Gensomaden Saiyuki

Reception

Gensomaden Saiyuki took home the Anime Grand Prix Award from Animage magazine in 2000, with Genjo Sanzo also winning the Best Male Character category. The following January, Animage ranked it second on its list of the 100 most important anime ever published. In August 2001, Newtype magazine placed the series ninth among its top-ten anime, and Sanzo sixth among top-ten male characters. By May 2002, Animage readers had voted it fourth in a poll of the best anime from 2001. According to the website Animaxis in October 2004, the Saiyuki anime had become extremely popular with young Japanese women. TV Asahi conducted a nationwide survey in September 2005 that put Saiyuki at 96th on its Top 100 Anime; a similar poll in October 2006 saw it rise to 24th. Another TV Asahi poll in 2007 ranked Gensomaden Saiyuki as the 27th most appreciated anime in Japan. In August 2020, Goo Ranking listed it eighth among the most popular anime that debuted in the previous 20 years. Comic Book Resources’ Cheyenne Wiseman ranked it ninth on a list of the ten best anime based on novels in March 2022. Sage Ashford of the same site wrote that the series still looks fresh after two decades and offers a new take on the journey to the west. Enoch Lau of THEM Anime Reviews gave it three out of five stars, calling it a low-budget but entertaining and fun presentation that mixes mythology and religion beyond recognition. TheOtaku.com awarded it 9.5 out of 10, praising the English dubbing and voice actors, and noting the series is full of morals and life lessons, though they criticized filler episodes that do not advance the story or showcase the characters. Manga News pointed out several flaws, especially early on, but appreciated the inclusion of the Gaiden part.