Every once in a while a DVD turns up and there isn't an ideal candidate to review it.  We like to try to write up everything that gets submitted to DVD Talk, so one of the reviewers bites the bullet and does the best that they can.  This is one of those instances.  For some reason Geneon didn't send out the first two volumes of Saiyuki Reload to us here, so when #3 showed up no one was really sure what to do.  Since I'm currently reviewing the Saiyuki reissue (the Double Barrel Collection) I decided that I'd jump ahead and see what this sequel series had to offer.

I needn't have worried about being confused.  Jumping in half way through, even without seeing the entire first series, I could understand what was going on without any problem.  This series plays just like the original Saiyuki: The monk Sanzo leads his group across the countryside in pursuit of the king of the demons who is about to be resurrected.  The situations and jokes are almost identical to the plots and gags in the first series too.  These shows are episodic in nature so missing a couple (dozen) episodes shouldn't throw you.

The four episodes on this disc kick off with a fairly standard type show for the series.  The group arrives at a town in the middle of the desert.  They have a limited supply of water, and when Sanzo and company are allowed in, they find that they survive in this harsh environment by following a strict set of rules that the governor enforces.  Of course the group doesn't like this fascist-type society where personal liberties are limited in order for the whole community to survive and they set about changing it.  Needless to say, there are some monsters running around that need a good smack-down, which Sanzo et al are more than happy to administer.

Goku features prominently in the other three episodes on this disc.  First the other members of the group convince him that Sanzo is turning into a demon.  He isn't, of course, but they give the gullible Goku some very general signs to look for and the young monkey demon falls for it hook, line, and sinker.  Next he and the hyperkinetic Lirin have an episode to themselves, mostly.  Lirin comes across a pair of orphans who have left an offering to their dead mother at a shrine.  They are contacted that night by their parent and she tells them that she can come back to life if they can steal Sanzo's scripture.

The disc ends up with another Goku episode where he's lost in the forest.  He meets a nice little girl who takes him home, but there is something strange about her parents.

Even though this is an episodic series, I was hoping for a little more plot developement between the middle of the first show and the middle of the sequel.  I'm sure that there were things that happened that I missed, but you could plop these episodes into the first series and no one would bat an eye.

The animation to this show was a little inferior to the work that was done on the first show.  I wasn't a huge fan of the original Saiyuki's art, but the sequel isn't as smooth and flowing as the other show.  This isn't really a big deal though.  If you enjoyed Saiyuki, Saiyuki Reload should please you too.

Audio:

This DVD has both the original Japanese soundtrack and an English dub, both in stereo.  I was surprised that the dub track wasn't in 5.1 like the first series was.  In any case I alternated language tracks as I watched the show, and enjoyed the Japanese track a bit more.  The English dub was fine, there really wasn't anything wrong with it, but I felt that the Japanese voices sounded better coming from the characters than the English ones.  Both dubs sounded good, with no hiss of distortion being present.

Video:

Like the earlier series, the full frame video quality was about average for a recent show.  There was some aliasing, but the colors were bright and the image was sharp.  A solid transfer that fits the show well.

Extras:

This disc also includes a series of TV commercials for the show and previews for other Geneon DVDs.

Final Thoughts:

If you've seen any of the original Saiyuki series, this follow-up series is just more of the same.  The plots are similar, the humor is identical, heck they even keep the same running gags going throughout this show.  If you enjoyed the first, chances are you'll like this too.  I'm growing a little tired of the concept by now though.  I'd say that this would make a good rental.