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[personal profile] louiselux
Just a few quick thoughts on Reload 3, specifically the last chapters of Against the Stream and the Sanzo ikkou-as-team:

I've been rereading these two scenes over and over in the past few days, where the ikkou are fighting Kougaiji. [livejournal.com profile] desdenova's post about structure chimed in with something I noticed: the scene on page 24-25 : Gojyo, Sanzo and Hakkai move completely instinctively as a fighting team, without even discussing what they're going to do: Hakkai defends and Gojyo and Sanzo flank with a double attack, setting up Gojyo's further attack. Goku and Gojyo attack together later on, too.

It's a very clear development for them, from vol 9 when Hakkai first suggests they attack as a team and Goku has to ask what 'teamwork' means. I'm pretty sure Sanzo would never think to utter the word.

There are other things I like about that scene: Gojyo stepping forward to fight Kougaiji-- but it's Doku he tells that he won't hold back. Is this the first time Gojyo has fought Kougaiji one to one?

Gojyo must be more than a little resentful and jealous of how Kougaiji has replaced Gojyo in Doku's loyalties and this is only highlighted by Doku watching them fight and making those comparisons between the two. Gojyo taunts Kougaiji, which the others don't do (Prince Stupid). In fact, their fight turns into fisticuffs and wrestling, which I like because I can imagine Gojyo just itching to pop him one on the nose. Also, some of Yaone's thoughts about Kougaiji in that scene: 'kinder than anyone' could easily mean Gojyo too.

Also, I love how Yaone and Doku quite openly adore their leader, and Sanzo's annoyance when Gojyo points this out: 'No one asked you!"

Date: 2006-03-25 08:35 pm (UTC)
ext_6977: (Gojyo (tone))
From: [identity profile] viridian5.livejournal.com
Ah, yeah, the teamwork. I love Doku sneering at Gojyo sending the shakujou's crescent blade on the chain at him until he realizes that Goku snuck in and is about the use the chain and blade as cover to wallop the crap out of him.

I get really ticked off at Doku for Gojyo's sake. Moron, your brother is alive but you're spending a lot of time trying to hurt and kill him in service of the guy you adopted to make up for abandoning him. That is messed up.

I don't even want to guess at what initial training with the shakujou had been like. Can you imagine the early, clumsy mishaps? Eek.

Date: 2006-03-25 10:18 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] rachelmanija.livejournal.com
Must be like learning nunchaku, right? People who do that hit themselves in the head a lot at first. Gojyo must have practiced with a blunt blade until he got the hang of it. Still, ouch.

Date: 2006-03-25 10:41 pm (UTC)
ext_6977: (Gojyo)
From: [identity profile] viridian5.livejournal.com
With that length of chain going, he could mess himself up badly from accidentally hitting himself with that alone, even without using a sharp blade. ::shudder::

Date: 2006-03-25 11:03 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] louiselux.livejournal.com
Although I always imagined that the shakoujou, being an extension of his youkai magic, was more a force of will than anything else so it would go exactly where he wanted it to go every time.

Date: 2006-03-25 11:06 pm (UTC)
ext_6977: (Gojyo (tone))
From: [identity profile] viridian5.livejournal.com
Even with that idea, we don't always instinctively know our own dimensions in space, leading to occasional toe stubbings and closing fingers in doors. I still fear for him. *g*

Date: 2006-03-26 06:08 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] rachelmanija.livejournal.com
I have always imagined youkai weapons to be more like extensions of the body than extensions of will-- maybe they're automatically a weapon you're easy and skilled and comfortable with, but you still have to train.

Hakkai certainly seems to get much better with qi as time goes on, and that seems to be his youkai weapon.

Date: 2006-03-26 08:29 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] louiselux.livejournal.com
Oh, good point! And the image of Gojyo attempting to practise with his new weapon is very compelling. *g*

Date: 2006-03-26 04:02 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] mistressrenet.livejournal.com
I actually think qi is something anyone can use if they train-- Hakkai says as much to Goku in Vol. 1. I think his youkai weapon is the Recently Revealed Thing In Zero-Sum.

Date: 2006-03-26 07:28 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] rachelmanija.livejournal.com
Hmm, I had forgotten about the Recently Revealed Thing, but I suspect that you're right.

Date: 2006-03-26 08:22 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] louiselux.livejournal.com
Ohhhh. I hadn't thought of that before, but yes, it makes a lot of sense.

Date: 2006-03-25 11:01 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] louiselux.livejournal.com
Perhaps that's where Hakkai practised his healing skills? "My hand's come off!" "Please stop shouting Gojyo, I'm trying to concentrate."

It *is* messed up, and I always wonder would they really fight each other to the death? I suppose it can be explained by them both having been able to move on and find a new family elsewhere. I imagine this moving on might be slightly easier for Gojyo than Doku, hence the continual angsting.

IMHO

Date: 2006-03-25 11:05 pm (UTC)
ext_6977: (Hakkai (Too close))
From: [identity profile] viridian5.livejournal.com
*snerk*

My personal conviction that Doku is a moron helps me think Doku is never going to get over it. The man has no self-knowledge. Any personal insight that comes has to be beaten into his head.

Re: IMHO

Date: 2006-03-26 08:31 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] louiselux.livejournal.com
By Yaone, for example? She does actually wallop him one at some point, I seem to remember.

Re: IMHO

Date: 2006-03-26 05:49 pm (UTC)
ext_6977: (Gojyo)
From: [identity profile] viridian5.livejournal.com
Yeah. He was so lost in his "I suck" that he was completely useless to himself and anyone else, just frozen, so she smacked him and started yelling out of him to snap out of it and do something constructive.

Re: IMHO

Date: 2006-03-26 08:24 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] louiselux.livejournal.com
Which is very different from Gojyo's brand of 'I suck', which is to avoid thinking too deeply: get drunk, have a fight, have sex.

Re: IMHO

Date: 2006-03-26 08:30 pm (UTC)
ext_6977: (Default)
From: [identity profile] viridian5.livejournal.com
Definitely. Gojyo's brand of "I suck" is to find something he can do to try to avoid thinking about it. He seems to pride himself on being a doer, not a thinker as part of the image he likes to project.

Re: IMHO

Date: 2008-11-14 10:58 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] kalium-kx.livejournal.com
I Think that Doku thinks more of it as a fun challenge..if anything it actually happened to Gojyo he'd be mortified..consider the brotherhood episode frm the anime

Re: IMHO

Date: 2008-11-14 04:08 pm (UTC)
ext_6977: (Gojyo (tone))
From: [identity profile] viridian5.livejournal.com
Probably, but I can't help remembering how he left Sanzo's group in the desert to drag their injured selves to town in exhausted Jeep or die even after Kou said that if Goku could defeat him he could use the dragon to get them to town to save the poisoned Sanzo's life. Saving Gojyo from Zakuro gives him some points from me, though he did it by punching Gojyo in the gut.

I do have more feeling toward him in the anime because it had the brotherhood episode. In the manga he tends to really tick me off.

Re: IMHO

Date: 2008-11-14 04:36 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] kalium-kx.livejournal.com
Yeah I would say so..But I think he's sort of taken to his path and will follow it through no matter how stupid that sounds..but the bottom line is..he's still gojyo's bro..

...tho' it makes me wonder if Kougaiji is for some reason forced or actually just orders Doku to kill Gojyo..would he go ahead and do it? Pretend to try his best against Gojyo? Or actually turn on Kou? Or even flee the team due to indecisiveness?...I think that's when we;ll know his true colors..tho' as unlikely as that'd happen..

Re: IMHO

Date: 2008-11-14 08:50 pm (UTC)
ext_6977: (Gojyo (tone))
From: [identity profile] viridian5.livejournal.com
He's very fortunate that Kou has never forced the issue. I'm not sure what Doku would do if ordered outright to kill his half-brother... and I don't think he knows himself what he'd do until he got to that point.

Re: IMHO

Date: 2008-11-15 05:17 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] kalium-kx.livejournal.com
Yeah that's true..for some reason his blind loyalty seems stronger than his love for his bro but it comes to the nub../=
It's interesting open up the character's psyche

Just noticed this place is old..and I get the feeling i've been here before..cept' for some reason i can't recall did'nt comment

Re: IMHO

Date: 2008-11-15 05:23 am (UTC)
ext_6977: (Sanzo (secret identity))
From: [identity profile] viridian5.livejournal.com
I was surprised to get a ping for my comment on this way-back entry, but I enjoyed talking to you. *g*

Re: IMHO

Date: 2008-11-15 09:59 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] kalium-kx.livejournal.com
Boku mo! Ja mata na?

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