Monkey is the English language version of a Japanese television series based on the novel Journey to the West by Wu Cheng'en. It is also commonly called Monkey Magic (which is actually the title of the show's catchy theme song).

The original series, Saiyûki, was made by Nihon Television, and 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 northwest China and inner Mongolia.

The English language version, Monkey, was produced by the BBC and debuted on British television screens in November 1979. The script for the dubbed dialogue was written by David Weir. It ran for 39 episodes, some episodes from the second season not having been dubbed for the original run, though the remaining "missing" episodes were dubbed in early 2004 following the highly successful release of the English dubbed series on VHS and DVD. The missing 13 episodes premiered on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom from Wednesday September 8 2004.

Monkey has also been screened in Australia and New Zealand and the first set of DVDs have also been released in these countries. Monkey (the dubbed version) has not been screened in the United States (for copyright reasons), although Saiyûki was screened on a local Japanese-language TV station in California during the early 1980s.

Plot summary

Monkey, the title character, "born from an egg on a mountain top", was a brash king of a monkey tribe. He achieved 'enlightenment' and proclaimed himself 'Great Sage, Equal of Heaven'. After demanding the "gift" of a magical staff from a powerful Dragon lord, Monkey is approached by Heaven to join their Host in the lowly position of Keeper of the Peaches of Immortality. Greedy Monkey eats them all, becoming immortal and running amok. Having earned the ire of Heaven and being bested in a challenge by Buddha, Monkey is imprisoned under a mountain in order to learn humility. (This "origin story" is chronicled in the first episode, "Monkey Goes Wild About Heaven").

Eventually Monkey is released by the priest Tripitaka, who has been tasked by the Boddhisatva Guan Yin to undertake a pilgrimage to India to fetch holy scriptures. The pair soon recruit two former members of the heavenly host who were cast out as a result of Monkey's transgressions: Sandy, the water monster and ex-cannibal, and Pigsy, a pig monster consumed with lust and gluttony. A dragon, Wu Lung, eats Tripitaka's horse, and is punished by being forced to assume the shape of a horse and carry him on his journey; he later assumes human form on occasion to assist his new master.

While the pilgrims never reach India during the course of the series, they 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.

Theme Song

The lyrics to the theme song of the series were as follows:

Born from an egg on a mountain top,

The punkiest Monkey that ever popped,

He knew every magic trick under the sun,

To tease the gods

And everyone can have some fun.

Monkey magic, Monkey magic,

Monkey magic, Monkey magic,

Monkey magic, Monkey magic ooh

What a cocky, saucey Monkey this one is.

All the Gods were angry and they punished him.

Until he was saved by a kindly priest,

And that was the start of their pilgrimage quest.

Monkey magic, Monkey magic,

Monkey magic, Monkey magic,

Monkey magic, Monkey magic,

Monkey magic, Monkey magic ooh!

Cult appeal

Monkey is a cult favourite in the countries where it has been shown. Among the features that have contributed to its cult appeal are the catchy theme song, "Monkey Magic" (often the only thing people can remember about the series); the dubbed dialogue, spoken in a variety of over-the-top "Oriental" accents; and the fact that the young priest Tripitaka was played by a woman.

Characters

Remake

According to [1], there was a 1994 remake made by the same company, but it was a failure.

See also

Journey to the West (TV series)

External links

• Monkey Heaven - very comprehensive fan site
• GodChecker page on the god Monkey