#Saiyuki Starzinger

[the-monkey-ruler]

I'm a fan of the Saiyuki/Monkey 1978 show and I thought I'd throw in some extra info after seeing that last anon ask about "why is sanzang often a woman in japanese media"

First off, I hope I don't come across as nitpicky, but the show in English is called "Monkey", not "Monkey Magic", and the only reason I point that out because there IS another JttW adaptation (animated series, but also from Japan) called "Monkey Magic" and I don't want anyone to get the two confused. (But the theme song to Monkey 1978 IS called "Monkey Magic" so confusion abounds lol) You said "many Japanese media followed its example and had Sanzang be a woman." While Sanzang is often played by a female actress in Japanese media, the character is almost always still male, at least in the more mainstream direct adaptations of the JttW story. DBZ is hardly an accurate adaption, and Bulma being made a woman was probably just inspired by Sanzang being played by actresses, like you said. I could be wrong but at least from the ones that I've seen, the adaptations that do change Sanzang the character to be a women are usually ones that don't take themselves as seriously when it comes to "accurately" adapting the original story (not that there's anything wrong with that).

"I can’t say for certain why they made Sanzang a girl in the 1970s" Unfortunately I haven't been able to find a definitive reason either, but I did read once that the actor who played Wukong for the show gave an interview and said that the reason they hired an actress was "to generate buzz about the show" (but I can't confirm a source for that quote). I've also seen multiple theories that another possible reason is due to the fact that Sanzang is supposed to be a beautiful man, so why not have a woman play him to amp up the attractiveness factor?

Also, in the English dub Tripitaka is often referred to as "the boy priest" which to me seems a weird specification to point out, unless they're implying that he's very young or not even an adult yet in this show. Wukong calls him "the lad" a lot too, which maybe lends a little credence to this Sanzang being young. I don't know if that's also true in the original Japanese, but if it is, then that might also explain why they chose an actress to play him, to make him look properly youthful.

(Or maybe the English dub kept emphasizing Sanzang being a boy/a lad simply to help audiences know that despite being played by a lovely actress, the character is still a man lol)

OR who knows, maybe the casting director for the show felt like being progressive for the 70s, because Sanzang isn't the only cross-cast character; Buddha is played by a female actress and Guanyin is played by a male actor.

Sorry for such a long ask, I tried to keep things concise while still hitting the main points. I really really enjoy this show and I'm sad there isn't a whole lot of information available for it!

I'm a fan of the Saiyuki/Monkey 1978 show and I thought I'd throw in some extra info after seeing that last anon ask about "why is sanzang often a woman in japanese media" First off, I hope I don't come across as nitpicky, but the show in English is called "Monkey", not "Monkey Magic", and the only reason I point that out because there IS another JttW adaptation (animated series, but also from Japan) called "Monkey Magic" and I don't want anyone to get the two confused. (But the theme song to Monkey 1978 IS called "Monkey Magic" so confusion abounds lol)

I like that Monkey Magic anime that you brought up. It's good stuff!

You said "many Japanese media followed its example and had Sanzang be a woman." While Sanzang is often played by a female actress in Japanese media, the character is almost always still male, at least in the more mainstream direct adaptations of the JttW story. DBZ is hardly an accurate adaption, and Bulma being made a woman was probably just inspired by Sanzang being played by actresses, like you said.

I'm not saying that most Japanese media have Sanzang as a girl, just a lot of them, and yes most faithful adaptions of course have Sanzang as a boy but that doesn't discount how many girl Sanzang media has come out of this and could have been influenced by Monkey (1978). This is more just observing the combination of Japanese media that has femme Sanzang more than other countries' media.

The Saiyuki franchises do keep it that Sanzang is a male played by a woman there is other Saiyuki media that has him as a female on purpose. Saiyuki TV series (1993), Saiyuki (1994), and the Sayuki movie (2007) are clearly 1978-inspired but as such just have Sanzang is supposed to be a man. Maybe even Doraemon: The Record of Nobita’s Parallel Visit to the West (1988) since while the character is a girl she is still playing Sanzang as a man.

I didn't even consider Dragon Ball as an example of Sanzang being portrayed as a woman. I was thinking Saiyuki Starzinger (1978), SF Saiyuki Starzinger Movie Edition SF (1979), and Saiyuiki Journey West (1999) where you play as Sanzo and choose your gender as either a girl or a boy. There is also the Japanese anime Nanbaka (2016) where Sanzang is played by two different characters also a man and a woman. There is also just anime-games like Monster Super League (2016), Dragalia Lost (2018), Granblue Fantasy (2014), and Monster Strike (2014) モンスターストライク.

There are other non-Japanese productions that also follow the idea of having Sanzang as a woman and while these can be separated from Monkey (1978) I think they should also be considered to be have some influence. The Australian tv show Legends of the Monkey King (2018) is stated to be inspired by Monkey (1978) more so than Xiyouji itself. Korean Odessey (2017) and God of High School (2020) are Korean productions but I'm not sure if this is inspired by Monkey (1978) as it is a different modern take of the story and thus could be different. There has only been one Chinese media that I have seen with a female Sanzang Ultimate Westward Journey (2019).

I could be wrong but at least from the ones that I've seen, the adaptations that do change Sanzang the character to be a women are usually ones that don't take themselves as seriously when it comes to "accurately" adapting the original story (not that there's anything wrong with that).

I guess they don't have to be taken seriously but they should still be noted all the same because this is still Japanese media that is portraying Xiyouji characters. It doesn't have to be taken seriously to still note when and to whom gender bent happen (should also be noted that Bailong and Wujing are also common characters to have their genders differ). Just cause they are games or cartoons doesn't make them any less media that should be considered how easily it is to change Sanzang's gender even for casual and common everyday games and shows.

It's not so much about accuracy as that isn't needed but how to widespread the idea of changing Sanzang's gender. It's not a bad thing but something that should be recognized. Personally, in terms of Dragon Ball, I always like the idea of Krillin being as Sanzang as well since I think that being an ex-monk would be clever. But since there is a lot of Japanese media that has Sanzang has multiple characters that could be Sanzang it could just be up to interpretation as Bulma was the original idea for Sanzang representation.

"I can’t say for certain why they made Sanzang a girl in the 1970s" Unfortunately I haven't been able to find a definitive reason either, but I did read once that the actor who played Wukong for the show gave an interview and said that the reason they hired an actress was "to generate buzz about the show" (but I can't confirm a source for that quote). I've also seen multiple theories that another possible reason is due to the fact that Sanzang is supposed to be a beautiful man, so why not have a woman play him to amp up the attractiveness factor?

I was quoting from the Monkey 1978 Baidu page when I was talking in my last post and it did seem like they were going to hire Tamasaburo Bando until the change was made. @journeytothewestresearch suggested that it could have been to highlight Sanzang's natural beauty so perhaps that could be the case. But in any case it def left an impressive on lots of media later down the line.

Also, in the English dub Tripitaka is often referred to as "the boy priest" which to me seems a weird specification to point out, unless they're implying that he's very young or not even an adult yet in this show. Wukong calls him "the lad" a lot too, which maybe lends a little credence to this Sanzang being young. I don't know if that's also true in the original Japanese, but if it is, then that might also explain why they chose an actress to play him, to make him look properly youthful. (Or maybe the English dub kept emphasizing Sanzang being a boy/a lad simply to help audiences know that despite being played by a lovely actress, the character is still a man lol)

I think they could have been implying that he was younger in the show since there was some media in the early 1960-70s where young boys were played by women. I have only seen this in like musical movies though, so that the 'young boy' would have a higher-pitched voice.

OR who knows, maybe the casting director for the show felt like being progressive for the 70s, because Sanzang isn't the only cross-cast character; Buddha is played by a female actress and Guanyin is played by a male actor.

I do think that showing Buddha and Guanyin as genders differing from how they are usually portrayed was very innovative! Perhaps even touching on Guanyin's original legend where she was an Indian Prince, gives her an ambiguous gender role. It could be that the director seeing that both form and beauty are not limited to gender could be played by anyone as long as the acting is top quality.

Sorry for such a long ask, I tried to keep things concise while still hitting the main points. I really really enjoy this show and I'm sad there isn't a whole lot of information available for it!

I do wish that I could find more information and I'm surprised that there is very little despite how globally popular it was. I know that the sub was many people's intro to Xiyouji and further created a stronger legacy. But it could be that the show's run was to be short

[terribridget]

Mega Man was mentioned on Disney's American Born Chinese

[boogieonthebeach]

Did the color wheel challenge cause it seemed fun.

[quitealotofsodapop]

Estuve imaginando en el Wukongverse ¿y si aparece la versión de Wukong de la obra literaria? Me imaginado su versión basada en teorías de que Wukong era una hembra en realidad en las obras y debido a los siglos se adapto la obra a macho, debido a su titulo de rey en cantones es unisex. (posiblemente sea el primer personaje femenino obligatorio en la historia(?) Además seria chistoso que una mujer le declarara la guerra al reino celestial , Pero para el au me la imagino siendo Aroace/Asexual (pero usando términos de la época seria célibe... no me pegues plz) su forma seria de un macaco normal, así que es pequeñita.

Feliz navidad atrasada y que tengas un prospero año nuevo uwu

translated via google;

"I've been imagining in the Wukongverse, what if Wukong's version of the literary work appears? I imagined the version of him based on theories that Wukong was actually a female in the works and due to the centuries the work was adapted to a male, due to his title of king in Cantonese being unisex. (possibly the first obligatory female character in history(?) It would also be funny for a woman to declare war on the celestial kingdom, but for the au I imagine her being Aroace/Asexual (but using terms of the time she would be celibate.. .don't hit me plz) its shape would be that of a normal macaque, so it's tiny.

Merry belated Christmas and have a happy new year uwu"

That actually sounds adorable! A book-accurate Wukong that's both the size of a regular monkey and femme!

I imagine the fact that she's female is often forgotten in history, not just because of sexism, but also because if you weren't looking hard enough you'd think she was a male monkey.

Its not the first time a Journey to the West character has had their gender changed; Tripitaka (+characters based on them) is often rewritten as a woman, particularly in "The New Legends of Monkey", "Saiyuki/Monkey Magic" (1978), "Dragon Ball Z" with Bulma, "Starzinger" (1978), and "Shinzo" (2000). This is because of a mix of Tripitaka having many traits people see as stereotypically feminine, and irl there being female buddhist monks called bhikkhunī.

It would be very funny in the Wukongverse, with all the different Tang Monks/Tripitakas discussing their different worlds when a certain topic of dicussion comes up;

2000s!Tripitaka: "It must be very unnverving, being the lone woman in a group of men." NewLegends!Tripitaka: "Absolutely, though from what I hear, many of you came upon similar feelings in the Kingdom of Women." The masc Tripitakas: *all nodding in agreement* HeroisBack!Luier (too young to understand): "Are there any other girls on your Journeys? My mama [LEM] and Sandy are both girls." BookAccurate!Tripitaka: *mumbles under breath* Tang: "What was that?" BookAccurate!Tripitaka: "What about The Monkey King? Aren't all yours women as well? Monkeys are matriarchal." The other Tripitakas: "What???"

And that spills over into the SWK room where they're all already treating the BookAccurate!Wukong as their sister. The Wukongs who are transmasc are very understanding of the plights she faced in the Celestial Realm. Though they do tease her for trying to shave a monk's tonsure into her head fur. And they tease her for her height compared to the others (especially Dasheng who's almost 6ft tall).

[holy-cucumber01]

Spaceketeers

Genre : adventure, sci-fi, shonen, mecha

Category : Аnime series / Аnime film

Episodes : 64 duration 25 min, (SF Saiyuuki Starzinger II) 9 duration 25 min / (Science Fiction Saiyuki Starzinger) 25 min

[doronjosama]

Up now on my eBay! Various 1970′s Toei anime production cels! The cels are either from SF Saiyuki Starzinger OR Captain Future! Also up for grabs: my superheroine comic collection (70’s-80’s stuff), random Radio Comix books and various indie comics! My house is super small, and I am still selling off thirty years’ worth of collectibles to raise money for ongoing back taxes & various upcoming large expenses, so every little bit helps. Thanks for looking & sharing!

[newsintheshell]

Lucca Comics & Games 2019, gli annunci di Yamato Video

Come di consueto in occasione del Lucca Comics & Games, anche quest’anno lo staff di Yamato Video ha presentato le novità in arrivo, da tempo in lavorazione dall’editore. 

Come molti appassionati noteranno, ci sono diverse riconferme risalenti alla conferenza di un paio di anni fa, ma anche delle sorprese. Una su tutte era stata anticipata proprio sulla pagina Facebook ufficiale, sulla quale trovate i video che vedete in calce alll’articolo. 

ASSASSINATION CLASSROOM THE MOVIE: 365 DAYS (Doppiato, al cinema nel 2020)

Film uscito originariamente nel 2016 che riassume gli eventi delle due stagioni della serie televisiva prodotta dallo studio Lerche, già distribuite sottotitolate dall’editore (le trovate su Netflix). Il lungometraggio contiene delle scene di epilogo inedite, mai viste sul popolare manga di Yuusei Matsui, edito nel nostro paese da Planet Manga.

LA GRANDE AVVENTURA DELL’APE MAGA’ - IL FILM: LA MELODIA DEL CORAGGIO (Prossimamente, in collaborazione con TIMVISION)

Nuova edizione del film d’animazione, prodotto nel 2010 da Tatsunoko Production, con protagonista il fuco della storica serie televisiva anni ‘70. Per questa nuova uscita sono stati realizzati due doppiaggi: uno utilizzando il nome originale giapponese Hutch, mentre per l’altro è stato utilizzato Magà come per l’adattamento classico italiano, rimanendo però fedeli e riferendosi al protagoniste comunque sempre al maschile.

Sono previsti sia la distribuzione in streaming su TIMVINSION che l’uscita in home video.

HOME VIDEO

LEIJI MATSUMOTO THE MOVIE COLLECTION 1977~1979 (Blu-ray+DVD Combo)

Il cofanetto contiene i seguenti quattro corti cinematografici inediti con un nuovo doppiaggio: PLANET ROBOT DANGUARD A: CONTRO L’ARMATA DEI ROBOT INSETTO e PLANET ROBOT DANGUARD A: LA GRANDE BATTAGLIA NELLO SPAZIO, SF SAIYUKI STARZINGER e CAPITAN HARLOCK: IL SEGRETO DELL’ARCADIA.

UFO DAIAPOLON  (Limited Edition DVD - Esclusiva Yamato Shop)

SF SAIYUKI STARZINGER (Limited Edition DVD - Esclusiva Yamato Shop)

CARDCAPTOR SAKURA THE MOVIE (Blu-ray+DVD Combo - Esclusiva Yamato Shop)

MODELLISMO

DALTANIOUS (40 cm, snodabile - Yamato Shop)

Il primo Robot della linea Yamabot è Daltanious, il robot del futuro, che per la prima volta viene realizzato in una magnifica e curata figure da 40 cm dipinta a mano. Lo potete trovare già trovare direttamente in negozio o acquistabile online al prezzo di 126 euro.

Andate molto bene le proiezioni in anteprima dei film “Shinko e la magia millenaria” e “Lu e la città delle sirene”, con una gran partecipazione di pubblico. Per entrambe le pellicole si spera in una futura edizione cinematografica, ma per il momento non ci sono dei progetti confermati in tal senso.

Confermata l’uscita dei tre film del Project ITOH (Genocidal Organ, Harmony, The Empire of Corpses) in collaborazione con Koch Media, con la quale uscirà altro materiale di LUPIN III in Blu-ray.

Imminenti le nuove edizioni di “Tokyo Magnitude 8.0″ e “Ken il Guerriero La leggenda di Raoul il dominatore del cielo”. Grandi ritorni in alta definizione anche per “Orange Road”, “Mimì e la nazionale di pallavolo” e “Rayearth” (sia serie TV che OAV). 

Infine, le nuove edizioni di “Nadia - Il mistero della pietra azzurra”, “Paranaoia Agent” e “Lady Oscar” sono in piena lavorazione.

Autore: SilenziO))) (@s1lenzi0)

[dorkshadows]

hi alskdfjasdf im very stupid anon who asked abt the weirdly romanized names a while back -- im laughin at myself now and i thought i should welcome u to laugh at me also bc when you said "weirdly romanized" i thought you meant giving them stupid "American names" like in 90s anime dubs, like ... Sam Walker the Monkey King asldkjfasdf

Welcome back, anon! Little did we know that your humble ask would lead the rest of us down a rabbit hole of romization discussions and edition mysteries haha! So (unironically) thank you for that!

asdasdf I'm dying at what you were expecting though- SAM WALKER. Thankfully, we had nothing like that though I always found Sandy to be a hilarious English name.

BUT there was an anime called Starzinger, which definitely had heavy basis in jttw. The pilgrims' original Japanese names were plays on their saiyuki/xiyouji names, but the English dub changed it from a jttw AU to a 3 musketeers AU, and we get stuff like Jesse Dart (for the Wukong character) and Porkos (for Bajie LMAO).

[the-monkey-ruler]

Science Fiction Saiyuki Starzinger SF (1978) 西遊記スタージンガー

Director: Joji Kikuchi / Masami Anna / Tokiji Uruki / Eisuke Ishikawa

Screenwriter: Tazuo Tamura / Reiji Matsumoto

Starring: Hiroya Ishimaru / Koo Tomita / Takashi Toyama / Kazuko Sugiyama / Eiko Masuyama / more...

Genre: Science Fiction / Animation

Official site: https://lineup.toei-anim.co.jp/ja/tv/starginger/

Country/Region of Manufacture: Japan

Language: Japanese

Number of seasons: 1

Episodes: 73

Single episode length: 24 minutes

Also known as: Spaceketeers / SF Saiyûki Starzinger / Space Journey to the West /  太空西游记  / Stranger Things / 宇宙奇兵

IMDb: tt0185655

Type: Reimagining

Summary:

From April 2, 1978 to August 26, 1979, it was broadcast on Fuji TV every Sunday from 19:00 to 19:30. All 73 episodes. From episode 65 onwards, the title has been changed to "SF Saiyuki Starzinger II". Aired on Toei video production. Strangely enough, at about the same time, Nippon TV aired the drama "Journey to the West Series" and TBS aired the drifter puppet show "Fly! Son Goku" on the same subject.

Based on "Journey to the West", Eisuke Ishikawa's science fiction novel "Science Journey to the West" is the original draft. Produced in the midst of the Leiji Matsumoto boom that began with "Space Battleship Yamato" in the late 1970s, following on from the previous program "Wakusei Robo Kano no Danguard A", Matsumoto drew the settings for the anime. Unlike the previous work, Matsumoto himself does not comicalize, Gosaku Sakurata is "TV Land" and Shigeto Ikehara is serializing the manga version as " Adventure King". In addition, the main character of this work, Kugo, has been changed from the giant robot series that has continued with the "Mazinger" series and "Wakusei Robo Danguard A" to a life-size hero. However, perhaps because of the setting that Son Goku in Journey to the West can also be gigantic, after becoming "SF Journey to the West Starzinger II", a setting has been added in which the main character becomes gigantic and fights.

The galaxy was in turmoil. Due to the weakening of the galaxy energy emanating from the center of the galactic universe, Great Pluto, even the good cosmic creatures became ferocious and rampaged as space monsters. In order to stop the progress of the situation, the power of Princess Aurora, who lives on the planet (Earth) of the solar system, was necessary. Therefore, Princess Aurora follows three galaxy cyborgs, Jean Cugo, Don Hakka, and Sir Jogo as knights. To restore peace in her universe, she continues her journey to the great planet while fighting space monsters and evil aliens.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starzinger

Link: N/A

[manuart79]

Old Sketch: TeamUp Son Goku- #oldsketch #teamup #songoku #goku #goko #themonkey #jancoog #kugo #gokunodaiboken #dragonball #starzinger #saiyuki #ilviaggioinoccidente #loscimmiotto #sunwukong - #manga #animejapan #drawings #inkart #blackandwhite #pic #pin #tumblr #artwork #myart #manuart79 https://www.instagram.com/p/BwAXBQ6FADd/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=a11ba5w5rviw

[boogieonthebeach]

Just me celebrating the 45th anniversary of this show lmao.

[mandarake-en]

🐵 Monkey Magic Oooooh ☁️ The story of Saiyuki (Journey to the West) has had many different interpretations, some sticking accurately to the original story and some taking a looser approach. Sometimes an established series might do a one off based on it or even just make a few references, but others will build their whole universe around it. 🤔🤔🤔 If you don't think you've seen or heard of one these, think about the following: ※ Dragon Ball ※ SonSon by Capcom ※ Sci-Fi West Saga Starzinger ※ Goku no Daiboken ※ Yokai Watch (episode 31) ※ Enslaved: Odyssey to the West ※ Kazuya Minekura's Saiyuki ※ Love Hina (episode 16) ※ Dota 2's Monkey King Bar ※ and of course Monkey! (aka Monkey Magic) (the list goes on and on believe me) It was that last one that was my first introduction to the story and although I watched it at a young age and can barely remember much of what happened, I do vividly remember the intro and outro themes! 🎶🎶🎶 So I was absolutely stunned to find the outro, Gandhara by Godeigo, on vinyl here at Mandarake! https://order.mandarake.co.jp/order/detailPage/item?itemCode=1112586110&ref=list&keyword=%E8%A5%BF%E9%81%8A%E8%A8%98&lang=en What was your first introduction to this classic Chinese tale? Where else have you seen Saiyuki references pop up? Let us know in the comments. Saiyuki goodies at Mandarake: https://order.mandarake.co.jp/order/listPage/list?dispCount=240&keyword=%E8%A5%BF%E9%81%8A%E8%A8%98&lang=en https://www.facebook.com/mandarake/photos/a.621554837994524/1347890858694248/?type=3 Mandarake http://www.facebook.com/pages/p/621549997995008

[gonagaiworld]

Starzinger (key art).

[giornalepop]

LO SCIMMIOTTO, DA DRAGON BALL A MANARA

LO SCIMMIOTTO, DA DRAGON BALL A MANARA

Nella tradizione dell’Estremo oriente è ben presente la figura di uno scimmiotto dotato di oggetti magici, come un bastone allungabile e una nuvoletta che gli fa da veicolo. Spesso viene accompagnato da personaggi singolari, il più buffo dei quali ha il muso di un suino. Oggi la rappresentazione più nota dello scimmiotto è sicuramente quella di Dragon Ball. Scopriamo da dove ha avuto origine…

[retroldschooltv]

SF Saiyuki Starzinger (SF西遊記スタージンガー Esu Efu Saiyuki Sutājingā?), conocida en Latinoamérica como El galáctico, es un anime de ciencia ficción creado por Leiji Matsumoto con la colaboración de Osamu Tezuka. La versión animada fue dirigida por Yugo Serikawa y consistió en 73 capítulos y una película que salieron al aire como parte del Festival de los Robots durante los años 80. La historia fue inspirada en parte por la novela china Viaje al Oeste. La energía cósmica de la galaxia está perdiendo fuerza, lo que provoca que animales y plantas se transformen en perversos mutantes. La doctora Sandra y el Profesor Jorquel envían a la Princesa Aurora al Gran Planeta en una misión que intentará restaurar el equilibrio de estas energías. Para ello le asignan el mando de la poderosa nave "Reina del Cosmos". La protección de la Princesa estará a cargo de 3 cibernéticos: Galáctico, Glotín y Giorgio. Profesor Jorquel Es el responsable del perfeccionamiento cibernético de Galáctico. Seleccionó a Galáctico entre innumerables solicitantes de su programa cibernético. A menudo se arrepiente de haber otorgado tales habilidades sobrehumanas a semejante criatura irrespetuosa y rebelde. #elgalactico #sfsaiyukistarzinger #anime #animestation #retroactBlue #retro #retroact