It has been a while since I've watched the Saiyuki foursome so I wanted to start over and get an overview of how they came together... Main Characters: Genjo Sanzo, Son Goku, Cho Hakkai, Sha Gojyo Story: 8/10 - since this will basically be an "introduction" before the Journey to the West, i believe that they did a pretty good job... i must admit i got confused at first since the Sanzos kinda looked the same and the names are pretty difficult to remember (with all those Sha-Cho-Kyo)... i would've liked it better if it was extended to at least 5 episodes... the Genjo Chapter was verydetailed... it really focused on our blonde priest and his backgound... I was still moved by the Son Goku Chapter and i actually pitied the poor 'lil monkey... the Hakkai and Gojyo Chapter was rushed, unfortunately...

Art: 7/10 - this was too sharp for my taste since i did not particularly like the long faces... the most weird part for me is that Gojyo's eyes can be seen behind his red/purple hair... also, characters kinda looked the same... where's the originality?

Sound: 6/10 - i'll give this a 6... i did not like the OP/ED songs... BG music is just okay, if there was one...

Characters: 8/10 - loved the character development for Genjo and Goku... i wished they could have done the same with Hakkai and Gojyo... though, if my memory serves me right, Hakkai's story will be in JttW so i guess that would make it redundant... i like the Genjo-Goku "father and son" relationship... i've always wanted to see Hakkai fight w/o his limiters but i was disappointed again... Gojyo for me is still the weakest of them all and he is my least favorite...

Enjoyment/Overall: 8/10 - after i was done wrapping my head around the priests' names, the faces, and all, i actually enjoyed watching Saiyuki again...

Not really sure if I would be recommending this to people who haven't heard of JttW... I guess for the Saiyuki fans, yes... maybe for those interested in seeing a gun-totting priest and his 3 youkai friends, then by all means, pick this up since it will give a new light to the JttW TV series... :)