Anime In-Jokes: Saiyuki Edition

So a monk, a pig, and a monkey walk into a temple…

Seriously though, this isn’t the opening to a bad joke. This is the premise of an ancient Chinese novel Journey to the West, which has permeated not only Japanese culture, but its entertainment as well. Many Westerners sit blindly as references to the Merciful Goddess and Ox King are thrown at them, and are left none the wiser.

Journey to the West is such an integral part of Japanese storytelling that it formed the basis for such hit shows as Dragonball, Gensomaden Saiyuki (as well as its sequels), Patarillo Saiyuki! and more.[1] It was even the basis of the plot of Jet Li and Jackie Chan’s film The Forbidden Kingdom. References to The Journey to the West have been used in a tremendous variety of anime including: Yu Yu Hakusho, Read or Die, Lupin III Digimon Savers, and Love Hina.

The story of Journey to the West or X?yóujì, or (in Japanese) Saiyuki lived via multiple oral legends until it was compiled and published in 1590. Around that time, Japan was busy trying to conquer China, Korea and even India, and managed to loot a few important things like art, culture, and Journey to the West.[2]

Journey to the West takes place during the Tang Dynasty where a fictional high holy Buddhist monk, Xuanzang (Genjo Sanzo), undertakes a dangerous journey from China to India in order to study Buddhism at its root and attain Buddhist texts called sutras. He, being a holy man, does not believe in violence, so he has three supernatural companions kick butt for him.

These companions are Zhu Bajie, a greedy pig-faced demon, Sha Wujing, a river monster whose ugliness makes girls faint, and Son Wukong (Son Goku), a mischievous monkey king who gets the first seven chapters devoted to him even before the main protagonist gets mentioned.

The Merciful Goddess is a Bodhisattva who plays a key role through the events of Journey to the West. It is through her power that Xuanzang converts demons that assist him on his journey.[3] Because of her mercy he and his companions travels safely from China to India and back over the course of fourteen years.[4]

When Akira Toriyama wrote Dragonball, he kept Goku’s name and several elements related to him: the monkey-features, the Nyoi-bo (extendable staff) and a nimbus cloud, based off a cloud mentioned in the novel.[5] Little of Toriyama’s Goku wit remained, however, as his version of Goku was childlike and innocent. Both versions of Goku did go through a transformation from bloodthirsty to…. well, less bloodthirsty.

In Dragonball the role of the monk was surprisingly given to Bulma. Bulma and Xuanzang (Sanzo) were both the helpless human protagonists of their stories and had to boss around their less-reserved companions. And Oolong was, of course, the pig.

Kazuya Minekura’s Gensomaden Saiyuki is a direct parody of the actual novel itself. The kanji for Journey to the West can also be interpreted as “Journey to the Max,” so she made sure to flip all of the characters’ personalities (and make them hotter, for your viewing pleasure). Sanzo became a foul-mouthed, beer-drinking, hot-headed, smoking, gambling, trigger-happy monk. Goku was reduced to acting like a child with ever-lasting hunger, and Gojyo, who was the ugly-as-sin river monster in the original legend, now seduced women them with his red-haired goodness. The only polite and decently behaved character in the mix is the pig-demon Hakkai who was no longer a pig, but definitely kickass. He’s like a pot set on a fire, and you know he’s going to boil over, but you just don’t know when. For now, he’s pleasantly simmering with a cheerful smile always in place.[6]

Gensomaden Saiyuki details the journey of these four holy misfits as they attempt to stop the resurrection of Gyumaoh as demons around them go stark-raving mad. Also a running gag is that because the four holy men are so out-of-character, none of the commoners believe they’re really the holy quartet until they prove their power. Plus they carry weapons and ride around in a jeep.

You heard me: jeep. In the original legend, a dragon prince was forced to turn into a horse for Sanzo to ride. Minekura decided to give them a cushier ride for the trip, I guess. Throughout their journey, they continuously encounter the same group of four demons while the rest of society gets plagued with some sort of sickness that turns mild-mannered demons into rampaging murderers. Sanzo and company are out to put an end to this madness and stop Gyumaoh once and for all. Oh, yeah. And sutras are bondage weapons, the Gods have credit cards and the Merciful Goddess isn’t entirely…. female.

Patarillo Saiyuki! is a much softer re-examination of the legend, starring the cast of Patarillo! Sanzo is by far the most in-character, as he is dainty, helpless, easily deceived and out to survive. The only concern is that this is a spinoff of Patarillo! – one of the first yaoi-anime.[7] The original show even had m-preg. I like a good yaoi just as much as the next person, but when you start impregnating monks, I get a bit wary.

Patarillo (the character) stays pretty much the same as always: chibi and mischievous. He, of course, plays Goku in this series and manages to antagonize the rather prissy Sanzo, portrayed by Mariach in the original series, on a constant basis. Bancouran the “Bishounen Killer” (known for seducing everything with a Y-chromosome within 100 yards) makes several inexplicable appearances, leaving our dainty monk less… holy… several times. Each episode is graciously only 10 minutes long, and has an extremely girly/catchy opening theme song, so you know what you’re tuning in for.

So, according to my explanation, The Journey to the West is about four furries gathering dragon balls and getting pregnant while eating a lot and hitting on people of questionable gender-orientation, right? Well, at least you’re on the right track, guys. Happy viewing.

Pokemon Tournament Rules

Welcome to the first ever Pokemon tournament hosted by 91.8 The Fan. Let me introduce myself; my name is Chris, but you can just call me professor; I will be your tournament director. As tournament director I will be taking care of everything involving the tournament specifically, so if you have any comments, questions or concerns, please feel free to send me a PM on the Forums. Following this introduction is a list of rules that must be followed at all times by all entrants. Please read everything, and enjoy!

Basic Rules
Pokemon

• There are eighteen unusable Pokemon as outlined by the Battle Tower rules
• Each party will be made up of six individual Pokemon. No duplicates allowed!
• All Pokemon are to be auto-leveled to 50

Moves

• Absolutely no one-hit KO moves allowed (Fissure, Horn Drill, Guillotine, Sheer Cold)
• There are four additional banned moves: Double Team, Minimize, Sand-Attack, and Smokescreen.

Items

• All hold items are allowed
• Each Pokemon may hold an individual item. No two Pokemon may hold the same item

Tournament System
Setup

• Tournament is open to all of the fourth generation games
• Tournament will be done in a double elimination bracket
• All first round match-ups will be decided completely at random
• All battles are single battles
• Tournament will begin on March 17th and end on March 21st

Registration

• Registration will open on March 10th, when it does both the forum topic and this post will be updated with a submission forum.
• Registration is open to any members of the 91.8 community who have signed up on the forums. This includes all staff members!

Battle Conclusion

• At the end of each battle, the winner is to send a Personal Message to the Tournament Director stating that the outcome of the match. This Personal Message will be forwarded to the loser who must reply saying they accept, thus making the match officially concluded.
• Each round will have a set date and time in which it MUST be completed. If the match is not completed on time, the offending member will be subject to disqualification.

Banned Pokemon
The following list of Pokemon may not be used in the tournament.

• Mewto
• Mew
• Lugia
• Ho-oh
• Celebi
• Kyogre
• Groudon
• Rayquaza
• Jirachi
• Deoxys
• Dialga
• Palkia
• Giratina
• Phione
• Manaphy
• Darkrai
• Shaymin
• Arceus
• Wobuffet

Please note: Any member who breaks the tournament rules, or rules of the forums will be subject to removal of the tournament without warning. These rules will be enforced with a no excuse policy.

And there you have it Fanatics! A full list of rules you are encouraged to review and know upon registering for the tournament. But while you’re doing that, why not check out these suggestions I’ve put together for you before you embark on your quest for victory.

1. Know your Pokemon! Use a team with variety so you can compete with the many different types throughout the Tournament
2. Test your wi-fi connection beforehand! This is an important one, because if you cannot connect to your opponent, you will have to be removed from the Tournament!
3. If you feel a member has broken any of the rules, please send me a Personal Message including all the details you have regarding the issue and it will be dealt with accordingly.
4. Have fun! Don’t be a sore loser. Even if you lose, congratulate your opponent on the win! It’s a friendly tournament that we are all meant to enjoy!

Well Fanatics, that’s all I’ve got for you! Now that you’ve reached this point, you are all ready to pit your Pokemon against other Pokemon in a battle for the ages! I wish you luck in your quest to become champion!

Good luck and have fun!
(Professor) Chris

FAQ

• Is there a prize?

I’m glad you asked! Thanks to GameTag stores, the winner of the winner’s bracket will receive their choice of either Pokemon: Heart Gold or Pokemon: Soul Silver!

• What does Double Elimination mean?

Double Elimination means that if you lose your match-up in the first bracket, you have another chance in the loser’s bracket! The winner of the loser’s bracket get’s which ever version of the game the winner of the winner’s bracket didn’t take.

• What happens after the winners of the two brackets are announced?

We have them battle it out to decide the champion of the first ever Pokemon Tournament on 91.8 The Fan of course! What’s better than a prize AND bragging rights?!

• Who came up with these rules?

Believe me, my curious little friend! These rules have been discussed and specially tailored over the past couple months to suit and please as many people as possible! I owe many thanks to all the staff for making this possible.

• Can my friend join?

If you have a friend who would enjoy all of the beneficial, fun and exciting features we offer here at 91.8 The Fan, tell them to come join up! Have them introduce themselves and have them contribute positively to the community, and they are free to join us!

Sign Up Here!