Anime-Centric

[dangermousie]

Watched two more episodes of Saiyuki last night, one involving the gang rescuing Yaone, and one with the four sisters of doom (or some equally dramatic title). It keeps getting better and better. I love the sometimes different style: geographical patterns, odd colors, splashes of black and scarlet. It plays with the format, and so far, it works wonders.

I am also entirely too predictable, as my crushes in this one are Hakkai and Kougaiji, with Hakkai being the most favorite one. At least I am nothing if not predictable. I adore Sanzo (so no need to lob bricks at me, crumpeteer :P), but he just doesn't do it for me the same way.


The episode with Yaone being captured by some bad guy spearheading an army of humans who kill demons so he can become one himself made me realize a number of things:

1. Kougaiji is the nicest boss ever. If it wasn't for the fact that his ultimate boss is the Big Bad, I'd hire on with him in a heartbeat, dental be damned. Of course, he is also the first 'bad guy' I've fallen for, but I don't actually think he is a bad guy, even. He really reminds me of Aoshi: a good person who's been turned around a few too many times by events. I have yet to see him do something evil or even ignoble, which is not something I can say for Sanzo's gang. I'd say Hakkai might be nicer, except for the deep well of crazy Hakkai seems to keep in his backyard.

2. I think there is more than 'best boss ever' when it comes to him and Yaone. When she fails to return from her mission (is it just me, or do all her sneaky missions just not work out?), you see him flip and then Yaone's face flashes in his mind and he orders the battle dragon. And then at the end, when Yaone lingers a bit too long with Hakkai, he is all "Yaone, let's go" all curt. Jealous, huh? Heh.

3. I think Yaone is developing a bit of a thing for Hakkai. Not in a romantic "I want to have your nearsighted babies" kinda way, but she is developing a genuine liking for him: not only is he very polite (their manner is rather similar) but he keeps rescuing her. Though it's a good thing it's not romantic, because Hakkai is, in some ways, even more closed off than Sanzo, and unless your name is Kanan and your pet skill is rising from the dead, you need not apply (though actually, I think he is so different now, that even with Kanan it would be hard work).

4. The reason Hakkai decided to go rescue Yaone wasn't because he was deeply invested in her as Yaone, but because of what she represents. Hakkai is forever scarred by what happened with Kanan. If he went off, leaving a woman he knew to be captured and tortured, it would be a little like letting Kanan die all over again. And I love that Sanzo, Gojyo and Goku had no particular interest in rescuing the girl, but since they knew Hakkai was going to go by himself (and I love that he wasn't going to ask them to join him), they all went, no complaining. Not for Yaone, but for Hakkai (Weird tangent, but Husband thinks the reason Sanzo sort of views Hakkai as an equal is because Hakkai is very self-aware, even of his weaknesses. Gojyo and Goku aren't).

5. The evil guy doing the whole 'I bet you didn't know bathing in a blood of a thousand demons makes you a demon' made me ROFL, considering who he was talking to. Ah, dramatic irony.

The ep with the four doomed sisters who the gang bonded with and then ended up having to kill was also visually striking, if a bit over the top in its concept (really, they only knew the girls for a day) and a bit too convenient (there is a girl that fits each person?) Also, the cleavage on Gojyo's girl cracked me up. But I did like it. There really was no happy ending. They were wonderful women. And they couldn't be saved. And the ep really showed how detached Sanzo is, and why I can't ever see him in a relationship: Goku gets himself a crush, Gojyo almost ends up in bed, and even Hakkai ends up having a pleasant drink with one of the sisters. There might not be love or even lust there, but there is genuine interaction. Sanzo? He is sitting by himself in the hotel room, and the most his opposite number manages to get from him is understanding and respect, for her guts and integrity in a horrible situation. He is much too closed off for anything more.

But the ending scene definitely shows why, as Sanzo realizes there is no way to save them, and he has to kill the demons inside them, even though that will mean they will die as well. And as they are immobilized, Goku grabs his gun arm and keeps pleading with him, and all Sanzo says is "let go of my arm, Goku." And when Goku finally does, Sanzo shoots and the monster but also the sisters, are dead (and how scary is that Goku is the only one flipping out. Both Hakkai and Gojyo have seen too much). And this scene is totally the crux of why Sanzo is so closed off. It's his knowledge that he has done and will have to do things like this. He can't allow himself to feel or he will have screaming fits. He has to freeze himself, because otherwise he'd be incapable of dealing with situations like these, which he KNOWS will arise. After all, here the women were still alive, even though the monster was inside them, and it was Sanzo's comments to the known demon inside the eldest that made the demon reveal that he is in all the sisters and as he tells Sanzo "you've said too much. If it wasn't for you, I would have let them remain themselves." After all, he doesn't have the luxury of choice: he is ordered by the divine messengers or whatever, and it's not a hobby for him. Gojyo can deal with this better because he is a lot less complicated as a person (and for him, he can quit at any time) and Hakkai? Hakkai is even more fucked up than Sanzo, though in a different fashion.

I also ended up checking out Saiyuki manga in the store, and it's beautiful, though I find fights incredibly hard to follow when done manga style.

In other news, I saw another episode of Gawl which was good, but I had to stop, because the dub was driving me insane. The men were OK, but whoever was doing the heroine made me want to kill her: she sounded shrill and stupid and made me want to strangle her.

I also tried an ep of Sorcerous Stabber Orphen which I also liked just fine. No mad pash, but Orphen himself is kinda cool from the little I saw. The only thing is, please tell me he doesn't hook up with Cleo? I have rarely been as annoyed by a character as I am by her. Their first meeting takes place when (in a favorite scenario) she mistakenly thinks he's been peeping on her. So what does she do? She grabs Daddy's sword and tries to kill him. Repeatedly. While complaining he won't stand still. I don't know if it's supposed to be cute, but it comes across as bratty and psychotic. Other anime women who are violent, I don't have a problem with because hitting someone on the head is unlikely to be permanent. She is dreadfully annoying.

Comments

[randirien.livejournal.com]

Random trivia: the English VAs for Sanzo and Orphen are the same guy!

[crumpeteer.livejournal.com]

OMG, you used the icon! I love that icon.

"Bring in the electric guitars of DEATH!!!"

[randirien.livejournal.com]

lol Yeah, I love it, too. You're more than welcome to snag it and use it if you want. Just credit me. ^_^

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Every time I see this icon, I giggle.

[randirien.livejournal.com]

See previous comment... I'm glad to hear other people get the joke! When I first posted it at the Saiyuki icons comm. no one got it! -_-#
I need to make one featuring Sanzo's "Throbbing Vein of DEATH".

[crumpeteer.livejournal.com]

I'd say Hakkai might be nicer, except for the deep well of crazy Hakkai seems to keep in his backyard.

And there's tomorrows quote of the day.

Not in a romantic "I want to have your nearsighted babies" kinda way

And there's Sunday's.

Kou may not have time to pursue anything with Yaone right now, but I think given the time and the place he will. He's too obviously a softie when it comes to her and she's already looking after Lirin for him since she's the only one he trusts. Those two are totally going to have cute little demon spawn.

And I agree with your husband. Goku isn't aware because he's young and can't remember what he actually did wrong. Gojyo just isn't mature and has a really stilted view of what happened in his childhood (he still holds himself responsible and not his step mother since he feels that it was his fault that he just took the abuse). Hakkai knows what he is and he's probably the only one who knows how Sanzo really feels about stuff since Hakkai is more intuitive. You can't tell me that Hakkai doesn't realize that Sanzo is that way for a reason.

It's his knowledge that he has done and will have to do things like this. He can't allow himself to feel or he will have screaming fits. He has to freeze himself, because otherwise he'd be incapable of dealing with situations like these, which he KNOWS will arise.

And even though he's technically not the best fighter (unless he's using the scriptures), Sanzo is generally the one who you can't pull the wool over. When the others freeze into inaction (and they all do from time to time), it's Sanzo who keeps moving. And even though he's not nice, he isn't a mean person at heart. Stupidity annoys him and he is arrogant, but even with all the trying he does, he can't hide the fact that he's rather kind at heart. But you can't be that way and survive doing what he has to do (or do it without going bananas like several other characters we see). So he detaches himself from everything. He doesn't even have a NAME any more, for pete's sake (no one ever calls him Kouryuu except people he knew a long time ago and HE never refers to himself as that). And I find it a bit sad that even when he had a name it was a bit of an insult (like someone naming a kid "Foundling" or something).

The manga is one of the reasons I love the anime. The mangaka is incredible.

Cleo is distinctly annoying. I don't mind her so much in the second season since Orphen can be just as difficult to get along with.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

there's tomorrows quote of the day.

*is flattered*

Those two are totally going to have cute little demon spawn.

Heeee. I can totally see that. And they would probably be pretty good parents, too. I think Yaone is ideally suited to Kou, not just because she is quiet and well-behaved and nice, and he seems to be that way too (I think a very loud, in your face person would just be off-putting for him as a partner), but because she is incredibly loyal to him and has proven it over and over again, and to someone like Kou, who is being humiliated and treated as a puppet and who is himself an incredibly loyal person, that is paramount. I think this is why he is as functional as he is: it's because he has these people who make loyalty a two-way street (after all, he is surrounded by stepmonster's flunkies and he is loyal to his mum but she is sort of not able to respond).

Hakkai knows what he is and he's probably the only one who knows how Sanzo really feels about stuff since Hakkai is more intuitive.

Yes. When it's just the two of them, I think Sanzo relaxes somewhat and some of his manner is left behind. It's as close to friends and equals as Sanzo can get. I think Hakkai just has a knack for inspiring caring: he is the only one of the group who the rest of the group really really likes and gets along well with. He does have this impression of fragility, but I think it's because he is gentle and quiet and not overbearing. And he isn't judgmental, probably because he feels he is in no position to be judged.

Sanzo is generally the one who you can't pull the wool over.

Yes. It's a repeated motif in the story so far, that Sanzo gets annoyed and tells them not to do something, ostensibly innocuous or nice, and the rest don't listed, but Sanzo is right. I get the feeling part of the reason he isn't much of a Good Samaritan in an every day fashion is because he's seen it blow in his face much too much.

even with all the trying he does, he can't hide the fact that he's rather kind at heart.

And Goku and Lirin cotton to it right away. It's actually quite a feat, considering the life he is leading.

He doesn't even have a NAME any more, for pete's sake (no one ever calls him Kouryuu except people he knew a long time ago and HE never refers to himself as that).

Do you know, I never realized that. But it's true. Talk about abnegation of sense of self. Especially since a name is so connected to who one is, in this Universe: e.g. Hakkai literally changes his name to be reborn. It's as if TPTB don't want him to have any identity beyond a Sanzo priest, but Sanzo being Sanzo is clearly fighting long and hard.

The manga is one of the reasons I love the anime. The mangaka is incredible.

The artwork was so gorgeous, I found it hard to tear myself away. Has the mangaka done anything else I can find to look at?

I don't mind her so much in the second season since Orphen can be just as difficult to get along with.

Yeah, but I think it's the willful immaturity that gets me. But glad she gets better.

[crumpeteer.livejournal.com]

And they would probably be pretty good parents

I think they'd be wonderful. Kou's a great older brother and Yaone is a caretaker at heart, so I see them very easily being able to settle down when all is said and done. Kou has a normalness to him that even though he's gone through all this stuff, I still see him as being able to have a decent life afterwards.

He does have this impression of fragility, but I think it's because he is gentle and quiet and not overbearing.

And he's a good listener. Sanzo likes the quiet and calm. Hakkai's worst quality is that he nags Gojyo and Goku sometimes and Sanzo is always on Hakkai's side when he does it. It's hilariously like a father and mother teaming up on their sons.

Sanzo gets annoyed and tells them not to do something, ostensibly innocuous or nice, and the rest don't listed

I think Sanzo has gotten to the point where he accepts that you can't save anyone. They have a mission that is taking them a long time to accomplish and they just don't have TIME to save everyone along the way. He says it later on to Gojyo that they aren't "defenders of justice". Sanzo has to make the painful decision of triage when it comes to the evils of the world, something that is all the more painful because he's not a cruel person and what he sees hurts him.

And Goku and Lirin cotton to it right away

I always find it funny that kids seem to like Sanzo for some reason. It's like they can see straight past what he's trying to pull.

Sanzo being Sanzo is clearly fighting long and hard

And I think that is evidenced in the fact that instead of Sanzo becoming the Sanzo, the Sanzo is slowly becoming him. The other guys use the title as his name and instead of Sanzo becoming something, the position has molded itself to him. His personality is so dominant that he over powers the position in and of itself.

Has the mangaka done anything else I can find to look at?


Wild Adaptor if you can find artwork from it. I've got some somewhere I'll show you. Saiyuki is the only one licensed over here though.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

It's hilariously like a father and mother teaming up on their sons.


Something that is reinforced by their travelling arrangements: grown-ups in the front, children in the back. And when Goku and Gojyo do their squabbling, Hakkai and Sanzo roll their eyes (well Sanzo gets involved in telling them to shut up, and Hakkai just acts amused). Unflappability is a good quality in a designated driver. Though, I don't know if you'd want to have a driver who has no fear of dying and no particular objection to it, either.

Oh, and I figured out why Hakkai is so loyal to Sanzo. Not only did he give him a new life, it's the prayers Sanzo was doing at the sight of Maio's castle (he said he doesn't do prayers for the dead, but he certainly knows how to do them for the living).

Sanzo has to make the painful decision of triage when it comes to the evils of the world, something that is all the more painful because he's not a cruel person and what he sees hurts him.

I think he tries to make himself indifferent, but it's not wholly working. It can't, because he is human, not a robot. Also, the calculus of their trip is pretty brutal: every time they stop to help someone along the way is time wasted that they could be travelling. And the longer it takes them to get to their destination, the more people will die. The day they spent on helping Person X is one more day the imbalance continues and possibly because of that extra day, 10 more people would die. It really sucks.

It's like they can see straight past what he's trying to pull.

Yeah, his words and his paper fan hold no fear. Of course, they could be more stand-offish if he didn't rescue Goku and take care of him, despite all his words, or know just hot to behave with Lirin. In a very different time, and with a very different life, Sanzo would have been a lovely person to be around.

His personality is so dominant that he over powers the position in and of itself.

Yeah. There is a reason he gets mistaken for a fake. He does what he wants and not what his rank requires.

[crumpeteer.livejournal.com]

I think Hakkai also realizes that Sanzo is really a good person at heart. Goku hero worships him and Gojyo just doesn't like him, but I think that Hakkai sees past the facade while Goku and Gojyo don't.

Though, I don't know if you'd want to have a driver who has no fear of dying and no particular objection to it, either.

There's one point in the manga where Sanzo ends up driving since everyone else has had the crap beat out of them and he can't drive very well and the last thing you see is Goku screaming "we're all going to die!" in the back. It's one of the best moments in the manga.

grown-ups in the front, children in the back

Sanzo would totally be yelling "don't make me turn this car around" if he could.

The day they spent on helping Person X is one more day the imbalance continues and possibly because of that extra day, 10 more people would die.

It's a lose/lose situation. I think Sanzo gets that better than the rest do. And also, this has been Sanzo's profession a whole lot longer than everyone else. Gojyo and Goku certainly haven't done this long term and while Hakkai is a killer, it was revenge filled and sort of crazy. Sanzo has been a cold blooded killer for years (or at least he tries to maintain the cold blooded part). He's the professional amongst the amateurs.

his words and his paper fan hold no fear

The very fact that he uses a paper fan is hilarious in and of itself. And everyone does know when to be intimidated by Sanzo. When he's really intimidating isn't when he gets annoyed, it's when he gets deathly quiet and firm. There's an attitude change that comes over him.

and with a very different life, Sanzo would have been a lovely person to be around.

Konzen, Sanzo's first incarnation, is probably what Sanzo without the issues would have been like. He's prickly and arrogant, but he's a relatively nice guy and has friends in Kenren and Tenshiou (Gojyo and Hakkai's incarnations). Kenren, compared to Gojyo, is much more mature and tough (he reminds me of Dokugakuji) since he's a war god after all and Hakkai's is a smoker who is a bit manipulative and a lot tougher than Hakkai comes across. He still ends up babysitting Goku though.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Gojyo just doesn't like him

The thing is, I am not sure Gojyo doesn't like him. They bicker all the time, but I do think there is unwilling liking there. It's sort of someone who irritates you all the time, but someone you are at the same time fond of, though won't admit.

There's one point in the manga where Sanzo ends up driving since everyone else has had the crap beat out of them and he can't drive very well and the last thing you see is Goku screaming "we're all going to die!" in the back

ROFL. Has he even driven before? I was just thinking of the bit when Sanzo says 'head down' and Goku and Gojyo are all 'it's a sheer surface of a cliff, what are you crazy' and Hakkai makes no comment and looks relaxed and, with no hesitation, just sends the car off the cliff.

Sanzo would totally be yelling "don't make me turn this car around" if he could.

Now I am imagining Goku asking 'are we there yet?' every five minutes.

He's the professional amongst the amateurs.

And you are right, it must wear on him. And unlike an amateur, he doesn't have the luxury of choice.

When he's really intimidating isn't when he gets annoyed, it's when he gets deathly quiet and firm.

He has that in common with a lot of anime heroes.

He still ends up babysitting Goku though

ROFL.

[crumpeteer.livejournal.com]

I think Gojyo cares, but I don't think he likes. He saves Sanzo's life twice in one episode at the cost of harm to himself so I think he cares about Sanzo in his own way, but they'll never get where the other one is coming from or be able to stand each other for long amounts of time.

Of course Sanzo's first response when Gojyo saves him the first time is "did I ASK for your help?" and gets mad. While that's partially just Sanzo, I also don't think Sanzo can seperate himself from when the Kamia saved him (there's another man who does the same thing for him later on). Part of Sanzo thinks it's stupid to save someone by using your own life, part of Sanzo is angry at the Kamia for leaving him, and there's part of him that doesn't think he's worth saving. Yet when he's put in the same position as the Kamia, he does the exact same thing. When he's laying there in the mud after getting stabbed for Goku, Gojyo first reaction is to ask what the hell he was thinking and all Sanzo can say is he has no idea. It's the real Sanzo overriding the facade in moments like that.

And that was a tangent.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I think Gojyo cares, but I don't think he likes.


I think that's the crux of it. Those people really are a family, including the whole 'love them but can't stand them' vibe.

to stand each other for long amounts of time.

Which is where the hilarity comes from because they are totally stuck with each other, for a very very long time.

When he's laying there in the mud after getting stabbed for Goku, Gojyo first reaction is to ask what the hell he was thinking and all Sanzo can say is he has no idea. It's the real Sanzo overriding the facade in moments like that.

Oh yes. His rational side might think it's stupid, but his emotions and his soul really will out.