Saiyuki is a slow to start series. As I started, I was a little confused as to what the hell was going on, thinking that I'd missed something. Too much was happening with no proper character introductions, and no real story.

The story gets better as you go though. By the start of the second volume, I had regained my ground. I knew who the characters were and what they were doing.

Unfortunately Saiyuki's story isn't up to scratch. It isn 't a bad story, it just doesn't go anywhere. By the end of it, realising that it hadn't been completed and that there was an entire series. Saiyuki Reload follows it. The problem is that the story wasn't enticing enough for me to even bother with the next series. I was just a little annoyed that I thought I was getting to the end of the series and in the end there was little to no plot development, with the characters basically ending up back where they were at the start.

The characters in the series are interesting but highly cliched. The second I saw them, I could guess practically everything about them. And generally, I was correct. They are see-through and unbelievable. The only redeeming parts are the stories of Hakkai and Gojyo, who have deep and interesting backstories.

While the story and characters aren't amazing, the artwork is incredibly well done.The artstyle is a little hard to get used to, but once you have, it is the best thing about the series.

Overall, the series is interesting, but not really worth your time. If you've really got nothing better to read, give it a go. It's not bad, but there are much better series out there.