Saiyuki

Name: Saiyuki
Genre: Animation, Action & Adventure, Drama, Comedy
Cast: Akira Ishida, Soichiro Hoshi, Toshihiko Seki, Hiroaki Hirata, Kaoru Morota

TV series
2000–2022
5 seasons
TV Tokyo
Animation
Action & Adventure
Drama

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6.3 TMDB worldwide · 18 ratings

Many years ago, humans and demons lived in harmony. But that unity ended when demons started attacking humans and plotted a mission to unleash Gyumao - an evil demon imprisoned for thousands of years. Now, Genjo Sanzo, a rogue priest, must team up with three demons - Sha Gojyo, Son Goku, and Cho Hakkai - and embark on a perilous journey to the west to stop these demons from resurrecting Gyumao and restore the balance between humans and demons on Earth.

About the show

Saiyuki (Japanese: 最遊記, Hepburn: Saiyūki) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kazuya Minekura. It was originally serialized in Enix's Shōnen magazine Monthly GFantasy between February 1997 and November 2001, with its chapters collected in nine tankōbon volumes. It was later republished by Ichijinsha, which released a nine-volume edition with new covers from October 2002 to June 2003, followed by a five-volume bunkoban edition from April to August 2015. The story is loosely based on the 16th-century Chinese novel Journey to the West and follows the Buddhist priest Genjo Sanzo, who is tasked with traveling west with three yōkai companions to prevent the resurrection of Gyumao, an evil god.

The manga was licensed for an English release by Tokyopop, which published nine volumes between March and July, 2005. The most recent publication in North America is by Kodansha, the series receiving a hardcover release with a new translation between February 2020 and January 2021.

The original manga was followed by the sequels Saiyuki Reload and Saiyuki Reload Blast and the prequels Saiyuki Gaiden and Saiyuki Ibun. The series has spawned a media franchise that includes five anime television series. Pierrot produced the first, a 50-episode series titled Gensomaden Saiyuki, which aired from April 2000 to March 2001 and won the 23rd Animage Anime Grand Prix for best anime. Pierrot subsequently produced the anime film adaptation and the television sequels Saiyuki Reload and Saiyuki Reload Gunlock, which aired in 2003–2004. Platinum Vision produced Saiyuki Reload Blast in 2017, while Liden Films produced Saiyuki Reload: Zeroin in 2022. The franchise has also received several original video animation releases and stage adaptations, as well as novels, audio releases, video games, guidebooks, artbooks, and other media.

As of July 2017, the Saiyuki franchise has sold 25 million copies in circulation worldwide, making it one of the best-selling manga series of all time. The series has also received positive reviews and recognition for its characters, action, and reinterpretation of Journey to the West.

From Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0