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Gensou Maden Saiyuki
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Animation - 7.5 |
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Sound - 8.5 |
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Story - 7.8 |
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Character - 8.2 |
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Value - 7.9 |
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Enjoyment - 8.2 |
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Average - 8.0 |
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| Average |
7.5 |
| Animation |
6 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
8 |
| Character |
8 |
| Value |
7 |
| Enjoyment |
8 |
| Based loosely on the original Chinese story "Journey to the West," Gensoumaden Saiyuki provides a modern take of the journey of a Buddhist monk making a pilgrimage to India. The story tells of a rambunctious group of four gentlemen: Genjou Sanzo stands as the head of the four, a gun-toting monk with a penchant for shooting at anyone who gets on his last nerve, with three demons accompanying him along his journey: Hakkai, Gojyo, and Goku. Gojyo's a demon whose temper can flare up as red as his long locks of hair, yet he loves women, liquor and cigarettes. XD Hakkai is the mellow voice of the group, and my favorite character for his words of wisdom and amusement at keeping up with his three comrades. And lastly, Goku is a boy with a very voracious appetite, and affectionately called "monkey-boy" by his peers...okay, maybe not so affectionately when it comes to some of the times Sanzo smacks him with the fan or when he constantly spars with Gojyo. :) All in all, it's an unlikely set of heroes setting westward to stop the revival of a formidable demon: Gyumaoh.
Saiyuki suprised me: I've never seen a group of anime character with such amusing, yet smooth trash talking...ever. Cliched characters they may be, but watching them interact was certainly a riot, at least for me.
Subjectively, I can think of one too many times I laughed during the course of the series, even with the same jokes that were played upon ( a la Goku's referenced as a "bakazaru/Stupid Monkey" and his constant assertions of hunger; Sanzo's incessant threats with his gun, and Hakkai's constant obligation to calm his rambunctous comrades.) Sure, the dialogue can be downright cheesy and random at times, but somehow it manages to work in the scheme of the series. The main four have great character chemistry, and I think that would probably make for the most enjoyment regarding this series for someone.
In the same vein, it's the attention to each character's painful past that allows the viewer to settle with the characters: probably the most well done of each of these is Hakkai, who has the darkest story, but the most seemingly-cheerful demeanor. On the contrary, the most brutal of the four in terms of attitude tends to be Sanzo, whom I didn't always like in some modes for his indifference towards his comrades at times, even knowing that rough indifference was just a front masking his compassionate side. In the original Japanese format, his character was much more brutal, whereas in the dub the character was toned down in some points.
Animation values are iffy-they're true to the manga, of course, but compared to the smoother character designs of its time: I cannot say that it fits up to standard. Sanzo's droopy eyed character design is one reason, another are some of the simple battle scenes and overdone special effects in points. I certainly liked the sound values considered with Saiyuki: great voice acting on the part of the original Japanese VAs and similar cailber in the dub counterpart. The battle themes in the series can become a bit monotonous, but both OP themes by Hidenori Tokuyama ("For Real" and "Still Alone") are excellent, quite catchy and as rambunctiously hopeful as the series itself. I thought the ED themes were nice as well, but "Alone", the second theme, ranks as my favorite among the two.
The story: well, I can't say it's an excellent story, since it seems to be a series of randomized events, some of which are the strongest stories that were in the manga counterpart. There are other (read: filler) parts of the series that are...well...just mediocre. The series doesn't "directly" find the main flow of its plot until the second half of the series. It's an amusing blend of comedy, drama, and action, but action anime fans may find this series to be repetitive, simple and tedious in terms of the battle sequences. Those who love a good blend of comedy and drama- it's a good series, especially if you find yourself falling in favor with the characters. The anime ends with a decent wrap up of events, but their journey isn't fully completed by series end.
Secondary characters and villains are developed well for the most part, and even some of the characters you think are villains turn out as decent characters, but come into conflict because of their respective views (Koujagi being a perfect example).
All in all, for a 50 episode series, I found it quite entertaining, but I'd give a hesitant recommendation for it overall. It's a great series for episodic/situational comedy and excellent character focus, though bound by some cliches.
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1 of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Caireen |
(2006-07-28 08:13:32) 2006-07-28 07:22:39 |
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| Average |
9.8 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
10 |
| Story |
9 |
| Character |
10 |
| Value |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| Ooh! just the thought of Genjo Sanzo and those ultra sexy opening credits gives me goose bumps *drools* but onto the matter at hand - why I like Gensoumaden Saiyuki ^__^
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0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
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| Average |
7.5 |
| Animation |
7 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Story |
6 |
| Character |
8 |
| Value |
7 |
| Enjoyment |
8 |
| Though it may not look like it, Gensomaden Saiyuki is a decent anime full of action, comedy and drama. This is one of those series in which I'm so reluctant to watch as I thought this is one of those shows which contains a lot of brainless fighting and nothing more, but it proved me wrong.
This is about a group of four people's journey to the west to prevent the demon lord Gyuumao from awakening while exterminating demons along the way. We can call these people demon slayers, but the truth is, they are demons themselves.
More of my review, please read (^_^)
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0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
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Eraseu2 |
(2006-05-24 09:11:58) 2006-05-24 00:33:52 |
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| Average |
3.5 |
| Animation |
7 |
| Sound |
5 |
| Story |
3 |
| Character |
3 |
| Value |
1 |
| Enjoyment |
2 |
| After completing the series I am quite shocked to see the high praise this series received. I’ll cut straight to the point, I thought this series is nothing short of terrible. I am a veteran anime viewer so I think I have a good idea of what is considered good quality anime, this unfortunately is not it. I have several complaints about this series but the most notable is the storyline. After watching only the first few episodes I knew this series was going to be tough to finish due to very loose storyline. If you consider yourself a serious anime viewer that likes a deep story and character development I wouldn’t bother attempting to watch this. For those casual anime viewers that enjoy a light story lots of comedy with a splash of action you might enjoy this. Read my full review for specifics.
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0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
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| Average |
7.7 |
| Animation |
7 |
| Sound |
5 |
| Story |
8 |
| Character |
10 |
| Value |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
8 |
| The series is rather slow-starting -- and at 50 episodes in just the first season, this isn't exactly a good thing. The best part of this series is the characters and their interaction, which doesn't quite follow the actual "Journey West" storyline that it is (loosely) based on.
The animation suffers in the first half, and while it never achieves a very high level, and the music is horrendously recycled throughout the first series. However, the dub is actually fairly decent, and there are a few standout episodes that keep interest in the series.
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0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
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Luffy |
(2005-06-10 05:13:48) 2005-05-31 10:14:34 |
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| Average |
9.8 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Story |
10 |
| Character |
10 |
| Value |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| Great anime... I only don't like the lenght of the flashback in which is explaned the beginning of the story.
There are several humoristic scenes... great anime
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0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
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| Average |
10.0 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
10 |
| Story |
10 |
| Character |
10 |
| Value |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| AWESOME!!
Great Comedy, Great Action, Did I mention Cute guys as well!!
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0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
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| Average |
9.7 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
10 |
| Story |
10 |
| Character |
10 |
| Value |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| The legend of the Monkey King at it's best!
This is one of those anime that surprisingly can appeal to anyone. At first glance it would appear that it is filled with nothing but eye candy for the girls but nothing could be further from the truth!
I am watching Saiyuki for the 2nd time and my enjoyment hasn't waned in the least. From the word go it is filled with action packed monster busting scenes, no waiting 20 episodes for something to happen!
It's more a tale of how heaven and the gods rule supreme over the beings on earth and how they can influence the lives of so many people.
There is a wonderful chemistry between all of the characters in Saiyuki, with plenty of profiling for each one and you feel you get to know them all a little better as each episode goes by.
I love the animation style, as it's very different from the "norm".
There's plenty of humour through out the whole show but I best love the banter between Goku and Gojyo and the reactions it causes from Sanzo (who has got to be one of the hottest bishounen in anime ^_^).
There are a few filler episodes but because of the wonderful characters and the hilarity of said fillers, they are as worthwhile as the show itself.
One of the best things about Saiyuki are the opening and ending themes. This is the ONLY anime where I don't foward on any of the openings/endings!!
The first time round I watched Saiyuki subtitled, this time I watched the dub and I have to say it's got to be one of the best dubs I have ever heard! The voices suit each character perfectly and with the exception of one or two annoyingly over squeaky females, the dub was almost perfection!
Overall Saiyuki is a very enjoyable anime, filled with 100% likeable characters and a wonderful adaptation of the legend of the Monkey King, with of course plenty of anime poetic license *lol*
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0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
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| Average |
3.2 |
| Animation |
3 |
| Sound |
3 |
| Story |
4 |
| Character |
1 |
| Value |
4 |
| Enjoyment |
4 |
| a decent action anime with some funny parts but just nothing that makes it a good anime or even a decent one.
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0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
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| Average |
8.0 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
8 |
| Character |
8 |
| Value |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
8 |
| This is a lavish version of the old Chinese novel "Journey To The West" and I have watched this a couple of times and it bores me a little. Since I resemble much of Son Goku as well as as my 3 fellow anime friends physically, it has became one of my serious watched animes of all time.
It is like WeiB Kreuz although they have no lovelifes, but both of them almost shared the same character design and development. Aya and Sanzo are hot-tempered, Yuuji and Gojyo likes women and Ken and Hakkai likes to take care of children. It has a fast-paced story because of several boring fights but with a great and interesting action heroes with different backgrounds which have a harmonious relationship with ewach other. It also attaches philosophical views about journey towards life through its music and scenarios. I truly cherish this just like WeiB Kreuz.
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0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
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xxnn |
(2004-12-23 14:01:30) 2004-08-15 07:37:03 |
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| Average |
6.7 |
| Animation |
6 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Story |
6 |
| Character |
7 |
| Value |
6 |
| Enjoyment |
6 |
| When i first watch this series, i was hooked. Now when i rewatch, i wonder why. There's nothing enjoyable about this series at all, save for Sanzo. Maybe i was blinded, or maybe i wasn't exposed much to anime then. Anyhow, repetitive and boring fights, with many ackward scenes. he story is straight-forward, and the pacing is totally hideous. Music was great though, it's the only good thing about the show.
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0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
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| Average |
7.5 |
| Animation |
6 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
7 |
| Character |
8 |
| Value |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
8 |
| An entertaining adventure anime that overcomes some poor animation and a jumbled storyline with strong characters and an interesting philosophical edge.
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0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
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Pantha |
(2007-07-18 14:39:57) 2004-05-19 13:47:52 |
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| Average |
6.7 |
| Animation |
4 |
| Sound |
7 |
| Story |
6 |
| Character |
8 |
| Value |
7 |
| Enjoyment |
8 |
| Saiyuki is like eating chocolate when you’re on a strict diet. You know you shouldn’t like it….but you do anyway. I have no idea why I enjoy this anime as much as I do being it has stereotypical characters, a cliché and drawn-out plot, and substandard animation. However, there is just something undeniably pleasant about this fifty episode series.
As stereotypical as the characters are, they are interesting. In fact, they’re the best part of the series. (I didn’t word that quite right.) This unruly gang of four, Sanzo, Goku, Gojyo, and Hakkai, are some of the best trash talkers I’ve ever come across in an anime. Check out the dub if you want to listen to Goku’s smack talking; it’s classic. I actually don’t like Sanzo much…. but there’s just something good about a foul-mouthed, smoking, gambling, gun-toting…..priest. Goku, though not my favorite character (he’s a close second), makes a great mascot, and Hakkai, who is my favorite character, is probably the least cliché of the bunch. The best part about these characters is learning about each of their pasts. I particularly liked episode eleven because that one dealt with Hakkai’s past. Anyways, yeah the characters are stereotypes, but that doesn’t mean they’re uninteresting…. I find it particularly interesting that Sanzo, a priest and the only human in the bunch, often proves himself to be crueler and more ‘demonic’ than the other three, and that Hakkai, the kindest and most polite of the group, sometimes proves himself to be the most ruthless.
I understand (and somewhat appreciate) what Minekura tried to do by putting an original, modern, and “rock on” twist to a famous Chinese legend. However, at the same time, I just cannot get over the anachronisms. It bothers me that the four travel around in a jeep. It bothers me that characters wear blue jeans. It bothers me that Sanzo carries a gun. It bothers me that Gojyo and Sanzo drink beer….and smoke cigarettes. However….it works. It’s what makes Saiyuki stand above the countless other “Journey to the West” anime.
A big flaw for this anime is the cheesy and just plain bad dialogue. At one point, Gojyo says something like (in the dub), "I don't know if any of you are hungry. But I'm gonna serve up some...crab stew!" No, he did not say that in a kitchen...this was said while preparing for a battle. Cheesy? Oh, hell yeah.
Not only does Saiyuki have cheesy dialogue, but the plot is inconsistent. One minute I’m thinking it’s about the resurrection of a demon god, and somewhere around episode 27….it’s not about that. When viewers reach the final few episodes, they’ll wonder what was the point of the first twenty or so episodes. Not a good thing. Furthermore, there is an abundance of fillers; in fact, sometimes it’s as if the creators temporarily forgot what they were doing. For example, in episode nine, viewers are given hints about Hakkai’s past. Episode ten is a filler (a witty one, but still pointless), and the story continues in episode eleven. That’s bad editing; that filler episode should have been before the ninth one. Not only that, some of the fillers were just plain stupid...episode twenty-five being a perfect example.
All in all, despite its flaws, I enjoyed it. I can't exactly recommend it with full confidence, but hey, it's worth checking out. Give it a try.
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vayeate4 |
(2004-05-14 13:49:07) 2004-05-14 03:19:51 |
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| Average |
9.8 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
10 |
| Story |
10 |
| Character |
10 |
| Value |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| Now here comes a real anime. Saiyuki has a good animation, good music an extrememly interesting story and good character detail. The story has been largely based on an ancient chinese legend: "Journey to the west" and its just fantastic.
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Manji |
(2004-05-14 18:59:06) 2004-03-28 23:52:15 |
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| Average |
7.2 |
| Animation |
5 |
| Sound |
7 |
| Story |
7 |
| Character |
8 |
| Value |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
7 |
| This is an enjoyable series that has alot going for it: good story, great characters, fun humor. Unfortunatally, as an action series, it falls up short. Instead of having fluid action sequences, it relies on stills to portray the fighting. In case you didn't know, this is very lame. Normally, it wouldn't bother be as much, but like i said, Saiyuki is an action series. Despite this, it still is fun to watch. Just dont come with expectations too high.
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0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
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No
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| Average |
5.0 |
| Animation |
3 |
| Sound |
10 |
| Story |
5 |
| Character |
5 |
| Value |
4 |
| Enjoyment |
3 |
| the animation really sucks, even if the coloration is perfect: i don't ate cg too much but in this anime it was really badly done.
the sound is the best aspect of the show, really really good, the openings and the endings are perfect.
the story sucks a bit: a 26's eps show would have been much better, i found it borign, with a lot of useless eps.
the characters are not interesting at all: stereotypical, empty... just a few sensational but bad placed sentences from sanzo could make you think that there's something worth watching in this show (if you are not very clever, at least).
value: what?
enjoyment: uhm, i find it so borign that i couldn't watch the last episodes...
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0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
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| Average |
9.3 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
10 |
| Character |
10 |
| Value |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| Overall, you might at first just go: oh another anime might as well see what it's like, but you AUTOMATICALLY WANT to see more all the way to the LAST episode.
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0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
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| Average |
7.2 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Story |
4 |
| Character |
6 |
| Value |
7 |
| Enjoyment |
8 |
| A truly brilliant idea by basing it loosely on a popular folklore, unfortunately is also a 2-edged sword. One may find it irresistible, another may find it damned.
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0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
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Faust |
2003-11-12 05:49:28 |
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| Average |
6.7 |
| Animation |
3 |
| Sound |
10 |
| Story |
7 |
| Character |
8 |
| Value |
5 |
| Enjoyment |
7 |
| I am fairly undecided about this series. It isn't as bad as the negative reviews say, but it is nowhere near as good as the positive reviews say either. :P
First off, the animation SUCKS. Anyone who put a 10 for animation is a nutcase. Even taking originality into the equation the animation was just plain bad.
The 10 in sound is actually notable in this series(Japanese dialogue, not dub), with one or two exceptions(the Goddess that sounds like a cross dresser), as it is excellently done. The stand out is Gojyo, voiced by the same guy who does Sanji in One Piece.
Story... well, its the billionth series based on the legend so you know what to expect. The characters are good, though poorly portreyed in the anime because of the crappy animation and rushed backgrounds. They have a really disturbing yaoi vibe though. :O
So um... well, the series is okay. If you got nothing else to do, go for it. But there are a lot better series out there to watch in its place.
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0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
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| Average |
7.0 |
| Animation |
7 |
| Sound |
7 |
| Story |
6 |
| Character |
8 |
| Value |
7 |
| Enjoyment |
7 |
| Cool take on the original Saiyuki Story and has great presentation. But the story is average, if that. Too many monster of day type episodes. The character designs are cool enough but the animation is disappointing. Sooo many still action shots while they're fighting and always played to the same theme melody each time. (it gets annoying) It's not a deep series but it can be fun at times.
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