"Once upon a time, demons and humans got along swell. An evil force changed all that and made the demons go crazy so that they attacked, and usually killed, humans. The evil forces were trying to revive an ultra powerful demon known as Gyumaoh who had been trapped in a tomb by a combined force of humans and demons long ago. Some heavenly force has chosen Genjo Sanzo to lead a group of powerful fighters, including Son Goku, Sha Gojyo, and Cho Hakkai (each having a completely different background and powers; renegade priest, a monkey king, a lecherous water sprite, and a demon) to stop the evil plan. Along the way, they meet and defeat a variety of forces, both supernatural and otherwise, as they head west to achieve their task. None of them is a saint-they all have their vices and could be considered less_than_model citizens-so they're not like traditional characters at all. The four teammates are all troubled individuals with dark pasts full of various misdeeds and part of the show's dynamic has long been that the quest they've been sent on is partially designed to allow them a shot at redemption (even if they don't want to be saved). The resurrection of Gyumaoh has caused many of the demons that were peaceful in the past to lose control, giving the world only a small taste of what will come if the dark god is fully let loose on Earth once more."

Okay, so the Sanzo Party is traveling west towards India in order to stop the resurrection of the evil god, encountering numerous challenges along the way. As the proximity to the location increases, so does the strength of the various enemies they have to fight, making it clear that the trip is almost an exercise for them to learn to work as a team (which will be needed to give them any hope of fighting the ultimate goal of their journey). This is alluded to in small clips of the gods playing chess (a metaphor for the fate of the team) at times in the past, even stated as such openly in the dub, but at times wears thin since it comes off like the producers are simply milking the material pretty heavily to keep the money rolling in. Going strictly from the spotty number of volumes I've picked up to review in the past, I'd have to say that about 40% of them were in need of some serious work, even episodes I enjoyed, with the story taking a back seat to the diversions of the moment. It doesn't take long to figure out the dynamic of the team and where their heads are at, so unless there is something of particular interest in an episode that reveals new information (like the numerous flashbacks employed), I'd rather they start cutting to the chase (which was one of the reasons why I skipped the Reload series in the first place).

Well, the Saiyuki Reload Gunlock V1 wasn't exactly the best of the batch so far but had some merit that I enjoyed as I dove back into the series. The boxcover put it like this: "While Goku fights Kougaiji alone, Dokugakuji tells Sanzo, Gojyo and Hakkai the truth of the situation: Kougaiji has been transformed into a brutal killing machine. Goku is really in a pinch; his strength is dwindling, and it is all he can do to stay conscious. Can they get Kougaiji back to normal before this fight turns fatal? And who knew that both a board game and a beautiful woman could each prove to be more deadly than any demon?"

The next four episodes for the series were 5) Combat/The Opponent, 6) Awakening/Back, 7) Cursed Board Game/Inevitable Game, and 8) The Red Haired Woman/Stupid Woman. The first two episodes wrapped up, for now at least, the team's fight with Kougaiji. If you saw the previous volume, you'll know that he was under a spell that essentially took his higher functions away from him but enhanced his physical abilities tremendously. Goku, while protecting a newfound friend and his village from a thieving gang of demons, ended up facing him one on one in what would surely by the Ali V. Frasier fight of the series to this point. Keeping in mind that Goku, while not called the Monkey God for nothing, is extremely powerful if not all that bright, has a tendency to be underplayed by the series in most cases. His headband limits his power in order to retain his mental control which is a lot like Kougaiji's current plight (his limits are enhanced but he's a mindless killer). Initially, Goku gets thumped something good and he holds on in an attempt to wait for the cavalry in the form of his three teammates coming to the rescue. Things don't always work out the way they are planned though. The results of the battle are interesting as Goku gets hammered time and again by the demon with the others facing their own dilemma to arrive in time to face a demon of their own.

After that arc has ended, the team is back on the road in two relatively standalone episodes. The first has them stopped at an inn along the roadway where they end up in a Jumanji type board game trap. They fight the magical consequences of their playing the game with all the usual resolve and it was cute but ultimately predictable. Still, it was funny and notable for the manner in which the team handled each crisis with one turned into a tree, the group almost drowning, and a formulaic ending. That played into everyone's favorite water sprite and ladies being getting in over his head when he made a play for a redheaded hotty. I won't spoil it for you but aside from a serious ending, it also had some elements of cuteness worth checking out a few times. In all, I liked this set of episodes better than the last volume and elevated the rating up a notch to Recommended though you'll want to watch the show in order to get the most understanding from the events that transpired.

Picture: Saiyuki Reload Gunlock V2 was presented in the original 1.33:1 ratio full frame color it was produced in by director Tetsuya Endo. This being a fourth season, and also released by Geneon instead of ADV Films, I wanted to scrutinize it more thoroughly than previous volumes but it looked similar to the original run of the show. The colors looked identical and the animation style seemed just slightly different (I had to dig up one of my old copies to see if I could figure it out; the best I could come up with is there was less frames used and more of the "moving the anime cel" style than was used in the past). On the other hand, there was less of the video noise employed in these four episodes than before so that helped balance out any noticeable deficiencies. As I watched the show, it seemed like a lower budget version of the first couple of seasons; neither of which were all that advanced looking themselves.

Sound: The audio was presented with a choice between a 2.0 Dolby Digital original Japanese track or an English dub. The voice actors on the dub still sounded weird to me since I had grown accustomed to the ADV Films crew over the span of a number of reviews in Season One & Two, though they were not bad (and may also grow on me if given the chance). The audio effects on the dub were not as rich or spread out as the previous season but they fit the subject matter well enough and seemed to be a director port from the Japanese track with regard to the music and special effects. The Japanese track was, on the other hand, very similar to what took place before; from the voice actors to the audio mix. Both tracks had some measure of worth to them, so feel free to disregard the lame arguments found on web forums how terrible the dub was (or how mechanical the original track came across as being).

Extras: The only extras this time were a clean opening, a clean ending, and some trailers for other shows by Geneon.

Final Thoughts: Saiyuki Reload Gunlock V2 showed the continuing adventures of the Sanzo party as they made their way westward to India in the fourth season of the series. We all know by now that as they got closer to their goal, the power and danger of their opponents would get increasingly difficult to handle but aside from the minor threads that play on in the background, the series takes a strictly formulaic approach to the quest. How much you enjoy that formula is up to you to decide but I have to admit that while I think I'll always prefer ADV's dub cast, the show has appealed to me on several levels; I just wish some actual progress would be made (there are a few insider jokes about this in the dub that I almost didn't catch too). The minor flaws of the series aside, there was some fun on hand to enjoy as the gloves came off early and the characters got to see aspects of themselves in the final two episodes of the volume worth a couple of chuckles.

If you enjoy anime, take a look at some of the recommendations by DVD Talk's twisted cast of reviewers in their Best Of Anime 2003, Best Of Anime 2004, and Best of Anime 2005 articles or their regular column Anime Talk.