Saiyuki: Saiyuubito Q&A p70

Questions for the Sanzo Ikkou

[QUESTION]: Where do you start washing from when you take a bath? (Penname Natsujiru, Kanagawa Prefecture) [Goku]: Umm, where? Ah, my head? [Gojyo]: I wash my head, then my body [Hakkai]: I start from both my arms, I suppose [Sanzo]: …… my back

[QUESTION]: What do you eat first when you go to carousel sushi? And what do you end with? (Penname T-MON, Greater Tokyo) [Goku]: I take whatever’s on the plate that circles around in front of me first, and the next three plates too, and eat ‘em! And I stop……. When Sanzo makes me [Hakkai]: I usually start from the egg sushi. I stop of course, after the 6th plate [Gojyo]: Ahh, you gotta start with whitefish. Then, I end with squid or shrimp [Sanzo]: Ark shell…… I end with a Japanese-style sweet

[QUESTION]: How many sweets can you handle? Or, what is your favorite sweet thing? (Penname Anga, Kyoto Prefecture) [Goku]: I can handle any amount. My favorite thing? Hmm, custards, and stuff [Hakkai]: I don’t dislike sweets as much as one might think. Japanese sweets might be my favorite [Gojyo]: I’ll pass on sweets. It’s a different story on Valentines, though [Sanzo]: …… Usukawa manjyuu. With roasted tea

[QUESTION]: Do you prefer pickled plum in your rice balls? Or kelp? Or maybe salmon? (Penname Yuuki, Gunma Prefecture) [Goku]: I like anything. But I think my favorite is salmon. And if it’s salmon, I hope it has the skin on [Hakkai]: They’re all difficult choices to throw out…… (seriously worrying over it) Personally, I also like takana and tarako. As for the rice, a salted rice ball is plenty good…… That’s right…… Okaka is delicious too…… (still worrying) [Gojyo]: I never liked pickled plums to begin with. But I’ll eat anything other than that. Cold rice balls and Japanese liquor is the best [Sanzo]: ……. Tuna

[QUESTION]: You are forced to change bodies for one day. Who do you want to switch bodies with? Please tell me your reasons, too (Penname Kazurasei Tomika, Hyogo Prefecture) [Goku]: Ummm…… Uhhh………. Gat, maybe…? I’d like to be like that…… Ah, Jeep!! I wanna try flying! [Gojyo]: What an awful question…… Nah, I’d be Sanzo. I’d run around town in a loincloth (laughs) [Hakkai]: The next day would be the anniversary of your death, Gojyo…… But yes, I supposed I’d choose Sanzo as well. I’d like the try the Makai Tenjyo once [Sanzo]: …… Don’t switch with me without my permission. I’d rather die than be any of you. Next!

[QUESITON]: When you hang around people for a long time, you come to see each other clearly even if you don’t want to. I’d like to hear exposing stories about strange habits the owner doesn’t realize he has, or slightly embarrassing mess-ups (Penname I wish I’d met you earlier…, Hokkaido) [All]: …… (The 4 glance at each other in silence for a bit, checking on each other) [Goku]: Gojyo’s poo is long [Gojyo]: Agh, you shitty monkey!!! [Sanzo]: Hakkai wipes the table with leftover tea leaves [Hakkai]: Oh, is that odd? The filth comes right off [Sanzo]: Don’t use my tea [Goku]: Ummm, Sanzo’s picky about the hotpot [Hakkai]: Goku leaves the bathroom covered in water [Sanzo]: Gojyo’s always popping his knuckles [Gojyo]: What about you, always drumming your nails [Gojyo]: Hakkai will suddenly laugh in the middle of the night. And all creepy-like, too [Goku]: If you’re gonna say that, Hakkai, sometimes you sleep with your eyes open [Hakkai]: I’m awake at those times [Sanzo]: When I call you when you’re like that you only turn your eyeballs. That’s creepy [Hakkai]: Are you all sure you want to say such things? I’ll reveal that… [Other 3]: What? Which one?! [Hakkai]: Excuse me, could I get this page folded over? The following will not be a very proper education… [Sanzo]: … Aren’t we going to end this peacefully? [Hakkai]: Yes, let’s end on a safe topic [Goku]: Umm, let’s see, Sanzo doesn’t remember what he says when he first wakes up [Gojyo]: Sanzo loses stuff, the card or whatever, fast [Hakkai]: Sanzo’s tastes are strange [Sanzo]: …… All right, let’s take this outside, you bastards

[QUESTION]: How do you decide who rooms with whom (when you stay at an inn)? (Penname Ocha-kun, Ibaraki Prefecture) [Hakkai]: If it’s 2 to a room, generally it’s Sanzo and Goku, Gojyo and myself. That way is the least noisy

[QUESTION]: What kind of life will you live after you’ve returned the youkai to normal and safely finished your mission? (Penname Erika, Hokkaido) [Goku]: I haven’t really thought about it [Sanzo]: I don’t care; I just want to get this over with [Gojyo]: As long as we finish it [Hakkai]: Please don’t say such things. It’s my dream to spend my old age in a house with a balcony and a view of the ocean, peacefully running a café [Gojyo]: Doesn’t your old age vision change every time you tell it? [Sanzo]: What happened to the vegetable garden house plan you told us before? [Hakkai]: Of course, I’ll have my vegetable garden as well. I’d like to see everyone in a farming outfit [Sanzo]: .......Wait a minute [Gojyo]: It’s no good, Sanzo. Just pretend you didn’t hear that [Goku]: You’re gonna grow sweet potatoes, right? Hakkai! [Hakkai]: Yes Goku, every fall there will be a harvest festival. I look forward to it [Gojyo]: Hey, are these guys working together?

[QUESTION]: In act 13.5, anniversary, was the next morning’s paper really “Sanzo Ikkou Leaves Without Paying”?? (Penname ☆Ichiyo☆, Ibaraki Prefecture) [Sanzo]: There’s no way an article like that would really be published [Hakkai]: Yes, we wouldn’t make such a mistake (smiles)

[QUESTION]: Hakkai often makes coffee, but what kind of coffee is it? Is it black? Everyone seems like they would drink different kinds (Penname Faifai, Tokyo city) [Hakkai]: Gojyo’s is black, Goku’s is a café au lait -type with milk and sugar in, and Sanzo’s changes depending on his mood that day, so I give him black. Incidentally, mine has milk with no sugar. That way is easy on the stomach

[QUESTION]: Where do you start eating Tokyo’s famous “Hiyoko” (bird-shaped cake) from? (Penname BLOW, Yamanashi Prefecture) [Goku]: I eat it in one bite…… Huh? You don’t? [Gojyo]: I’ve never thought about where I eat it from [Hakkai]: If I have to say, I suppose it would be from the head [Sanzo]: I eat the skin first [Goku]: Sanzo, you just like the red bean paste in the middle [Gojyo]: I bet you eat anpan and manjyuu the same way [Hakkai]: There are people like that [Sanzo]: …… Shut up. What and how I eat is no concern of yours [Hakkai]: Well, no one’s made a joke out of “Tokyo’s famous things” before

[QUESTION]: About how often does everyone think Gojyo succeeds at picking up girls? (Penname Aya, Akita Prefecture) [Hakkai]: How often does he succeed, or anything else? [Sanzo]: Never seen him succeed yet [Goku]: You’re not counting him getting a reply as success, are you? [Gojyo]: I get it, you want a fight. You guys’re picking a fight, ah?

[QUESTION]: If Jeep could transform into something other than a ‘Jeep’, what would you like? (Penname Yawahara Ayumu, Saga Prefecture) [Gojyo]: Yeah, you should turn into a curvaceous, sexy lady [Sanzo]: That’s it, shut up [Goku]: Jeep’s a boy, right? [Hakkai]: If he becomes someone you’d go for, would you be all right having a XXX relationship with him? I would point and laugh at you [Gojyo]: What’s wrong with having a woman in the Sanzo Ikkou?! There’s no grace here, none! [Hakkai]: Sanzo and I are here [Goku, Gojyo]: ………. [Sanzo]: It’d be convenient if Jeep grew up a bit more and turned into a camper car [Goku]: He’s changing the subject [Gojyo]: Can’t deny it’d be nice though

[QUESTION]: It’s been 4 years since you met; how have your first impressions changed? (Penname, Gojo Gojo, Chiba Prefecture) [Hakkai]: First impressions? This sounds a bit like a marriage interview [Gojyo]: (looks at Sanzo from the corner of his eye) …… It was the worst [Sanzo]: (glares at Gojyo) It is the worst [Goku]: So what’s it like now? [Sanzo]: Hasn’t changed a bit [Gojyo]: Ha, I feel the same way [Goku]: Sanzo and Gojyo’ve always been like this. Hakkai and Gojyo? How was it in the beginning? [Gojyo]: Hakkai? The first time I met this guy…… [Hakkai]: Aah, I was covered in blood, wasn’t I? My innards were hanging out (smile) [All]: ………

[QUESITON]: I’ve always wondered, who among the 4 is the most popular? (Penname Hitsuki Ouka, Hokkaido) [Gojyo]: Do you really have to question that it’s me? [Sanzo]: You’d do well to open your eyes soon [Goku]: You can say whatever, but Hakkai’s the one with all the good parts [Hakkai]: That’s not true. I’m really a plain person [Gojyo]: Sanzo’s popular with the dudes though [Sanzo]: You look like you want to die

[QUESTION]: You went to a summer festival. Please tell me what everyone bought and obtained (Penname Eida Ryoukei, Osaka City) [Hakkai]: That’s the situation, we’re at a festival. What do you say, everyone? [Goku]: Teacher, I can’t hold it all. My hands are full with yakisoba and okonomiyaki and takoyaki and roasted corn and frankfurters, and baby castella and cotton candy, and rice crackers and shave ice and goldfish [Hakkai]: Yes, that’s amazing. Please be careful that you don’t eat the goldfish by mistake [Gojyo]: What about you Hakkai, what’s that? [Hakkai]: Candied apples. Why? [Gojyo]: I’m asking why you’ve got 7 of them [Hakkai]: You didn’t know? If you roll the correct number with the dice you receive that many as a gift. I accidentally got it right, and now I’m in a bit of trouble [Goku]: Hakkai, I want one [Hakkai]: Take 2 please. Gojyo, what is that? [Gojyo]: Can’t you tell by looking? It’s my haul from the shooting game and the ring toss. I am so much more skilled at shooting than someone like Sanzo [Hakkai]: … What do you plan to do with that huge “king”? [Goku]: Gojyo, if your hands’re free, hold my takoyaki and shave ice [Gojyo]: I didn’t come here to baby sit some brat…… here, hand it over [Goku]: Don’t eat ‘em [Gojyo]: I’m not gonna!! [Hakkai]: All right, here, take a candied apple too. You may eat it [Gojyo]: I don’t need 3!!! [Goku]: Huh? Where’s Sanzo? [Hakkai]: He’s over there [Gojyo]: ……… Katanuki* ……… [Goku]: I’ve never seen Sanzo so serious before [Hakkai]: What he’s doing is normal, but he’s floating in abnormality [Gojyo]: He’s obviously exuding killing vibes [Goku]: Everyone around him is standing a bit away [Hakkai]: He certainly kills the festival atmosphere, doesn’t he. And after I even put an Anpa[]man mask on the back of his head…… [Gojyo, Goku]: That was you!


 * Katanuki is a festival game in which you use a needle to poke out a specified shape in a piece of candy. You get a prize if you poke it out without breaking the candy

[QUESTION]: What is the most delicious meal Hakkai makes? (Penname NO. 330, Yamagata Prefecture) [Goku]: I dunno, they’re all yummy [Gojyo]: His stew’s delicious. The pickled rice bran he used to make when we were at the house was good too [Hakkai]: It’s too bad we couldn’t bring the rice bran with us on this journey. Although I did leave the bottle with the greengrocer [Sanzo]: That stuff Hakkai makes, that, gyouza…… [Goku]: Aaaaah, that stuff’s good!! The stuff with all the garlic in it! [Hakkai]: Rather than difficult cooking, everyone seems to enjoy simple, plentiful things (laughs) [Gojyo]: Your cooking takes time [Sanzo]: He surprised me once. He said, “Tonight is udon, but shall we eat and go?” [Goku]: Then for a while noises like bitaan! bitaan! came from the kitchen (laughs) [Gojyo]: And we all joked, “Hey! What’d it do to deserve a hitting?!” (laughs) [Hakkai]: You can’t make delicious food without some work [Sanzo]: Do it normally, it’s fine

[QUESITON]: When did you learn to play mahjong? (Penname Akagawa Naho, Chiba Prefecture) [Goku]: Gojyo and Hakkai taught me. Playing until morning with the 4 of us at Gojyo’s house, that was the best [Gojyo]: I learned how to play properly after running around with Banri [Sanzo]: My master taught me when I was a kid [Hakkai]: I learned while in graduate school. The one who taught me was Kannan…… [Goku]: What?! A shocking truth (laughs) [Gojyo]: Somehow, it doesn’t really fit my image of you…… [Hakkai]: Ah, no, she forced me (laughs)

[QUESTION]: What is a wrist watch to you? Is it a problem if you don’t have one? Is it a pain to put on? (Penname Ai, Chiba Prefecture) [Gojyo]: There’re some pretty cool watches out there. I’d want one of those, but I don’t like worrying about the time. I’d just lose it or break it, anyway [Sanzo]: I don’t need one. They just get in the way [Hakkai]: I do think it might be nice to have one. But it’s no hindrance if I don’t have one, with our current lifestyle [Goku]: Anyway, how come you gotta have a clock on your arm? (☆ This is actually a psychological test, it seems. “Watch = lover” or something. I had them answer honestly. Interesting, isn’t it ・laughs)

[QUESTION]: What do you think you’ll be like in 50 years? (Penname Kogeko, Ishikawa Prefecture) [Goku]: Umm, I’ll probably be taller [Gojyo]: Check in with reality a little, Goku [Sanzo]: I haven’t thought about things that far in the future [Gojyo]: In 50 years…… I’ll be 73, I don’t know. Will I still be kicking? [Sanzo]: Kicking what? [Hakkai]: It would be nice if everyone were still living [Gojyo]: Hakkai, sounds like you aren’t including yourself……

[QUESTION]: What happened to the comedian outfits you used for a costume change in Saiyuki Reload vol 1? (Penname Aofuji, Nagano Prefecture) [Hakkai]: They’re right here, see [Gojyo]: Toss those out already!!

[QUESTION]: What’s the longest you’ve had to sleep outside for up until now?! (Penname Hato, Aichi Prefecture) [Goku]: How long was it? 4 nights? [Gojyo]: By the 3rd night outside we all start cracking, anyway [Sanzo]: I can’t sleep. When I wake up my whole body hurts [Hakkai]: When it comes to that, even if we must stray from our route the order comes from Sanzo-sama, “Hurry up and head to a place with a town!” (laughs)