Jan 15, 2018
As a long time Saiyuki fan, of course my review is going to be pretty biased but I thought I should at least put some good words into this latest season, especially since it’s been well over a decade since we last got to see our boys in fully animated action.
This anime was such a treat for me! The first two episodes had a pretty good start with the guys just being badass but super goofy at the same time. The punchline was pretty good and I was laughing all the way. Then, the upcoming episodes shifted into a more serious tone where we
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have the lore of our four main characters. I personally find this is a good attempt of a recap for newcomers to know more about the guys but still, I highly recommend you to watch the very first season. It spans about 50 episodes but I assure you, it will flew by quickly and by the time you’re finished with it, you’ll have a pretty good grasp on the charm of this series and its amazing characters.
Unfortunately, this latest season covers only one arc as there are not enough material from the manga that they can use due to its inconsistent releases because of the author’s health. Look it up on Google. She seriously went through a lot! At one point, I almost thought that she was gonna abandon the series because she wasn’t able to use her hand at one point.
BUT she managed to get back up and started drawing again and you can feel the same fighting spirits resonate with the characters as well. It’s quite inspiring!
Animation wise, you can tell that there’s some constraints as they had to use a lot of shaky camera movements during the fight scenes but it was still pretty decent and doesn’t affect the flow at all. The blood splattering on the screen was quite a nice touch too.
Art is pretty good and mostly consistent considering how intricate Minekura-sensei’s line is. I think the designer did a pretty good job keeping it as close as possible to the manga work. I noticed that they used a lot of orange and brown hue in most scenes which gives out a rustic feel that definitely fit the vibe of the characters and the overall premise.
Sound-wise, nothing worth noting other than the OP and the ED that are definitely meant for this series. Anything sung by GRANRODEO are definitely hype-worthy and it does a pretty good job to make the viewer excited. The ED was surprisingly good as well. The rock vibe and the slightly rough but clear tone from the vocal was nice to listen to after every episode ends. The VAs for the four MCs are amazing as always and really brings the character to life. Their monologues especially will immediately put you in their shoes and successfully build the empathy for the characters.
The characters are the biggest drawer of the series. I love how each character has their eccentric traits that are polar opposites of each other and yet their friendship and chemistry still remains tight. Surprisingly, this season also features a well-rounded side characters who actually play a bigger role in the overall arc instead of just being the igniter for the plot to move.
Overall, I really enjoyed Saiyuki Reload Blast. As a fan, it had things that I’ve been missing out from a long time ago. Characters that you can laugh and empathize with, backstory that will bring tears to your eyes, OP and ED you can sing along and fanservice that you can enjoy. While it may not gain the popularity of how the current generation of anime fans work right now, it certainly holds a special place to its fan.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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