The Cherry Blossom's Image Emporium

WELCOME TO THE CHERRY BLOSSOM IMAGE EMPORIUM!! This is flowermiko's blog dedicated solely to the art of scanning, as it's one of my personal hobbies. By "art", I mean not just only scanning a picture: the purpose of this blog is to provide high-quality...

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Saiyuki: Dressed in Black

Cover art featured in the bonuses from Animate for complete purchase of all four volumes of the Saiyuki Reload Blast anime. This particular scan was sourced from a folder used to keep clearfiles! That’s right…a big folder to keep folders, that is, all those clearfiles I’ve scanned and I’ve yet to scanned.

Ah, but that’s boring stuff none cares about, right? So let’s see: looks like once again our favorite bad boys have been dragged into a photo shoot for publicity, and Sanzo is not happy about it (would he ever be?). Either way, I’ve always been particularly fond of men being dressed all in black. There’s something classy about it and sexy all in one package. I’m sure we can all see Gojyo is amused and probably will tell Sanzo to just chill, while Goku is looking cute & Hakkai is amused at the whole scene (to none’s surprise).

…I have no idea where I’m going with this, so feel free to make up your own story about this one!

If re-posting please credit to “flowermiko” at Tumblr or Twitter.  DO NOT UPLOAD TO ZEROCHAN. Thank you and enjoy!

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Saiyuki: Genjyo Sanzo as “Tripitaka” or “Tang Sanzang” or “Xuanzang”

Four of four from a set of post cards, we have Genjyo Sanzo cosplaying as the his counterpart from the original Chinese novel "Journey to the West"....REALLY SANZO-SAMA?! Why do you have to be the special one with three varieties to your counterpart's name? Well, the first two versions are from the literary work and "Xuanzang" is the historical character the fictional character was based on which our bad boy Sanzo was based on...yeah, this is getting too long.

It's good to know our Sanzo-sama can put up a much better fight on his own compared to his counterpart. Still, I'd say it still stands his companions have to keep him safe from getting eaten by youkai thinking they'll become immortal. Some things never change...This completes the "Journey to the West" cosplay set.

Journey to the West  or Journey to the Extreme? You decide ^^

If re-posting please credit to “flowermiko” at Tumblr or Twitter.  DO NOT UPLOAD TO ZEROCHAN. Thank you and enjoy!

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Saiyuki: Son Goku as “Sun Wukong”

Third of four from a set of post cards, we have Son Goku cosplaying as the his counterpart from the original Chinese novel "Journey to the West". Once a Monkey King always a Seiten Taisei...sort of. I'll dare say that in the sense of clothes and looks, Goku seems to be the most similar to his counterpart from the original novel, in particular because every reincarnation that's represented Sun Wukong, the circlet design is always the same. Gotta love the outfit though!

Journey to the West  or Journey to the Extreme? You decide ^^

If re-posting please credit to “flowermiko” at Tumblr or Twitter.  DO NOT UPLOAD TO ZEROCHAN. Thank you and enjoy!

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Saiyuki: Sha Gojyo as “Sha Wujing “

Second of four from a set of post cards, we have Sha Gojyo cosplaying as the his counterpart from the original Chinese novel "Journey to the West". Well, for this take on the original, Gojyo doesn't look that much different, save for the skull necklace that ultimately went to his previous self as Kenren (?). Also appears he wasn't that much of womanizer....I think we'd all take our current Gojyo over the traditional one, lol.

Journey to the West  or Journey to the Extreme? You decide ^^

If re-posting please credit to “flowermiko” at Tumblr or Twitter.  DO NOT UPLOAD TO ZEROCHAN. Thank you and enjoy!

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Saiyuki: Cho Hakkai as "Zhu Bajie"

First of four from a set of post cards, we have Cho Hakkai cosplaying as the his counterpart from the original Chinese novel "Journey to the West". If you ask me though, he looks more like a chef hat and apron! Well, for all I know he might have been the cook in the original version-- probably a sign I should read up more on this. Hey, at least Hakuryuu is in this one!

Journey to the West  or Journey to the Extreme? You decide ^^

If re-posting please credit to “flowermiko” at Tumblr or Twitter.  DO NOT UPLOAD TO ZEROCHAN. Thank you and enjoy!

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Saiyuki: White Day Hakkai

And here it is! The last of the Saiyuki RB 2018 Anime calendar scan, but certainly not the least! Happy White Day everyone! This particular illustration was the one that inspired me to post the scans based on seasonal holidays, even though this one actually came from the May & June page

At first look of course, my first thought was if I didn't know any better, Hakkai is wearing a tuxedo and is about to get married! But seeing as it was all about seasons & holidays, if Gojyo is all about red and Valentines, then Hakkai is all about White (and green) Day!

Well ladies, he is already holding out his hand to you. The question is...do you take it or not and go where he goes? This completes the SRB 2018 anime calendar scans set. Enjoy!

If re-posting please credit to “flowermiko” at Tumblr or Twitter.  DO NOT UPLOAD TO ZEROCHAN. Thank you and enjoy!

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Saiyuki: Just Some Cute Chibi Guys

Exactly what it says. Since my scanner is being special and won’t connect to my computer, I wanted to upload at least something else for the month! Anyways, alternate version of those Nitro+ style chibis that were also turned into straps last year. I believe AmiAmi still has some boxes with them, but don’t quote me on it.

See ya next month. Going to try to be back with more than just one scan! *sweats*

If re-posting please credit to “flowermiko” at Tumblr or Twitter.  DO NOT UPLOAD TO ZEROCHAN. Thank you and enjoy!

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Saiyuki: Valentine's Day Gojyo 

His signature color is RED and today is all about the color of love, passion, romances, and all R18 rated things this kappa loves. Alternately I would have called this "Date Ready Gojyo" for obvious reasons. But I won't disagree! Gojyo has dressed up very nicely in white trousers, dress shirt and even a tie that he is pulling....ladies, you already know what that means....

Another illustration sourced from the Saiyuki Reload Blast 2018 anime calendar. These illustrations have had quite the seasonal flavor and it’s been fun sharing them. With that in mind, the last of the calendar scans will be posted exactly ONE month from now. Can you guess why? Hah hah!! I bet you can! *ahem* Happy Valentines Day & keep it....safe...!

If re-posting please credit to “flowermiko” at Tumblr or Twitter.  DO NOT UPLOAD TO ZEROCHAN. Thank you and enjoy!

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Saiyuki: Walkway Through the Roses

Ah, we've reached the last photo, but it's in my humble opinion the most beautiful rose of all...and the whole reason I even went after this bromide set in the first place!

It's quite rare to see Sanzo with a calm expression in which he almost seems lost in thought as he exhales smoke. I'm sure most of you remember from Burial the reasoning behind smoking and the analogy of not keeping things in or you'll suffocate in the smoke. Perhaps Sanzo is reflecting on that. On that note, I read that Red roses, asides the usual expected meaning, convey deep emotions, while deep red conveys heartfelt regret and sorrow.

While I can't say for sure if this is what Minekura-sensei was going for, I think the description would apply to Sanzo well. Even though he doesn't let his past sorrow hold him back for the most part, like it is for anyone else, it's still there. Without a question, even if he'll never say it, Sanzo is under a lot of pressure as the leader of the group. Being the boss is never easy after all and everything has it's thorns. Still, it's a beautiful image and I'm really happy I'm able to share it.

This concludes the photo bromide collection. If you'd like to see the full collection, be sure to look at the video I made. I will be scanning the Twitter Log photos as well in due time. For now, the journey goes on! Until we meet again...

If re-posting please credit to “flowermiko” at Tumblr or Twitter.  DO NOT UPLOAD TO ZEROCHAN. Thank you and enjoy!

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Saiyuki: On the Rooftops

♪Standing on of the Rooftops! Everybody scream your heart out! This all we got now!♪ Oh gosh, the moment I saw this photo it immediately  made me think of THAT song. I think the lyrics could easily apply to themes in the world of Saiyuki. That said, I really adore this picture of Goku. He looks so calm looking towards the horizon with that soft smile on his face.

I think Goku is the only one out of the four that could easily climb up to the rooftop (certainly Sanzo wouldn't make it...!) Likely when Minekura has drawn towns in her manga, this is what she always envisions and/or uses as reference. Now Goku, don't stay up there too long or it'll get cold up there after sundown!

If re-posting please credit to “flowermiko” at Tumblr or Twitter.  DO NOT UPLOAD TO ZEROCHAN. Thank you and enjoy!

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Saiyuki: No Need for Selfie Sticks

There's just something funny about the look on their faces in this photo that makes me giggle. First of all, how the heck did Hakkai & Goku even convince Sanzo to join them in a heads leaned-in and all? Probably the smoke is keeping Sanzo chill *laughs*

Then again, we've already talked about needing money for this trip, so I guess all is for a good cause (and us fangirls!) ~Can you find where Gojyo is? If you do, then you'll know that the guys still got a mobile and how they're taking these pics!

If re-posting please credit to “flowermiko” at Tumblr or Twitter.  DO NOT UPLOAD TO ZEROCHAN. Thank you and enjoy!

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Saiyuki: You Were Trouble When You Walked In

So I'm really not sure what's going on in this one. Asides assuming Goku took this picture, I would like to know why Gojyo is flipping someone off (unless they're stuck in another "no smoking" zone?). Heck, I would have even thought this was the guys walking out of the audience with the Three Aspects in which they got fired!

But Sanzo doesn't look all that ruffled and even less Hakkai. It would have been a bad moment to take a picture anyways, right? I guess this one is open to a lot of interpretation. What we can see is that the setting is likely a Buddhist temple or the like and other than that, these guys always get into trouble one way or another, so nothing new here!

If re-posting please credit to “flowermiko” at Tumblr or Twitter.  DO NOT UPLOAD TO ZEROCHAN. Thank you and enjoy!

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Saiyuki: No Smoking Allowed Indoors 

Well, sorry boys, not everyone appreciates your smoking indoors and some places will be very strict about it...hence, this picture which I'm wondering if either Hakkai or Goku took it. In any case, likely it's an inn or a restaurant (maybe one of you with kanji reading abilities can shed some light on this one)

...or perhaps someone offered them to stay in their place for the night, like in "Sanzo's Bakery" a.k.a. "One Day Store Manager" mini drama *cough*. But that's another story for another time...

Now, if you zoom in on the door, you'll notice there's a picture of a blue demon-like creature. He seems to resemble a lot how Gyumaoh is shown in the opening of the Saiyuki Premium OVAs if I recall right. What do you think? Just remember...NO SMOKIN'!!

If re-posting please credit to “flowermiko” at Tumblr or Twitter.  DO NOT UPLOAD TO ZEROCHAN. Thank you and enjoy!

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Saiyuki: Autographed by Sanzo 

Oh my! It's the last of individual shots from the new photos part of the AGF 2017 "bromide" collection....OF COURSE it has to be Sanzo-sama!

No people, it does NOT spell doom when Sanzo smiles. Let's get over that. Ahem. What do you want me to say other than Sanzo looks -very- handsome in this illustration and it makes very happy that over the years Minekura-sensei has stepped away from drawing him scowling to having a small & soft smile.

I guess it's all part of that character development where the little details tell you a lot! And given Sanzo has the most elegant autograph of all as far as handwriting, it's probably a sign of when in normal clothes, he's quite the stylish man! This completes the individual shots set. More to come still!

If re-posting please credit to “flowermiko” at Tumblr or Twitter.  DO NOT UPLOAD TO ZEROCHAN. Thank you and enjoy!

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Saiyuki: Autographed by Goku

And heeeere comes our favorite saru-chan Goku's individual shot from the new photos part of the AGF 2017 "bromide" collection. I just want to go and pinch the cheeks on that cute face of his. Even if he's a grown man, a part of Goku will always be goofy and silly, and that's just fine!

I think the backdrop of the earthy-colored mountains (as opposed to the misty ones in Gojyo's pic or the mossy ones in Hakkai's) fit this earth child quite well. Another touch of genius from Minekura-sensei no less. As for Goku's signature, looks like his kanji's are getting a little less scribbly, heh heh. Practice makes perfect after all!

If re-posting please credit to “flowermiko” at Tumblr or Twitter.  DO NOT UPLOAD TO ZEROCHAN. Thank you and enjoy!

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Saiyuki: Autographed by Gojyo

Second we have Gojyo's individual shot from the new photos part of the AGF 2017 "bromide" collection. Is it me or does Gojyo looks a little grumpy for his usual? I don't think it's a bad angle but I'm really surprised not to see Gojyo with a smile-- that's a Sanzo thing!

Maybe Gojyo is trying to do the "strong & silent type" thing? I'll let you kappa fans call that one. As for his autograph, true to this ladies' man, he ends it with a <3

If re-posting please credit to “flowermiko” at Tumblr or Twitter.  DO NOT UPLOAD TO ZEROCHAN. Thank you and enjoy!

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Saiyuki: Autographed by Hakkai

First up from the new photos as part of the AGF 2017 "bromide" collection is a set of individual shots. Here we have Hakkai, who if I didn't know any better, looks like he's posing for an "idol" photo the way he's posing sideways. To think that Hakkai once said somewhere "I'm not very photogenic..." well I beg to differ!

In any case, it's a lovely picture of the Wandering Teacher, and as a bonus, it's autographed! Think now we can convince Hakkai to be a little less photo-shy, hah hah.

If re-posting please credit to “flowermiko” at Tumblr or Twitter.  DO NOT UPLOAD TO ZEROCHAN. Thank you and enjoy!