A gleeful discovery....

[freeradical9]

So, in my quest to track down a copy of the English version of Saiyuki Reload 8, I went to not one, not two, but *three* bookstores before I found it in stock (Borders rules, Barnes & Noble drools).

Barnes & Noble did redeem itself a bit in my eyes, as they had volume 2 of Petshop of Horrors: Tokyo. I like the series anyway, but was absolutely delighted to find some Saiyuki-esque tidbits in one of the chapters.



So Count D has apparently never seen a kappa. His life's work in the exotic and mythical animals trade has never brought him in contact with them, and in fact he has never even heard of them before.

Two children come into his shop looking to buy a kappa. They even show D a reference book "How to Raise a Kappa". (Hakkai: I have that book.) D becomes obsessed, and goes on a mad quest (sushi restaurants, a country estate--I think, and even a construction site) in order to find a kappa.

My favorite part is when the two main characters get told about the kappa's less-than-savory habits.

Elderly gentleman: If you're not careful, they'll steal your shirikodama.

D or Wu-Fei (probably Wu-Fei): Shiriko-what?

Elderly gentleman: It means they stick their hands up the butts of the people who died from drowning in the river and pull out their innards and eat them.

D and Wu-Fei: *SHOCK*

Wu-Fei: Oookay...well, that's that, then. D, you're not going to give an animal like that to kids, are you?

D: It will be all right. As long as you train it correctly....

(Hakkai: Yes, of course. Gojyo hardly ever uses beer cans for ashtrays anymore.)


IMHO, this cries out for a crossover. It would be such fun.

Gojyo: Uh, hello? I gotta buy some dragon chow....

D: *huge sparkly eyes* Won't you stay for tea?

(Hakkai: Excuse me?)


Also, this volume caused lots of squee stemming from the chapter with Daddy D in the genetics lab, naming all the fruit flies. Too funny.

I'm really enjoying the plots in Petshop: Tokyo. Wu-Fei is a poor substitute for Leon Orcot, in my opinion, but I find the series delightfully darker and even more intriguing than the original. Highly recommended. ^_^

Now I'm gonna go skip off and read Saiyuki 8. ^_^

Comments

[avierra.livejournal.com]

Pet Shop of Horrors sounds pretty cool, I have been meaning to add it to my must buy list (which is growing and growing).

I know I have read a Saiyuki/PSoH crossover; it involved Hakkai and Hakuryuu (it's really good and really sad).

Ahh, this is it. http://www.fanfiction.net/s/3937948/1/a_certain_responsibility

by Incandescens.

[freeradical9.livejournal.com]

Oh yes, thanks for the link! I saw it when it was originally posted to springkink as a reply to a prompt--but I just went back for a re-read. Actually, lady_ganesh also wrote a very nice fic for that prompt The Scent of Incense (http://community.livejournal.com/springkink/368847.html)

I suspect that you'd enjoy Petshop. It can be quite dark and pretty violent (many of the customers get what's coming to them), but can also be very funny and even fluffy at times. Also, the D/Leon interactions are perfect slash fodder. ...And the artwork is very, very pretty. There's even a 4 episode anime available in English for some of the earlier chapters. ^^

[smillaraaq.livejournal.com]

I've only read one volume from mid-series so far and seen the short OVA, but I've really liked what I've seen of PSoH so far. D can be rather delightfully camp, and if you know FAKE, Leon reminds me a lot of a grown-up Bikky.

[freeradical9.livejournal.com]

D can be rather delightfully camp

*snicker* Absolutely.

Huh. I don't know much about FAKE, but there is definitely some similarity in the character drawings, I can see what you mean.

[smillaraaq.livejournal.com]

Looks and fashion sense, and personality as well -- Bikky and what I've seen of Leon both seem to have a similar hot-headed brashness. (And isn't Leon an orphan as well?)

FAKE is a lot of fun, it's pretty much the first translated BL series that I ever really fell for, and I think part of why the 585 clicked so strongly with me is that their dynamic reminds me a little bit of two older favorite OTPs -- Fraser/Ray K. from Due South and Ryo/Dee from FAKE. If you like your BL heavy on actual plot and character development and UST and light on the more tiresome hard-yaoi cliches, it's well worth checking out. :)

Re: PSoH

[freeradical9.livejournal.com]

Hey avierra, I dunno if you were ever able to check out Petshop of Horrors on your vacation, or if you'd already seen this link posted to saiyuki, but I thought I'd post the link here--tjdragonblade's PSoH/Saiyuki fic is definitely worth a read:

http://tj-dragonblade.livejournal.com/222905.html?view=1292473#t1292473

Re: PSoH

[avierra.livejournal.com]

I did read the whole thing, all the volumes to date (although I didn't finish all my golden age of scifi reading ;_; ). And as you suspected, I did like the series, quite a lot. I am heavily into the whole fantasy/horror thing.

I am not sure how I felt about the way the first series ended, it seemed really abrupt, and kind of unfinished. Also, D basically acknowledges that Leon is his own pet, would he really abandon him that way, even if he was peeved at him (and he did have reason to be)? So, the end of the first series made me feel a bit unsettled, and as you said for yourself, I don't like the new guy as much as I like Leon either. Basically, I hope Leon shows up sometime, but I am not holding my breath. >_>

I also giggled at the Kappa story when I read it. :D

Anyway, thanks for the link! :)

Re: PSoH

[freeradical9.livejournal.com]

Oh, excellent! So glad you liked it. Yes, the dark fantasy 'everyone gets what's coming to them' really appeals to me. English translations of other series by the same mangaka are also available; Kamen Tantai (a horror/mystery comic) and Genjyu no Seiza (a reincarnation story with guardian beast/deities--very highly recommended although the series is currently unfinished).

I am not sure how I felt about the way the first series ended, it seemed really abrupt, and kind of unfinished.

I really agree with that. At the time I read the end, I didn't realize there would be a sequel--now I'm hoping that the next series provides more closure. She really does need to bring back Leon, I miss him terribly. (Someone wrote a springkink fic where Chris finds the Tokyo petshop, but it didn't have a happy ending. *sigh*)

I also giggled at the Kappa story when I read it. :D

Hee. It's so cute. It really would make for a fun crossover.

Anyway, I'm really glad to hear you liked the series. :D

[smillaraaq.livejournal.com]

Elderly gentleman: It means they stick their hands up the butts of the people who died from drowning in the river and pull out their innards and eat them.

And in some versions of the lore, they don't even bother using their *hands* to do that...!

(Hakkai: *blushes slightly and smirks*

Better put an ID tag on that kappa, Hakkai, you don't want folks thinking he's wandering around without an owner! XD

[freeradical9.livejournal.com]

LOL!

Yes, an ID tag would definitely be in order.

Hakkai: Do you sell pet tags here? *holds up a large leather collar*

D: Why yes. What would you like for the inscription?

Hakkai: "If found, please return to Cho Hakkai"

[smillaraaq.livejournal.com]

BWAH! And look what I inadvertently stumbled upon while trying to find more info on a Hello Kitty regional plushie:

Kappa No Kaikata

(Gojyo: Wha...? A series on breeding kappas...but it's a comedy? WHERE ARE THE HOT BABES, DAMNIT?)

There's an unofficial English page for the anime here, and fansubs of the whole series are on Youtube here -- each episode is about three minutes long so it's a pretty quick view... XD

[freeradical9.livejournal.com]

LOL! Umm, Gojyo? Do you really want to see a hot babe with a bald head, a beak and a shell?

But oh my gosh the cuteness!!!! I want one! (The lack of facial features on the humans is definitely odd, but the little kappa collectables in the closing credits look like something one could buy and take home.)

Thank you so much for the links--the amusement value was priceless. ^_____^

[smillaraaq.livejournal.com]

Can't you just picture Hakkai watching that (or perhaps even worse, carting around the PSP version) and giggling quietly to himself, while Gojyo can't shake the feeling he's being affectionately made fun of? Especially the bits with Kaatan diving down the lady's cleavage, or big scary badass "Hercules" turning out to really be total big-brotherly softy Chii-chan...or all the bits about difficulty in housebreaking! XD

And hee, yes, the faceless humans kept leaving me with the unsettling feeling that this was an alternate universe entirely inhabited by noppera-bō, but the cuteness of the wee kappas and the comical pet-owner situations was more than enough to balance out the twitchiness. I actually ran into that by way of a convoluted trail started by a long-running search for (non-Saiyuki) kappa plushes; I have a feeling I may eventually get sucked into Y!Japan to broaden the search, because clearly the Kaatan merchandise WAS out there, but hasn't made it to eBay.

[freeradical9.livejournal.com]

Can't you just picture Hakkai watching that

Ahahah! Maybe that's what he's dreaming about while he's freaking Sanzo out with his wide-open eyes late at night....

started by a long-running search for (non-Saiyuki) kappa plushes

Goodness! That sounds like a hero's quest, if ever I've heard of one. Good luck--and if I ever stumble across any of said plushies, I'll be sure to let you know! ^^

[smillaraaq.livejournal.com]

Maybe that's what he's dreaming about while he's freaking Sanzo out with his wide-open eyes late at night....

"Now, now, Gojyo, cigarettes are very bad for your health. I'll take the kappa clip off when you learn to stop lighting up in bed. It's for your own good, you know! Would you prefer a toothpick in the nose? I don't think so..."

(I really need to go flip through PSOH:Tokyo the next time I'm near a book store. It looks like the Kappa no Kaikata franchise predates that particular volume, which makes me wonder if the "How to Raise Kappas" book the kids are carting around might be a sly reference to the one Kaatan's owner is always poring over.)

That sounds like a hero's quest, if ever I've heard of one.

Ah, it's not like I can't make my own...but I rather enjoy the thrill of the hunt, you know? It's rather more of a challenge to search for something that I know is lurking behind the language barrier than just to do some basic alterations on a plushie pattern.

_{Although the Hello Kitty in kappa cosplay regional plush, while not what I originally had in mind, is tempting me something fierce. It would tie in to my scary Sanrio collection...perhaps I could even make Kitty-chan a little red wig and brown leather jacket just to further cross the nerdy streams!}

[chorus-of-chaos.livejournal.com]

hello..just thought I'd let you know I spotted "Psion" over on minus wave and after going "ow" and rubbing the keyboard marks off my jaw (I think it was spacebar, b and v that imprinted when my jaw dropped) I tracked over here, found you'd written a couple other things I'd seen...somewhere in my insomniacal (Is that a word?) late night surfings and and had to friend in order not to miss anything else.

I had no idea there was anyone else who had read and liked Psion (it has been years since I read, no idea where my copy is, I just moved, have been wanting to reread...seems like there was a sequel too...maybe rebuy used on amazon, quicker than digging through 30+ boxes of sci fi paperbacks in the garage..) I think I scared most of the bullfrogs on the lake when I went "squee!" at the end, LOL!

So..hello, a longtime saiyuki, sci-fi and anime dork now reading your journal. Welcome to friend back if you like, but my journal is loonsville between anime/doujinshi/fanfic fangirling and rants about any number of things :P One of these days I may actually start writing fan fic again. (long story there.)

Yadda yadda yadda...behold, insomniacal rantings when I just meant to be polite and say "hello, friended you, loved your fic..."

[freeradical9.livejournal.com]

Oh, excellent! Thanks so much for taking the time to let me know that you liked the fic. And yay! Another sci-fi fan. ^_^ (As you can tell, Psion made a big impression on me. I'd highly recommend the next book, Catspaw, as well. IMHO, its even better than the first one.)

The only piece of Psion fanfiction I've ever found is located here, in case you're interested:

Cats of Quarro (http://yuletidetreasure.org/archive/38/catsof.html) (As a warning, it contains spoilers for the third book in the series, called Dreamfall.)

So, welcome aboard, friend ^_^ (as you can probably tell if you've visited here, I don't update my journal much, and I should warn in advance that I'm not terribly active on LJ as far as commenting goes. Nonetheless, I like to meet new people, and am very pleased to make your acquaintance.

Thanks again for commenting, and I'm glad you enjoyed the fic. ^_^

[chorus-of-chaos.livejournal.com]

actually, I had just checked out amazon and saw that dreamfall had come out...reviews for it aren't just raving but I don't care :) I'm going to order all three used. I need some reading material without wading through spidery boxes out in the garage :P Thank you for the link, I'm bookmarking (but not reading yet until I get my books)

I think I had read catspaw as well, the cover looks familar...it's been...ages. None of my books got unpacked when we moved to NY in 2002, so it's been at least six years and probably longer. I think I have like 3000 paperbacks. (I had more boxes of books than I did clothes, dishes and other crap. I don't know if that's sad or good :P)

[freeradical9.livejournal.com]

actually, I had just checked out amazon and saw that dreamfall had come out

I haven't read Dreamfall yet, although it's on my to-read list (I also heard it got mixed reviews--still, it's Cat, so it can't be too bad!) I loved Catspaw. If I ever manage to finish them, the Saiyuki fic version of Psion will have two sequels, named "Catspaw" and "Dreamfall".

I re-read Vinge's first two books while writing the Psion fic, and it made me remember how much I liked them the first time around. Happy reading! ^_^