Manga Is Saiyuki worth getting?? Info. please.

Okay so I went to Walden books at my mall and I saw Saiyuki and I was like "Wow!! What amazing art!!" Ya see I pick my Manga based on art then the story and plot. Is that bad? O well...heehee... Well the art's beyond amazing from just the front page and there's even art on the back!! I was gonna like faint!! :dizzy2: It was so amazing!! But I didn't get the manga. I really would like to know if it's worth getting. What can you say about it? I already know the art is amazing on the outside but is it also on the inside? Like Fruits Basket? Like there's detail in the backround unlike in some mangas....can't put finger on which ones. Like is there shadowing and just overall wanna-faint-it's-such-great-art? Like Magic Knight Rayearth by CLAMP and Hana Kimi and Fruits Basket and so on? And why is it rated 16 and up. I'm qualified to read it but I'm on the sensitive side and get manga that doesn't display....'bad' stuff. Ya know. There's no raping or anything of that sort is there? I can't stand story's that have something like that. I get manga to hide from reality not to surround myself with it even more. I like manga that has pure romance with nothing nasty along with it. Like Marmalade Boy, Hana Kimi, Fruits Basket, Wish and so on. As long as nothing nasty goes down between boy or girl or even same sexes-although I prefer girl and boy- I'm down with it. So what can you tell me about Saiyuki?

 

...well about saiyuki..it is very very good ^^. the story line is very creative and original...well to me atleast its about 4 guys (whick are very cute ^^) its a priest (sanzo) a half deamon half human (gojo *think i spelled that wrong*) a very powerful demon that has been in containment for i think it was 500 years or something who by the way is always being called monkey by everyone, and there is hakai who was a human but turned demon after he slayed 2000demons. see the legend goes that if you bathe in the blood of 1000 demons then you yourself become a demon and so the story goes that these 4 are on a mission to stop an evil force that has made all the demons in the world act violent and mean. in the beginning demons and humans lived togather in harmony and yada yada yada well you get the point. oh and about the rated OT (older teens 16+) it just means that the contents are more mature like a little sex related but not much and there is stronger language. what you are thinking is hentai...and that stuff is just wrong XD. hope i cleared that up for you ^^


edited part: i forgot that it is goku the one that is the all powerful demon that is called money by everyone im sorry and gojo is just a half breed with red eyes and red hair

 

Don't worry, Kawaii-neko, it isn't necessarily a bad thing to pick your manga based on the art first and foremost. I know they say to never judge a book by its cover, but coverart (and overall art, in the case of manga/comics) really does influence the way a person perceives a story. It's harder to get into something if you don't like the artwork.

First of all, yes, the manga art is just as beautiful as the cover art. The style may take some getting used to (Kazuya Minekura has a rather angular style), but it's very pretty. I think it's fairly detailed, although the panel backgrounds often have very little aside from basic tones. Still, I would classify it as excellent art.

As for the rating....I would guess it's rated that way because of violence (lots of blood and gore during the fight scenes), some sexual humor (nothing worse than what you'd seen on prime-time TV), the modesty of some of the characters (the women tend to have large chests, and one of them usually wears a shirt that's very see-through), and thematic elements (the story is more complex than most younger audiences would easily understand). That said, I don't have a problem with anything I've seen in Saiyuki.

If you're looking for romance...there really isn't an excessive amount in Saiyuki. You have four guys traveling West to stop the revival of the Demon Ox King. They get attacked by demons quite regularly. Not much time for actual romance there. Also, most of the characters have rather tragic pasts when it comes to romance. Any and all sexual encounters I've seen in the series (and I've read all of it that I know about to this point) have been tastefully handled.

I can personally vouch for the accuracy of the English translations (provided that Tokyopop didn't do major editing on them) because they're more or less the same translations I used when reading the series last year. Yes, I know the translators of the series.

A quick run-down on the four main characters....

Genjo Sanzo - A high-ranking Buddhist priest who was given the task to travel West to stop the revival of the Demon Ox King. His weapons are a sutra and a gun (he isn't a very devout priest....).

Son Goku - Not to be confused with his DBZ counterpart. Looks about 16 years old, but is over 500. He is an extremely powerful demon-like being, and he wears a golden crown/limiter that holds his power in check (and keeps him sane. He's scary without it on). His main weapon is a staff called the Nyoibo (not sure on the spelling).

Sha Gojyo - A somewhat perverted half-kappa. He has red hair and eyes, like all hanyou do in this world. His main weapon is a shakujo with a crescent-shaped blade on a chain.

Cho Hakkai - A demon that used to be human. He uses ki-based attacks. He also has to wear limiters (like Goku), but his are a set of ear cuffs.

The story is very loosely based on the Chinese legend, Journey to the West. By loosely based I mean that the characters have the same names, but that's about it. *wry grin* The only character who has a personality similar between the legend and the manga seems to be Goku.

If you have any other questions, I'd be happy to answer them!

~Shadrach Anki

 

Heh. I think Shadowbard's got this topic covered pretty damn well. ^^; Still, I'll add my two cents.

I'd definitely recommend the Saiyuki manga; I haven't read much of it yet, but I've seen the anime, and in my experience the manga is almost always very worth reading if the anime is good. Th artwork is very nice - not standard, the style isn't generic-anime at all, but it's quite well-drawn. Saiyuki is also a pretty funny series; lots of gag and sarcasm to counter the sometimes depressing situations the characters deal with.

You definitely won't find much romance, but on the other hand, that also means very little sex. (About the closest that it gets in most cases will be Gojyo hitting on someone, which happens often - but he's usually interrupted.)

I will warn you, though, that Saiyuki does involve a lot of tragic pasts and, like in real life, there's not a happy ending for everyone. There is a good deal of violence (both comedic and serious), and there is mention of rape. On the other hand, there are some very touching moments. If you can handle a bit of sometimes-bitter realism, you'll probably find Saiyuki very enjoyable.