List of media adaptations of Journey to the West

Journey to the West, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature, was written in the 16th century but remains popular today, and has been adapted many times in modern media, including film, television, stage, and other media.

Paintings

• Japanese artist Tsukioka Yoshitoshi published a series of prints in 1865 titled Tsûzoku saiyûki (A Modern Journey to the West).

Stage plays

• Journey to the West: The Musical - a stage musical that received its world premiere at the New York Musical Theatre Festival on September 25, 2006.

• Monkey: Journey to the West - a stage musical version created by Chen Shi-Zheng, Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett. It premiered as part of the 2007 Manchester International Festival at the Palace Theatre on June 28.

• The Monkey King - a production by the Children's Theater Company in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 2005.

• The Monkey Sun (Opičák Sun) – a production adapting several chapters from the novel by the Theatre Esence in Prague, Czechoslovakia in 1984.

• 'Monkey: A Journey to the West'- A live storytelling by Sebastian Lockwood of the New Hampshire Institute of Art, Presented February 2012

Films

• Princess Iron Fan (1941), a liberal adapted of a short sequence from Journey to the West; the first Chinese animated feature film.
• Havoc in Heaven (1961), also known as Uproar in Heaven, is a Chinese animated feature film directed by Wan Laiming and produced by all four of the Wan brothers.
• Shaw Brothers Studio film series directed by Ho Meng-hua:
  • Monkey Goes West (1966)
  • Princess Iron Fan (1966), adapting two chapters from the novel.
  • Cave of the Silken Web (1967)
  • The Land of Many Perfumes (1968)
• A Chinese Odyssey (1995), a comedy film loosely based on the novel, starring Stephen Chow.
• Heavenly Legend (1998), a film by Tai Seng Entertainment that is partially based on the novel, starring Jimmy Lin and Ashton Chen.
• A Chinese Tall Story (2005), a comedy film loosely based on the novel, starring Nicholas Tse.
• The Fire Ball (2005), an animated feature film directed by Wong Tung
• The Adventures of Super Monkey (2007), a film featuring Shingo Katori as the Monkey King focusing on one adventure with the team fighting the Gold and Silver Horn Kings.
• Saiyūki (2007) is a feature film produced by Fuji Television, released in Japan on 14 July 2007. The film was made in lieu of a second season of the 2006 TV series by the same name. The film was a box office success, becoming the 8th highest-grossing film of 2007 in Japan.
• The Forbidden Kingdom (2008), a fantasy-adventure martial arts film featuring Jet Li as the Monkey King.
• The Monkey King (2012), starring Donnie Yen and Chow Yun-fat
• Journey to the West (2012), starring Stephen Chow and Shu Qi; currently filming in Hengdian World Studios, China.
• Journey to the West (upcoming) — In March 2011, Neil Gaiman announced plans to pen a screen adaptation of Journey to the West at the request of television producer Zhang Jizhong. Guillermo del Toro is rumored as a possible director, and James Cameron will also consult on the film.

Television series

• Saiyūki (Monkey) (1978–1980), a 1970s Japanese television series based on Journey to the West translated into English by BBC.

• Science Fiction Saiyuki Starzinger (1978-1979), a 1970s Japanese anime series that is a science-fiction / space opera reimaginating of the story, produced by Toei Animation.

• Journey to the West (1986 and 1999), a two season television series produced by CCTV. Noted for its faithfulness to the original novel, this series is still considered by many as a classic. Liu Xiao Ling Tong played the Monkey King in both seasons.

• Journey to the West (1994). Nippon TV produced another television series, based on the Journey to the West story, titled New Monkey, it ran for only one season. The series when released was considered a special effects achievement.^{[citation needed]}

• Journey to the West (1996), produced by Hong Kong's TVB, starring Dicky Cheung as the Monkey King.

• Journey to the West II (1998), the sequel to the 1996 TVB version of Journey to the West, starring Benny Chan as the Monkey King.

• The Monkey King (2001), Sci Fi Channel's television adaptation of this legend, also called The Lost Empire.

• The Monkey King: Quest for the Sutra (2002), a loose adaptation of the novel, starring Dicky Cheung as the Monkey King.

• Saiyūki (2006). Japan's Fuji Television produced (yet) another television series, based on the Journey to the West story, titled Saiyūki. The lead character of Son Goku (Monkey King) was given to Shingo Katori, a member of the pop group SMAP. This latest remake has been so successful as to break viewing records with one in three Japanese viewers watching each episode of the series. Companies from South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, China, Malaysia and the United Kingdom are trying to secure rights to broadcast this series.

• Wu Cheng'en and Journey to the West (2010) features the story of Wu Cheng'en, author of Journey to the West, and his inspiration for writing the novel. The main cast from the CCTV version reprised their roles in this series, with Liu Xiao Ling Tong simultaneously playing both Wu Cheng'en and the Monkey King.

• Journey to the West (2010) consisted of 52 episodes, and began airing on Zhejiang Satellite TV on 14 February 2010. The series was directed and produced by Chen Lidong.

• Journey to the West (2011) consists of 50 episodes retelling the classic tale. The series is directed by Zhang Jizhong, and began production in 2009, and aired its first episode on 28 July 2011 on Southern Television Guangdong.

Comics, manga and anime

• Alakazam the Great: One of the first anime films produced by Toei Animation, a retelling of first part of the story based on the characters designed by Osamu Tezuka.

• Gokū no Daibōken

• BBC Beijing Olympics titles: A two-minute long introduction produced in 2008 for the Beijing Olympics by BBC. The animation and music were specially produced by Jamie Hewlett and Damon Albarn.[1]

• Dragon Ball: Started off based on Journey to the West, but later deviated from it. Sun Wukong becomes Son Goku, a humanoid alien with an elongating staff weapon and the ability to change into a giant ape. The object of sutras are replaced by the 7 wish-granting Dragon Balls.

• Saiyūki: manga and anime series inspired by the legend. Follow-up series include Saiyuki Gaiden, Saiyuki Ibun and Saiyuki Reload Blast, continuation of the manga.

• Patalliro Saiyuki: A shōnen-ai series in both anime and manga formats with the Patalliro! cast playing out the Zaiyuji storyline with a BL twist.

• Havoc in Heaven (also known as Uproar in Heaven): Original animation from China, by Shanghai Animation Film Studio.

• Ginseng Fruit(also known as Stealing the Ginseng Fruit): Original animation from China, by Shanghai Animation Film Studio.

• Iyashite Agerun Saiyūki: A 2007 adult anime

• Monkey Magic: An animated retelling of the legend.

• Monkey Typhoon: A manga and anime series based on the Journey to the West saga, following a futuristic steampunk -retelling of the legend.

• Saint: A manhua created by Hong Kong manhua artist Khoo Fuk-lung, based on the Journey to the West but adding many interesting facts.

• Starzinger: An animated science fiction version of the story.

• The Journey West: A series of illustrated ebooks available for the Kindle and Nook that retell Journey to the West using rhyming verses vaguely reminiscent of Dr. Seuss. Book One: The Monkey King was released in 2011.

• The Monkey King: A dark sword and sorcery manga inspired by the tale.

• Xi You Ji: A 1999 Chinese cartoon based on the book that ran for 52 episodes and was broadcast on CCTV. The whole series was later released on a 26 disc VCD set. The show was later dubbed into English and edited by Cinar (now known as Cookie Jar Entertainment) and was entitled Journey to the West - Legends of the Monkey King. It first aired on Teletoon in Canada and was originally shown on the Cookie Jar Toons block on This TV in the United States from 2009 to 2010.

• The Ape: by Milo Manara and Silverio Pisu. Graphic novel published 1986 by Catalan Communications. Previously serialized in Heavy Metal magazine in 1983. This is a more adult adaptation of 'Journey to the West' with a preface by Renata Pisu. ISBN 978-0874160192

• In Read or Die OVA, one of the I-jin characters, Genjo Sanzo, is loosely based on Son Goku. He has a staff that he can control the length of and he rides a cloud.

• In Buster Keel, all of the main characters are loosely based on the 4 characters, Keel is a powerful Dragon-Ape who is cursed similar to Sun Wukong, Lavie is Xuanzang, Blue is Sha Wujing and Lavie's First Monster is a flying pig similar to Zhu Bajie

Music

• The 2008 album Journey to the West (album) is the soundtrack to the musical stageplay Monkey: Journey to the West. It was composed by English musician Damon Albarn (of Blur and Gorillaz fame) with the UK Chinese Ensemble, the soundtrack itself is only based upon, but not a direct recording of the musical.

Dance

• Shen Yun Performing Arts has featured several vignettes from Journey to the West in its dance productions, which tour internationally. These include "The Monkey King Triumphs," which recounts chapter 27 of the classic novel in which the Sun Wukong battles the white bone demon, and "Monkey King Captures Pigsy."

Works referencing the novel

• American Born Chinese: An American graphic novel by Gene Yang. Nominated for the National Book Award (2006).

• Doraemon: A special tells the story of Journey To The West casting the Doraemon characters as the characters of the legend.

• Eyeshield 21: Three of the players for the Shinryuji Nagas are referred to as the Saiyuki Trio based upon their appearances and personalities.

• Gag Manga Biyori: The 2005 sketch comedy style anime featured one episode in its first season that portrayed the Journey to the West as a race, casting Sanzou Houshi (Xuanzang), Son Goku (Sun Wukong), and Sa Gojo (Sha Wujing) as three racers.

• GoGo Sentai Boukenger: The 2006 Super Sentai series, where its final episode involved the Rúyì-jīngū-bàng

• InuYasha: The characters meet descendants of three of the main characters of the Journey to the West in one episode and main character, Kagome Higurashi, says a few lines about the whole book and story. Also, several plot elements in InuYasha vaguely resemble Journey to the West such as the quest (the search for jewel shards in place of scrolls), a weapon which changes in shape and size (InuYasha's Tetsusaiga), and InuYasha's necklace, which allows Kagome to punish him at will, which is probably based on Sun Wukong's headband.

• Juken Sentai Gekiranger: The 2007 Super Sentai series, where one of its villains fighting style is homage to Sun Wukong.

• Kaleido Star: The cast performs Saiyuki on stage a few times in the beginning of the second half of the series.

• Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger: The 1992 Super Sentai series, the monster in the thirty-seventh episode is based on Gold-Horn from chapters 32-35.

• Love Hina: The characters put on a play based on the story in anime episode 16 and manga chapter 37.

• Naruto: Temari, a character from Naruto, is based on Princess Iron Fan from the legend. Enma is a summoned monkey who bears resemblance to Sun Wukong. He has the ability to transform into a staff similar to the rúyì-jīngū-bàng, which can alter its size at will. Kinkaku and Ginkaku appear as enemy ninja wielding the power of the Nine-Tailed Fox. One of the Tailed Beasts a giant ape, is named Son Goku and wears Sun Wukongs headdress.

• Ninja Sentai Kakuranger: The 1994 Super Sentai series, where each of the main characters are inspired by the main characters of Journey to the West

• Paprika (2006 film) references the classic Chinese fable when the main character, Paprika, transforms into something resembling the Monkey King, with a staff, tiger-skin clothing, and riding a cloud.

• Princess Iron Fan (1941): First Chinese animated feature, based on the Iron Fan episode.

• Ranma 1/2: Pastiches of the characters appear throughout the manga and movies.

• Read or Die (OVA): One of the villains is a clone of Xuanzang, who seems to have the powers of Sun Wukong and Xuanzang.

• Read or Dream: In the manga, Anita gets hit on the forehead with a baseball and is knocked out. She has a dream based on the Wizard of Oz, but one of the other characters notes that he is in the wrong story because he is the Monkey King.

• Sakura Wars: The Imperial Flower Troupe Performs the play of Journey to the West.

• Science Fiction Saiyuki Starzinger (SF西遊記スタージンガー, Esu Efu Saiyuki Sutājingā): 1978-1979 anime of a science fiction / space opera retelling of Journey to the West by Toei Animation.

• Shinzo: An anime loosely based on Journey to the West.

• Sir Harold and the Monkey King (1992): Harold Shea and Reed Chalmers visit the setting of Journey to the West in this short story.

• The Monkey King's Daughter: An American adventure novel-series for young adults DVTVFilm.

• XIN: An American comic mini-series produced by Anarchy Studio.

• Dark Heavens and Journey to Wudang series: a fantasy novel series by Kylie Chan

Games

• China Gate: A 1988 arcade game by Technos Japan Corp., based on the original story and characters. The Japanese version is titled Saiyu Gōma Roku (西遊降魔録, "Conquering Devil Journeys to the West")

• Ether Saga Online: A MMORPG based heavily on Journey to the West, developed by Beijing Perfect World.

• Enslaved: Odyssey to the West: A multi-platform game developed by Ninja Theory based on a futuristic take on the fable.

• Fuun Gokuu Ninden: An action game for PlayStation. The characters of the game are based on the characters of Journey to the West.

• Journey to the West: An unlicensed Famicom game by Taiwanese developer TXC Corp, 1994.

• League of Legends: An action real time strategy video game developed and published by Riot Games for Microsoft Windows. A playable character in the game is a direct reference to the Monkey King.

• Mega Man: The Wily Wars: An enhanced remake of the first three Mega Man games, featuring three new bosses based on the characters of Journey to the West.

• The Monkey King: The Legend Begins: A side scrolling shooting game on the Nintendo Wii made in 2007 by UFO Interactive Games Inc. The player will play as either Wu Kung or a girl named Mei Mei.

• Monkey Magic: A video game for the PlayStation console.

• Oriental Legend: Arcade action game by IGS in 1997, based on the novel. This game was only released in China and Korea.

• Pokémon Diamond and Pearl: A video game and multiseries in which the Pokémon creatures Chimchar, Monferno, and mainly Infernape are based on Sūn Wùkōng.

• Saiyuki: Journey West: A tactical role-playing game for PlayStation developed by Koei.

• Saiyūki World: A Japan-exclusive NES game by Jaleco.

• SonSon: A video game and character of the same name created by Capcom whose title character is a caricature of Sūn Wùkōng. The granddaughter of SonSon (also named SonSon) appears in Marvel vs. Capcom 2.

• SonSon 2: Japan-exclusive sequel to SonSon.

• S.Y.K. Shinsetsu Saiyūki: an otome game developed by Otomate

• Warriors Orochi 2: Sūn Wùkōng appears as a playable character in this game.

• Westward Journey: A MMORPG.

• Whomp 'Em (known in Japan as Saiyūki World II): Sequel to Saiyūki World. An NES game whose Japanese version is based on the story (the American version features a Native American boy instead of Wukong).

• World Heroes Perfect - A fighting game created by ADK for the Neo-Geo and Sega Saturn. Goku, one of the playable characters introduced in the game, is based on Sūn Wùkōng.

• Yūyūki: A video game for the Famicom Disk System by Nintendo, based directly on the plot.