Written by Masako
It's a story that most anime aficionados know well or at least are aware of. The tale of a Buddhist monk and his friends on their quest westwards to find precious scrolls to take back to their empire. That story is Saiyuki, known in English as
Journey to the West.
To most people, that is pretty much all they know about the story. It's not something that is given much thought to western minds despite the fact it has west in the title. But I jest! The
tale of Saiyuki is a common occurrence within anime. These instances could range from the simple acknowledgment of the characters or narrative to full-blown adaptations, most notably (albeit loosely) by Akira Toriyama and the Dragonball franchise. However, what is it that makes this story so appealing to anime directors and manga-ka? To understand that, it's best to get a better understanding of the original story.
Saiyuki (Xi You Ji in its native Chinese) is one of the
Four Great Classical Novels in Chinese literature penned by the scholar Wu Cheng'en. It plots the pilgrimage of the Buddhist monk Xuanzang to India in order to retreive ancient sutras (ancient texts of the buddhist religion) for the Tang dynasty. Over the course of the adventure, Xuanzang gains disciples who aid him in his journey as a way to wash themselves of their sinful origins and pasttimes.
As the story progresses, they encounter mythical creatures and powerful enemies which help entice the reader as well as the characters. What makes
Xi You Ji so prominent in Asian media is that it's more than just a documentation of a trip. It's one of the earliest examples in narratives that the journey is as, if not more, memorable than the destination. Not only that, the very fact that they're heading for India denotes the religious significance of their quest and the treasured end result. Because of this, it's held a place within writers' hearts.
One of the more memorable and extensive bastions of this ancient tale would be the anime
Gensomaden Saiyuki by Kazuya Minekura. True, there may be more accurate and loyal re-tellings of Wu Cheng'en's original story, but Minekura's vision of Xi You Ji is by far the most popular with modern audiences. Why is that? It can't be for its faithfulness to the original text because I don't remember Xuanzang (known as Sanzo in the anime) being a gun-wielding bad ass with a penchant for slaying demons...besides, I thought Buddhist monks were meant to be peaceful individuals!
Minekura's liberties with the characters and their personalities are obvious when compared to the original; but despite this, the story is still basically the same: four guys heading west towards a common goal...except instead of ancient scrolls, it's to stop an all-powerful demon and his cronies from taking over the world. (Where have we heard that before?)
Minekura could be accused of sensationalizing an important historical text, but it's not like she was intentionally setting out to trash a four hundred year old novel with modern cliches that would do nothing but to sanitize and conform. She has managed to build up well-rounded characters who are neither truly good or evil, who have their own quirks and vices. The villains within
Gensomaden Saiyuki are not entirely dedicated to destroying; they too are besotted with tough decisions that mean a lot to them personally – and for that, it's possible to forgive Minekura's '180' attitude to the character of Xuanzang.
Gensomaden Saiyuki is one of various re-imaginings of Xi You Ji that has penetrated the modern audience and established a place within the anime world. Already popular anime such as Doraemon and Love Hina have dedicated entire episodes using their own characters as facsimiles of the original ones. The fact that these shows pay homage to such a classic script show how such a simple story can transcend more elaborate titles and attain the status of 'timeless'. Who needs Harry Potter when you got Journey to the West? There are no unwelcome plot twists in the latter I can tell you that!
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