Late last year, when manufacturer Epoch announced plans for a series of Gensomaden Saiyuki Trading Figures in 2003, I jumped at the chance to order a box of 12 of them... and then got sidetracked with the hyper-hectic holidays and forgot all about them. It's the first time in a long time that I forgot to mark a special Saiyuki release on the calendar-- and it made for a really nice surprise when the box arrived today!

It's also a surprise to read on the box that the series has 15 figures. When I had ordered them, all I'd known was that there were four figures (the Sanzo-ikkou) and a secret fifth, shown in silhouette and very much shaped like chibi Goku from Saiyuki Gaiden. Hard to tell much about them, detail-wise, from the prototypes that were pictured; what mainly stuck in mind is that Jeep looked very much like a Butterball turkey with wings! But hey, it can only get better from there, right? These certainly aren't going to be as highly detailed as Volks' PVC Action Statues-- but they're also, what, less than half the size of the Action Statues, and about 1/5 the price. Heck, I just think it'll be neat to have little figures of the guys to put on various flat surfaces around the apartment!

Are the 15 figures 15 different characters? That would be great, but am betting it's different versions of each of the announced five-- like, maybe full color, a metal color like bronze or gold or silver, a clear plastic version, maybe a different head or different clothes or option parts... Will find out soon, 'cause it's time now for the grand opening of the box!

Awwright! Finally finished scanning the outer box. Above at left, that square is the top of the box. It's designed to be folded in half, just above the illustration, and then stuck down into the back of the box so that just the illustration shows. The rectangle to the right of it is the outer box's front panel; most of its center area is designed to be punched out and removed to make grabbin' the goodies inside easier at stores and such. The outer box is shipped from Epoch taped shut... and now it's time to open mine!

Huh. Weird... viewed from the top, the individual boxes inside face away from the front of the outer box. Maybe so that the seller has to turn them around so that they face the front, and maybe along the way get them out of a certain order they were packed in? Hmm.

Well, just in case the outer boxes are packed in any sort of pattern, and in case it might prove to be useful, will assign each of the individual boxes a number and keep track of what figure was in each one.

Let's do the far left row first! The very top individual box in that row... box 1 in the diagram.

Oooh, snazzy box! The front has color versions of the art that's on the outer box, and also has the Pierrot sticker of authenticity. A photo of the painted figures is on the back of the individual box. Ah, it says that there are three versions each of Goku, Sanzo, Gojyo, Hakkai, and the secret figure: Original, Repaint, and Gold. One figure per individual box. The figure is PVC, its "accessories" are PVC, and the base is ABS... huh, a base for each figure! That wasn't in the photo. They're copyright 2000 Kazuya Minekura, Enix, Saiyuki Project and TV Tokyo-- the standard date and branding for "Gensomaden Saiyuki" items.

Finally, now I can open it! Oh boy oh boy oh boy...and inside is... I'm gonna guess... Gojyo. No, wait-- Sanzo. Gotta be. My Spidey sense says so! And the answer is... in a sealed opaque black plastic bag. Wow, Epoch is evil! Okay, grab the scissors-- uh, first find the scissors-- and open the bag... Sanzo! Score!

Sanzo is painted in the regular colors, so guess this is the "Original" version. Seven pieces of Sanzo, plus the base. Main body, right upper arm, right forearm with gun in hand, left arm, black hangy-down tie-thingie for the front of his belt-sashie-do, front of hair, and rest of head...aieeeee! He's looking two different directions-- it's the opposite of cross-eyed! (Cominika's Shishigami statue from Mononoke Hime has this same look...Mommy, I'm scared!) Past that, though, he's pretty darn nice. Just don't look him in the eye...!

On to the second individual box from the top in the left row--box #2 in the diagram... Oh, wait. Have got to put Sanzo somewhere-- 12 figures of this size would 'way overflow the top of my monitor! He attaches to a plain black oval base through the two pegs in his feet. Okay, he goes over on top of the left stereo speaker. (Hey, his eyes look better from a distance...!)

Okay, now on to the next. I'm betting Goku... darn black bag... and it is... the Original-color Hakkai and Jeep! In nine pieces, plus the base.

Will do Jeep first: main body, left leg, left wing, right wing... aww, his head is nice! The wings are quite nice, too. In all, Jeep is way nicer than he looked in the proto stage!

Now on to Hakkai: main body, hangy-down part of his sash, which attaches to his hip...wow, this peg will not go into that hole! Okay, trimming the peg down a bit with scissors (it was too wide and round) does the job. Onward! Right arm, left arm, head. The eye is painted nicely. Now, somehow Jeep goes onto his shoulder-- just sits on it, doesn't attach in any way. Arrgh, down fell Jeep-- eeek, the wings came off! Lost a drumstick, too... guess he is kind of like a Butterball turkey, poor li'l weej! Easy to put back together, though. Okay, if you position Hakkai's right arm with the hand up in the air ("I'm crushing your head!"), you can cram Jeep into the gap between his hand and his head. There are no doubt other, better ways to get Jeep to stay there; will have to play around with them.

On to the next individual box, two from the bottom (box #3 in the diagram). I'm gonna guess that it's another Hakkai. Here's the black bag...huh, feels mighty small inside there. It's Original-color Goku!

He's in six pieces, plus the base. Main body, shoulders and cape-thingie that snap into a gap in his back, left arm, magic stick that pegs into the left hand, and, heaven help us, his head. What is up with his pupils?! It's like someone painted eyelashes where his pupils should be (oh nooo, not the '60s!). And one is painted way over to the side, giving him a walleyed look sorta similar to the Sanzo's-- quick, scan that boy and shoo him off to Saiyuki Stereo Speaker Land, safely beyond focus! (I cut off about a third of his nyoibou in the scan, but you get the idea...)

Trivia fact: The Goku pictured on the back of the individual box is shown as being a bit bigger than he actually is. He's about shoulder-high to Hakkai. Gotta wonder about how small Gojyo looks in this photo, too-- appears to be about the same height as Sanzou.

And now, the individual box at the very bottom of the left row (box #4 in the diagram)! What do you think-- Gojou? I think maybe it's the secret figure. Let's see... feels tall. Seems to enjoy getting felt in the bag. Gotta be Gojyo! And the figure is... oops, Hakkai. And oh my! The color scheme is very similar to the normal color sceme, but wow, is it super-shaded and nice! This must be the Repaint version.

The shirt is definitely a darker shade of green than used for the Original version. There's a yellowish wash near the bottom of the shirt and on the pants, and the sash has a faint light purple wash. The monocle is also painted differently, with the frame darker than the silver lens (it's all silver on the Original version), and the eyes are nicely done. No knob problem with the hangy-sash thingie this time, too.

Meanwhile, Repaint-version Jeep has lots of nice airbrush shading! Some care was taken with this--can even tell the drumstick apart from that of the prior Jeep! This Jeep isn't much more keen about shoulder-sitting, though.

Y'know, I'm not sure the differences between the Original and Repaint versions are all that apparent in separate scans. So will put up a scan of them side by side; the Original version is on the left and Repaint version on the right.

Next, the middle row! From the top of the middle row--box #5 in the diagram--here's... jeez, I dunno. Only guessed one out of four in the first row-- so much for winning at the races with your Secret Inner Sanzou. Bet there isn't even a Gojyo in there anywhere, and I'll wake the squirrel with my wailing!

Okay, I will now make my mind go blank (like that's a challenge...)--and a stray thought thinks it's Goku. Open the box, there's the bag...feels small in the bag. Gold-looking feet down there-- it's Gold Goku! Thenkyew verramuch, thenkyew...!

Heyyy, slick--this is really nice! His nyoibou is kinda bendy, but past that, wow! The scan doesn't do him justice at all! (Interestingly, there aren't any guidelines for the eyes' pupils--guess they're just painted in free-hand in the color versions.)

Okay, time for the next one down, box #6 in the diagram. Guess? Uh, Hakkai. It's big in the bag... can I change my guess to Sanzo? S'pose not, after touching the bag. Ah well--and it's... wow, Gold Sanzou!

This is a real winner in gold! Y'know, it just struck me--he's smiling. Probably because he has a gun in his hand. Still, maybe this is his evil twin...! Anyway, once again, the scan just can't capture how nice this figure is.

On these figures, the parts that attach sometimes have some limited posability. For example, on the Sanzo, you can turn the head a bit, and swivel the arms to some degree at their shoulder attachment point.

On to box #7 in the diagram. There's still been no sign of Gojyo or the secret figure. I think Gojyo is next. ...It's gold! It's GOJYO! WOO-HOOOOO!

He's in five pieces, plus the base: main body with head attached (the others have had a separate head), left arm, right arm (the hand also pegs into the pocket), front of hair, and shakujou--which is a bit extra-bendy, as Goku's weapon was.

Oh. My. Gosh. This is such a sharp figure! I love the way he's standing, with his hair falling forward. These are not the cheapest things in the world-- 600 yen each, and for a box of 12, that's about $60 U.S.-- but mannn, I will happily eat instant ramen with this Gojyo to look at!

And yeah, when I opened that bag, I woke up the squirrel. ;^) Poor Sano!

By the way, the photo on the back of the individual box turns out to actually be pretty accurate as far as the size of the Gojyo in relation to the Sanzou. Maybe Gojyo isn't as tall as he should be because he's got his head slung forward. Well, no, the Hakkai figure is definitely taller than him at the shoulders. It's almost like the Gojyo is in a slightly smaller scale.

It would be so great to get the Gold Hakkai! Think it'll be the mystery figure next, though. So, on to the bottom individual box in the center row, box #8 in the diagram-- and it is... the Repaint-version Sanzo, to complete this set's Sanzo trifecta!

Wow, that left arm doesn't want to peg in...and jeez, am having a heck of a time getting his head on correctly. More peg-trimming... Nice paint job, though, with a darker wash over his robes! The gun is a weathered silver, rather than the matte black of the Original version. Have scanned the Original (left) and Repaint (right) versions side by side to help show the differences.

And now for the final row, over to the right! The individual box at the top (box #9 in the diagram), closest to the back of the outer box, has got to be the secret figure. Therefore, I'm guessing it's Gojyo instead! ...Nope, it's too dinky in the bag. Here it comes: the secret figure!

It is indeed chibi Goku from Saiyuki Gaiden, in three pieces plus the base: main body with head attached, right arm (the hand also pegs into the hip), and left arm. Very nicely done eyes, and the hair is light brown with a darker wash. Wonder if this is the Repaint version?

Standing a full head shorter than the regular Goku, he's the easiest of the figures to scan-- he's so narrow, he's practically 2-D compared to the others!

On to box #10, the second from the top! Repaint Gokuu, maybe. Nope, probably not-- feels mighty big in the bag... and hey, here's Original-version Gojyo!

Wonder if this is the Repaint version, though? The Repaint ones have been a little tough to put together, and that's the case here, too; those arms really did not want to go in until I trimmed the pegs a bit. His hair is a magenta/purple-ish color that's very much like the color used on many of the Gojyo doo-dads that came out in connection with the Requiem movie. But his paint job doesn't have much wash-work, although the bandages on his arms are outlined in light blue, and his boots have a tiny bit of silver... Oh. Duh-- the Original versions are what are shown on the back of the box! So he most likely is the Original version.

Two left! What could be in box #11? Repaint Goku, I think. (Gold Hakkai I hope, but it probably ain't...) Sayyy, it's pretty big in the bag. The answer is... Gojyo! OoOOooh... this has got to be the Repaint version!

Nice job on the eyes--the best in the box so far! And the hair is actually red. You could make a very general case for calling the Repaint-version Gojyo the "manga" version and the Original version the "anime" version.

His vest is a denim-blue color--unlike the dark purple-ish blue of the Original version-- and his headband is gray (the headband of the Original-version figure matches the vest). And the shaft of his still-alarmingly-bendy Big Stick is dark blue, rather than white.

So the Gojyo trifecta is complete! Who'da thunk it?! I sure hadn't dared hope!

And then there was one. Whatcha think? I think (okay, fear) Repaint Goku--although it would be too great if it was the Gold Hakkai. Y'know, I bet it's that darn secret figure again, though.

So, let's see...the bag is split, and something that sure looks like Hakkai's sash came out! IT'S THE GOLD HAKKAI!!

Man oh man, Hakkai is really sharp-looking in gold, and Jeep is, too! Happy happy happeeeeeee! (Y'know, if I had to choose one set of the three, would probably go for the Gold set. In fact, think I'm gonna bring the Gold set in to work on Monday and have 'em disrupt the Xabungle tableau on my desk shelf!)

Now, the question is, how typical was this box compared to other boxes of these figures? There were no duplicates, and that seems to indicate that Epoch is not packing them completely randomly. If that's the case, getting an unopened box of 12 would seem to give you a good chance to get a near-complete collection. (Either that, or I was just really, really lucky...)

Here's hoping Epoch will think about doing a second Gensomaden Saiyuki set!

BACK TO JOURNEY TO THE REST: A Roadside Revelry in Saiyuuki and Its Doujinshi.

This page was created March 21, 2003. Last updated September 17, 2007.

This page's text and source code are copyright Kagenami Q. DO NOT USE WITHOUT PERMISSION. Saiyuki, Saiyuki Gaiden and Saiyuki RELOAD are copyright Kazuya Minekura/Ichijinsha; Gensomaden Saiyuki is copyright Kazuya Minekura/Issaisha, Saiyuki Project and TV Tokyo 2000; the Saiyuki RELOAD anime is copyright Kazuya Minekura/Issaisha, TV Tokyo, Dentsu and Pierrot 2003; Saiyuki RELOAD GUNLOCK is copyright Kazuya Minekura/Issaisha, TV Tokyo, Dentsu and Pierrot 2004. All images are copyright their respective artists and creators. No copyright infringement is intended or implied.