Saiyuki: Requiem

The rebellious priest Genjo Sanzo, the hyperactive Monkey King Son Goku, the seductive Sha Gojyo, the cool, calm Cho Hakkai and his dragon, which can transform into a jeep, are on the move again. After an exhausting but simple battle, the four are on the road in search of a place to stay and a warm meal. On the street they meet a girl who runs towards them and warns them to get away from here as quickly as possible. But it's already too late. The big monster has already reached their car. While everyone tries to put the monster away and come to the girl's aid, Sanzo once again seems to be calm himself. He uses his weapon with complete confidence, but he doesn't destroy the monster, he just sends it fleeing. The girl is very grateful and would like to show her gratitude to her rescuers. However, since she has no money, she offers them her master's house for overnight stay and supper. The four accept their offer. A decision that will prove to be a mistake in the coming hours, because it turns out to be a trap. Some of the gang are already starting to feel uneasy, but sanzo knows from the start. Nevertheless, he decides against staying in the same room with his friends. Little by little they are pitted against each other and no one knows who the real one is anymore - except sanzo. He remains the calm one with perspective.

Saiyuki: Requiem managed to reach only the 10th highest grossing spot in the box office rankings during its theatrical release. While the Saiyuki movie earned under 2 million dollars theatrically, live action Japanese films brought in more than double that amount during the same weeks, and competing American films like A.I. and Planet of the Apes brought in as much as $80 million. While Saiyuki's $2 million box office may be considered respectable for an anime feature.[1]

Otaku News gave it a 8-out-of-10 grade, praised the film, described as an extremely enjoyable film, the plot is very classic, the characters are likable, the pace of the film is incredibly fast paced and constantly felt. and said that "it’s hard to tackle such a classic style story and so it well but Saiyuki does with buckets of style .It’s very hard to make a film work especially when based on such a long running series but it more tha stands on it's [sic] own. Saiyuki: Requiem is essential viewing for fans of fantasy and shonen action."[9] Animetion gave it three stars out of five, The action scenes are described as stylish and well-designed. They felt that the quality and breadth of the film was evident from start to finish and a real cinematic feel throughout the film. The animation, music, and design perfectly surround the film and draw the viewer in.[10] Red XIII of Anime UK News gave an average score to the film, described the plot as quite predictable saying "Saiyuki Requiem is a fairly standard entry in the list of movies based on the series, a predictable outing that conforms to all the usual clichés with almost boring precision."[11]

Gensomaden Saiyuki: Kibou no Zaika (OAV) was produced by the same company and distribute by Geneon September 19, 2002. [12][13][14]

"Kibou no zaika" was originally interactive game. The company that released DVD, extracted only anime scenes to the DVD which caused little pause between every scene change.[15]

• Official website (in Japanese)
• Saiyuki: Requiem (movie) (anime) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia