#saiyuki analysis

I’m using this post as a way to show Saiyuki’s many styles over the years.

The top picture is one of the oldest images. This is very similar to the style the Gensomaden anime had to adapt to. Minekura’s style has been evolving over the years and we can see that in the beginning they were much slimmer, almost feminine looking, which is funny since Gensomaden managed to make Gojyo and Hakkai appear more muscular.

The first anime came out when there were only 5 volumes of Saiyuki so while Minekura’s style did improve, it wasn’t quite yet what we’re used to seeing.

Reload/Gunlock came out about the time Minekura was on volume 4 or so of the Reload manga, but they had 5 volumes of Saiyuki to develop a style. They were able to use the more updated look that we’re now accustomed to. Late Saiyuki/Early Reload gave the guys’ stronger, more rounded jaws.

It looks like the new anime will deviate a bit from the style, but I personally would rather they simplify it so that it will be easier to animate action scenes. Since there’s a lot of fighting in Saiyuki the animations in Gensomaden were more fluid than reload/gunlock because of the simpler character designs.

The first thing that really captured my attention about Saiyuki wasn’t the characters (as wonderful as all of them are) or the story (as phenomenal as her “modern” take of an ancient story is), but a specific aspect of the artwork: the eyes. I had never seen a manga that emphasized eyes in the way she does (nor have I really since), specifically, the characteristic of two differently shaped/sized eyes.

I started staring at people’s eyes after reading my first volume of her manga. I rewatched The Lord of The Rings and was astounded at how often a person’s eyes really are different sizes. I never really noticed this until Saiyuki.

I believe this is one of the reasons she can achieve such complex characters, and a story with multiple layers (such as the layer of the original story of the “Journey to the West,” religion, the Gaiden arc background, etc). There’s just so much more to read into the expressions of the characters. With the emphasis of the difference between sizes, it’s like she’s captured the microexpressions, instead of just the expressions. I also feel like there’s more of a sense of movement in her art because of this technique. It’s like my brain is being tricked, because it knows no one holds those expressions where the eyes are visibly so different for long, and knows that the person’s face should be changing quickly. So then my brain is just in this state of anticipation of movement, which can be relieved by the subsequent panels.

The great thing about Saiyuki is how honest everyone is and how they let everyone around them be honest too. Sanzo doesn’t like the rain and he just lets himself be grumpy, and the others let him. Goyjo gets pissed off and goes after Kami-san, and the others let him (though they do end up coming after him). All of them yell at each other when they don’t agree. They all get depressed, angry, etc. And that more than anything reveals how important these relationships are. You need friends and/or family who accept your anger and your sadness, not just your joy.

There are so many people who aren’t allowed to be angry. Women often aren’t, as jokes about “PMS” and “femiNazi” make clear. Back men in the USA can’t be angry or upset or they’re seen as crazy, untrustworthy bombs that police need to shoot on sight. Refugees can’t get angry about their situation, because hey, we so kindly took them in.

Anger and sadness can be good things. But so few societies know how to deal with these emotions. Everyone’s supposed to wear a damn smile, or they’re labeled depressed instantly. You know what? There are some people who are full of joy, like Goku, but there are also people who are passionate and angry at injustice like Gojyo. There are people who don’t smile much, who are jaded like Sanzo. There are people who hide their hurt and anger behind an ever-present fake smile like Hakkai.

There are different types of people, who experience emotions differently and utilize them differently. And that’s ok. It’s ok to not smile if you don’t want to, and be grumpy and irritable cause life is so damn painful. It’s ok to always put a positive spin on things and try to stay upbeat no matter what. It’s ok to be passionately angry at things that are just not ok, like cruelly using and killing two brothers. It’s ok to use a fake smile because it puts others at ease and helps you feel whole. All of these responses to trauma, death, suffering, and uncertainty are ok.

Saiyuki is about these four guys who are traveling into unknown territory against overwhelming odds, who are attacked in every chapter. Their responses are responses to trauma and violence. And the depictions are accurate. Everyone responds to difficulty and suffering, trauma and violence differently. Remember this. Remember your way isn’t everyone’s way, and that it’s ok to be upset or sad. Let those you really care about have the same freedom to be able to express their emotions and deal with things in their own way.

There is no real “wrong” or “right” way despite what society and convention say. There are only ways that work for you, or ways that don’t. If you need to scream sometimes, scream. If you need to sob, sob. If you need to eat junk food, eat it. And then, then you can begin to move past this. Then, maybe you can even begin to heal. Only you know what you need. Well, maybe not always. But you learn. You learn what helps you and what doesn’t. Let yourself try scream or cry. Breaking convention may be just the step you need to be yourself.

First off, I just want to say there’s a ton of amazing Saiyuki fanfiction out there. A ton. It makes me so happy. So thank you to anyone who sees this who writes any fanfiction for Saiyuki.

There are some fantastic fanfictions though that I’ve read where Sanzo seemed just a bit too. . .angry. Don’t get me wrong. He is an irritable, grouchy asshole with limited patience. However, he’s not this way all the time. He’s very silent and withdrawn a lot of times. And I don’t mean the times when he physically separates himself from everyone around him. He can still be in the same room, listening to conversation and yet be having his own moment of introspective thought, musings that we often see him keep to himself. 

The times when one or more of his three companions take center stage, and he’s noted as a bystander or observer. When he just lets the others do whatever, and just watches. He lets them be angry too. He insists on a lot, focusing on the mission, but he also respects the others’ judgments and will sometimes put aside his plans and let them decide how they will proceed. 

Sanzo is a difficult character. He’s a main character and arguably the center protagonist, but he often fades into the background at times. He then re-enters through active irritability, or when Kazuya Minekura takes a panel or more to delve into his thoughts. 

I think this shows how masterful and unusual Kazuya Minekura is, and demonstrates how complex her characters and stories are. It is rare to see such passiveness from a lead protagonist. Sometimes, you can almost forget Sanzo is there. An example is when they first meet Kougaiji. Goku takes over at this point, and matches up with the leader of this alternative main party, effectively taking over as the main protagonist. Sanzo really becomes more of a comedic aside as he deals with Lirin. 

It seems to me as though this quiet, introverted Sanzo is what seems to be the most overlooked aspect of him. It’s not always an aloof, cold separation that he self imposes, but a quiet, meditative, observant presence. Sanzo spent years traveling by himself, and I feel this shows the most in these moments when he is introverted. These moments I feel also reflect how Sanzo does actively apply buddhism. He watches the world and moves with it while maintaining a sense of meditative, observant existence. These are practices of mental cultivation, specifically mindfulness. And that is one of the most influential aspects of Buddhism, as we see in today’s pyschotherapy practices.

ENGLISH

Your favorite Gaiden character

I admit I have yet to read the manga (only read a loose chapter here and there) but I have watched the OVAs, and while they do seem to skip over to the guys escaping heaven very fast, I’ve seen enough to get a pretty good idea.

With that said, I’ll say my favorite character is Konzen. I just find it fascinating that one way or another regardless of how different Sanzo has turned out to be, things he said as “Konzen” have shown up in the main Saiyuki series. Also at the very end of Gaiden when he knows he’s about to die, he still tells Goku “I promise the next time we meet it’ll be me reaching out to you.”

That’s exactly what happened. Obviously I know next to nothing about Buddhism but Minekura interprets it however best suits her story. So I’m assuming within the context of the Saiyuki universe, Konzen fully believed even though he was about to die he would reincarnate somewhere later in time. I certainly hope Minekura explains more about this.

But perhaps it’s much simpler than that. Thinking to another manga I’m reading one particular thought stood out to me: Some memories get seared to the soul and cannot be removed from there. Perhaps that’s why Goku was able to call Sanzo in his heart and likewise (as well as have some vague memories of a feeling he used to know) why Sanzo indeed would be the one reaching out to Goku the next time they met.

SPANISH

Tu personaje favorito de Gaiden

Admito que aun no he leído el manga (solo he leído uno que otro capítulo suelto) pero he visto los OVAs y a pesar de que parecen saltarce partes directo a cuando ellos intentan escapar del Cielo muy rápidamente, creo que he visto lo suficiente para tener una buena idea de que se.

Con eso dicho, diré que mi personaje favorito es Konzen. Me parece facinante que de una manera u otra sin importar que tan diferente resultó ser Sanzo, las cosas que dio como “Konzen” han aparecido en la serie principal de Saiyuki. Además, al final final de Gaiden cuando sabe que está a punto de morir, igual le dice a Goku “Prometo que la próxima vez que nos encontremos seré yo quien te alcance.”

Esto fue exactamente lo que ocurrió. Obviamente sé apróximamente cerca de nada en cuanto de Budismo pero Minekura  lo interpreta según lo que le parezca mejor para sus historias. Asumo que dentro del contexto del universo de Saiyuki, Konzen enteramente creía que aunque estaba a punto de morir se reincarnaría en algún lugar mucho tiempo después. Sin duda alguna deseo mucho y espero que MInekura explique más en cuanto a esto.

I think this is an extremely important arc to remember, especially these moments, for a number of reasons. It's a really clear indication of how well Sanzo understands Kougaiji, despite them being enemies. It's part of who Sanzo is to read the people that matter, and he's an extremely empathetic (though not exactly sympathetic) person. Which is a quality needed of a Sanzo. Even Yaone and Doku, who both definitely know Kou a lot better and for much longer than Sanzo has, say "You're right," when Sanzo tells /them/ they're being stupid. "Your boss wouldn't want that." There's an understanding there that I think goes a bit beyond the usual Sanzo understanding.

The biggest thing that still stands out to me from all of this is that despite what he was saying, Sanzo was essentially telling Dokugakuji and Yaone how to save Kou. And he gave them ample time to do it, though he probably could have dealt a more serious blow to Kougaiji (with the help of the others) by the time they turned around. He didn't have to help them decide, but he did.

And then Kou's "looks like I owe you guys again" could very well be directed at the Sanzo party, and you can't convince me it isn't. Because without Sanzo, he'd still be brainwashed, or /dead/. And I think he knows it. He didn't forget anything that happened while he was brainwashed, and Kou obviously would have seen him talking to Dokugakuji and Yaone. I'm sure he's more than aware of what just happened.

Like I mentioned before, the understanding between Sanzo and Kou, I think, goes beyond the general "reading your enemy" and Sanzo's natural ability to read people. Goku was saying it himself when they met Sharak, that the people at the top (namely the two high priests) must be lonely because few people understand the burden, even when they have people around them like Sanzo's bros. It's not the same. And the thing is, Kou is in a very similar position, with the very similar burden of leadership. It's not the same, and they aren't full mirrors, but that burden gives them a similar loneliness that Sanzo understands.

This exchange is really, I think, Sanzo's way of giving Kou what he himself got out of the Sanzo party - equals whom he didn't need to protect, and who would stand by him of their own volition, not because they feel obligated. It's indirect, naturally, because that's what Sanzo does, but it's something that he understands. And as I've said before, Kou was never truly their enemy (and Sanzo was the first to say it, so he's known all along). He's helped more directly in recent chapters, but this was the start.

Even later, Kou says to Ukoku as to what pulled him out - "I saw a light." As of now, only Sanzo and Kougaiji have ever had that specific imagery. Yes, Sanzo took Goku out of the cave and is described as "the sun" but it's very different - Goku was never in total darkness. He was /seeing/ a light he /couldn't reach/. Meanwhile, both Kou and Sanzo, for a time, were in /absolute/ darkness. Not unlike drowning. The "light" and "arms that always reach out for me" are very unique to them. And I'm sure Minekura did it on purpose, that these two leaders were pulled out of the "darkness" in the same way.