Saiyuki Reload Gunlock: Volume 1

Thus far the review on volume 1 has been unfair and mostly fuelled by the change in the English vocal cast. The Japanese vocal cast of the 4 protagonists is simply magnificent and why anyone wishes to watch Saiyuki in any dubbed version is beyond me. Too impatient to wait for the release of the English dub version, I have recently finished watching the rest of Reload and Gunlock (follow-up to Reload) in the Chinese sub/dub version. For those of us disappointed with the animation of Reload, be assure that the animation in Gunlock has greatly improved though I still miss the waif-like, pretty-boy lankiness of the protagonists as in the manga and the 1st series.Reload has 25 episodes and Gunlock has 26 episodes and I am rating the total 51 episodes 5 stars. Reload is of a lighter tone and started off rather weak but Volumes 5, 6 and 7 which are faithful adaptation of the Manga volumes 6, 7,8 and 9 is very well done and a must-have. Saiyuki Gunlock started off with a relatively weak filler Episode 1, as noted by one of the reviewers. However that is the only flaw. The rest of Gunlock Episodes (2-13) are based on the Manga Reload and fillers which are not, are surprisingly very good. My favorite of the fillers is "Snow drop" which expresses the gentle brutality and poignancy of the same titled manga beautifully. Episodes 14 to 26 of Gunlock has a great story arc and should not be missed by any Saiyuki fan. So do yourself a favor and get Reload vol 5,6,7 and Gunlock.

I wish that I could give different ratings for this DVD. The episodes themselves were great and if you're a Saiyuki fan like me, it was good to see this refreshed view of the characters. Those of us who watched the original series would be the first to admit that the animation was nothing to write home about. Thankfully the animation seemed better this time around, with more attention paid to detail (like Goyjo's haircolor - finally it's proper blood-red). The action was tight and the re-introduction of all the characters went smoothly.The storylines at first were mostly rehashing of what we'd seen in previous eposides, but they quickly improved for Episodes 3 & 4. There were quite a few humorous moments (like when Goku, Hakkai and Goyjo broke off from battle just for the chance to beat on Sanzo's dopleganger), and hopefully the plotline with continue to tighten up.I can't critique the American voice actors since I never watch the dubbed verious, but the Japanese voice actors seemed to be the same from the original serious and the subtitles were accurate.As for the DVD itself, it was more than dissapointing. I never heard of Geneon Entertainment before, but there were none of the extras that we were accustomed to seeing on the original series DVDs. I really missed the cultural notes and fold-outs that came with each DVD. For those who don't have a strong background in Asian mythology and the original text of the Journey West, the notes were very helpful in explaining some of the stuff going on and why certain things were important. The Urasai bits at the end of each episode were serious giggles, but not enough to make up for the loss of the other extras.

I love the series

The artwork was beautiful and the opening and closing songs I can probably get used to, but the voice actors are simply put, LOUSY. Especially Sanzo and Goku. I'm so used to the voice actors in the previous series that this series does not even compare. There's no personality with these voice actors. It seems as though they are reading the script without feeling or thought which makes the characters boring. I've waited so long for this series to be released only to be disappointed by the poor job done by the voice actors in this DVD. They don't hold a candle to the first series or the movie. I've got all 12 volumes of the first series and I'm in love with that particular series, but this DVD was quite a let down for me. I don't know whose idea it was to choose such unfeeling, boring voice actors, and not use the same voice actors from the first series. Geneon just ruined a very good anime series by this unjust change. I think they should give the rights to ADVfilms and let them do it right before they ruin this series beyond repair.

Saiyuki Reload Gunlock is the third series installment in the adventures of Sanzo, Goku, Gojyo, and Hakkai: four travelers on their way to India to prevent a demon resurrection. The first Saiyuki series was by far the best so far, with awesome character development and intriguing storylines. The sequel, Saiyuki Reload, paled in comparism for the most part, although it did a fairly good adaptation of the end of the manga toward the end. So far Gunlock appears to be a step up from Reload, but still not as good as the first series.The English voices are the same as Reload, and the art is very similar if not the same as Reload, as well. (Which is a shame, since the original character designs were more appealing to me.) The first episode is a filler, though, it's not a complete recap/reintroduction episode. The remaining episodes follow the story arc from the Saiyuki Reload manga volume 2. It's a faithful adaptation, although, I still feel like some of the characterizations are slightly off. It's an exciting storyline, so it's enjoyable to watch.Overall, this series is already starting out better than Reload. Hopefully the rest of the series will continue in this vein. For anyone but the most hardcore fan, don't bother with Reload. (Though, DVDs 5-7 were pretty good.) Although Kougaiji's situation from Reload trails into Gunlock, if you keep up with the manga, you should know what's going on. Instead, just start up with Gunlock.