Monkey (TV series)

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西遊記
Saiyuki
Also known as Monkey (UK)
Genre Fantasy
Action
Adventure
Comedy
Created by Wu Cheng'en
Written by Motomu Furuta
Hiroichi Fuse
Hirokazu Fuse
James Miki
Moto Nagai
Yooichi Onaka
Mamoru Sasaki
Eizaburo Shiba
Yu Tagami
Kei Tasaka
Mutsuo Yamashita
Directed by Toshi Aoki
Jun Fukuda
Kazuo Ikehiro
Yusuke Watanabe
Daisuke Yamazaki
Starring Masaaki Sakai
Masako Natsume
Shiro Kishibe
Toshiyuki Nishida
Tonpei Hidari
Shunji Fujimura
Voices of UK dub:
David Collings
Maria Warburg
Peter Woodthorpe
Gareth Armstrong
Miriam Margoyles
Andrew Sachs
Theme music composer Mickie Yoshino
Opening theme Monkey Magic by Godiego
Ending theme Gandhara by Godiego (s1)
Holy and Bright by Godiego (s2)
Country of origin  Japan
Language(s) Japanese
No. of seasons 2
No. of episodes 52 (List of episodes)
Production
Producer(s) Teisho Arikawa
Tsuneo Hayakawa
Yoji Katori
Ken Kumagaya
Kazuo Morikawa
Tadahiro Nagatomi
Muneo Yamada
Broadcast
Original channel NTV
Picture format 4:3
Original run 1 October, 1978 – 4 May, 1980

Monkey is the dubbed English language version of the Japanese television series Saiyūki (西遊記?), based on the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West by Wu Cheng'en.[1] It was originally produced by Nippon Television (NTV) and International Television Films in association with NHK.

The series ran for two seasons of 26 episodes each. The first season ran from October 1978 to April 1979. The second season ran from November 1979 to May 1980. Both seasons had footage shot on location in north-west China and Inner Mongolia.

The show is unusual in that it was performed by Japanese actors in China and then dubbed into English. The English language version was produced by the BBC and broadcast in the United Kingdom in November 1979, and in Australia in May 1981. The script for the dubbed dialogue was written by David Weir. It ran for only 39 episodes, because at the discretion of the BBC select episodes were not dubbed for the original run. These remaining episodes were dubbed by Fabulous Films Ltd in early 2004 by the original actors following a successful release of the English dubbed series on VHS and DVD. The missing 13 episodes were shown on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom on 8 September 2004.

Besides Australia and the UK, Monkey has also aired in New Zealand and is available on DVD. Monkey has not been screened in the United States, although Saiyūki was screened on a local Japanese-language TV station in California during the early 1980s. Saiyuki also aired in Hawaii around the same time, although the version that was aired was neither dubbed nor subtitled.

Contents

[edit] Plot summary

Monkey, the title character, is described in the theme song as being "born from an egg on a mountain top"; a brash king of a monkey tribe, who, the song goes on to claim, was "the funkiest monkey that ever popped". He achieved a little enlightenment, and proclaimed himself "Great Sage, Equal of Heaven"[2]. After demanding the "gift" of a magical staff from a powerful Dragon king, and to quieten the din of his ruckus on Earth, Monkey is approached by Heaven to join their host, first in the lowly position of Master of the Stable, and then - after his riotus complaints - as "Keeper of the Peach Garden of Immortality". Monkey eats all peaches, becomes immortal and runs amok. Having earned the ire of Heaven and being bested in a challenge by an omniscient, mighty, but benevolent, cloud-dwelling deity Buddha, Monkey is imprisoned under a mountain in order to learn patience.

Eventually Monkey is released by the monk Tripitaka in 630, who has been tasked by the Boddhisatva Guanyin to undertake a pilgrimage to India to fetch holy scriptures. The pair soon recruits two former members of the Heavenly Host who were cast out and turned from angels to "monsters", as a result of Monkey's transgressions: Sandy, the water monster and ex-cannibal, expelled from Heaven after his interference caused Heaven's Jade Emporer's precious jade cup to be broken, and Pigsy, a pig monster consumed with lust and gluttony, who was expelled from Heaven after harassing the Star Princess Vega for a kiss. A dragon, Yu Lung, who was set free by Guanyin after being sentenced to death, eats Tripitaka's horse but upon discovering the horse was carrying Tripitaka, assumes the shape of a horse to carry him on his journey; later in the story he occasionally assumes human form to assist his new master, although he is still always refered to as 'Horse'. Monkey can also change form, for instance into a Hornet. In Episode 3, "The Great Journey Begins," Monkey transforms into a girl to trick Pigsy. Monkey's other magic included a cloud upon which he could fly, the above magic wishing staff with which Monkey fights and which could become any size, and the ability to conjure bare-fisted monkey warriors by blowing on hairs plucked from his chest.

The pilgrims face many perils and antagonists both human and supernatural. Monkey, Sandy, and Pigsy are often called upon to battle demons, monsters and bandits, despite Tripitaka's constant call for peace. Many episodes also feature some moral lesson, usually based upon Buddhist and/or Taoist philosophies, which are spoken by the narrator at the end of various scenes.

[edit] Spoken word introduction

The first season of the English language series begins with the following spoken introduction:

"In the worlds before Monkey, primal chaos reigned. Heaven sought order. But the phoenix can fly only when its feathers are grown. The four worlds formed again and yet again, as endless aeons wheeled and passed. Time and the pure essences of Heaven, the moisture of the Earth, the powers of the Sun and the Moon all worked upon a certain rock, old as creation. And it became magically fertile. That first egg was named "Thought". Tathagata Buddha, the Father Buddha, said, "With our thoughts, we make the World". Elemental forces caused the egg to hatch. From it then came a stone monkey. The nature of Monkey was irrepressible!"

In the second season, the opening title sequence changed to reflect the continuing journey of the party.

"Primal chaos ruled the worlds before Monkey. Monkey was born of time, of Heaven and Earth, Sun and Moon, out of a stone egg. He was irrepressible!.

The place was like ancient China and the time might have been a thousand years ago. They fought - and they thought - then, as now. Holy Tripitaka prayed. One disciple, Sandy, is a fish-spirit. Pigsy, expelled from heaven for greed, is the spirit of a pig. He is changing. Everything changes. There is a horse, once a dragon, now evolving into human form.

Monkey, Horse, Sandy, Pigsy and Tripitaka are all upon a journey as long as life."

[edit] Soundtrack

The songs in the series were performed by the five-piece Japanese band Godiego. The first series' ending theme "Gandhara" was released on Columbia Music Entertainment on October 1, 1978, cut with "Celebration". (Gandhara was an ancient Buddhist state, now Afghanistan/Pakistan.) This was followed by the release of the opening theme "Monkey Magic" was released on December 25, 1978, cut with "A Fool". Godiego would later release the LP Magic Monkey comprising all of the songs they composed for the first series on October 25, 1978. This LP by Godiego became one of the groups highest charting releases on the Oricon, staying at #1 for a total of eight weeks and was eventually LP and Compact Cassette of the year for 1979. For the second series, the ending theme was replaced with "Holy & Bright", released October 1, 1979 (the two sides of the single featured a Japanese language version on one side and a English language version on the other).

The BBC also released a series of singles for Monkey: RESL 66, which featured "Gandhara" on side 1 and "The Birth of the Odyssey" and "Monkey Magic" on side 2, and later RESL 81 which featured an edited version of "Monkey Magic" on side 1 and "Gandhara" (ガンダーラ Gandāra?) and "Thank You Baby" on Side 2. The BBC releases of "Gandhara" have one verse in Japanese and the other in English. The BBC also released Magic Monkey as REB 384.

Masaaki Sakai, who plays Monkey in the series, also performed several of the songs for the series: "SONGOKU", "Ima de wa Oso Sugiru" (今では遅すぎる?, "It's Too Late"), "Kono Michi no Hatemademo" (この道の果てまでも?, "To the End of the Road"), a Japanese version of Godiego's "Thank You Baby", and "20 Oku Nen no Kurayami" (20億年の暗闇?, "Two Billion Years of Darkness").

[edit] Cult appeal

Monkey is considered a cult classic in countries where it has been shown, especially in Australia, where its immediate widespread popularity surpassed that of both Japan and the UK. Among the features that have contributed to its cult appeal are the theme song, the dubbed dialogue spoken in a variety of over-the-top "Oriental" accents, (except for Sandy who inexplicably speaks with an English accent), the reasonably good synchronization of dubbing to the actors' original dialogue, the fact that the young priest Tripitaka was played by a woman and the fact that Guan yin, who is usually depicted in statues and paintings as a female, is portrayed by a male.

Australian contemporary youth programs like alternative music show Recovery and radio station Triple J often made references to Monkey. Triple J interviewed the original voice actors on several occasions.

Throughout the 1980s, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation frequently repeated, at 6pm on weeknights, the 39 episodes dubbed by the BBC. Recovery aired an episode of Monkey weekly from 1997-2000. When Recovery was put on hiatus, it was replaced with three hours of Monkey.

In Love Hina, when the characters put on a Journey to the West play, Seta insists Naru play the priest Tripitaka because he wanted a female to play the role to be like this series.

In one closing credits sequence of Lucky Star, Konata tries to karaoke to the "Monkey Magic", only for her wanting to bail out upon realizing that the song's lyrics are in English.

The character Tim Bisley from the Channel 4 sitcom Spaced claims that when he was a child, he wanted to be Monkey.

[edit] Characters

Character Actor Dub actor Original Chinese name Japanese name
Tripitaka Masako Natsume Maria Warburg Xuanzang Sanzō hōshi (Genjō Sanzō)
Monkey Masaaki Sakai David Collings Sun Wukong Son Gokū
Pigsy s1: Toshiyuki Nishida
s2: Tonpei Hidari		 Peter Woodthorpe Zhu Bajie Cho Hakkai
Sandy Shiro Kishibe Gareth Armstrong Sha Wujing Sa Gojō
"Horse" Shunji Fujimura Andrew Sachs Yu Lung Gyokuryū

Monkey's dubbed English voice (by David Collins) is almost identical in sound to Masaaki Sakai's real Japanese voice.

[edit] Other television adaptations of Journey to the West

Main article: Journey to the West#Live action television

[edit] Episode list

[edit] Series 1: 1978-79

  1. "Monkey Goes Wild about Heaven"
  2. "Monkey Turns Nursemaid"
  3. "The Great Journey Begins"
  4. "Monkey Swallows the Universe"
  5. "The Power of Youth"
  6. "Even Monsters Can Be People"
  7. "The Beginning of Wisdom"
  8. "Pigsy Woos a Widow"
  9. "What Monkey Calls the Dog-Woman"
  10. "Pigsy's in the Well"
  11. "The Difference Between Night & Day"
  12. "Pearls Before Swine"
  13. "The Minx and the Slug"
  14. "Catfish, Saint and the Shape-Changer"
  15. "Monkey Meets the Demon Digger"
  16. "The Most Monstrous Monster"
  17. "Truth and the Grey Gloves Devil"
  18. "Land for the Locusts"
  19. "The Vampire Master"
  20. "Outrageous Coincidences"
  21. "Pigsy, King and God"
  22. "Village of the Undead"
  23. "Two Little Blessings"
  24. "The Fires of Jealousy"
  25. "The Country of Nightmares"
  26. "The End of the Way"

[edit] Series 2: 1979-80

  1. "Pigsy's Ten Thousand Ladies"
  2. "The Dogs of Death"
  3. "You Win Some, You Lose Some" (dubbed 2004)
  4. "Pigsy Learns A Lesson" (dubbed 2004)
  5. "The Land With Two Suns" (dubbed 2004)
  6. "The House of the Evil Spirit" (dubbed 2004)
  7. "Am I Dreaming?" (dubbed 2004)
  8. "The Tormented Emperor" (dubbed 2004)
  9. "Between Heaven and Hell" (dubbed 2004)
  10. "The Foolish Philosopher"
  11. "Who Am I?"
  12. "What is Wisdom?"
  13. "The Fountain of Youth"
  14. "Better The Demon You Know" (dubbed 2004)
  15. "A Shadow So Huge"
  16. "Keep on Dancing"
  17. "Give and Take"
  18. "Such a Nice Monster"
  19. "The Fake Pilgrims (dubbed 2004)
  20. "Pretty as a Picture"
  21. "Mothers"
  22. "The Tenacious Tomboy" (dubbed 2004)
  23. "Stoned" (dubbed 2004)
  24. "Hungry Like The Wolf" (dubbed 2004)
  25. "Monkey's Yearning" (dubbed 2004)
  26. "At the Top of the Mountain"

[edit] References

  1. ^ The book is based on a real person. Hs En Tsang traveled to India in AD 629 to collect Buddhist scriptures. The reason given for the male Tripitaka character being played by a woman in the series was that actress Masako Natsume matched descriptions of Tsang's appearance more closely than male actors.
  2. ^ Episode 1, "Monkey Gets Wild About Heaven."

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monkey_(TV_series)"
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