Kougaiji, filler episodes, and character alterations

[incandescens]

Please bear in mind that I haven't yet seen the second episode of Saiyuki Reload. However, this thought came to me last night.

It's been a while since the first two seasons of the anime.

If we follow the manga, Kougaiji is about to have (indeed, already has had) significant brainwashing/barcoding/character mutilation, due to the tender attentions of Nii Jieni, our favourite unshaven scientist.

If I were putting together this series, I would be seriously tempted to have at least one episode which showed Kougaiji as his "normal" self -- honourable, fair, really quite a decent chap -- before I got down to showing him as the brainwashed homicidal psychopathic sutra-fixated bad guy. After all, if he comes straight into the series as the bad guy, where's the impact for people who've never seen it before, or who've forgotten over the last year or two who he was?

And since there's no convenient manga episode to demonstrate this (the manga having been out of sync with the anime for a while now) we need a filler episode.

Just a thought, anyhow.

Comments

[rheow.livejournal.com]

You're really an optimist at heart. ^_^

[ukoku.livejournal.com]

It's true, though. Personally, I don't mind filler... as long as they do get to the plot.

[kickinpants.livejournal.com]

Your upbeatness is a good way to start off when the next episode airs. And who knows? The whole second season, outside of the Gaiden episodes, were technically "filler", and some of those were great.

And you're right, he is our most favourite unshaven scientist.

[newbabyfly.livejournal.com]

Annnd we need this filler episode just so us dirty-minded yaoi fangirls can sit there and squeeee! ove Nii molesting Kou. MUWHAHA! XD