Saiyuki

[Debitt]

If you couldn't tell already, I'm a raving Saiyuki fangirl. *nods* So I was wondering, what does everyone else think of this series, both from an otaku's view and a Christian's?

[chibi_chan]

i think that from an otaku's view i love it, but from a christians view i dont know...

good anime though^^

[Iapetus]

First of all, Saiyuki is NOT for kids under at least 15. Gojyo is a womanizer after all, both he and Sanzo (and Goku a little bit) swear, Gojyo and Sanzo are chain smokers and drink a lot...

I don't think it is possible to find an anime series that lines up completely with Biblical teachings. There will always be at least *one* little thing that you need to be wary of. Something to keep in mind with Saiyuki, though, is that there is HEAVY Buddhist influence. So, besides all the other stuff, you have a different underlying religious theme.

I personally love Saiyuki, and it is my favorite anime series. I highly reccomend it to those who love a good story (and a bit of action) and is slightly different than what you usually see.

If I was to give one word of warning, it would be about if you wanted to read fanficiton for this series. Saiyuki has one of the biggest yaoi fanbases for an anime that I have ever seen, and it is VERY hard to find fics that do not have shounen ai in it. There *are* good fics out there, but it takes a bit of digging to find.

-Iapetus

[Debitt]

And THAT'S why I stay away from Saiyuki fanfiction! *does a little jig* The only real problem I found with the series is the fact that one of the Sanzo's scrolls controlls the "evolution of life on Earth". The Buddhist influence isn't that big of a deal to me, because most of my family used to me Buddhist.

But that aside, I love Saiyuki! My mother and grandma even watch it with me, because the series is based off the legend of the monkey king. *giggles*

[Vampi]

I personally try to keep away from it.... especially after I found out in Saiyuki Gaiden they were all gay.......which I think explains their weird behavior. (From a Chinese point of view of heaven....) If you were gay in heaven...doesn't that make you gay on earth? Keep away from the manga because it shows a lot of bare chests. And this story doesn't just have HEAVY Buddhist influence...it IS a Buddhist legend.

[Iapetus]

I personally try to keep away from it.... especially after I found out in Saiyuki Gaiden they were all gay.......which I think explains their weird behavior. (From a Chinese point of view of heaven....) If you were gay in heaven...doesn't that make you gay on earth? Keep away from the manga because it shows a lot of bare chests. And this story doesn't just have HEAVY Buddhist influence...it IS a Buddhist legend.

They never say that they are homosexual. There are hints made and an accusing finger pointed at certian characters, but there is no proof that anything actually happened. Trust me, with characters like the have in Saiyuki (especially Gojyo/Kenren), you would KNOW if a relationship was going on.

Two, I always considered Saiyuki to be compared to the Buddhist legend the same way that Angel Sanctuary is a spin off the book of Revalation. Not in the same way, or course (it does not have all of the offensive themes in Saiyuki as it does in AS), but it veers so far from the original story that you can bairly see it anymore.

-Iapetus

[Vampi]

Yes...nothing is ever said they are homosexual....just a "little" kiss 2 of the characters exchange.....
(And yeah...I agree that Saiyuki is so far from the original legend it's not noticable until someone tells you.....)

Sorry if I'm upsetting anyone. I think it's obvious Saiyuki isn't my fondest anime/manga. I'll stop replying to this thread to avoid any more dissentment.

[Debitt]

As I mentioned in my last post, I think part of the appeal of Saiyuki is the fact that it is based off a Buddhist legend. It's the same reason we read Greek mythology, not to necessarily BELIEVE in it (oh heck no), but to see another point of view and to enjoy ourselves. I really have a problem with people staying away from Greek and Asian mythology, just because it reflects a different religion. It's good literature, and shouldn't be shunned.

On the topic of the characters being gay...well, which two characters was it? Because I could almost understand if Kounzen and Goku kissed, because Kounzen is a father figure to Goku....

And besides, it's hard to be gay if one of your party's biggest downfalls is "womanly charms". (as Lirin tells...three random henchdudes)

[Gremio]

I saw a little bit of it and it seemed pretty good, I dunno why it gets such mediocre ratings online *scratches head*. Of cource its only one of the things made based on the Saiyuki journey west legend, such as the Final Fantasy Tactics styled Saiyuki RPG.

[Mave]

Hi there,

I've declared that I like the art of Saiyuki and own some artbooks. But it doesn't mean that I'm all over it.

Somehow the story doesn't seem to convey any "discomfort" with the 'sins' of the characters to me. There's womanizing, incest, cheating, angst, killing....la la la some blood, guns, nudity, violence, gore and most importantly, a GIGANTIC yaoi fandom. About the fandom, is it the mangaka's fault? Partially, IMO coz her artworks "hint" yaoi elements...but not explicitly and officially. (not Saiyuki really but her other works)

I don't mind learning eastern religions but IMO, they're poorly misrepresented. All in all, I like the art but not the story.^^; Hopefully, no one's offended by this.

[true_noir_chloe]

This series irritates me, only because all the characters, except Cho Hakkai, are whiny, angry, cretins. They remind me of people who are always knocking God in how they handle the dialogue - mad and cynical.

Now, on the other hand, I think the show has taken a bad rap because of fanfics and yaoi match-ups that the original writer never intended. I agree with Mave in that vein. All in all, it's all a matter of what you're able to watch without hampering your Christian walk.

Saiyuki, as an otaku, must be great - that's what I've heard. And, I trust my sources. I just don't enjoy it as much as my kids. I enjoy the ones which feature Lirin because she's so funny. She and Goku make a great couple. I do not like the art style at all, but that again is my opinion.

If someone finds it offensive they obviously shouldn't watch it. I always enjoyed anything that had to do with Greek Mythology and Eastern relilgions when I was a kid. The stories were great fiction. Let's face it, there is only one truth and that's in the Bible. So, basically everything else is just a great piece of fiction. That's my two cents.

[Iapetus]

[quote="Mave"]Hi there,

I've declared that I like the art of Saiyuki and own some artbooks. But it doesn't mean that I'm all over it.

Somehow the story doesn't seem to convey any "discomfort" with the 'sins' of the characters to me. There's womanizing, incest, cheating, angst, killing....la la la some blood, guns, nudity, violence, gore and most importantly, a GIGANTIC yaoi fandom. About the fandom, is it the mangaka's fault? Partially, IMO coz her artworks "hint" yaoi elements...but not explicitly and officially. (not Saiyuki really but her other works)

I don't mind learning eastern religions but IMO, they're poorly misrepresented. All in all, I like the art but not the story.^^]
Everyone has different tastes. This world would be boring if we liked all the same things. As for Kazuya's other series, I've only read a few chapters of Bus Gamer, and that doesn't have any shounen ai hints (yet).

It isn't the series' fault that it has a huge yaoi fandom, unless you count the fact that most of the leads are men. It would be like saying that Gundam Wing should be avoided because of the fan fiction.

Anime misinterprits a LOT of things, not just religion. I don't turn to Saiyuki if I want to learn about Buddhism.

And about the violence and such... this is a series primairly aimed at guys (no matter what the fangirls say). Series with guys as the main audience often have lots of fight scenes and such. I would NOT reccomend Saiyuki to someone who is not into fighting anime.

In the end, I guess it just depends on what your personal limits are. If you have a hard time dealing with the violence, don't watch it. If you struggle with any of the vices mentioned above and have a hard time seeing characters also perform these actions, don't watch it. So, I'd do a personal assesment of yourself first before you think about watching the series (or any series, for that matter).

-Iapetus

[Debitt]

o.o;; There's yaoi hints in Minekura-sensei's artwork? *blink*

[Mave]

Hey, I agree with most of what you said, Iapetus. I'm certainly not saying don't watch something just because of the "evil fandom". I love Gundam Wing, YYHakusho but there's just something about Saiyuki that bothers me. ehhh....but that really is just my sharing. You all need to make your own judgments of what suits your spiritual needs.

Hey, I just saw this as a Minekura Kazuya fan listing website. I wonder how true this statement is..

"Because Minekura started out as a yaoi manga artist, there is definite unresolved sexual tension between many of her male characters. Many of her characters have been slashed from here to Wednesday in fanart, fanfiction, and various other pleasant to look at and pleasant to read ways. "
Source: http://minekura.ubiquitously.net/

0.o

I'm not saying to abandon her works just because of that. From what I recall, Saiyuki is yaoi-free. But just be careful while checking out her other works. Bus Gamer is fine but I think Saiyuki Gaiden (the prequel to saiyuki), Executive Committee, Stigma and Wild Adapter(?) has yaoi-hintings. I just saw some scans of Executive Committee and ran. Just a friendly warning.

[Debitt]

From what I've seen of Saiyuki Gaiden (err...maybe half of it?), there really isn't much, if any shounen-ai hinting in it, unless you're really reading into the character's actions.

>>; Which is probably why the show has such a huge fanbase. People will eagerly misinterpret the brother to brother or father to son relationship that Sanzo and Goku have, or the strong rivalry between Goku and Kougaiji, etc. And that can be partially blamed on the society we live in today. And that's why I'm not exactly an active member in many fanbases. o.o;;;

[Twilly Spree]

If I had money I'd buy it, I was slightly amused by what I've seen.

[Debitt]

[edit: I was upset and out of line when I posted my original post. My apologies]

[shooraijin]

No prob (some of us mods do notice ).

[Debitt]

<off topic>AHHH! MODS ARE EVERYWHERE! THERE IS NO PLACE TO HIDE!</off topic>

[SwordSkill]

i was rather annoyed with G. Saiyuki, partly because its resemblance with the original classical work Xiyouji/Saiyuki is almost nil and partly because i think the point of the series was to showcase angsty eye-candy bishounen than to be a story with an actual moving plot. and yes, the characters tended to whine a lot. and the fight scenes weren't really all that original or brilliant, so i wasn't sure what i was supposed to get from the anime. (the OP/ED theme songs were great, though. ^^)

i was actually rooting for homura and kougaiji (the villains) the entire way. i mean, THEY had a little more direction in their life, and besides, their goals were only misguided, not inherently evil.

but that's just my $0.20's worth.

[Debitt]

"Saiyuki was a attempt to sell a 50 episode long series about a bunch of pretty guys running around and doing nothing" - a person I know.

My response: Yep! And it worked pretty darn good!

[Iapetus]

*sweatdrop* I like the story in Saiyuki...

There IS a plot. They're heading west to stop Gyumaoh's ressurection. They just happen to get sidetracked a lot... *cough*Homura*cough*

-Iapetus

[Debitt]

I think the anime could have been better without all the FILLER SPACE they put in to make it an even 50. There are only 9 volumes of the manga. I think the show writers did a lot of stretching.

[Iapetus]

I think the anime could have been better without all the FILLER SPACE they put in to make it an even 50. There are only 9 volumes of the manga. I think the show writers did a lot of stretching.

*sweatdrop* When will the animators realize that filler episodes are a BAD idea? I'll bet that all of Gensomaden could have been done in 30 episodes. Reload we have no idea, and I think they should make a Gaiden series (like an OVA series or something). The only good thing that came out of what they did was the Homura-ikkou.

-Iapetus

[Debitt]

They NEED to make a Gaiden OVA, there's no way around it. ^________^

[Iapetus]

They NEED to make a Gaiden OVA, there's no way around it. ^________^

Yeah, chibi Goku is just so adorable! *hugs Goku* Have you had a chance to read the Gaiden Manga? I've found text translations up to chapter 18, but it stops there. I hope Minekura finishes up soon... (so they can make the OVA ^^).

How many episodes do you think they'd need for it? There probably isn't going to be that much more left to the manga (if you have read up to what the have, you'll know why), and I think that the actual manga will end up to be around three volumes. I think that 13 episodes is a good length for it... ^^

-Iapetus

[Debitt]

I've read up to chapter 9 of Gaiden....but I honestly hope if they animate it, they won't stretch it like they did Gensomaden.

[Aka-chan]

Dude, has anyone been keeping up with Reload (even if it just finished)? I'm super depressed over the end because you realize that [spoiler]Kami-sama was always just an innocent little kid inside, and that he viewed it all as a game to reach his Ukoku's expectations, and he never meant to hurt anyone, and that he's been toyed with exactly like he did with Kinkaku and Ginkaku, and... *sniffle* And then at the end that Nii/Ukoku had to show up just to watch him die. Plus, when Kami-sama was talking about all he'd learned and Nii wasn't even listening. But I think one of the toughest parts was the "Am I going to die?" "Oh, within a half hour" exchange. How heartless can a person be?? Hmph.[/spoiler]

Sorry, I needed to rant.