English Dub Review: Saiyuki Reload Blast “A Chance Encounter”

Hello, Nataku. What brings you he- EVERYBODY DUCK!

Overview (Spoilers)

The battle for the Kouten scriptures is heating up. That wasn’t intended as a pun. But yeah, fireballs are being thrown. In one of the smaller villages, Goku fights against an illusionist. The illusionist isn’t doing so hot because no matter what he hits Goku with, the kid just accepts it and keeps on trucking. The best hit he gets is forcing Goku back to the mountain prison in his mind. His big mistake was gloating. As soon as he reminds Goku about Genjo, the little monkey breaks free of the enchantment and makes the demon do an impersonation of Team Rocket. What? I watched the first season of Pokemon when it was new. Get off my back. Anyways, back with Genjo, he’s barely holding his own without the use of the Maten Scripture. Just as it seems things are going to get out of hand for him, a mysterious doll-boy appears and lays into the enemy. Dokugakuji shields Kougaji, but the fight is over in no time flat. Goku arrives just in time to see the newcomer leave… strange, Goku was going to call him something…

This episode also marks the end of the road for a character we’ve known since the series began. Dokugakuji does not seem to survive Nataku’s attack, but his death throes are powerful. While in the previous episode, we discovered the Dokugakuji was Gojyo’s brother, this episode completes that arc. He had abandoned Gojyo after murdering his own mother to protect the boy and was haunted by his choice ever since. Having been there to protect Kougaji in these final moments of his life absolves him from his guilt of not being there for Gojyo. That imperceptible bond between them snaps as he dies, and the younger brother realizes something is wrong but doesn’t know what. It’s a great scene and a good way for a supporting character to go out. Wondering how much of this story is symbolized by his name, I went looking. Kazuya Minekura used some interesting kanji for Dokugakuji’s name, and it’s a bit tough to translate. At first glance, it sounds like it means Poison Picture Child, but the Doku isn’t written with the kanji for poison. The name is literally spelled as Germany Bishop Child, but that Germany is used in many expressions to mean “alone” or “by one’s self”. It speaks of willpower and volition. This is a name he chose for himself when he came into Kougaji’s service, so it has to mean for him. It may mean that he has chosen of his own will to be Kougaji’s Bishop. And yes, that Bishop is a reference to chess. He isn’t saying he’s his master’s right hand, but he knows he has power, and will always be near his master’s side. He’s even willing to be sacrificed for his master’s purposes. And he knows that Kougaji won’t sacrifice him for anything because he has to mean. How’s that for a name?

Our Take

All week long, I feel like I’ve been saying that I wish these shows would just move their plot along. To just do something other than flop around and waste my time. This episode, this show, I do not feel that way in the slightest. All of the little strings the of plot of this franchise are getting woven together here, and it feels as if we might be getting to the end of the road. It’s hard to imagine, actually. The episode keeps you moving, bouncing between Goku, Gojyo and Hakkai, and Genjo. This keeps the scenes from dragging on or losing their tension. Almost everything that happens connects to the characters’ pasts, and drives them closer together. My suspicions are that the final battle won’t be with Gyumaoh, but with Nataku. The Prince of War may well wipe out Gyokumen Koushu’s castle, and force the team to unleash Goku’s Seiten Taisei form on the doll-boy while they locate the missing scriptures.

The animation on this episode was SUPERB. Watching the silhouette of Goku taking out those demons was impressive. They kept the animation budget low by keeping the action to silhouettes, with mask effects to simulate the firelight giving them an orange lining. That way, they could have the combatants move more. We get a bit more of his experience in living in his prison, and his frustration and despair ooze out of the animation. Watching closely, you can even see tiny details like the reflection of falling snowflakes in his eyes. The death of Dokugakuji had tons of great animation to it, but the most potent was when the light went out of his eyes. It’s a small thing, but it shows how the crew held on to the style of the art and used it to their advantage.

I don’t think I heard a single voice actor in this episode I didn’t connect well with as their character. They all brought out the most in their subjects. The ones that shined the most to me were Greg Ayres (Goku), David Mantranga (Genjo), and Micah Solusod (Hakkai). Ayres has been working with Goku for a long time, and has had many opportunities to explore the prison scene. He keeps learning from it, and giving us a bit more depth in his performance each time. Mantranga’s Genjo is loaded with determination. I can tell from how he sounds that he’s hurting, but is channeling that pain into fuel for the battle. Hakkai on the other hand, is exhausted. Just as he’s always been, though, he won’t stop being mother hen for the gang, and has a deep seated worry for Gojyo. Wrapped up in that is a bunch of regret and shame. Having lost control to his demonic side once in the past, Hakkai gives us a moment to hear what it is like for someone in that state. Solusod portrays this well in his voice acting. The fear, the pain, the guilt, and moreover the worry that his best friend is about to become that. To feel that. It’s all right there in his performance. These guys are definitely pros, and there isn’t a single episode where I’ve felt these guys didn’t give it their all.

So, with the story building to its crescendo, and the scattered bits beginning to gather, Platinum Vision and Funimation aren’t slacking off. They are most definitely ready to reach the end of this season, and give it the bang it needs. Great animation, direction, and voice acting only make this episode even better. I’m tempted to give it a perfect ten, but I feel like they need to do a bit more with the animation to deserve that. Until then, they get nine strange boy-dolls out of ten.