Minekura Kazuya - Saiyuki, vol. 01-09 (Eng. trans.) (reread)

[oyceter]

Really, this is just an excuse to use my shiny new icon! Yay ikkou love! Yay Sanzo waving a gun around!

I noticed more random and fun things this time around! I adore Minekura and how she sneaks these little things in.

Spoilers for all of Saiyuki!

- Kougaiji rescues Yaone from being taken away to Hyakugan Maoh. Imagine, in another life, she might have met Kanan!

- I am totally amused that Kami-sama called Gojyo "Mr. Red," largely because Dokugakuji befriended Kougaiji because Kougaiji reminded him of Gojyo. And the "kou" in "Kougaiji" means "red." And Dokugakuji and Yaone both call him "Kou" (though I wonder how that works in Japanese).

- I love that the Gaiden references start out much, much earlier than I realized! Kanzeon calls Sanzo "Konzen" in vol. 2 after she sucks Gojyo's blood (um... yay?) and obviously feels some affection. I completely forgot about the Nataku bits. So... did he not quite kill himself? Huh? And I just love love love the one page spreads of Tenpou, Kenren, Konzen and Goku standing around when Kanzeon talks about them, or how she keeps watching over them. Ahhh, I am such a sucker for backstory!

- I also absolutely love that Goku looks exactly like Gaiden!Goku when he's in the cave, down the the exact same clothes.

- I wonder if Sanzo would have turned out much more like Konzen had Koumyou not been slaughtered in from of his eyes.

- Pretty much everything that has to do with Goku in a cave for 500 years, calling out for someone he doesn't even remember, completely breaks my heart. I especially love the small snippet of kid!Gonou freaking out the nun, kid!Gojyo feeling unwanted, kid!Kouryou being confused, and Goku realizing he's lonely after playing with the bird. And then... Kouryou says he'd never answer someone who called him, then he lifts his head, thinking he hears something. Gah. Me = reduced to incoherent wibbling.

- I also like that Yaone's name is "Eight Hundred Mice," which matches the eight in Hakkai ("hatsu" -- the "tsu" becomes a small tsu when combined and forms the double letter for "kai").

- I must have read the books entirely too quickly the first time through, because I didn't like vols. 7-9 as much as vols. 4-5. But now, I adore them, particularly Hakkai being silently pissed off at Sanzo for leaving Gojyo behind, the slamming of the coffee pot, Goku being sad that everyone is off, and all that. And of course, all of them beating the crap out of Gojyo when they finally do reunite.

And the mahjongg game!

- It was really fun rereading, because when I first read the books, I didn't really care about any of the characters until vol. 4, which is when I began to violently adore Hakkai. I just liked Sanzo because he's a pissy bastard. And I didn't really like Gojyo until vol. 5 and the Kami-sama arc. It took me forever to warm to Goku.

Now I feel like shaking my old self and yelling, "How could anyone not warm to Goku?!?!"

He's just so happy and undamaged, considering that he was locked in a cave for 500 years, and he's got his head screwed on straight, unlike the others. And he cares so much. I adore him getting out the mahjongg set and making everyone play, and that proud little smile he gives Sanzo when Sanzo decides he's not going to be beaten anymore.

- Saiyuki mahjongg! Man, I so, so, so wish I had the raws for the mahjong chapters in particular, because I really wanted to know what they were playing! I think I know most of the combinations they're talking about, but I'm not sure because I'm not familiar with the Japanese names (fannishly taught me the really cool complicated way of playing mahjongg, and I love it!). But Sanzo's final winning hand is indeed the highest you can get. I peered at the page and checked out all the tiles just to make sure. Ah, mahjongg! How wonderful you are! You even revitalize the spirits of sarcastic, cynical monks!

Oh man, this is bad. I now want to make everyone else talk about Saiyuki as well, or write fic, or something, because I am just that hooked.

Comments

[flemmings.livejournal.com]

I regularly have to trot this explanation out for people; really it should be in a FAQ some place.

I asked my Chinese source the same question. Her answer:

...the kanji refers to the nine acts that monks renounce when they enter the order. No meat, no women, no killing, no drinking... there are nine forbidden acts altogether, which are symbolized by the
nine marks on a monk's head when they get their tonsure. But why eight forbidden acts instead of nine in Hakkai's name? Well, eight means "one act not forbidden".
And in classical Chinese, that's the same as saying "not even one act forbidden". (Hence the self-indulgent Pigsy of the novel.)

Same with Gonou. Go as it is written means understanding, meditating
on. But in Chinese it's also a pun on a character that means lacking, missing. So Gonou also means lacking ability, useless. Same with all the other character's names. Gojou also means messy, unclean.

[kate_nepveu]

I pulled out a bunch of pages for a vol. 9 art post a while ago, back when I was coming down with the first of my colds this winter. I really need to get back to that--I'm not letting myself read _Reload_ until I get through the art posts, probably one LJ post asking about some of the attachment stuff, and then a booklog post.

Which is okay, really, because I kind of like building up a bunch of unread _Saiyuki_, but still, I can't wait until I'm not sick and having work kick my ass, because you're so making me want to read and re-read now!

[flemmings.livejournal.com]

Just noticed-

And Dokugakuji and Yaone both call him "Kou" (though I wonder how that works in Japanese

I hope that's not true about Yaone. Dokugaku calls him Kou. Yaone calls him Kougaiji-sama. She *wouldn't* call him Kou alone. I mean- (flaps appalled hands) she *wouldn't*, any more than she'd call someone a douchebag.

[rilina.livejournal.com]

I wonder if Sanzo would have turned out much more like Konzen had Koumyou not been slaughtered in from of his eyes.

I'm inclined to think not, given what we see of little Kouryou during various flashbacks. I'm thinking, in particular, of the one where Koumyou says that he heard Kouryou calling, and Kouryou says that if someone did the same to him, he would pop them in the nose.

I love the bit with the coffee pot.

I also realized, upon rereading, how much I just passed over all the Gaiden references the first time around, since they didn't mean anything at the time.

[livinglaurel.livejournal.com]

Now I feel like shaking my old self and yelling, "How could anyone not warm to Goku?!?!"

GOKU LOVE

[coffeeandink.livejournal.com]

(1) I love that the Gaiden references start out much, much earlier than I realized! Kanzeon calls Sanzo "Konzen" in vol. 2 after she sucks Gojyo's blood (um... yay?) and obviously feels some affection.

There's a Gaiden flashback in V.1--a narrow panel of Konzen with the long ponytail falling, I think when the Three Aspects are expositing the Minus Wave and/or Goku's backstory in the beginning.

(2) Kanzeon is the best authorial stand-in ever. Kanzeon is Mary Sue as a hermaphrodite goddess. I love him/her.

(3) - I wonder if Sanzo would have turned out much more like Konzen had Koumyou not been slaughtered in from of his eyes.

I wonder if it's that Sanzo would have turned out much more like Konzen if he hadn't had Koumyou, period. I want to compare Konzen's relationship with Kanzeon to Sanzo's with Koumyou, but I just don't see it; Kouryou clearly adores Koumyou, whereas Konzen seems deeply irritated by Kanzeon. Kanzeon and Koumyou both seem to have the same kind of deep and deeply amused affection for their charges, though.

I think it comes down to Heaven in Gaiden being a bad place--because it's trying to be perfect, and being perfect means being static, and being static means denying reality. So Konzen is better off as Sanzo, in the imperfect world of attachments. Which really makes me wonder what Minekura is going to do with the ending of regaining Heaven--because I can't see any of the Sanzo ikkou wanting to go.

(4) Goku in the cave: You should read xsmoonshine's Fifty Lies (http://www.ficwad.com/viewstory.php?sid=2244).

(5) I love Goku so much. I love how much of the series is getting to watch him grow up -- I mean, it's oddly like Hikaru no Go, where I suddenly realized happy-go-lucky Hikaru was changing. And I love how Goku is so happy, really, in his eternally hungry way. He has his family, he has lots of good food, he instinctively knows what and where he wants to be. I love how he cuts through Gordian knots with mahjong games and hunger and apologies, and I love how he slowly begins to control the fearsome monster inside himself.

[oyceter]

*snork*

Maybe Yaone took a vow to give up mice? Or to ... eat them? Or... something.

I wish my Chinese were good enough to read Journey to the West in the original.

[coffeeandink.livejournal.com]

Hey! It is my very own cracked fanon interpretation, though I would not be at all surprised to see it elsewhere. It is the kind of cracked fanon interpretation fans come up with, after all.

I thought what was unusual about Kanan is that she was human--that Hyakugan Maoh had a reputation for keeping his depredations to youkai--but I may very well have imagined that. I will try to look for evidence for, against, or completely nonexistant when I get home.

[oyceter]

Oh, I love your art posts! Yay!

I really want to make some giant post on attachment and detachment and "muichi motsu" and Buddhism, but I suspect it would just be silly because my knowledge of Buddhism is confined to a single college class.

And ooooo, it is so nice that you still have Reload to look forward to!

[coffeeandink.livejournal.com]

She has the power to summon eight hundred mice, but we have not yet seen it because (unlike the power to summon, say, eight hundred centipedes) it is utterly useless.

Eight hundred mice rats are pretty scary when it looks like Yuki's summoning them in FB.

[oyceter]

No, I probably just messed up because I was typing too fast at work.

[kate_nepveu]

Well, that's more Buddhism than I've got, so it'll be way less silly that what I'll do. So, please do and save me from looking like an idiot. =>

[oyceter]

I love grumpy little Kouryou. And I love how right after the popping someone in the nose statement, he gets a look because he sort of hears Goku! Awwwwww.

I think Mely's on the mark in that maybe the case is how much Kouryou would have been like Konzen if he had just been raised normally and spoiled and etc. instead of being the monastery outcast.

I really love that there are things to pick up on the rereads!

[oyceter]

OMG YES.

I love the Sanzo-ikkou so much!

[rachelmanija.livejournal.com]

oyceter and I both came up with the same idea independently upon re-reading the series, so I would call it a variant interpretation rather than fanon. It went right over my head when Yaone mentions it the first time, because we've never heard of Hyakugan Maoh at the point, and when he's mentioned later as Kanan's kidnapper, I didn't recall the name. But when I re-read the series, I went, "Hey! That's the same guy! I wonder if..."

[rachelmanija.livejournal.com]

OK, I've been inspired. Expect a story on this theme to go up some time this weekend or early next week.

[rachelmanija.livejournal.com]

Which really makes me wonder what Minekura is going to do with the ending of regaining Heaven--because I can't see any of the Sanzo ikkou wanting to go.

I can't see the ending as anything other than the guys getting back in the Jeep and driving off into the distance and another story.

[oyceter]

(3) You know, I wasn't even going to touch on attachment and detachment and "muichi motsu," but all the comments and talk about Heaven in Gaiden keep making me want to. Woe! I wish I knew more about Buddhism =(.

Or I want to do something about the ikkou and their Gaiden counterparts. Or something.

I think you're right about Sanzo changing drastically because of Koumyou; he's attached to Koumyou while in Heaven he wasn't really attached to anything before Goku. Maybe he would have been more Sanzo-like in Heaven had he felt the same affection for Kanzeon? But oh, I love the series so much because people are broken because they care so deeply, and that they choose to live and be alive despite the pain involved in that.

(2 +3)I adore Kanzeon. It'd be funny if the series ended with them regaining Heaven and then deciding that they'd hate it anyway. And of course Kanzeon would argue with the Three Aspects to let them go.

(4) Thanks for the rec! That was great, especially the one with Sanzo-as-bird!

(5) My Goku love has no bounds! And I love that even though they're the Sanzo-ikkou, they were brought together at first in Heaven because of him, and in a way, he's the piece who's really trying to keep them all together still in Saiyuki because he loves them all so much.

*wibbles*

[oyceter]

WHOO!!

More fic is never a bad thing.

[oyceter]

Mmmm, cracked fanon interpretations.

Damnit. You know, this means I have to reread the entire series again! How dreadful. ;)

[coffeeandink.livejournal.com]

(3) DO IT!

I really need an icon of all four of them. Because that is what I love about the series--the four of them. I mean, yes, I think Hakkai is the sexiest psycho ever, but really I love all four of them.

(5) He's the one who finally says to Sanzo they should turn around and get Gojyo, right?

[oyceter]

Oooo, must dig out old college Buddhism notes!

I love love love love the ikkou. Love. And as much as I adore them all individually, and as much as I adore them as pairs (Gojyo/Hakkai OTP! /fangirl), I love them best as a group.

Speaking of which, I'm planning on making some Minekura icons as soon as I get time, because .... well. Really, do I have to justify it? ;) Lemme know if there's anything particular you want.

(5) Oh yeah, Goku totally is. I mean, Hakkai wants to as well, but he goes along with Sanzo instead of complaining about everyone being grumpy and off and Jeep feeling empty like Goku does.

[coffeeandink.livejournal.com]

(5) I see Hakkai less as "going along" than "psychotically passive-aggressive." And very dangerous with a coffee pot.

I want some kind of icon of the four of them. I leave it up to you.

[boxmint.livejournal.com]

Here's what I don't get, I say, wildly changing topics. How come Dokugakuji keeps going on and on about how much Kougaji reminds him of his brother, and that's why he became loyal to him, etc, when his actual brother is right there? I'm missing something fundamental here. Why is he sticking with the substitute when the real thing is across the way, flourishing weapons affectionately? Is it because he feels guilty about killing his mother, or what? Also, what happens after Gojyo's mother gets killed? Does Dokugakuji just waltz on out the door into exile, saying "That's the last favour I'm gonna be able to do you, kid," leaving Gojyo stricken on the floor?

[oyceter]

I see Hakkai less as "going along" than "psychotically passive-aggressive." And very dangerous with a coffee pot.

*snork*

Yay Hakkai ;).