Minekura Kazuya - Saiyuki, vol. 01-09 (Eng. trans.) (reread)

[oyceter]

Really, this is just an excuse to use my shiny new icon! Yay ikkou love! Yay Sanzo waving a gun around!

I noticed more random and fun things this time around! I adore Minekura and how she sneaks these little things in.

Comments

[coffeeandink]

- Kougaiji rescues Yaone from being taken away to Hyakugan Maoh. Imagine, in another life, she might have met Kanan!

I thought the point was that if Kougaiji hadn't rescued Yaone, she would have met Kanan's *fate*--and Hyakugan Maoh's men wouldn't have hit Hakkai and Kanan's village and Kanan wouldn't have been kidnapped. So in a sense Kou's act of kindness destroyed Kanan and Gonou's lives.

Need to run out the door but am so excited to read the rest of your post!

[flemmings]

it never even occurred to me that there might've been a situation of the Maoh going "Got a nice tasty youkai slavegirl en route to me--darn, she got taken away! Guess I'll go kidnap this human girl named Kanan instead."

As far as I can tell that seems to be someone's fanon interpretation that's not borne out anywhere in the manga. Hyakugan Maoh has a reputation for taking women, raping them and killing them (I believe the Japanese says 'eating' but it's been a while since I read the manga.)

[coffeeandink]

Hey! It is my very own cracked fanon interpretation, though I would not be at all surprised to see it elsewhere. It is the kind of cracked fanon interpretation fans come up with, after all.

I thought what was unusual about Kanan is that she was human--that Hyakugan Maoh had a reputation for keeping his depredations to youkai--but I may very well have imagined that. I will try to look for evidence for, against, or completely nonexistant when I get home.

[oyceter]

Mmmm, cracked fanon interpretations.

Damnit. You know, this means I have to reread the entire series again! How dreadful. ;)

[flemmings]

I thought... Hyakugan Maoh had a reputation for keeping his depredations to youkai

I see no mention in the manga. All Kougaiji says in v.2 is that he 'plays' (moteasobu) with beautiful women as if they were toys, and when he tires of them he eats them. Nothing about where they come from. When used in connection with a woman moteasobu has the sexual meaning of 'have one's wilful way with' ie rape, but I think it's a bit of a euphemism- Kougaiji being tactful in the presence of a woman. as well as one of Hyakugan Maoh's intended victims.

In v.4 ch 19 the villagers say to Gonou that they had no choice but to give Kanan to the youkai. 'Anta mo shitteru darou' - you probably know about x, you must have heard about x- x being 'onna kari no hyakugan maoh no ichizoku'- hyakuganmaoh's tribe that go on 'woman hunts.' The villagers here are human, meaning Hyakugan Maoh's depredations are well-known to humans as well as youkai. I took that as evidence that he preyed on humans and youkai equally.

[rachelmanija]

oyceter and I both came up with the same idea independently upon re-reading the series, so I would call it a variant interpretation rather than fanon. It went right over my head when Yaone mentions it the first time, because we've never heard of Hyakugan Maoh at the point, and when he's mentioned later as Kanan's kidnapper, I didn't recall the name. But when I re-read the series, I went, "Hey! That's the same guy! I wonder if..."

[oyceter]

Yeah, I was debating that with Rachel the other day! I thought at first it could be they were swapped, because it was probably around a similar time period, but then, I also thought maybe Hyakugan Maoh doesn't just limit himself to taking one person per... whatever time period.

Either way, it's really cool!

[boxmint]

Here's what I don't get, I say, wildly changing topics. How come Dokugakuji keeps going on and on about how much Kougaji reminds him of his brother, and that's why he became loyal to him, etc, when his actual brother is right there? I'm missing something fundamental here. Why is he sticking with the substitute when the real thing is across the way, flourishing weapons affectionately? Is it because he feels guilty about killing his mother, or what? Also, what happens after Gojyo's mother gets killed? Does Dokugakuji just waltz on out the door into exile, saying "That's the last favour I'm gonna be able to do you, kid," leaving Gojyo stricken on the floor?

[coffeeandink]

Does Dokugakuji just waltz on out the door into exile, saying "That's the last favour I'm gonna be able to do you, kid," leaving Gojyo stricken on the floor?

It is my impression that actually, yes.

I wonder who buried the body. Itty twelve-year-old Gojyo?

I have Dokugakuji issues and you have happened upon one of them. But I think also he does fling himself on his brother because (1) his crush on Kou does not involve incest, which he must consider a refreshing change; (2) he does not have to feel guilty about having failed to protect Kou from years of abuse or angry about having had to kill his mother for him, neither of which can be said of his actual brother.

I do not like Kougaiji even though he is clearly a superior person to the Sanzo ikkou in all respects except for his PARTICIPATION IN GENOCIDE.

[rachelmanija]

I just happened upon this comment now, and I have to tell you that I just spent the last two minutes laughing hysterically. Also, I think you're totally right. About everything.

[coffeeandink]

I just spent the last fifteen minutes trying to write a Hakkai/Gojyo earring-porn drabble that got, um, steadily less drabble-like and steadily more porn-like, although not, alas, steadily better. I blame you.

[rachelmanija]

Excellent, Smithers. You must post it, whatever it turns into.

[oyceter]

And the only correct response to this is: WHOO!!!!

Also: POST!!!!

[mistressrenet]

You just know Kou wouldn't be any fun at parties, either. Not that most of the Sanzo-ikkou would.

[oyceter]

Ahhh, but the Sanzo-ikkou would be fun to watch, provided that you were ok with all your furniture being destroyed and not in Sanzo's way!

I figure Kougaiji wouldn't be half so amusing.