Saiyuki started off in one of the Square-Enix mags (G-fantasy, I think), which had a heavier guy-slant, but I'd call everything in Zero Sum action-fantasy ideally targeting a unisex audience, but in reality leaning more towards the girl end of the spectrum.
But if you held Sanzo's gun to my head and made me pick one of those four categories, I'd say shojo.
I have no clue, although it is my strong suspicion that Minekura's phenomenal aesthetic of the male body is probably not aimed at men (gay or straight) or children.
I agree with this. I read it as shoujo sort of written like shounen (poss. because of the source story), and was very surprised to find that it wasn't written by a woman (primarily) for girls.
At the risk of succumbing to sterostypes, I think it's too focused on emotions to really be considered shounen. But it's definitely not the sort of thing that fits neatly into the typical shoujo catergory. While I strongly suspect more women than men would be into the series, calling it shojou makes me cringe. I dunno. Could go with either, I guess.
I'm dissapoint it with Saiyuki's road (Gunlock). The story has starting to become repeatitive, lost "its" track, and it's becoming a Dragon Ball session without Kamehamehaaaaaaaaaaa. Whatever happened with that seconf plot with [insert name of Son Goku friend in the heavens that was an extraordinaire warrior]? Whatever happen with Dr. Ni being that faithless Sanzo? Whatever happened with Gyomaoh (I think I am mispelling it?
It's now all the four guys going from town to town killing demons, saving villagers in the most "unispired" cheezy sub-stories ever invented.....yawwwnnnn....very dissapointing
Yeah, but that's the anime, not the manga. A lot of anime (not just Saiyuki!) are 90% filler because anime studios like to strike while the iron is hot and make the stuff available on TV while people are still reading the manga...which often means starting when the manga isn't even finished yet. The whole second half of Gensomaden (the Homura story arc) doesn't even really take place in the manga...
I'm not sure I could call it shoujo. I wouldn't say that it's for guys, either, but when I think of shoujo, I think of girlier stuff than this. The comment above about "shoujo written like shounen" seems about as close as one could probably get, or even "shounen written like shoujo." There's too much emphasis on emotion and intercharacter relationships for it to be strictly something like shounen, but there's too much testosterone for shoujo. I dunno. The way I describe the series is different to different people. If I'm trying to sell girls on it, I say "four hot guys go west in a jeep." If I'm trying to sell guys on it, "four guys go west in a jeep and kick demons' asses along the way."
It is a strange hybrid. We need a new word. I propose "shouno."
Does it have to be shounen just 'cause it's kickass? Out of any of the 'real' categories that seems to be winning on the poll... but I wonder. Let's subject it to my shounen-o-meter!
The important thing to remember is: Shounen themes may vary, but the building blocks are always 1)Shoubu 2)Seichou 3)Nakama! That is, Fights, Getting Stronger, and Nakama!
To what degree does Saiyuuki build on these?
There certainly are lots of fights. But more often than not, the fights aren't the stage of the real action, more an excuse to kick the story in that direction. (I.e., youkai horde of the week jumps from the woodwork to get slaughtered, but in the process the ikkou are washed away in the river, etc.)
Traditional shounen shoubu require a series of progressively harder fights with various opponents, building up to the Ultimate Showdown where the two strongest characters square off! With their two strongest techniques, which are equal in strength, causing stalemate until protagonist-kun realizes he must Get Stronger for his Nakama-!! ................ I can't think of any arc fitting that description in Saiyuuki. The really big fights are usually against the same set of people, Kougaiji&co. Boss fights don't tend to be built up to with a bunch of smaller ones. There has never been an Ultimate Technique Showdown stalemate. It's unclear who in the ikkou is the strongest fighter (Sanzou is most decisive, but physically by far the weakest).
But most importantly, "getting stronger for your nakama" as a reason for winning the fight, or taking one more step, or continuing to live, has been categorically rejected by every single main character, not once but over and over. This draws the line for me: Saiyuuki is not shounen.
In content (the gore, the moralities, the Attitude), Saiyuuki rates as seinen. In theme and method, there's absolutely no doubt that it is written with fangirls in mind. (Minekura's pen name is sneaky, but she is a woman.) That deliberate appeal might make it josei, but I'm afraid I have absolutely no idea what josei manga consists of.
So in one light it's seinen, in one light it's shoujo; for now, can we call it a damn good chimera? At its level, placing it in one or the other category for marketing purposes would be counterproductive. One shouldn't get too attached to genres. Genres can interbreed, and have. Saiyuuki's not the only example of that.
Ok, you don't know me, but I read a lot of saiyuki liking peoples' friends pages, and I couldn't resist your poll.
I'm currently in Japan and recently bought Saiyuki manga at the bookstore (and looked for it at other manga selling places). Saiyuki tends to be classified in the "Other" section (その他）. The not shounen, not shojo, not even josei or seinen (which in one store seinen included Loveless oohh). If booksellers don't want to classify it, I don't think we have to either. It obviously appeals to many different types of people.
Just like derjmeister says, don't judge the manga by the anime! They're worlds apart in style, tone, and story. (And Gunlock is tolerable only in the bad HK subs where the horrible English can entertain you while you twitch at the animation and writing.)
Yeah...I should have noticed that the poll talked about the manga and not the anime. I still like the manga. Yeah, the English dub is pretty awful since Reload when they changed Sanzo voice with Sanosuke (Rurouni Kenshin)....every time Sanzo speaks I CANNOT avoid t to think that Son Goku will pounce at anytime with his Kyobi using the hitten mitsurugi style….
In Saiyuki, the manga and the anime are going in two opposite directions.
I can't think of any shoujo that Saiyuki is even remotely similar to except maybe X/1999. OTOH, it does share some similarities with Bleach, Naruto, GetBackers, and Tales of Symphonia, all of which are shounen...
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But if you held Sanzo's gun to my head and made me pick one of those four categories, I'd say shojo.
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And mango-flavored Sanzo is the Ultimate Answer of Ultimate Destiny!
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It's now all the four guys going from town to town killing demons, saving villagers in the most "unispired" cheezy sub-stories ever invented.....yawwwnnnn....very dissapointing
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It is a strange hybrid. We need a new word. I propose "shouno."
Not sure what is, but it ain't shounen.
The important thing to remember is:
Shounen themes may vary, but the building blocks are always 1)Shoubu 2)Seichou 3)Nakama!
That is, Fights, Getting Stronger, and Nakama!
To what degree does Saiyuuki build on these?
There certainly are lots of fights. But more often than not, the fights aren't the stage of the real action, more an excuse to kick the story in that direction. (I.e., youkai horde of the week jumps from the woodwork to get slaughtered, but in the process the ikkou are washed away in the river, etc.)
Traditional shounen shoubu require a series of progressively harder fights with various opponents, building up to the Ultimate Showdown where the two strongest characters square off! With their two strongest techniques, which are equal in strength, causing stalemate until protagonist-kun realizes he must Get Stronger for his Nakama-!!
................
I can't think of any arc fitting that description in Saiyuuki. The really big fights are usually against the same set of people, Kougaiji&co. Boss fights don't tend to be built up to with a bunch of smaller ones. There has never been an Ultimate Technique Showdown stalemate. It's unclear who in the ikkou is the strongest fighter (Sanzou is most decisive, but physically by far the weakest).
But most importantly, "getting stronger for your nakama" as a reason for winning the fight, or taking one more step, or continuing to live, has been categorically rejected by every single main character, not once but over and over. This draws the line for me: Saiyuuki is not shounen.
In content (the gore, the moralities, the Attitude), Saiyuuki rates as seinen. In theme and method, there's absolutely no doubt that it is written with fangirls in mind. (Minekura's pen name is sneaky, but she is a woman.) That deliberate appeal might make it josei, but I'm afraid I have absolutely no idea what josei manga consists of.
So in one light it's seinen, in one light it's shoujo; for now, can we call it a damn good chimera? At its level, placing it in one or the other category for marketing purposes would be counterproductive. One shouldn't get too attached to genres. Genres can interbreed, and have. Saiyuuki's not the only example of that.
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I'm currently in Japan and recently bought Saiyuki manga at the bookstore (and looked for it at other manga selling places). Saiyuki tends to be classified in the "Other" section (その他）. The not shounen, not shojo, not even josei or seinen (which in one store seinen included Loveless oohh). If booksellers don't want to classify it, I don't think we have to either. It obviously appeals to many different types of people.
(Hope you don't mind me answering).
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An entire season of more or less filler... yet it's surprisingly good...
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Not at all! :D (Especially since you've got something approximating hard data. XD)
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In Saiyuki, the manga and the anime are going in two opposite directions.
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Re: Not sure what is, but it ain't shounen.
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http://matt-thorn.com/shoujo_manga/whatisandisnt.html
He has some pretty interesting stuff on the rest of his site as well...