Saiyuki: Requiem
Although billed as "The Motion Picture,"Saiyuki: Requiem(2001) is actually an OAV that continues the popular broadcast series. Sanjo Genzo and his motley crew, Sha Goyjo, Cho Hakkai, and Son Goku, are once again en route to India when they meet Horan, a young woman fleeing a monster that proves unusually difficult to kill. To thank them for her rescue, Horan invites the quartet back to the extravagant palace of her "master," Go Dogan. After a sumptuous dinner that delights Goku, the wanders retire to their rooms, where they're visited by murderous doppelgangers of each other. Naturally, Sanjo discovers the source of the evil and dispatches Dogan with a little assistance from his companions. The story contains few surprises, but the four adventurers provide the special brand of quarrelsome cool that won the series so many fans. (Rated 15 and older: nudity, violence, grotesque imagery, tobacco use)--Charles Solomon