Monkey (TV series)

Lore & Background

The series follows the stone monkey Son Gokū, born from a stone egg, who becomes a brash king and proclaims himself 'Great Sage, Equal of Heaven'. After demanding a magical staff from a dragon king and eating immortal peaches, he is imprisoned under a mountain for 500 years by Buddha. He is later released by the monk Tripitaka, tasked by Guanyin to fetch holy scriptures from India. Together they recruit Sandy, a water monster and ex-cannibal, and Pigsy, a lustful pig monster, both former heavenly beings cast out due to Monkey's actions. A dragon named Yu Lung, saved from execution, becomes Tripitaka's horse. Monkey possesses powers including flight on a cloud, a shrinking magical staff, and the ability to conjure monkey warriors from his hairs.

Reader's Guide

Monkey is considered a cult classic in countries where it has been shown, including the UK, Australia, New Zealand, and parts of South America. Its appeal stems from the theme song by Godiego, the dubbed dialogue with over-the-top 'oriental' accents, and the fact that the young male priest Tripitaka is played by a woman. The BBC originally dubbed and broadcast 39 of the 52 episodes; the remaining 13 were dubbed in 2004 by Fabulous Films Ltd. The series was also broadcast in Spanish in several Latin American countries and in Japanese on local stations in California and Hawaii. It once aired in China but was cancelled after three episodes for straying too far from the source material. The soundtrack, particularly the song 'Gandhara', charted in the UK and Japan.

Did You Know?

• The theme song describes Monkey as 'born from an egg on a mountain top' and 'the punkiest monkey that ever popped'.
• The English dub was written by David Weir and first broadcast by the BBC in 1979.
• The actor playing Monkey, Masaaki Sakai, also performed several songs for the series.
• The series was primarily filmed in Japan and on location in China, not specifically limited to Northwest China and Inner Mongolia.