Based on a manga adaptation by Tezuka of Journey to the West Serialized on Mangao (1952/02-1959/03) (Akita Publishing). Tezuka adapted Journey to West, known as one of the four unusual books in China, and also known as a book written with slang expressions, into a manga work easy for children. He interpreted the epic but anything-goes story closely and added new twists to it so that children then could enjoy. He also depicted several monsters in the work in a way not only ominous but also somehow humorous and parodic. In the scenes of the magical fights between Goku and those monsters, Tezuka introduced anything, even cement and DTT. What was more, he made Goku and other characters fly out from the frames, making them get everything their own way even allowing to involve the author in the story.
