1/16-22/2005: Didja know that the Sanbutsushin's gold credit card that Sanzo uses is ANEX Card 4644 201 DDDD, with no expiration date, according to the Saiyuki RELOAD animators' reference settei?
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- 1/01-07/2006: Didja know that when Kazuya Minekura was 17, she submitted what she now calls the "pilot version" of Saiyuki (the title page is at right) to publisher Kadokawa Shoten, who printed the 24-page manga in the November 1992 issue of COMIC GENKI? After that one-shot appearance, Minekura-sensei polished the concept and characters for more than two years before bringing Saiyuki back in a series of doujinshi by her Studio Backgammon in 1995.
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- 1/29-2/04/2006: Didja know that in Minekura-sensei's Saiyuki "pilot version" manga published in 1992, transforming dragon Jeep was jeep-color (with a two-tone mane in close-ups), not all white?
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- 4/10-16/2006: Didja know there are some similarities between Banri (near right), who played a major part in Gojyo's past, and the "Nazo No Otoko" ("Man of Mystery," at far right), who's been observing the Sanzo-ikkou's progress in Saiyuki RELOAD and was featured in "Saiyuki Offroad"? Both wear round-lensed sunglasses, both are drawn with the same lines down each cheek, both smoke--and the groovy pattern on the Nazo No Otoko's headscarf and flowing coat resembles Banri's youkai marking...!
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- 5/07-6/10/2006: Didja know that, according to Zero-Sum's 50th-issue commemorative Character Data Book, Jeep's dream for the future is to become a campingcar?
- 6/11-7/15/2006: Didja know the name of the half-bunny, half-bear guide to Kami-sama's castle was Bonnie & Clyde? A stuffed toy on the outside, Bonnie & Clyde was a robot at its core, according to Saiyuubito.
- 7/16-30/2006: Didja know that Hidenori Tokuyama, who sang Gensomaden Saiyuki opening themes "For Real" and "Still Time," recently played recurring character Sou Yaguruma on TV series Kamen Rider Kabuto? Sou Yaguruma was the first Kamen Rider TheBee until the, uh, bug-thingie force behind its awesome power rejected him. Now someone else gets to be Kamen Rider TheBee. Bummer, Tokuyama-san!
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BACK TO JOURNEY TO THE REST: A Roadside Revelry in Kazuya Minekura's Saiyuki.
This page was created November 17, 2003. Last updated October 14, 2007.
This page's text and source code are copyright Kagenami Q. DO NOT REPRODUCE. 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.
1/23-29/2005: Didja know that according to the Saiyuki RELOAD animators' reference settei, the flying dragons that transport Kougaiji-tachi are related to Komodo dragons?
1/30-2/05/2005: Didja know that, while it's fun to think Hazel and Gato's names were inspired by hazel nuts and Gateau chocolate, Minekura-sensei has revealed otherwise? She says that Hazel's name--Heizeru in katakana--came from combining the slightly modified first half of Beisun (a 25-percent-alcohol barley shouchuu produced in Japan's Miyazaki prefecture; the drink has been described as smooth and fruity ;^) ) and the latter half of enzeru, the katakana spelling of "angel." The origin of Gato's name is more straightforward: It comes from Gatoringu, the katakana-ized first word of "Gatling gun."
2/13-3/05/2005: Didja know that in the opening titles for the second half of Gensomaden Saiyuki, the stylized necklace Sanzo wears in one scene depicts a dragonfly, according to a note on that scene's genga?
3/06-12/2005: Didja know that the cover of Saiyuki RELOAD tankoubon Vol. 5 will center on Hakkai, according to Minekura-sensei? The book comes out in Japan on April 25.
3/20-26/2005: Didja know that Wednesday, March 23, is Minekura-sensei's 30th birthday?
3/27-4/09/2005: Didja know that according to the Saiyuki RELOAD animators' reference settei, Sanzou uses a mostly plastic, 100-yen lighter?
4/10-5/07/2005: Didja know that Gojyo's lighter, according to the Saiyuki RELOAD animators' reference settei, is a Zippo?
5/08-14/2005: Didja know May 13 is Dokugakuji's birthday?
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5/15-21/2004: Didja know that although the design of Hazel's pendant was changed to a flower pattern for Saiyuki RELOAD GUNLOCK (as noted in the trivia fact for 9/05-11/2004), episode 13--the first episode in which Hazel appeared--was actually drawn with Hazel's pendant having its Star of David design from the manga? The flower pattern was digitally superimposed before the episode aired. The douga for episode 13 cut 252 is shown at left; at right is its colored and altered final form as broadcast. (In later episodes, Hazel's pendant was drawn either with the flower design [usually when shown at an angle] or as a blank disc over which the flower design was again digitally added.)
5/22-28/2005: Didja know Houchuu Ootsuka, the voice of Nii Jen'ii, turned 51 on May 19? In addition to his anime work, Ootsuka has a slew of live-action credits, including the Japanese-dubbed voices of Data in Star Trek: The Next Generation, Aragorn in the Lord of the Rings film trilogy, and, uh, Bob Saget's character Danny Tanner in Full House...!
5/29-6/04/2005: Didja know Souichirou Hoshi, who provides the voice of Son Gokuu, turned 33 on May 30?
6/05-11/2005: Didja know June 11 is Toshihiko Seki's birthday? Sanzo's voice actor will turn 43 this year.
6/19-25/2005: Didja know that in the two-part OVA that was Saiyuki's first anime appearance, the motorcycle ridden by nemesis Ensui is an existing bike, a Harley-Davidson Thunder Chopper?
6/26-7/02/2005: Didja know Yaone's voice actress, Yuuko Minaguchi, was born on June 26? She turns 39 this year.
7/03-09/2005: Didja know "Ken'yuu" is Nii's original name and also the first name of Zakuro's voice actor, Ken'yuu Horiuchi? (The kanji are different, but pronunciation is the same.)
7/10-16/2005: Didja know Ken'yuu Horiuchi (voice of Zakuro) and Juurouta Kosugi (voice of Dokugakuji in Saiyuki RELOAD and Saiyuki RELOAD GUNLOCK) were classmates in high school?
7/17-23/2005: Didja know that Zakuro and Star Wars' Han Solo both had their Japanese voices provided by voice actor Ken'yuu Horiuchi?
7/24-30/2005: Didja know that July 30 is the birthday of Ken'yuu Horiuchi, the voice of Zakuro? Among the other jewels in the crown of this king of seiyuu are his roles as narrator of the original Japanese version of Samurai Pizza Cats, and Lister in the Japanese dub of British SF series Red Dwarf. Best of all, he joined fellow Saiyuki villain-voicer Houchuu Ootsuka (Nii Jen'ii) in the Japanese-dubbed U.S. sitcom Full House, playing Jesse to Ootsuka's Danny! And, oh yeah, Horiuchi occasionally provides the Japanese voice for some movie guy called Brad Pitt, too...but we can forgive him that. Bow down before him on July 30!
7/31-9/03/2005: Didja know that when the last half of the Gensomaden Saiyuki TV series was in the planning stages, Homura had a different name? He was originally called Kokou (with kanji ΂Λ meaning "orphan light," not something chocolatey! ;^) ), as seen on this early model sheet by series character designer Yuuji Moriyama.
9/04-17/2005: Didja know that Hazel's last name is Grouse? In the book "Saiyuubito," Minekura-sensei explains that after she came up with Hazel's first name, she decided to continue the "bird" theme linked to Ukoku by giving Hazel the last name Grouse--after the ezo raichou, a bird which in English is called the hazel grouse.
9/18-24/2005: Didja know the TV version of Gensomaden Saiyuki's first opening theme, "FOR REAL," is actually that song's second verse?
9/25-10/22/2005: Didja know September 26 is the birthday of Kaoru Morota? She provided the voice of both Lirin and Hakuryuu in Gensomaden Saiyuki, and was born in 1971.
10/23-11/12/2005: Didja know that when Goku wound up wearing a cute kitchen apron in Saiyuki RELOAD GUNLOCK episode 11, he had his usual "relax"-wear clothes on (plus a white pair of galley boots) underneath?
11/13-19/2005: Didja know that Kanan and Houfa, the woman in Gensoumaden Saiyuki episode 23 who reminded Hakkai so much of Kanan, actually had the same face? Studio Pierrot animators for episode 23 were given a model sheet of Kanan to use when drawing Houfa.
11/20-26/2005: Didja know that Hiroya Ishimaru, who provided the voice of Chin Iisou in Gensoumaden Saiyuki, is famed in Japan as the voice of iconic giant robot pilot Kouji Kabuto (featured in Mazinger Z, Great Mazinger, Grendizer and Mazinkaiser)?
11/27-12/10/2005: Didja know Zakuro's youkai marking is on his back, according to Minekura-sensei?
12/11-17/2005: Didja know that the first studio to animate Kazuya Minekura's Saiyuki was Tokyo Kids? Tokyo Kids animated the two-part Saiyuki OVA in 1999. After that, Saiyuki went to Studio Pierrot, but Tokyo Kids is still around; their work includes the Twin Signal OVA series and such TV series as Super Milk-chan, Zoids Fuzors and this year's Gallery Fake.
12/18-24/2005: Didja know that on their company web site, Tokyo Kids claims to have animated "Gensoumaden Saiyuki"? The actual title of their 1999 two-part OVA is simply Saiyuki. (Studio Pierrot's 2000 TV series also went into production as Saiyuki, but the title was expanded to Gensoumaden Saiyuki shortly before the first episode aired--to prevent any confusion with an earlier animated adaptation of the "Journey To The West" legend titled Saiyuki, according to Gensoumaden Saiyuki character designer Yuuji Moriyama.)
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12/25-31/2005: Didja know that Hirata Data, official fan site of Gojyo voice actor Hiroaki Hirata, recently enjoyed its 2,000,000th hit?
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1/08-21/2006: Didja know Kazuya Minekura smokes two to three packs of Cabin Super Mild cigarettes a day?
3/05-4/09/2006: Didja know Gato's pair of six-shooters are each a .45-caliber Colt Bisley Model Single Action Army Revolver with 7 1/2-inch barrel? Colt produced its Bisley Model revolvers from 1894 to 1915.
4/30-5/06/2006: Didja know Zakuro's hobbies are malicious gossip and keeping a delusional diary, according to the Zero-Sum's 50th-issue commemorative Character Data Book?
7/31-8/05/2006: Didja know Toshihiko Seki, who provides Sanzo's voice, is the father of two children?
8/06-12/2006: Didja know the title of TV series Gensomaden Saiyuki was originally intended to be just Saiyuki? The show was still advertised as Saiyuki as late as March 30, 2000; its first episode aired April 4.
8/13-present: Didja know the Trivia Fact Of The Week is temporarily on hiatus, and will return when Saiyuki Reload GUNSTOCK concludes?
CONTINUE TO JOURNEY TO THE REST's 2003-2004 TRIVIA FACTS OF THE WEEK!