Review
This is supposed to be a sequel to the successful Saiyuki series (which ran for 50 episodes). A short background.
Adapted from the "Legend to the West", an old Chinese Classic about a monk assigned to journey to the Sacred West Heavens to retrieve the mantras. He was given a stone monkey spirit (Sun Wu Kong/Son Goku), a pig spirit/exiled Heavenly General (Zhu Ba Jie/Cho Hakkai), a sand spirit/reincarnated Heavenly Officer (Sha Seng/Sha Gojyo) with the Third Son of the East Ocean Dragon King serving as his pack/riding horse. Naturally they would encounter demons who would want to eat him to gain immortality, defeat them and return successfully. Go read it. It's very interesting.
The manga version is a Shoujou (young girls) manga with lots of Bishounens (pretty young men). It adapts the classic tale to a modern time with an additional demonic force trying to resurrect their king by grabbing all the mantras. Various changes were also made to the main characters.
Saiyuki the first series concluded with them defeating a malcontent Heavenly force and resuming their journey. Saiyuki Reload supposedly chronicles the further adventures.
The following is based on viewing the first 9 episodes. Not really valid if the series turn better after that but I doubt so. I have given up trying to watch this series at this point so would not likely update this.
Praises:
The art looks good. Uhhh... that's it...
Criticisms:
The fighting is again the pose-flash-pose style scenes. They are also recycled. Some of them are also ridiculous in that mass fights between humans and brutal demons are portrayed as a bunch of humanoids standing around lightly pushing each other back and forth.
The gravest criticism I can give here is that there is no direction. The gang just keep moving nowhere (even they keep stating they are moving westwards, one would have expected that by now with the series length, they would have reached at least near there by now). Character development which was supposed to have been an attraction of the first Saiyuki series is lacking here or even absent since they have been mostly explored and resolved in the earlier series. Plot development is nowhere in sight.
Adapted from the "Legend to the West", an old Chinese Classic about a monk assigned to journey to the Sacred West Heavens to retrieve the mantras. He was given a stone monkey spirit (Sun Wu Kong/Son Goku), a pig spirit/exiled Heavenly General (Zhu Ba Jie/Cho Hakkai), a sand spirit/reincarnated Heavenly Officer (Sha Seng/Sha Gojyo) with the Third Son of the East Ocean Dragon King serving as his pack/riding horse. Naturally they would encounter demons who would want to eat him to gain immortality, defeat them and return successfully. Go read it. It's very interesting.
The manga version is a Shoujou (young girls) manga with lots of Bishounens (pretty young men). It adapts the classic tale to a modern time with an additional demonic force trying to resurrect their king by grabbing all the mantras. Various changes were also made to the main characters.
Saiyuki the first series concluded with them defeating a malcontent Heavenly force and resuming their journey. Saiyuki Reload supposedly chronicles the further adventures.
The following is based on viewing the first 9 episodes. Not really valid if the series turn better after that but I doubt so. I have given up trying to watch this series at this point so would not likely update this.
Praises:
The art looks good. Uhhh... that's it...
Criticisms:
The fighting is again the pose-flash-pose style scenes. They are also recycled. Some of them are also ridiculous in that mass fights between humans and brutal demons are portrayed as a bunch of humanoids standing around lightly pushing each other back and forth.
The gravest criticism I can give here is that there is no direction. The gang just keep moving nowhere (even they keep stating they are moving westwards, one would have expected that by now with the series length, they would have reached at least near there by now). Character development which was supposed to have been an attraction of the first Saiyuki series is lacking here or even absent since they have been mostly explored and resolved in the earlier series. Plot development is nowhere in sight.
Q:Is this true in any way, shape, or form?
