Episode 07: Cursed Board Game

Cursed Board Game

「呪いの双六」 - Inevitable Game
Series name	Saiyuki Reload Gunlock
Manga equivalent	N/A
Air date	2004-05-13
Written by	Touko Machida
Directed by	Akira Shimizu Animation Supervisors: Hikeaki Matsuoka and Sawako Yamamoto
Story board by	Keiji Hayakawa and Tetsuya Endou
previous Episode 6	next Episode 8

“You’re not a dog. You’re a monkey.”

-Gojyo to Goku

Cursed Board Game is the 7th episode ofSaiyuki Reload Gunlock.

Synopsis[]

The Sanzo party stops for the night at a cheap and somewhat ghostly inn. The four of them feel like they are going to die of boredom with no TV or radio, and little food. Goku is given a board game given by the man who is in charge of the inn: a game of death that you cannot quit. Looks likes the Sanzo party got their hands on one hell of a game.

Summary[]

The Sanzo party stops for the night in an inn. The innkeeper will prepare their room, but unfortunately the inn is short-handed, meaning they cannot offer much hospitality. Since it's the only inn in the map around the place, they don't have any choice.

Gojyo was taking a shower when it stopped running since the inn is very cheap, then there was a knock on a door. Goku immediately open the door seeing nobody, but a cart of their food. Goku gets the cart and opens it, which only contains four breads and four milks. Goku as well as the rest was not satisfied at all eating their dinner. Gojyo complains about the shower, no radio, much less television while Sanzo complains as well for he runs out of cigarettes. Hakkai requested to endure it since it's only for one-night. So then, Goku decided to look and find a kiosk around a bit, but there was no kiosk down the lobby. The innkeeper apologizes for it, so he brings out a unique board game and suggested playing just the thing to kill time. Goku wonders if playing the board game will distract Sanzo. The man gave Goku a box of tokens which looks like human toys for him to choose for the game.

Goku brings the board game upstairs. Hakkai takes a look at a token saying that it’s strange, when the token smiles at him. Hakkai got surprised as Gojyo asked him if what’s wrong. Hakkai answered that perhaps he’s tired. Since they’ve got nothing else to do, they decided to play. Gojyo takes a cute chick token then Goku asked Sanzo if he wants to play. At first, Sanzo seems to refuse playing, but when Goku gave him the dice Sanzo rolled it and stopped in 8. Goku tells Sanzo that the middle-aged guy is his token, when Goku was about to move it, the other token moved by itself. Goku, Hakkai and Gojyo were surprised on what they are seeing while Sanzo was reading a newspaper without knowing what’s going on and tells them to leave him out. The token stopped moving on its 8 path when a lightning thunder strikes outside the window as the token spokes “The die has truly been cast. First, you shall receive an ostentatious welcome”. A piñata appeared on their top and popped saying “Welcome”. The Sanzo party started to wonder what the mechanism is behind. Goku cheered that it was a fun board game like what the innkeeper said, but according to Hakkai that it’s more “strange” than “fun”. Hakkai rolled the dice, stopping at 7, when another token moved when they noticed the welcome piñata disappeared. The token of Hakkai stopped at its 7 path saying “There will be a warm reception for those invited to the game. Please accept it”, then a dish of buns appeared for each of them. Goku eats it, but Hakkai was too late to stop him. Sanzo asked what kind of board game is this, since what the tokens say becomes reality. Gojyo rolled the dice as the dish of buns vanished, meaning that the event ends when the next person rolls the dice. Gojyo’s token stopped and said “You are all invited to the wonderful Aqua World! It’s a hugely exciting attraction!” when a water just splashed from nowhere, they tried to open the windows and door, but it won’t even Sanzo shoots the window. Hakkai tells Goku to roll the dice, Sanzo shoots the board game making it go down, but the splash of water hasn’t stop making the room almost fill with water. Goku then dives for the dice as the water and the rain outside vanished. The middle-old age token moved and stopped saying “Now, whoever lands on this spot must act as the watchdog of hell until the highest possible number is rolled.” Sanzo asked Goku if he got a detail from the innkeeper about the board game, then Goku nodded no and answered like a bark of a dog.

Sanzo rolled the dice and stopped in 8. Goku hasn’t come back to normal and tries to tell something even written communication still says: “Woof, woof”. Hakkai remembers and maybe it means Goku will come back to normal if the next player rolls two sixes as Goku nodded yes. Sanzo’s token stopped in its 8 path and said: “Why not change into a forest spirit and enjoy a leisurely, therapeutic walk?” then Sanzo’s body became a tree. Hakkai rolled the dice and stopped in into two sixes (12) then Goku came back to normal and hugs Hakkai. Hakkai’s token stopped in its path and said: “A big dragon wants to play with you all.” Gojyo whispers to Hakkai “Wouldn’t it have it better to leave them (Sanzo and Goku) that a while longer?” When Sanzo shoots his gun beside Gojyo, where there is a dragon. The Sanzo party defeats the dragon and Gojyo rolled his turn. Meanwhile, the innkeeper whose feet, is a figurine like the tokens and hoping that they will win this time. Sanzo roll his turn and his consequence this time “What a luck land here! You’ll get a shower of rice wine! Drink and dance”. Gojyo was having fun for there was still a fun event, but Hakkai rolled his turn for they will not waste any time. Hakkai’s next consequence was “A stranger’s going to be nice to you. Take advantage of it!” Hakkai’s body just moved then climbs on Gojyo and Sanzo. Later while going far to the game. Goku’s token landed in a red zone and his consequence: “Now, this next event will be quite tough. Can you defeat him? Warning: you have entered the red zone. The events won’t be as simple from here on out.” A cute kitten then appeared to them and turned into big two-headed tiger. The Sanzo party tries to defeat the tiger as Sanzo rolled his turn, but the tiger didn’t vanish. Which means the red zone situation won’t change, even if the next person rolls the dice. Sanzo’s next consequence: “Uh-oh, stopping here means big trouble! You’re fated to be sealed away for eternity!” Sanzo was pushed in the wall as it swallows him little by little, then Goku kicks the dice to Hakkai for him to roll it. Hakkai’s dice stopped into 8, but he failed to end the game because it didn’t hit the end exactly as he turned into token figurine. Meanwhile, the innkeeper was worried already for they might fail. Gojyo rolled his turn and this time his consequence: “My, you stopped here. A bog that swallows everything will appear. Be careful!” As Gojyo was being swallowed by a mud, then Goku was encountering the tiger by his self. Sanzo tells Goku to hurry since he has six spaces left to reach the end. Goku runs while the tiger runs after him and stepped on Gojyo. Since Goku can’t stop running, he summons his Nyoi-bou to get the dice as he rolled it and was almost stopping at 7, but Sanzo shoots the dice to stop into six. “The curse has been lifted by the brave warriors. All shall return to their original forms.” Then everything turned back to normal as well as the innkeeper who went inside to congratulate them and the tokens who are the villagers went to normal too, then the board game disappeared. The innkeeper tells them that the board game was cursed. Long ago, a shady travelling priest left the board game in lieu of payment. At that time, the innkeeper never even dreamed it would bring such calamity to the village. The priest invited the villagers to come play the board game and turned them into game tokens one by one. The priest told the innkeeper “You will wait here for those who can lift the curse.” All that time, the innkeeper was waiting for someone who could lift the curse. The innkeeper and villagers thanked the Sanzo party. As their payment to the Sanzo party, they will offer their hospitality in thanks and will do whatever they wish.