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