6/11/2004: THE SUMMER HEATS UP! The July issues of Japan's major anime monthly magazines included some items of interest for Saiyuki fans. NEWTYPE had two scoops, the first being that in the broadcast ratings of after-midnight anime series for April 5-May 9, Saiyuki RELOAD GUNLOCK leaped from last (episode 2) to 3rd place (episode 6), behind only Monster and Monkey Turn!
ANIMAGE--whose publisher Tokuma Shoten also publishes Minekura-sensei's Wild Adapter--avoided mentioning the shocker in its episode 14 synopsis, concentrating instead on presenting a fold-out pin-up of Sanzo (shown at right). On the reverse side is a colorful spread on the Sanzo-ikkou, Hazel and Gato, with series director Tetsuya Endou providing some insights into episodes 7-11 and the making of the Hazel arc, which will span episodes 13-15.
Later in the issue, two color pages are devoted to this August's "Saiyuki RELOAD GUNLOCK" fighting-style game for PlayStation 2. A total of 16 screenshots are shown, including a few of the, heh, cranky exchanges that prompt the action.
In the category of Most Popular Male Anime Character, Gokuu was 5th and Sanzo was 8th (the top three were Gundam Seed's Kira Yamato and Athlun Zala, and Edward Elric of Fullmetal Alchemist). Yaone was the 12th-most popular female anime character, with Lirin 18th. (Gundam Seed's Lacus Clyne and Kagari Yura Asuha were 1st and 3rd, respectively, with Sakura Kinomoto of Card Captor Sakura 2nd. )
"Other"-type characters were honored too, with Hakuryuu finishing 6th (behind Haro of Gundam, Kerberos of Card Captor Sakura, Nomad of Galaxy Angel, Uizu of D.N. Angel and Pikachuu of Pocket Monster).
Although it's the one having a birthday, ANIMEDIA is giving the presents--2323 of 'em, in a write-in giveaway drawing! The loot up for grabs includes two gorgeous color signboards by Saiyuki RELOAD/RELOAD GUNLOCK character designer Noriko Ootake--one of Sanzo and Goku, and one of Gojyo and Hakkai.
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Elsewhere in the issue was the announcement that Saiyuki RELOAD GUNLOCK will be released in a series of seven DVDs (a VHS release is also planned), with the first going on sale August 25. As with the Saiyuki RELOAD release, Minekura-sensei will create new cover art for each volume.
August will see another popular release: Bandai's "Saiyuki RELOAD GUNLOCK" game for PlayStation 2. The target date is August 5.
Finally, "TV Anime Saiyuki RELOAD Official Guide Vol. 2," covering the latter half of the RELOAD series, will reach Japanese bookstores on June 25.
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Add two color pages of new Minekura art of Hakkai and Nii and a new black-and-white Gojyo, plus a gratifying amount of Gaiden goodness (the four-page manga teaser that announced its serialization in ZERO-SUM, and half of the dozen pencil roughs and finished pages), and the result is a book well worth the wait!
"Saiyuki OFFROAD" was sold only by mail-order for a limited time through ZERO-SUM's publisher, Issaisha, but is already turning up on the secondhand market through outlets such as Yahoo Japan Auctions.
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The 23-page first installment of Act 14 "Even a worm" gets off to a dramatic start, as a silver-haired, blue-eyed man identified as a bishop performs a miracle, bringing a youngster back to life in the chapter's opening color pages.
Our four stop to rest in the same town as the traveling bishop and his golden-eyed companion. The bishop speaks Kansai dialect, as Goku discovers when returning the man's blown-away hat, receiving an Osaka-style "Ookini" of thanks. Greater strangeness weighs on the minds of Goku's comrades, though. Hakkai muses that shikigami are manipulated by someone using some sort of medium, as Chin Iisou had done using mahjongg tiles. Who created these golden-eyed shikigami and is in control? The answer probably isn't far away...as golden-eyed shapes approach outside...!
This issue also unveiled ZERO-SUM's very first "Saiyuki RELOAD" drama CD. About an hour in length, "Saiyuki RELOAD snow drop & 3 years ago" will feature the regular voice cast (plus Unshou Ishizuka as Yakumo), will have original cover art by Minekura-sensei, and is available only by mail-order from publisher Issaisha. Priced at 2500 yen, it has an order deadline of June 21, and is planned to ship starting in mid-July.
Completing the triple was big news from Bandai: Planned for release this summer is "Saiyuki RELOAD GUNLOCK," a 7140-yen PlayStation 2 "dramatic action game" for one or two players. Stills shown from this 3-D fighting-style game included Gojyo against Sanzo and Goku versus Hakkai.
In Japan's major anime monthlies for June, NEWTYPE gave the upcoming Saiyuki RELOAD GUNLOCK #10 a special recommendation for its strength of story. Scheduled to air June 3, it starts the two-episode adaptation of the manga's "Snow Drop" story.
The biggest fan vote of the year is ANIMAGE's annual Anime Grand Prix. This month's ANIMAGE announced the results of the 26th annual competition, rewarding the best of 2003.
In the category of Best Anime, the Top 20 (of more than 100 receiving votes!) were: 1st-Fullmetal Alchemist, 2nd-Gundam Seed, 3rd-Get Backers Dakkanya, 4th-Saiyuki RELOAD, 5th-Uchuu No Stellvia, 6th-Inuyasha, 7th-D.C. Da Capo, 8th-Tennis No Oujisama, 9th-Peace Maker Kurogane, 10th-Naruto, 11th-D.N.Angel, 12th-Onegai Twins, 13th-12 Kokki, 14th-Kaleidostar, 15th-Ojamajou Doremi Dokka~n, 16th-One Piece, 17th-Kokaku Kidotai Stand Alone Complex, 18th-Hikaru No Go, 19th-Matantei Loki Ragnarok, 20th-Ai Yori Aoshi ~Enishi~. Tied for 46th was UraSai!
In the Best Episode category, Saiyuki RELOAD was represented by four episodes: #1 "Run" (17th), #7 "Little Will" (23rd), #3 "Lethal Weapon" (42nd), and #8 "Poison" (tie for 50th).
Of the more than 100 nominees for Best Male Character, Sanzo was 7th (behind Edward Elric, Kira Yamato, Roy Mustang, Athlun Zala, Ginji Amano and Inuyasha), Goku was 15th, Hakkai was 17th, and Gojyo was 28th. Sorry, Kougaiji... In the Best Female Character competition, Yaone tied for 95th.
"Wild Rock" was 25th in the voting for Best Anime Song. "ID" tied for 41st. The runaway winner was Fullmetal Alchemist's "Melissa."
Fullmetal Alchemist completed its steamrolling of the competition with Romi Paku, voice of Edward Elric, winning the Best Voice Actor/Actress category. Akira Ishida (Hakkai) was 2nd, Souichirou Hoshi (Goku) was 3rd, Toshihiko Seki (Sanzo) was 9th, Hiroaki Hirata (Gojyo) tied for 26th, and Takeshi Kusao (Kougaiji) tied for 100th. (More details on the voting specifics can be found on the page of Japanese TV and Fan Popularity Statistics for Saiyuki RELOAD/GUNLOCK.)
Elsewhere in the June ANIMAGE, a two-page color spread on the "Against the Stream" arc of Saiyuki RELOAD GUNLOCK featured original art of the Sanzo-ikkou and Zakuro. (Too bad Gojyo's scars are on the wrong side of his face...!)
Finally, in CD news, it seems to be the season for Saiyuki image albums. "Saiyuki RELOAD Image Album Vol. 2" came out on May 13, and a short-notice surprise, "Gensomaden Saiyuki Image Album Best Selection" (Frontier Works, 2940 yen), is slated for a May 21 release.
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After a pair of original stories (In the first, the Sanzo-ikkou stops at a temple that is not what it seems; the second will get the Kougaiji-ikkou back into action), the new series will return to its Saiyuki RELOAD manga source with the third episode, which starts the "Against The Stream" arc! The animation character design for Zakuro is shown at right; his voice will be provided by Ken'yuu Horiuchi.
It turns out that Banri not only is one of the thieves, but also has screwed over his partners, cashing the goods and trying to run. He's been caught and given a last chance to make good by robbing Chouan's treasure house for the gang--but to ensure his quick return with the loot, a hostage is needed. Gojyo, once again in no position to refuse, becomes the hostage.
Banri promptly skips town, the deadline passes...but with Gojyo moments away from having his brains blown out, he's found by his true friend. (A true friend who soon thereafter gets the best of Sanzo with his and Gojyo's list of expenses incurred in stopping the treasure house thefts!)
Goku finishes the 27-page chapter with a neat bit of zero-summing: What's six tangerines minus two? Zero--because that's one apiece for our four to eat!
The nearly one-year run of the "Burial" arc is brought to a finish with the issue's second chapter. In the six-pager, Koumyou and Ukoku debate which swallows the other one up: the moon, or the night? They make a wager--involving the next thing to rise: the sun (with the Sanzo-ikkou shown).
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According to Pierrot's new Saiyuki RELOAD GUNLOCK homepage, the main staff and cast are all continuing from Saiyuki RELOAD, and the story will return to the conflict between the Sanzo-ikkou and Kougaiji-ikkou. The new series' opening theme is "Don't Look Back Again" by WAG (who also performed Saiyuki RELOAD's second ending theme, "Fukisusabu Kaze No Naka De"), and ending theme is "Mitsumeteitai," by Flow-War (who brought us "ID," the first ending theme of Saiyuki RELOAD).
TV Tokyo's own page on the new series, Anime X-Press Saiyuki RELOAD GUNLOCK, has both a 56k and 300k series promo for download (plays on Real One Player). It also has the broadcast schedule for TV Tokyo's affiliate networks around Japan (TV Hokkaido, TV Osaka, etc.), which will start airing the series later in the month and on differing times and days; perhaps working out this broadcast schedule delayed the announcement.
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The latest issue of RELOAD PRESS, published by the Saiyuki RELOAD Official Fan Club, began reaching members' mailboxes yesterday. It had the same information given to the anime magazines: The last episode of Saiyuki RELOAD will be March 25, but a new Saiyuki series will start in April, with the title, start date and time still being decided. But, added RELOAD PRESS, all the details on the new series will be in the May issue of ZERO SUM, which goes on sale March 27!
Pierrot will have a booth at the Tokyo International Anime Fair on March 27-28. According to RELOAD PRESS and Pierrot's home page, special RELOAD goods will be available for sale there. This event actually starts on March 25; the first two days are industry-only, with part of those days' scheduled activities devoted to introducting new anime projects. It's hard to imagine a better opportunity for Pierrot to promote the new Saiyuki series, to the industry and public alike.
Meanwhile, the current series has prompted a pair of notable releases. Issaisha and Studio DNA's 80-page softcover "TV Anime Saiyuki RELOAD Official Guide Vol. 1," with its Kazuya Minekura cover shown at left, is a colorful collection of art, information and interviews on the first 11 episodes and their UraSai segments. Minekura-sensei's UraSai storyboards are even published, including this one from episode 12!
Bandai's Saiyuki RELOAD Communication RPG game for PlayStation 2 hit stores yesterday. Commercials tout it as a whole new episode of Saiyuki RELOAD--and an intriguing one, from the extensive coverage in the last two issues of ANIMAGE! More insights into Koumyou and Shuuei and Kouryuu...Hakkai whaling on Gojyo and Goku...Jien holding a gun to his own head...th' hell?! It's a gotta-get!
Among upcoming goodies, RELOAD PRESS shed some light on the recently announced Saiyuki RELOAD Vocal Album CDs. The first, slated for release May 21, is planned to have five songs by select members of the Sanzo-ikkou and the Kougaiji-ikkou, and two mini-dramas.
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The issue also had an interview with Daisuke Namikawa (the voice of Kami-sama in the animated "Saiyuki RELOAD," and pictured with quite a Kami-sama-like expression!), information on the PlayStation 2 "Saiyuki RELOAD" game coming out later this month, and news on two books from Studio DNA: the "Saiyuki RELOAD" Official Guide Vol. 1, covering the first 11 episodes of the anime series--in stores now--and a strategy book for the Playstation 2 game.
There will also be a new series of CDs: two "Saiyuki RELOAD" Vocal Albums, featuring the voice actors singing in character! They're slated for release in May and July. (Oddly enough, though, there hasn't yet been any word on a soundtrack CD for the anime series...)
2/18/2004: ALREADY DECIDED...? The March 2004 crop of Japan's major anime monthlies have come out with some good news and some bad news. The good news is that the animated Saiyuki RELOAD's popularity continues to grow; NEWTYPE reports that the series' ratings are strengthening, and for the first time since RELOAD debuted, all four members of the Sanzo-ikkou are ranked in the top 10 of ANIMAGE'S Character Best 10 poll.
The bad news? Those magazines' plans for next month. Studios inform the trade publications far in advance--and NEWTYPE says its April 2004 issue will feature coverage of the "last scenes" in the final episodes of Saiyuki RELOAD, Maburaho and Maria-sama Ga Miteru.
ANIMEDIA's April 2004 intentions also don't indicate a renewal, with that issue to come with a special free "Saiyuki RELOAD Memorial Book." A "memorial book" usually recaps a completed series--but ANIMEDIA doesn't actually mention the series ending, so if the decision goes the other way, that book could simply recap the first 25 episodes.
ANIMAGE--whose publisher, Tokuma Shoten, also publishes Minekura-sensei's Wild Adapter--simply says that the April 2004 issue will include coverage of Saiyuki RELOAD.
The March NEWTYPE may have the least amount of coverage--but it's a gorgeous two-page color spread you won't want to miss, with the left side for 58 fans and the right for 39 believers, all backed by a striking Kinkaku. (Mine's getting torn out and put on the wall--wow!)
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This page was created October 2, 2003. Last updated August 2, 2005.
This page's text and source code are copyright Kagenami Q. DO NOT USE WITHOUT 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.
The second scoop? A whopper of a spoiler in its episode synopsis for GUNLOCK episode 14, set to air July 1...beating the next ZERO-SUM (on sale June 28) to the revelation of how exactly Hazel is reviving the dead!
Celebrating its 23rd anniversary this month, ANIMEDIA saluted the 23 most popular anime and characters in its history, as selected by its readership. The "Saiyuki series"--a grouping of its anime incarnations from Gensomaden Saiyuki through Saiyuki RELOAD GUNLOCK--was voted the fourth-favorite anime (and featured in the two-page spread at left), behind Gundam Seed, Fullmetal Alchemist and Inuyasha. Completing the Top 10 behind Saiyuki were the Kidou Senshi Gundam series (which ANIMEDIA defines as all Gundam series/movies/OVAs except Seed), Tennis No Oujisama, Card Captor Sakura, Meitantei Conan, Shaman King and Peacemaker Kurogane. (Yuu Yuu Hakusho was 11th and Get Backers Dakkanya was 12th, followed by Love Hina, Evangelion, the Dragonball series [including Z and GT], Hunter x Hunter, D.C. ~Da Capo~, Spiral, Galaxy Angel, the Sakura Taisen series, D.N.Angel, Matantei Loki Ragnarok and Fruits Basket.)
5/29/2004: RELOAD AND GUNLOCK SOON TO BE IN SYNCH! The July issue of Monthly Comic ZERO-SUM packed quite a surprise: news that the current Saiyuki RELOAD manga arc, "Even a Worm," will be animated in Saiyuki RELOAD GUNLOCK starting with episode 13! That episode is planned to air on June 24, while the third chapter of the manga arc will see print on June 28. Talk about pressure--gambare, Minekura-sensei!
This month's RELOAD installment, "Even a Worm-2," was 13 pages (including the opening color page, shown at right). Their late-night visitors fail in getting the drop on the Sanzou-ikkou--but who the intruders are, and why they're there, is something our four didn't anticipate...drawing the guys into a stunning confrontation with Heizeru and Gato, the blue-eyed bishop and his towering companion!
5/26/2004: "SAIYUKI OFFROAD" NOW ON THE ROAD! From the time its cover art appeared in a Minekura exhibit last September, fan anticipation and speculation have just kept climbing for "Saiyuki OFFROAD." Now, five months after missing its original target of a Winter Comiket release, this joyous jam-session of a Saiyuki book has come out at last!
Combining a doujinshi-like size (B5, or 7 1/4 inches by 10 1/8 inches) and doujin spirit with a production pedigree that's purely pro, "Saiyuki OFFROAD" brings fans a 66-page smorgasbord that ranges from manga stories (Minekura-sensei's title story fills almost a quarter of the book [a page from it is shown at left], and pros Yun Kouga [her "Saiyuki OVER NIGHT" will stay with me a long time...], Minari Endou, Jirou Suzuki, Guriko Magami and Verno Mikawa also contribute), to a gallery of a dozen Minekura pencil roughs and the finished pages, to the scripts of four of the Vocal Albums' drama tracks--all written by Minekura-sensei--to the transcript of a free-wheeling session by Minekura and several of her assistants about what goes into the creative process.
5/18/2004: SAIYUKI SPRING FEVER! The June issue of Monthly Comic ZERO-SUM brought fans a winning "Saiyuki RELOAD" trifecta: the start of a new story arc, and announcements of two major upcoming releases!
Elsewhere, on a mountain road, the Sanzo-ikkou is ambushed--not by youkai but by humans with strange golden eyes, determined to kill youkai and aiming for those three in the jeep with Sanzo! When shot, one of their attackers crumbles. These humans are actually shikigami!
ANIMEDIA's color features this month focused on "family." Four pages of fun--including the two-page spread at right--were had with the Sanzo-ikkou, putting Sanzo in the role of father, Hakkai as mother, and Gojyo and Goku as older and younger brothers. The moral: Don't get Mom mad! The issue also reported that readers voted RELOAD #25 the third-best anime episode aired in March, behind Fullmetal Alchemist #25 and 23.
3/28/2004: ZERO-SUMMARY The May issue of Monthly Comic ZERO-SUM marked the publication's second anniversary. As promised, its 726 pages included the latest scoop on the new "Saiyuki RELOAD GUNLOCK" TV series, and Minekura-sensei delivered a Sanzo cover and two Saiyuki RELOAD manga chapters, too!
The issue's double helping of Saiyuki RELOAD began with the concluding third chapter of the "Burial" arc's Gojyo & Hakkai section. Thieves have been raiding temples' treasure houses. To try to stop the thefts, Sanzo enlists the help of Hakkai and Gojyo--who aren't entirely willing, but who also aren't in a position to refuse.
Soon after, Hakkai is worried when a tough-looking gang asks Gojyo to come along with them, at Banri's relayed request--but Gojyo makes curtly clear that this is none of Hakkai's business.
3/25/2004: AT LONG LAST, IT'S OFFICIAL! At the end of Saiyuki RELOAD episode 25, the announcement was made that new series Saiyuki RELOAD GUNLOCK will start on Thursday, April 1, at 1:30am on TV Tokyo and its affiliates! The promo showed footage from last October's first episode of Saiyuki RELOAD, backed by a new theme song.
3/19/2004: "GUNLOCK" RE-LOCKED! Whatever the new Saiyuki series is, it's back under lock and key a while longer. TV Tokyo apparently jumped the gun in including "Saiyuki RELOAD GUNLOCK" on its listing of new anime series starting in April. All mention of the series was removed from that list the day after it appeared.
The continued secrecy is adding fuel to fan speculation that the new series will be an adaptation of Saiyuki Gaiden. Although a new chapter of the manga has not appeared for more than a year, and the last animated appearance of Gaiden characters was back in February 2001 (as part of Gensomaden Saiyuki), last fall Pierrot produced a new line of metal pins of Konzen, chibi Goku, Kenren and Tenpou to offer at events it attends, such as the Pierrot Anime World 25th Anniversary show and January's Anime Expo Tokyo.
3/16/2004: NO FOOLIN'! According to TV Tokyo's listing of its new anime series starting in April, Saiyuki RELOAD GUNLOCK will start Thursday night, April 1, at 1:30am! That listing will likely add a link to an official GUNLOCK site soon.
3/12/2004: APRIL SURPRISE! The April issues of NEWTYPE and ANIMEDIA report that although the Saiyuki RELOAD anime series will end with episode 25, a new Saiyuki TV series will start in April! The start date and time aren't yet known--just that it won't be Saiyuki RELOAD's Thursday-at-6:30pm slot--and the new series had not yet been named at press time...but this week such inside-track Japanese fan sites as Moon Phase and Yu-Gi's Anime-Voice.net say the new series' title may be Saiyuki Gunlock. Moon Phase lists the main staff of the new series as being the same as that of Saiyuki RELOAD.
3/01/2004: ZERO SUM THINGS After a month off, Saiyuki RELOAD returned to ZERO SUM with an 18-page chapter in the April issue. Youkai Banri has a proposition for his old bud Gojyo, and for housemate Hakkai too (after Hakkai returns from his appointment with Sanzo, having discovered the drawbacks of using tangerines to teach Goku how to add). Banri doesn't believe youkai and humans will ever be able to coexist in peace in Tougenkyou, and is looking for recruits to help put the muscle on those high-and-mighty humans. It's hard to know what Gojyo thought--he's passed out, drunk--but Hakkai makes himself completely clear: He may be a youkai now, but he hates youkai. There's a brief scuffle but when it wakes Gojyo, Hakkai announces that he doesn't want to hurt anyone, and leaves.
This month, those magazines are glad to help us enjoy what we've got while we've got it. The March ANIMAGE--whose readers not only voted Sanzo #2, Goku #5, Hakkai #7 and Gojyo #9 of hundreds of characters receiving votes, but also selected Sanzo and Goku the 4th-best and Gojyo and Hakkai the 6th-best in the Valentine's Day Best Combi poll--presented four color pages: half on the Kami-sama arc, including original art and an interview with series director Tetsuya Endou, and the rest devoted to "Project GJ," a tongue-in-cheek plan to try to double the popularity of unlucky Gojyo. The main cast offers their ideas. (Voice actor Hiroaki Hirata blames himself for Gojyo's bad spell, and recommends that a member of pop group SMAP take over!)
With its cover (shown at left) sporting a sharp Sanzo by series character designer Noriko Ootake, the March ANIMEDIA brings us six color pages of Saiyuki RELOAD coverage, with exclusive art of Gojyo & Sanzo and Hakkai & Goku, a great character-by-character collection of funny moments from the episodes to date, and man-on-the-street interviews on the current arc that rapidly get out of hand! (ANIMAGE and NEWTYPE battle to be the most informative of the monthlies, but for just plain fun, it's hard to beat ANIMEDIA!) Later in the issue, Toshihiko Seki (Sanzo) and Souichirou Hoshi (Goku) star in a two-page RELOAD discussion filled with color photos. (One of the burning questions: "If Sanzo was given chocolate by Goku, would there be a rain of blood?")
