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Monkey

Original title: Saiyûki
  • TV Series
  • 1978–2004
  • 45m
IMDb RATING
8.4/10
2.3K
YOUR RATING
Masaaki Sakai in Monkey (1978)
Supernatural FantasySword & SorceryActionAdventureComedyFantasy

An adaptation of a Chinese folktale about a pilgrimage to the West undertaken by a monk and his divine guardians.An adaptation of a Chinese folktale about a pilgrimage to the West undertaken by a monk and his divine guardians.An adaptation of a Chinese folktale about a pilgrimage to the West undertaken by a monk and his divine guardians.

  • Stars
    • Masaaki Sakai
    • Shirô Kishibe
    • Masako Natsume
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    8.4/10
    2.3K
    YOUR RATING
    • Stars
      • Masaaki Sakai
      • Shirô Kishibe
      • Masako Natsume
    • 28User reviews
    • 2Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Episodes52

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    Top cast99+

    Edit
    Masaaki Sakai
    • Monkey…
    • 1978–1980
    Shirô Kishibe
    • Sandy…
    • 1978–1980
    Masako Natsume
    • Tripitaka…
    • 1978–1980
    Andrew Sachs
    Andrew Sachs
    • Horse…
    • 1978–1980
    Peter Woodthorpe
    Peter Woodthorpe
    • Pigsy
    • 1978–1980
    David Collings
    David Collings
    • Monkey
    • 1978–1980
    Gareth Armstrong
    Gareth Armstrong
    • Sandy
    • 1978–1980
    Maria Warburg
    • Tripitaka
    • 1978–1980
    Takayuki Akutagawa
    • Narrator…
    • 1978–1980
    Shunji Fujimura
    Shunji Fujimura
    • Horse…
    • 1978–1980
    Miriam Margolyes
    Miriam Margolyes
    • 1978–1980
    Peter Marinker
    Peter Marinker
    • 1978–1980
    Frank Duncan
    Frank Duncan
    • Narrator
    • 1978–1980
    Toshiyuki Nishida
    • Pigsy (season 1)…
    • 1978–1979
    Tonpei Hidari
    • Pigsy (season 2)…
    • 1979–1980
    Tatsumi Nikamoto
    • 1978–1980
    Kazuo Arai
    • 1978–1980
    Burt Kwouk
    Burt Kwouk
    • Narrator
    • 1979–1980
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews28

    8.42.3K
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    Featured reviews

    mfd591

    Greatest show - ever!

    I watched this show as a child and revisited it recently when I purchased the boxset. Unlike shows such as the A-team and Knightrider which by today's standards are lame, Monkey is absolutely timeless. Based on the novel "Journey to the west" its plot lines are interesting and allow you to see each character develop along the journey. Combine this with excellent fight scenes and good humour, this show is a hit! The biggest thing for me about the show was its morality and one liners of wisdom from the narrator - pure gold. You don't have to be a buddhist to appreciate the humanistic side of this saga and more than one scene can leave you with a tear in your eye. Finally the soundtrack is ridiculously good. I simple love that song "Ghandarra" and obviously the intro. The only thing I didn't like about the show was that there was only two seasons made. "Even in Heaven, they say desire ends in tears."
    Freki

    From the Cosmic Egg...

    'Monkey!' was obviously created, imported, & then overdubbed by mad geniuses. It's cheesey, it's deranged, it's surreal, it's brilliantly, hysterically funny. And it's better now than when I was 9, which is astonishing.
    samcavana

    Pigsey?

    How can this be faulted. The great dubbing!! the fight scenes!! the monkey magic!!

    I am not joking, this is just full of magic, the charicters, Pigsey, Monster, Monkey. And the indeterminable sex of the master.

    And the excellent storylines, you almost felt you had become buddist after watching an episode.

    9/10
    10HaemovoreRex

    What wonderful memories

    Like so many other reviewers on here, my memories of this show are universally warm. In fact, so fond are said cherished memories, that I recently purchased the DVD box set in order to revisit that happy and carefree period of childhood, whereby I used to sit utterly mesmerised, as I watched the ongoing quest of Monkey, Pigsy, Sandy, Tripitaka and later Yu Lung a horse/dragon/man (you'll really need to watch it to understand), when the much loved show initially aired on BBC 2 on Friday evenings, as I recall.

    Well, I'm pleased to say that even after all these years and now viewing this with adult i.e. more cynical(!) eyes, the show has lost none of its inimitable charm.

    Simply wonderful entertainment, from the magical characters and their comical interactions with one another to the perhaps not so special effects (which actually serve to heighten the fun) and of course, not forgetting the hugely memorable opening title sequence from the first season, the passing of time has not in any way, shape or form diminished any of Monkey's spellbinding charm.

    As Monkey himself would probably say, 'Oi! You there! Go out and grab yourself some nostalgic fun.'
    chanelit-1

    Monkey is Magic!

    Warning - once you hear the theme tune to this show, you'll never totally get it out of your head!

    Monkey Magic is probably the craziest and most enjoyable TV series of the 1970s and I have very fond memories of watching it as a small child, growing up. Recently, the videos became available and I bought one just to see if it was as fun as I remember - and it is!!

    Monkey Magic rules!

    Best Emmys Moments

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    Related interests

    Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, Harold Ramis, and Ernie Hudson in Ghostbusters (1984)
    Supernatural Fantasy
    Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sandahl Bergman, and Gerry Lopez in Conan the Barbarian (1982)
    Sword & Sorcery
    Bruce Willis in Die Hard (1988)
    Action
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    Adventure
    Will Ferrell in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)
    Comedy
    Elijah Wood in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
    Fantasy

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Originally transmitted in Japan as two series of 26 episodes, this was changed to three series of 13 episodes when transmitted in the UK. The final 13 episodes (the second half of series 2) were never translated into English, until Fabulours Films translated them for DVD release in 2002.
    • Quotes

      [opening narration]

      Narrator: 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 magically became fertile. That first egg was named Thought. Tatagatha 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!

    • Connections
      Referenced in Lupin the Third: Part II: Lupin's Big Saiyuuki (1979)
    • Soundtracks
      The Birth of the Odyssey - Monkey Magic
      Written by Mickie Yoshino, Yoko Narahashi and Yukihide Takekawa

      Performed by Godiego

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    FAQ18

    • How many seasons does Monkey have?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 1, 1978 (Japan)
    • Country of origin
      • Japan
    • Languages
      • English
      • Japanese
    • Also known as
      • Царь обезьян
    • Filming locations
      • China
    • Production companies
      • Kokusai Hoei
      • Nippon Television Network (NTV)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 45m
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.33 : 1

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