Kazuya Minekura's Saiyuki Reload Blast Manga Gets Anime

Ichijinsha launched a website on Monday to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Kazuya Minekura's Saiyuki manga, and the site revealed that her Saiyuki Reload Blast manga is getting an anime adaptation. The site is also streaming a 20th anniversary project video, which also reveals the anime.

The official website for Ichijinsha's Comic Zero Sum magazine revealed last month that the next issue of the magazine would have an important announcement for the manga on July 28.

The video also reveals that a "Saiyuki Festa 2017" event will be held at the Makuhari Messe event hall in Chiba on January 7-8. The event will have a stage event on January 7 and will also feature an exhibition of the manga's original art.


Minekura serializes the manga irregularly in Comic Zero Sum. Minekura slowed down her publication of the series and the Wild Adapter manga in 2013 due to her health.

Saiyuki Reload Blast is the sequel to Minekura's Saiyuki and Saiyuki Reload manga series. She launched the series in Comic Zero Sum in 2009. Ichijinsha published the manga's second compiled book volume in 2014. The manga series has also spawned the Saiyuki Gaiden and Saiyuki Ibun manga spinoffs.

The original Saiyuki manga inspired a 1999 OVA and a 2000 television anime adaptation, as well as a sequel film and OVA. Saiyuki Reload inspired two anime adaptations and a prequel OVA. Most recently, the Saiyuki Gaiden prequel manga inspired an OVA adaptation in 2011. A stage musical adaptation of the manga ran in Tokyo last September.

Tokyopop released the Saiyuki manga and most of Saiyuki Reload in English. ADV Films released the first television anime series and film in North America, and AEsir Holdings rereleased the series in 2015. Geneon Entertainment Inc. released the Saiyuki Reload television anime adaptations. Sentai Filmworks released the Saiyuki Gaiden OVA.​