Saiyûki

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!

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

Before there was humans on the earth, there was just monkeys and demons. Saiyuki (monkey) was the king of the monkeys, loud, rude and aggressive he demands the gods that he be made powerful, because he defeats the demons. After a trip to heaven he gets all the magic and power he wants, but he annoys in the gods and he manages to urinate on the finger of the Buddha.

So he is banished to earth thousands of years later with the task of protecting a young Buddhist preist Tripitaka. Along with a Pigmonster called Pigsy and a Fishdemon called Sandy he gets in too all sorts of kung fu fights while protecting Tripitaka.

Monkey can rides on his own cloud, make himself small, change into animals, stuff like that.

Very entertaining, with a funky soundtrack, and hilarious English dubbing. Ahhhhhhh Monkey!!!

9 out of ten

This show was the best! I used to love the craziness of it.

I remember the pilot episode( i have it on video somewhere) where monkey went to heaven to "kick off" with the Jade emperor was a hoot!

especially when monkey meets the dragon kings daughter to claim his weapon (the magic wishing staff).

Dragon kings daughter calls monkey a "passionate Primate" and tells monkey to make his stick "grow Big!".

An absolute classic. A must see!.

What are you reading this for?

Get out there and grab a copy now!

You wont be disappointed!.

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."