Mmm. Saiyuki. This series reminds me of Weiss Kreuz to some degree -- four handsome men on a mission, each with angsty pasts. However, Saiyuki does right what Weiss does wrong. The characters handle their angst well. While their pasts definitely color the way they see the present, they don't wallow in their misery. It doesn't hurt that they are, like all good anime characters, fairly handsome.
AOARASHI/MEGALO MANIA/SYRIA
Title: Kai-Kou-Hen-Shou
Size: B5
Published: 8/11/01
Pages: 36
Novel: No
Rating: Shonen-ai
Pairing: Kenren x Tenpou
Several random Gaiden stories about Kenren and Tenpou. Not much plot that I could pick out, but there is an amusing shot of Kenren and Tenpou wearing Pokemon shirts.
Title: Tender Poison
Size: B5
Published: 8/26/01
Pages: 24
Novel: No
Rating: Shonen-ai
Pairing: Hakkai x Gokuu
Just some fluffy sweetness as Hakkai wins over Gokuu with hand-holding, tender kisses, all those things that guys never really do. No one's that sweet, not even Hakkai. While the art in this is very sweet (this circle is apparently popular for its FF7 work), half the doujinshi was a bunch of advertisements... Feh, I'd rather see some more yaoi-action between my boys, even if I'm not a fan of Hakkai x Gokuu.
MIZUTO SUGISAKI
Title: Phantom
Size: B5
Published: 5/6/01
Pages: 24
Novel: No
Rating: Shonen-ai
Pairing: Gojyo x Hakkai
This plot is hard to figure... Gojyo and Hakkai are arguing, then they're snuggling, then one or the other is flashing back to the time when, three years ago, Gojyo harbored the fugitive Cho Gonou in his little apartment. There's a bunch of blood, and it looks like Gonou stabs Gojyo. Aah, but there is light at the end of the tunnel, with the words: 'To Be Continude.' Mmm. Nude...
UNKNOWN CIRCLE
Title: Wild Rush
Size: B5
Published: 6/25/00
Pages: 38
Novel: 8 pages
Rating: Shonen-ai
Pairing: Sanzo x Gokuu, picture of Gojyo x Hakkai
Sanzo is drying Gokuu's hair, and his youryoku limiter falls off. Gokuu reverts to his youkai form and proceeds to pound on Sanzo. At some point, they hug each other, and at the end, Sanzo is seen nekkid in bed, covered in scratches and bruises, and looking disgruntled, while Gokuu sleeps on nice and peacefully.
Title: Do It!
Size: B5
Published: 6/24/01
Pages: 22
Novel: No
Rating: Shonen-ai? Maybe... Also brief het content
Pairing: There's a hint of Hakkai x Sanzo, but I'm not completely certain. Also
flashes back to Hakkai x Kanan
Looks as if Vespa/TDL of Gundam Wing fame also does Saiyuki doujinshi... Not that I'm complaining. This doujinshi is a little difficult to follow. There are a lot of gags, and I'm also not familiar with a lot of the Saiyuki plotline, having only seen 9 episodes so far. In one story, Hakkai is cooking for Gokuu (fruitless task, that), and he is reminded of a time when he was cooking for his now-deceased wife. Another story centers around Sanzo and Hakkai, who are sitting down for dinner when Gojyo and Gokuu burst in, fighting as usual. Sanzo, of course, threatens them with bodily harm using both his gun and his trademark paper fan. In the end, Hakkai appears to calm Sanzo by rubbing his back.
Title: Sin
Size: B5
Published: 8/11/01
Pages: 42
Novel: No
Rating: Possibly shonen-ai
Pairing: Again, hints of Hakkai x Sanzo, but nothing definite.
Again, I wish I knew Japanese, because this one is even more difficult to follow than Do It! More gags, one of which centers around Chin Iisou. Another story shows Hakkai and Sanzo talking, with lots of swirly things interspersed between panels. It appears that as Sanzo sits with his back to a tree trying to read a newspaper (and glaring at Hakkai most of the time), Hakkai is ... doing laundry? I don't know if I get it.
