Dear Visitor...


Hello there! Hopefully you've visited a good majority, if not all, of what Rebel has to offer - if not, why are you wasting your time reading the ramblings of a (most likely) crazy webmistress? I just want to take a little time to thank my lovely visitors for dropping by this site and/or joining the fanlisting! The world's always a better place if there are more Kenren fans, isn't that right? Before I get into anything deeper, I think it's only fair to warn you that I get very out-of-whack when I'm talking about Saiyuki. I mean, very. I often start sprouting all sorts of abstract nonsense that even I can't make much sense of.

As you can probably gather from the above paragraph, Saiyuki has a very profound impact on me - I'm not quite sure why. All I know is that the story-telling, characters, drawings, everything - it's breath-takingly beautiful. Everything in Saiyuki is absolutely gorgeous - the story itself is a beautiful work of art. Now, I'm not usually such a flaky/flowery - for lack of a better word - person. I can take Saiyuki at face value for what it is and be a cynic by saying that no one's ever going to reach India. And I actually believe that. I doubt Saiyuki will ever end - not that I want it to, but at the same time, I yearn for some sort of satisfying conclusion someday.

Disregarding the fact that the entire upper paragraph makes no sense whatsoever and has completely strayed off topic. The main point is that I take Saiyuki for something so much more meaningful. I take the characters' morals and values, their attitudes and personalities, their pasts and presents, and try to figure out why they are as damaged as they currently are. And are they justified in the actions they take? I am not a fan of angst, but (not surprisingly at this point, I suppose) I take Saiyuki's angst-in-the-rain rather well. Erm...still not making sense, right?

I love Kenren's character. I love how he contrasts everyone with his beliefs and how rebellious he is against authority. I love how he teases Konzen, how he puts trust in Tenpou, and how he acts like a big brother to Goku. I think that out of all the Gaiden characters, Kenren has the most personality and he's the one that most of us can relate to. For me, he's the most interesting and dynamic character. He has real emotions and compassion for others that he can't hide, he's reckless, impulsive, bratty, lively, and ultimately has a good heart.

I'll admit that my love for Gojyo - Kenren's reincarnation - far surpasses my love for Kenren. But, as Minekura-sensei said, Kenren and Gojyo are two different people - even though one is the other's past and one is the other's future, they're still different people despite the obvious parallels in their personalities. I love Kenren in his own way and he's definitely my favourite in Saiyuki Gaiden.

Thanks for visiting! xoxoxo