojyo tries his pick-up tactics on the waitress, inviting her to get together for some fun after work, but he just gets swatted by Sanzo for his efforts. He doesn't take well to the joshing of the others, and his lighter proves to be just as uncooperative as his comrades.
But a woman with red eyes and long red hair walks up and lights his cigarette. She's a knockout, and even Goku stops to gawk in mid-chew.
The gal, named Kougyoku (means "ruby"), encourages Gojyo to accompany her to a quieter place. And off they go, leaving the other three. Sanzo observes that she was a taboo child--half-human and half-youkai, like Gojyo.
Kougyoku guides Gojyo down a dark street. It's a little too quiet a place for Gojyo's liking--and he suddenly sweeps her up over one of his shoulders. Youkai come leaping down at them from the rooftops, but Gojyo can handle his shakujou with one arm and Kougyoku with the other.
After dispatching their attackers, Gojyo sets her down--and she promptly runs away.
In an abandoned building, the gang of youkai behind the attack are surprised that Gojyo turned out to be so strong. Kougyoku runs in, and they're glad to see her back safe. She has her worries about carrying out the plan, but leader Bakura encourages her, stressing that this will help them get Sanzo's kyoumon.
Back in their room, Gojyo has told Hakkai and Goku what happened, and they observe that it was a trap after all. Hakkai glances out the window and is startled to see that the woman is returning! Gojyo goes down, and she invites him out for drinks. He drapes himself on her and escorts her away; Hakkai and Goku watch them go with dismay, but Sanzo tries to stay absorbed in a book.
At the bar, Kougyoku does most of the drinking. Gojyo tries to fathom her intent and her interest in him. He's just the kind of man she likes, she insists. He leans over to kiss her...but she abruptly excuses herself to go to the restroom. With a resigned sigh, Gojyo drains his glass and orders more wine.
In the ladies room, Kougyoku pulls out and examines a knife. Returning to Gojyo, she badgers him to drink more. He obliges. Before long, though, she's the one who passes out--and Gojyo is surprised to see her knife clatter to the floor.
Kougyoku wakes up on the bed in Gojyo's room, with him sacked out asleep on the couch nearby. She approaches him with the knife drawn, raises it to strike--and he grabs her arm! So things were as he'd suspected...She's devastated that he saw through her, and starts sobbing in frustration on the floor. Gojyo kneels down to comfort her--and there they go, they're actually kissing! And what a nice, tender kiss it is, too... Fade to commercial.
The next morning, Goku wonders to Hakkai whether Gojyo ever came back. Kougyoku is still holed up in Gojyo's room, and he leaves her to eat breakfast with the rest of the Sanzo-ikkou. As they discuss having her ride along to the next town, Gojyo remembers the night before, when Kougyoku talked about how they were both taboo children and how there must be someplace somewhere in the world for people like them. (...Oh, hey, he's naked as she caresses him. Whaddya know...!) She wants to spend the rest of her life with a good man...and Gojyo assures her that she's a good woman.
Remembering Gojyo's words, Kougyoku strides away outside. Gojyo, Hakkai and Goku find only an empty room.
Bakura is less than pleased when Kougyoku tells him she wants to quit. "What did you do together with Sa Gojyo?" he demands, and reminds her of all that he's done for her himself. Now she's going to continue to be useful--whether she wants to or not.
A rock shatters the window of Gojyo's room. A good portion of Kougyoku's hair is attached, along with a note instructing Gojyo to go to a meeting place--alone.
Sanzo points out there's no time to waste on trivial things; they need to get going. "I'm going to the toilet," claims Gojyo, "so wait for me." Hakkai asks if he's all right. "I've got a bellyache," grits the kappa. "It'll take awhile."
Outside town, amid some ruins, the youkai gang awaits with tied-up Kougyoku, her hair cut short. She's certain that Gojyo won't come--but there he is. Bakura orders him to put his hands up, and when Gojyo refuses, the youkai leader's claws shred Kougyoku's dress and a good part of her with it. That brings Gojyo charging--right into a hidden ground well! He plunges down, to the gang's great glee--but the shakujou prevents him from falling far, and he leaps back out to the attack.
Gojyo's rage makes for a brutal, brief battle. In the end, Bakura tries to run--and falls into the well himself! As he holds desperately onto the edge, losing his grip and yelling for help, Gojyo leaves the choice to Kougyoku. Bakura has done a lot for her...and so Gojyo saves the youkai leader, then turns and walks away when Kougyoku hurries to Bakura's side.
Bakura promptly shoots a lethal barrage from his claws at Gojyo's back--and Kougyoku leaps in the way, taking the full force. Her sacrifice is no more than an annoyance to Bakura, but before he can shoot again, Gojyo is storming down on him.
Gojyo may not have been the "good man" that Kougyoku had intended to spend her life with--but he is a good man, she tells the now-stoic kappa as she lays dying in his lap. Soon after, backed by an instrumental of "Fukisusabu Kaze No Naka De," the rest of the Sanzo-ikkou drive up to find Gojyo waiting--and the journey west resumes.
...Wow.
Next time: Sanzo vs. Lirin, and this time it looks serious! It's "Taiketsu ~muzzle~." (Whoa, Sanzo's vaccuum-sealed black shirt-thing has even gotten all ripped off most of his chest...!)
Here we go! No changes to the opening titles...Here's the Zero-Sum commercial where Minekura-sensei draws Sanzo! Wow...
On a night with an eerie blood-red moon, the Sanzo-ikkou stops to stay in a haunted house-looking inn that's a leftover from a Scooby Doo episode, squeaking bats flapping outside and all... Whoa, Gojyo's mighty nicely nekkid in the shower! But--the water abruptly stops, to his irritation. Room service brings dinner--on a cart abandoned outside the door. Under the tray's silver cover is a scrubly assortment of single-serving milk cartons and prepackaged sandwiches, to our four's disappointment.
Gojyo observes that the room has no TV and no radio. (But then, doesn't their world usually have no TV or radio...? Only appearance of a TV has been in the UraSai that ran with RELOAD #24...oh, wait, but Nii has had monitors, at least. And Jeep's radio was an important part of the two-part Saiyuki OVA that preceded Gensomaden Saiyuki--it just hasn't worked since then...Anyway!) All are bored and Sanzo is cranky.
Goku goes down to the lobby in search of something to entertain them. The innmaster takes an old board game from behind the counter and recommends it. It comes with a boxful of little Kubrick-looking figures to use with it.
The Sanzo-ikkou sits down to play the game (which looks a LOT like a "Game of Life" board--y'know, that Family Game that Art Linkletter Heartily Endorses), and Hakkai could have sworn the little person he chose as his piece smiled at him...
With a roll of the dice, Sanzo's figure moves around the spaces on the board by itself! It lands on an auspicious space, and confetti blizzards down from the ceiling. Goku thinks it's pretty neat. The others are mildly freaked.
Hakkai's turn to roll the dice. His piece moves itself, and four bowls of manjuu come down from the ceiling and land before them. Goku immediately starts to stuff himself.
Gojyo rolls...and the manjuu disappear. Hakkai notes that whatever happens on one turn, it disappears as soon as the next turn starts. Now water plummets down on them from the ceiling--it's a flood! The water is rising, and the room's windows won't open! The board is floating away. Sanzo shoots at it, and it sinks. (HEY, EARTHQUAKE! We just had a tremor here. Quick one; it's past.)
The water keeps rising--it's almost reached the ceiling, and things are looking bad for them. Goku dives down and retrieves the board. He grabs the dice off it and throws them in the best roll he can manage underwater--and the water drains away.
Goku rolls, his figure moves--and suddenly Goku can only speak by saying "Wan!", like he's a dog barking ("wan" is the Japanese sound for a dog's bark, kinda like "woof" or "bow-wow" in English...). Commercial break.
Goku is barking earnestly. It's Sanzo's turn. He rolls...but Goku can still only bark! He tries to write what he's trying to say...and writes "Wan Wan Wan" (sorry, I had to laugh at that!). And Sanzo has, uh, turned into a tree. (I missed something here... Wow, he looks like a refugee from H.R. Pufnstuf!)
Goku gets across to Hakkai that a six needs to be rolled for him to return to normal. Hakkai's turn. He rolls double sixes--and now Goku can talk again! He thanks Hakkai profusely.
On the next turn, the piece announces that a big dragon is coming to play with them. And here it is! (Unfortunately, it isn't Pufnstuf.) It plays rough, and they all fight back. Sanzo, who is no longer a tree, shoots, and the dragon falls.
Down in the lobby, the master listens to them play and worries that it won't be successful this time, either. We see what he looks like behind the counter--and it turns out his legs are like those of the playing pieces!
The game goes on. The pieces keep moving. Wackiness keeps ensuing. Now the room's light fixture flashes overhead, and a grey tabby kitten appears from thin air (to celebrate The Cat Episode of Saiyuki RELOAD finishing so high up in the Animage Grand Prix, no doubt...it was a fun episode, but, better than "Youkai Genjyo Sanzo"? What the hell were the youth of Japan smoking?!). Goku bends to pet it--and it turns into a huge, vicious, two-headed saber-toothed white tiger! All fight back, with Gojyo grabbing it by the tail, etc... Sanzo manages to roll the dice, but the result sends him hurtling into a wall, and the wall is pulling him into itself!
The exact number has to be rolled for a piece to reach the finish. Throwing the dice from atop the tiger, Hakkai fails and is turned into a playing piece! (Here's our first look at a Kubrick Saiyuki figure...) Gojyo fails and is sucked into the floor! Goku is no match for the tiger by himself, and it chases him around the table as he tries to get away and reach the dice for his final throw. With the help of his nyoibou, Goku rolls, but it's not the needed number...but one die suddenly turns over to reach the right total; Sanzo fired a shot at it just as the wall was closing over him! Goku's piece moves into the end spot--and the game is over!
With Goku's win, his companions are saved, and all the game pieces turn into real, living people! They had been trapped into the game over time. The innmaster is hugely grateful to the Sanzo-ikkou for coming along and playing the game, and winning it so the people could be saved. But in return, Sanzo and the others insist on receiving some quality service, something sorely lacking before they started playing the game. The innmaster sheepishly complies.
And you know the most amazing part? Someone got paid to write this rip-off of Jumanji! (Although it does have some funny moments, in much the same spirit as the Sanzo-ikkou's trip through the different floors of Kami-sama's castle in RELOAD episode 24; gotta give it that.) Y'know, although Jumanji came out several years ago, it aired most recently on Japanese prime-time TV only about three months ago. So scriptwriter Machida didn't have to look very far for, heh, "inspiration"...;^)
Next time: Gojyo meets a hot lady with red hair and red eyes. It's "Akai kami no onna ~stupid woman~" ("The Red-Haired Woman"). "Next time's Saiyuki is an adult Saiyuki," narrator Hakkai assures us. It freakin' better be, after a piece of work like tonight's! WAN!
-
Adaptation of "Saiyuki RELOAD" manga Act 10 "against the stream-5" and most of Act 11 "against the stream-6." No yammer this week; you're much better off reading Jeanne Johnson's superb translation of this manga chapter at Aestheticism.com!
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 #11-13
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.