Redeemed by an excellent Japanese vocal cast!
R.Parklane | Tokyo, Japan | 12/29/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"First, I am an ardent Saiyuki fan, be it manga or anime. I am fascinated by the 3 pretty young men and one cute monkey-boy, with their troubled pasts. And the fact that they are "misfits" tops it all. I have watched Reload Vol 6&7 in the Chinese subtitled version but with my limited knowledge of Chinese, the Geneon English version is simply a must buy for me.
Vol 5 is a solid adaptation of the Saiyuki manga but Reload DVD Vol 6 is better. But watch it in the subtitled version as the English dub is just sub-standard. I still miss the pretty lankiness of the protagonists in the manga and the artwork in Gensomaden Saiyuki. However the magnificent performance of the talented Japanese vocal cast in Vol 6 more than compensate for these weaknesses. The Japanese vocal cast captured the emotional scenes brilliantly - Hakkai quarelling with Sanzo, Goko trying to get a word in, Gojyo showing his soft side, their exciting fight with "God" and their emotional defeat. Who cares if this disc has 3 episodes. I rather they stick with the manga instead of slotting in a filler."