Out of the five summer 2017 anime series I picked up last July, the only one I’m left with watching is Welcome to the Ballroom, as I got bored
with NTR: Netsuzou Trap – dropping it
after the third or fourth episode – while the other three ended this month. I already shared my thoughts on Kakegurui and Restaurant to Another World.
And like the case with these two, the same thing was true with the
third, Saiyuki Reload Blast: I was caught off guard by its conclusion after just 12 episodes. Yep, I genuinely did not anticipate that Saiyuki Reload Blast was also ending
because the previous Saiyuki series
were never short – Gensomaden Saiyuki
had 50 episodes, Saiyuki ReLoad had
25, and Saiyiku ReLoad GunLock 26 –
and I thought that that would be the same case with it.
Saiyuki Reload Blast continues the story of Genjo Sanzo, Son Goku,
Cho Hakai, and Sha Gojyo – a.k.a. Sanzo’s Party – as they journey towards
India to stop the resurrection of the demon king Gyumaoh. As they draw closer to their destination,
demon activity becomes much more rampant and the terrain becomes more and more
difficult to travel on. But the rugged, audacious
foursome presses on – even with the increasing opposition they receive from
enemies and supposed allies alike.
If you have seen the previous Saiyuki series, then the tone, elements,
and narrative structure of this anime are very familiar. And, for fans, this is a good thing. It’s not flawless. But the bond, bickering, and badassery of its
charismatic main characters are sufficient to consistently fan enjoyment.
The only thing I felt missing is
the moving, heart-rending moments (the kind that Gensomaden Saiyuki delivered in droves, which were greatly helped
by the powerful music that the slow, piano version of “For Real” provided). It tries to give this by showing a flashback
to the four’s former incarnations in heaven, up to their tragic end. This could have worked more emphatically if there’s
a sense of freshness to it, considering that this storyline was more or less the same as that of Saiyuki Gaiden.
With only 12 episodes, it hasn’t
tremendously progressed with its core plot.
However, it delivered two awesome highlights: first, a game-changing
event, the awakening of the war god Nataku from his catatonia with no memory of
who Goku is; and, second, the introduction of Sharak Sanzo, a female Sanzo
priest who could be more appealing than Genjo Sanzo (who is probably my most favorite anime character ever).
Seriously, I would love to have a spin-off centered on Sharak.
In the end, it’s very possible
that only long-time fans will get to really find Saiyuki Reload Blast a delight.
To be honest, it doesn’t have any striking depth or technical
stylishness. But, yeah, being a
fan, I had a blast noenetheless.
Hopefully, its sequel series
would come sooner than later. And with a
satisfying number of episodes in tow.
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