brisco county jr and saiyuki love
Aug. 2nd, 2006 06:54 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
meganbmooreMy "Brisco County Jr." DVDs finally came this week, and I just finished the pilot. Happily, it lives up to my memories.
Also, I just binged on the "Saiyuki: Reload" anime(as in, the entire series between Sunday and yesterday) and the first 4 volumes of the "Saiyuki: Reload" manga. I feel the need to babble. As there shall be Kougaiji love and possibly pictures(I shall decide for sure as I near the end) there shall be a cut for those who don't care.
Yup, there were pics. Feel minimal incentive to go back and change my text, as food is ready.
Also, I just binged on the "Saiyuki: Reload" anime(as in, the entire series between Sunday and yesterday) and the first 4 volumes of the "Saiyuki: Reload" manga. I feel the need to babble. As there shall be Kougaiji love and possibly pictures(I shall decide for sure as I near the end) there shall be a cut for those who don't care.
First things first: the manga and anime don't cover the same story. The Saiyuki anime branches off into an orginal storyline about 1/2 way through the series, diverging from the Saiyuki manga around the end of vol 6 or beginning of vol 7. The Reload anime takes a couple of one-off stories from the Reload manga that are independent of the main storyline and some more original stuff, and then about 1/2 way through, it goes back and finishes the rest of the Saiyuki manga series. As I understand it, "Saiyuki Reload: Gunlock" covers the events of the Reload manga...
Moving on...
For those not familiar with Saiyuki, it's essentially an extremely modernized, anti-hero quest retelling of "Journey to the West." One of the most notable things about the series is that the "heroes" are really just the only guys around who can do the job, and the noble, fair (and nice) guys are the ones who are, technically, the bad guys. There's a sacriligeous monk, a man who became a demon via mass murder, a half demon who puts "girl crazy" to shame, and a hyperactive monkey who looks like a human. Oh, and at best, the lot of them barely tolerate each other and would never concede to worrying about each other(even though they do) Somehow, though, they manage to work as "heroes," and generally manage to save the day. You shouldn't like any of these guys, but you do.
That said, this has got to be flat out the angsty-est anime out there(seriously, Wolf's Rain and the Samurai X OVAs have nothing on this series.) And I don't think I've ever seen an anime that didn't have its fair share of angst. And, for once, the angst is pretty well earned. In fact, they're all fairly well adjusted for their pasts. Well, except Hakkai...I'm fairly certain he thinks the world would be better off if everyone has dead, but he's conditioned himself to be the way Kanon knew him (Hakkai being the mass murderer I mentioned, and Kanon being the woman he became a mass murderer to try to save)
Also, I didn't realize this until someone asked me about the female characters last night, but I think this may be the only anime I love(or even like) that doesn't have a major female character. Yes, it has several female characters in recurring roles, all of whom are important to the series but there's no major or central female character. Usually, I don't even have to LIKE the female characters(though I can't think of any where I flat out dislike the major female characters. Even with Miaka in Fushigi Yuugi, I don't DISlike her, she just annoys me, and she does get better.) I'm not sure if that just means the series is extremely, extremely good, or if I'm just incredibly distracted by other things(see below)
And now for the Kougaiji love.
Kougaiji is, flat out, the worst bad guy ever. Not that he's a loser. In fact, he's the best, most charismatic leader and probably the most powerful character on the show. And, with the possible exceptions of Dokugakuji and Gojyo, the best fighter. But he's also the nicest, noblest, most honorable guy and biggest softie on the show, too. He's a bad guy because it's the only way to save his mother and protect his sister(while it's never flat out stated, I always have the feeling that Lirin's well being is directly dependent on his good behavior) As such, while he's motivated to get the job done, his instincts are to help Sanzo and co., not only because of the whole "right thing" bit, but because he likes them and really has no interest in seeing the bad guys win(in fact, given the events last time we saw him in the manga, there may be a major change coming on that front)
Kougaiji is the guy who comes across his enemies when they're in the perfect position for him to take what he needs and leave them to rot, and instead, he saves them. And later, when he comes across them determined to not go easy on them, his instinct when he finds out that one is critically injured is to offer transportation(mind you, he almost immediately added conditions, but the instinct was to help.) And, later, an enemy is so sure of his good behavior and honor that he actually calls a time out during a fight to yell at a teammate(who, like Kougaiji, occassionally forgets they're supposed to be enemies) Kougaiji is the guy who SHOULD be the hero of the series, but got stuck with the bum job of being the bad guy(of course, when it's time for the series to end, he'll end up on the right side then grow a brain and go marry Yaone, but for now, he's the bad guy)
And now, Kougaiji pictures:
*these are not my pics. I just googled and stole them.
And:
Both Kougaiji and Sanzo's groups(because someone would fly to Texas and hurt me if Sanzo wasn't in at least one picture):
Moving on...
For those not familiar with Saiyuki, it's essentially an extremely modernized, anti-hero quest retelling of "Journey to the West." One of the most notable things about the series is that the "heroes" are really just the only guys around who can do the job, and the noble, fair (and nice) guys are the ones who are, technically, the bad guys. There's a sacriligeous monk, a man who became a demon via mass murder, a half demon who puts "girl crazy" to shame, and a hyperactive monkey who looks like a human. Oh, and at best, the lot of them barely tolerate each other and would never concede to worrying about each other(even though they do) Somehow, though, they manage to work as "heroes," and generally manage to save the day. You shouldn't like any of these guys, but you do.
That said, this has got to be flat out the angsty-est anime out there(seriously, Wolf's Rain and the Samurai X OVAs have nothing on this series.) And I don't think I've ever seen an anime that didn't have its fair share of angst. And, for once, the angst is pretty well earned. In fact, they're all fairly well adjusted for their pasts. Well, except Hakkai...I'm fairly certain he thinks the world would be better off if everyone has dead, but he's conditioned himself to be the way Kanon knew him (Hakkai being the mass murderer I mentioned, and Kanon being the woman he became a mass murderer to try to save)
Also, I didn't realize this until someone asked me about the female characters last night, but I think this may be the only anime I love(or even like) that doesn't have a major female character. Yes, it has several female characters in recurring roles, all of whom are important to the series but there's no major or central female character. Usually, I don't even have to LIKE the female characters(though I can't think of any where I flat out dislike the major female characters. Even with Miaka in Fushigi Yuugi, I don't DISlike her, she just annoys me, and she does get better.) I'm not sure if that just means the series is extremely, extremely good, or if I'm just incredibly distracted by other things(see below)
And now for the Kougaiji love.
Kougaiji is, flat out, the worst bad guy ever. Not that he's a loser. In fact, he's the best, most charismatic leader and probably the most powerful character on the show. And, with the possible exceptions of Dokugakuji and Gojyo, the best fighter. But he's also the nicest, noblest, most honorable guy and biggest softie on the show, too. He's a bad guy because it's the only way to save his mother and protect his sister(while it's never flat out stated, I always have the feeling that Lirin's well being is directly dependent on his good behavior) As such, while he's motivated to get the job done, his instincts are to help Sanzo and co., not only because of the whole "right thing" bit, but because he likes them and really has no interest in seeing the bad guys win(in fact, given the events last time we saw him in the manga, there may be a major change coming on that front)
Kougaiji is the guy who comes across his enemies when they're in the perfect position for him to take what he needs and leave them to rot, and instead, he saves them. And later, when he comes across them determined to not go easy on them, his instinct when he finds out that one is critically injured is to offer transportation(mind you, he almost immediately added conditions, but the instinct was to help.) And, later, an enemy is so sure of his good behavior and honor that he actually calls a time out during a fight to yell at a teammate(who, like Kougaiji, occassionally forgets they're supposed to be enemies) Kougaiji is the guy who SHOULD be the hero of the series, but got stuck with the bum job of being the bad guy(of course, when it's time for the series to end, he'll end up on the right side then grow a brain and go marry Yaone, but for now, he's the bad guy)
And now, Kougaiji pictures:
*these are not my pics. I just googled and stole them.
And:
Both Kougaiji and Sanzo's groups(because someone would fly to Texas and hurt me if Sanzo wasn't in at least one picture):
Yup, there were pics. Feel minimal incentive to go back and change my text, as food is ready.
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no subject
Date: 2006-08-03 02:19 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-08-03 02:26 am (UTC)And of course you'd rather work for Kou...he's nicer and probably has a health plan. And the stepmother....eeeeeeevvvvviiiiilllll. She even uses her own daughter(not that Kou puts up with THAT for long...nor do Yaone or Dokugakuji)
no subject
Date: 2006-08-03 05:24 am (UTC)And yes, it's amazing that with at least half Gymaoh genes, Kou is so wonderful.
no subject
Date: 2006-08-03 05:40 am (UTC)Kou's mom must have been a saint, it's the only explanation. But then, Lirin is turning out fairly OK, too. But then, I think Kou, Yaone, and Dokugakuji had more to do wwith raising her than anyone else. And I think she tries to immitate Kou and Yaone. Hopefully, if Kou's mom wakes up, she'll be nice to Lirin.
no subject
Date: 2007-03-15 05:20 pm (UTC)>> and probably has a health plan <<
> sputter .... < You had to put that, didn't you? You realize that I now have to clean off my monitor ...?
But the Sanzo ikkou have Hakkai - they don't need no stinkin' health plan!
Seriously, I think that these days, Hakkai is finding his reason for living in his companions, especially Gojyo, who really grabs onto life with both hands. If something fatal happened to Gojyo ... then, there might be problems. (Yes, I'm a big Gojyo/Hakkai fangirl ... .)
(Sorry to be digging among your old posts ... I always like to see what people have said about things I read too.)
- Cho
no subject
Date: 2007-03-15 05:37 pm (UTC)And they MIGHT need a health plan even with Hakkai...I mean, Hakkai love is only slightly less than Kougaiji love, nut it's a slightly scared love. But yeah, I think he's starting to live for his companions, esp. Gojyo. Though...not in the yaoi context(I'm odd for an anime manga/fangirl...I'm fine w/ it if it's canon and will ship if I like just like m/f-or even f/f,though those are rarer-but I've never been into it otherwise. I'm generally fine with it, though, as long as it avoids "female character must diediediediedie and male character at least somewhat canonically linked with female character needs to be with other male character"--which is one of the reasons I like the SDK community because, while there's plenty of slashing, there doesn't seem to be much "Yuya/Mahiro/Okuni sucks and needs to diediedie" like there is in other fandoms. Skuya, though, is another matter entirely. I don't dislike her, but really, there's really no argument if she's called useless or pointless...)
Digging through old posts is fine, I do the same.
no subject
Date: 2007-03-16 01:47 pm (UTC)>shrug< I don't ship Gojyo/Hakkai just because I have a thing for m/m ... I do it because I think it would make them happy. (And I was going to send you a link to a good essay I found on why they go well together, and now I can't find the blessed thing ... there's some really good analysis of Saiyuki hereabouts on LiveJournal.)
As a counterexample, I have no desire to match Sanzo up with anyone. My wish for him is that he should come to peace with himself and be comfortable inside his own skin, like his former master, Koumyo.
I do love the variety of guys in Samurai Deeper, and the fact that there are relatively few active female protagonists (Yuya, Mahiro, Tokito, Sakuya, Okuni, and maybe Shihoudou - later on) certainly makes it tempting to match them up. But some of the guys are so very damaged that it's hard for me (as a person who has had to deal with damaged friends) to think up good matches for them. For example, Kamijyo seems to be giving us Tokito with Akira, and I hate that - I don't think she'll help him one bit. And doesn't Akari deserve someone, since she can't have Kyo? And Yukimura seems to have totally divorced physical passion and friendship: he has his friends, for whom he's willing to risk death, and then he runs off to the teahouse girls (and probably boys, for that matter) when he needs to deal with other issues.
>sigh< I just want 'em all to be happy, in the end!
- Cho
no subject
Date: 2007-03-16 04:49 pm (UTC)I don't begrudge anyone their ship preference as long as they don't attack mine, and I sit happily secure in the fact that most of my ships actually pay off in one way or the other. I actually find it difficult to be invested in a series if there's not at least a mostly-canon ship that's somewhat prominent for me to get behind. There are exceptions, of course, like Saiyuki--I mean, yeah, Kougaiji/Yaone is pretty much canon, but they aren't around or together enough for the ship to have an enormous amount of staying power for me. Ditto for the Major and Batou in Ghost in the Shell. I also tend to not get as invested if I'm neutral about(or dislike part of) the canon ship.
As far as Saiyuki goes, honestly, the only ones I can see EVER being able to have anything resembling a normal relationship are Goku and Kougaiji/Yaone. Sanzo being romantically interested in anyone is scary, and I very much agree that he just needs to find peace. Hakkai, I think, is never going to care about anyone that way again...what we've seen with Yaone, where there seems to be more fondness than your average DID or foe gets, but it's very clearly just because she reminds him of Kanon, and nothing will ever come of it, is likely the closest he'll ever get. Gojyo and Dokugaku are, IMO, perpetually screwed up sexually because both equate sex with Dokugaku having to sleep with his mother to keep her from killing Gojyo in a rage, hence Gojyo/anything with girl parts and Dokugaku's borderline obsessive protectiveness of Kougaiji.
I've only seen a bit of Tokito, not enough to judge her worthiness of Akira, but I have to say that the only way I ever saw him ending up with anyone was if Kyo died and he stayed with Yuya, simply because I really don't see him EVER caring about someone unless Kyo either cared about or hated them. He seems(to me) to be genuinely fond of Yuya, and I think at this point(in the US releases) it is for Yuya herself, but at the same time, I don't think he ever would have noticed her(or anyone else) if it weren't for Kyo. Boy has the the most obsessive case of hero worship ever(yet, I still maintain that he's the sane one of the bunch)
I've only seen a little more of Akari than I have of Tokito(though Akari made much more of an impression-a positive one, btw) but I have to say that poor Akari never stood a chance...Kyo likes girl parts too much(or at least, Kyo's)
I do wish Hotaru and Shinrei had gotten someone though...Jotaru because he needs someone whose fulltime job is keeping him out of trouble and at least moderately connected to the real world, and Shinrei to get that stick pulled out of his butt.
I see Yukimura romantically linked with anyone about as easily as I do Sanzo, though I think I'd buy a Yukimuraxsomesone story more easily than I would Sanzoxsomeone