12/28: The first half of "A Very Saiyuki Christmas" is up! Minutes away from leaving for Comiket. Bringing the makings to finish while I'm away; hope to be able to get online. Songs are in the order in which they were received. Again, that's just half, and after the second half of 'em come the prizes! Thanks so much for your patience--it's a hyper-hectic time!
12/27: Hope everyone is having a good holiday and is safe after yesterday's earthquake and tsunamis! "A Very Special Saiyuki Christmas" will be up shortly
12/23: We've been going like hell at work, and I've just been too whupped at night to put together the Zakuro Carol contest results the way they deserve. So the winners will be announced on December 27, after I've had the weekend to finish up a Very Special Holiday Special...! ;^)
12/21: Added six more douga (no images) to the Douga Party section.
12/20: New trivia fact went up today, and added four douga (no images) to the Douga Party section. Sorry for the recent angst display...am trying hard to get a grip and be my standard self. Seventeen shiny Zakuro Carols have been a huge help--thanks to all for entering!
12/18: New news item. Remember, tomorrow is the last day to enter your Zakuro Carol--don't miss out!
12/14: Worked on the Fukusei Cel Gallery tonight, adding 14 cels and changing "this year" references to "2004."
12/13: Added this week's trivia fact.
12/10: Correction to the 12/06 news item is up as a 12/10 news item. Think I have the flu...*sigh*
12/06: New news item! (Not the one I intended to put up first, but it's fun to break really fresh news that only has one scan to fool with... ;^) )
12/05: More news did happen--the "Burial" CD is out! Think I'm just gonna start a new news item for it and the ZERO-SUMS... And hey, 'tis the season for a new contest: ZAKURO CAROLS!
12/01: Well, the first half of the big news update is up...having a tough time getting the second half to lay out, with all the scans. Will hammer at it some more tomorrow. Would help to have more text to help space the scans out, but I've already written it about as wordy as I can without being obvious about trying to take up space (oops, what a giveaway! ;^) )...well, maybe some more news will happen...
11/29: Remember, tomorrow is the deadline to become a Close Personal Friend of Zakuro--15 chances to win, and a tasty array of Saiyuki prizes!
11/26: Updated the release lists. Starting to feel better; kept everything down yesterday and today.
11/24: Day four of sicking up everything that's not miso soup or crackers. Throat is so raw, can barely talk. Put up the week's trivia fact today. News item will be next. All Zakuro Hundred-Grand Mind-Mess prizes have been sent except the coasters; those will be on their way as soon as I can get out to buy more padded mailing envelopes. Remember, the deadline to become a Close Personal Friend of Zakuro is November 30!
11/15: Added the weekly trivia fact (November is quite the month for birthdays!). Coming down with something; slept all day yesterday but unfortunately it didn't help. Will stop for now, and hope to feel up to more tomorrow.
11/13: Made a page for Hakkai/Yaone doujinshi, and also added books to the Chin Iisou/Gonou and Goujun/Tenpou pages (links are on the COUPLINGS page). Also updated the page of ratings and statistics for RELOAD and GUNLOCK.
11/10: Turns out I'd been, heh-heh, looking at incomplete stats...Journey To The REST has actually already reached 100,000 hits! (Either that, or Zakuro is just making me think it has, so that his darned new contest can get started...be sure to stare real hard at the top of the front page to make him happy. ;^) ) Thanks so much for making it possible, everyone!
11/08: Expanded yesterday's news item (yesterday's version went up before Minekura-sensei had posted in her online diary last night).
11/07: Added a new news item (Kami-sama!), the weekly trivia fact, and also a doujinshi each to five circle sections: HANDSOME DAN, HONEY, MUGENKAIROU, TAITO and XION.
11/03: Updated my One Piece site today (was startled to realize that its third anniversary is coming up next week!), so while I was at it, added five Saiyuki doujinshi too--one each to the circle sections for AIMAIYA, AXEL, KAMO NO NARIA, MUSSESOU CLUB and REVENGE. We're on the verge of hit #100,000...and when it gets here, a new contest will start!
10/31: Added this week's trivia fact, and removed the Zakuro Images Of DOOOOOOM! (all except the one on the rules page) from the pages upon which they were lurking throughout the site. A link to the Zakuro contest is on the front page, in the "Roadside Attractions" section. Also added a Goku cel and a Nii cel to the Fukusei Cels section.
10/30: Back from the film festival, and from working tonight to catch up after taking off Thursday and Friday for the film festival. Updated the release lists, and added a doujinshi each to five circle sections: KATOUZA, NIGHTINGALE, SUPER BABY'S & TENKAICHI BENNY'S, TEAM-CHIRARIZUMU/SHOKOCAPRICCIO and WHITE EAGLE. Plan to take all the Zakuro pictures off the pages tomorrow. First, though, sleep--lots of it!
10/27: Finally finished up the complete Talk Show report! Am leaving tomorrow for two days at the Tokyo International Film Festival; really looking forward to seeing Requiem again and hearing what director Hayato Date has to say. About a third of the prizes for the Zakuro contest have been mailed, and I'll send the rest when I get back. (A Reload #4 and one of the memo pads were damaged when the weekend's earthquakes knocked things off shelves in my apartment, so I need to get new ones while in Tokyo. I live partway between Niigata and Tokyo, and Niigata's earthquakes of a 4 in strength or greater are getting felt here about a level less--for instance, this morning's 6 in Niigata was a 5 here.) Just realized I haven't finished writing everyone who entered the Zakuro contest--am so sorry to have kept you waiting!! Hope to catch up on the e-mails after getting back this weekend.
10/26:Added this week's trivia fact in the a.m. Started on the report for the second Talk Show tonight, but have gotten to a point that will make a lot more sense if you can see what they were talking about...so am off to find and scan the photos (not from the event--no photos were allowed--but from "Reload Press").
10/25: Soooo tired... 75 tickets for each of the two Talk Shows (150 in all) were being given away the first day, and the remaining 50 tickets (25 for each of the two shows) were being given away the second day. (Well, not exactly "given away"--you had to buy at least 3000 yen's worth of Saiyuki goods at Pierrot's booth to get a ticket for one, and at least 6000 yen's worth to get tickets for both.) The first day I took the first train from where I was staying, an hour from the show site, and sat in line for three hours, dismayingly far back...and the day's allotment of Talk Show tickets ran out six people before me. I was so bummed... Not long after leaving the event in late afternoon, I was on a train that thankfully had not yet left the station when the big earthquake hit Niigata. We got a huge jolt from it, and that bucking train car was a hell of an experience. They kept us at the station a long while afterwards, making sure the tracks were undamaged, and when we finally got underway, it was at 25 kilos at hour (about 15 mph). I felt nervous about traveling, so figured what the heck, I had a spare pullover shirt in my bag that I could wear the next day--so I got off the train and holed up in a hotel much closer to the show site. Stayed up late watching NHK's earthquake coverage--by midnight Niigata had had eight strong quakes, three of them at least a 6 in strength--and set the alarm for 4:30am to catch the morning's first train. Got up at 4:30, and another earthquake hit at 4:31! It was Niigata getting socked again, hard enough to feel in Chiba but not violent enough to affect the trains. Caught the 4:50 first train, and plunked myself down on the concrete outside Makuhari Messe at 5:10am (behind close to 100 people who'd brought sleeping bags and spent the night in line!). Got through five hours outside (the last two shivering pretty good), ran like hell once I got in the door, and was in time to get two of those 50 last tickets for the Talk Shows! Had a great time at them--absolutely worth it!--and then had a long journey back home to find the earthquake had knocked a lot off the walls and shelves (Loran the stilt-rat's tank is on the floor and he was fine, thank goodness!). Spent some time unconscious before coming in to work for the day, whacked out the report on the first Talk Show tonight (will probably do a lot of tinkering on it tomorrow)...and now I'm gonna go get some sleep. Will do the report on the second Talk Show tomorrow, and will dig up a trivia fact then too. Mannn, sometimes it's hard to be a fan...Off to bed!
10/21: Pierrot's annoucement of the "Saiyuki RELOAD GUNLOCK Talk Show" made for a fast change of weekend plans here! A news item about it is up on the front page now. Attendance for each of the two parts will be extremely limited, and the odds are astronomical--but I'm going to line up early and hope like crazy to get lucky!
10/20: Added a news item on Gensomaden Saiyuki: Requiem's inclusion in this year's Tokyo International Film Festival (director Hayato Date will speak, and I scored a ticket!), made some additions to the Fukusei Cels section, and updated the page of ratings and statistics for RELOAD and GUNLOCK. Also fixed the broken image links in the BAN'KOKU-YA circle section--thanks to Ginger K. for pointing out the problem! Typhoon 23 is coming through now (22 dead and 30 missing so far) and I've got a stilt-rat trying to dig a hole through the bottom of his tank for cover, so am gonna shut down for the night, find a flashlight just in case, drag the futon out to sleep next to Loran's tank, and hope the power will still be on to tape Ringu Ni Kakero later tonight...
Later 10/14: The list of winners is up! Congratulations to all, and thanks so much to everyone for making this site's third anniversary such a great one!
10/14: The master list of Zakuro's methods has just gone up, and the long-awaited list of contest winners will join it later today!
10/11: Added this week's trivia fact, along with a big update on prizes for Zakuro's Hundred-Grand Mind-Mess of DOOOOOOM! Contest!
10/08: No Yammer yet; we're in the path of Typhoon 22 so have got to get ready. Radio reception wasn't great tonight with this heavy rain, but was able to tape the Radio ZERO-SUM broadcast; just added a new item with the highlights of Minekura-sensei's interview!
10/07: Quick news item today on Minekura-sensei's upcoming radio appearance on Radio ZERO-SUM. Will sure try to tape it! And speaking of "tape"...now have a VHS tape of GUNLOCK #25 and 26, thanks to the ever-helpful Big A!
10/03: Added this week's trivia fact, a news item, and a couple of new scans to the front page, and also updated the release lists. The bad news is that while I was gone, a friend taping the last two episodes of Saiyuki RELOAD GUNLOCK for me had tech problems and unfortunately only recorded the last 15 minutes of each episode. I'm trying to track down copies of the first half of both episodes now!
10/02: Safely back! After 14 hours on the plane, the three more by train between airport and apartment is never fun--but things improved with a brief detour to get the new ZERO-SUM and three Saiyuki CDs that had come out while I was gone. Put up the lyrics for "Shiro No Jumon" earlier tonight, and hope to do more tomorrow.
Thanks so much to everyone who entered the "Zakuro's Hundred-Grand Mind-Mess of DOOOOOOM!" contest! I'm looking forward to reading the entries starting Monday (my computer here at the apartment actually isn't able to access G-mail; have to do it on the work computer after hours), and have already started poking around for more prizes to be able to award more than just the top three!
9/30: Hey, all! Was able to make a quick update today, adding a clarification to the page for the Zakuro's Hundred-Grand Mind-Mess of DOOOOOOM! contest. Remember, the entry deadline is tomorrow, October 1!
Off to pack for the return trip and drink me some more A&W Root Beer...still have some applesauce, green bean casserole and okra pickles to kill off, too! There's no place like home...*sigh* Have to leave in the way-too-early hours tomorrow, and will be back online on the other side of the Pacific on Oct. 2. See you then!
9/15: I've written couple-paragraph previews for GUNLOCK #25 and #26; they're up now at RELOAD RICOCHET, and follow the Yammer for #24 so that they won't be the first thing you'd see. These previews contain huge spoilers that have not been hidden, so for gosh sakes, don't look if you don't want to know!! Have also updated the page of ratings and statistics for RELOAD and GUNLOCK. And the Mondo-Major Announcement can be revealed at last: To celebrate JTTR's upcoming 100,000th hit, some great Saiyuki loot--including that most coveted of ZERO-SUM issues, November 2002, collecting several chapters of "Saiyuki Gaiden"-- is up for grabs in a new contest, Zakuro's Hundred-Grand Mind-Mess of DOOOOOOM! Hope you'll enjoy--and thanks so much for helping make 100,000 hits possible! Am a few hours away from leaving on a two-week vacation to visit family and friends back home (for the first time in about a year and a half!), but when I get back to Japan on Oct. 2, will do the Yammer on Gunlock #25 and 26.
9/14: Good lord, the day just doesn't end when Friday the Thirteenth comes on a Monday...I was up all night, working on getting things in place for the Mondo-Major Announcement, and finished the bulk of it just in time to leave for work this morning, and now the workday is done and I'm back to put the last bits in order here so the darn Mondo-Major Announcement can roll at last. So by default, tonight's tonight is last night's tonight continued, until that wondrous time comes that I can finally go to bed...
9/13: Huge update today to make up for lost time! The finished Yammer on GUNLOCK #24 is up now at RELOAD RICOCHET (thanks once again to Big A, truly one of hougen's heroes! ;^) )...and there's a Mondo-Major Announcement to come!
9/09: Rough Yammer on GUNLOCK #24 is up now at RELOAD RICOCHET.
9/07: Day 3 of Weird Couplings Week Featuring Kenren x Gojyo brings a new book to the circle section for AIMAIYA and the KENREN/GOJYO doujinshi page! Finished hammering the Yammer for #23 tonight at RELOAD RICOCHET--grateful thanks go to Big A for huge help with the fine points!
9/06: Weird Couplings Week Featuring Kenren x Gojyo continues with another addition to the KENREN/GOJYO doujinshi page!
9/05: Added the weekly trivia fact and three doujinshi: one each to the circle sections for AIMAIYA, RYOUGETSU DX VS A TO Z SP and SAKURA ANNIN, with two of those books also going to the pages for HOMURA/HAKKAI and KENREN/GOJYO doujinshi. (What the hey, let's call this Weird Couplings Week, Featuring Kenren x Gojyo--have got enough of those to span the week...!)
9/04: Now that I've upgraded the ancient version of IE for Mac I'd been using since, heh, 2001, am once again able to enjoy Lux's superb site Still Not There Yet - A Saiyuki Reload Gunlock Screencap Gallery. If you haven't checked it out yet, do it NOW--it really is the next-best thing to watching an episode! Lux has made extensive screencaps for every RELOAD and GUNLOCK episode, all the way up through last week's GUNLOCK #22. Thanks so much again for such a great resource, Lux!
9/02: This morning I woke up thinking, "You didn't say which arm was Sanzo shot in..." So, there was Still More tinkering today on the Yammer for GUNLOCK #22. Meanwhile, the very rough Yammer on GUNLOCK #23 is up now at RELOAD RICOCHET!
9/01: Did some tinkering and rewriting on the news item; hope it helps... The cleaned-up Yammer on GUNLOCK #22 is up now at RELOAD RICOCHET!.
8/31: That damn News Item From Hell--have been screwing around with it for hours and it's just not working out. Too many pictures, I guess...*sigh* Will sleep on it and then take a fresh whack at it tomorrow. Until then, sorry if it makes a mess of the front page on your screen...!
8/29: Added the weekly trivia fact, and also a new section called "Roadside Attractions" for the gracious gifts some readers have sent--two stories are up now, with some nifty art to follow soon (working on their pages now)! Haven't been able to get as much done this weekend as I'd hoped--my guts are giving me real problems--but will call it quits for now, and then try to finish up the news item and cleaned-up Yammer tomorrow.
8/28: Today I updated the release lists and the page of ratings and statistics for RELOAD and GUNLOCK, and added a doujinshi each to the circle sections for KATOU-ZA, LARGO and WHITE EAGLE.
8/26: Rough Yammer on GUNLOCK #22 is up now at RELOAD RICOCHET!
8/25: Forgot to take down the previous trivia fact's images from the front page! Did so today, and also put up the Yammer for GUNLOCK #20.
8/22: Added this week's trivia fact and a doujinshi each to the circle sections for ANGEL NIGHT, NOUZENKAZURA and TEAM-CHIRARIZUMU/SHOKOCAPRICCIO. Also added a book to the section for DOUJINSHI FOR OTHER KAZUYA MINEKURA WORKS.
8/20: Minor tinkering on the GUNLOCK #21 Yammer. Was up way too late on it last night, so am gonna try to get caught up on sleep now and then finish #20 this weekend.
8/19: Just not enough hours in the day...worked late after having to spend a good chunk of the day at Immigration, and only finished the first half of the Yammer for GUNLOCK #20 before it was time for GUNLOCK #21. The Yammer on GUNLOCK #21 is up now at RELOAD RICOCHET; will finish #20 tomorrow.
8/18: Got back Monday night to find I'd screwed up taping GUNLOCK #20, but was able to make a copy from a friend's tape tonight, and hope to at least have a rough Yammer up tomorrow night before #21 starts. Am planning to do a Nama-Yammer for #21. This late along, will skip putting up a new trivia fact for this week, and then aim to get back in step again this Sunday!
8/10: The finished Yammer on GUNLOCK #19 is finally up at RELOAD RICOCHET. Have regretfully decided to call off the Nama-Yammer on GUNLOCK #20; the episode starts at 1:30am and I need to catch the train for the first day of Comiket less than four hours later, so am really going to need to sleep instead. Tomorrow is my last night here before leaving for Tokyo, so in the scramble to get ready, am not sure there'll be time for another update until after Comiket...if that turns out to be the case, will be back next week!
8/09: Added a quick news item on the upcoming CD release of doa's "Shiro No Jumon."
8/08: Added the weekly trivia fact, and also a doujinshi each to the circle sections for RYOUGETSU DX VS AToZ SPECIAL, SPINEL, TINY AFFECTION, XION and YUERYAN.
8/07: Have added a doujinshi apiece to 10 circle sections: AIMAIYA, EGOISTIC GUESS, HANDSOME DAN, HERZ KAISER, KATO-ZA, MIZOOCHI NI SATSUJIN KICK, RAIYU-TEI, SUPER BABY'S/TENKAICHI BENNY'S, TEAM-CHIRARIZUMU/SHOKOCAPRICCIO and WHITE EAGLE.
8/05: Added a cel to the Sanzo Fukusei Cels page. Yammer on GUNLOCK #19 is up at RELOAD RICOCHET now, but please be aware that it needs a lot of work; will clean it up soon (when I can turn up the TV volume without annoying the neighbors trying to sleep!).
8/01: Today I added the week's trivia fact, and also five doujinshi in two new circle sections: PINK MONSTER and TEAM-CHIRARIZUMU/SHOKOCAPRICCIO!
7/30: Added a news item on the September (and, heh, August) ZERO-SUM, and cleaned up the Yammer on GUNLOCK #18!
7/29: Yammer on GUNLOCK #18 is up now at RELOAD RICOCHET!
7/27: Back from a rugged, rugged weekend. The new and improved Yammer on #17 is back up at RELOAD RICOCHET now! Also added this week's trivia fact, updated the release lists, updated the Fukusei Cels section of DOUGA PARTY, and also updated JOURNEY TO THE REST AREA.
7/22: Yammer on GUNLOCK #17 is up now at RELOAD RICOCHET. Gonna head off to bed now, groaning "oh no oh no oh no oh no oh no..."!
7/19: Added this week's trivia fact and five doujinshi (one each to the circle sections for AAIN, AIMAIYA, AZKIAN, >BIJI REIKU and DOHC). Have also added 10 douga cuts to DOUGA PARTY.
7/17: Have overhauled the Yammer on GUNLOCK #16. I missed a major point the first time through, so if you read it before, there's a lot more to read now...!
7/15: On the 13th I added this week's trivia fact and updated the page of ratings and statistics for RELOAD and GUNLOCK. Yammer on GUNLOCK #16 is up now at RELOAD RICOCHET!
Later 7/08: Yammer on GUNLOCK #15 is up now at RELOAD RICOCHET.
7/08: Things have gotten gruelling...over 100 degrees F yesterday and today. Too hot to sleep, and too tough to think about doing much other than sprawl in front of the fan after work. At least the air conditioner got fixed at work this afternoon, so maybe tomorrow my brain won't be so roasted by day's end... Haven't done the news item and #14 yammer yet. Am really sorry; someone somewhere out there may be waiting to read 'em, but these weekdays have been really hellish so I plan to do them this weekend, when I can stay inside all day in front of the fan. Am gonna get back offline now and sprawl in front of the fan some more before Gunlock #15 starts. Will do my damndest to crank out a Nama-Yammer on that episode, at RELOAD RICOCHET, starting at 25:30 Japan Standard/17:30 Greenwich Mean/half past noon U.S. Eastern time.
7/06: Right after typing that 7/03 update I went to bed for what I'd thought would be just a bit--and then spent most of the rest of the weekend there, dog-sick. The heat definitely is not helping (although my new pet, Loran the jerboa [a.k.a. stilt-rat], is right at home in it!). Am finally starting to feel better, and tonight I added the trivia fact and did ZERO-SUM scans and watched GUNLOCK #14 for the first time. Hope to get back from work not too long after quittin' time tomorrow so I can try to do both the ZERO-SUM news and GUNLOCK yammer in the evening, to be caught up before GUNLOCK #15 comes around on Thursday night.
7/03: So far today, have added a doujinshi apiece to the circle sections for EGOISTIC GUESS, NERO and RYOUGETSU DX VS AToZ SP--which brings the total of Saiyuki doujinshi to 799!--and also added a Wild Adapter book to the page of Doujinshi For Other Minekura Works.
7/01: No Nama-Yammer tonight. July 1-2 are the days we do inventory at work, and am just too whupped to stay up to 2am after a day in the wicked-hot warehouse, with still one more day of inventory to survive tomorrow. Sorry, guys...watch for the yammer and ZERO-SUM news this weekend.
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This page was created July 1, 2004. Last updated July 17, 2006.
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/Ichijinsha; 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.