Saiyūki (TV series)

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Saiyūki
Format Drama
Starring Shingo Katori
Eri Fukatsu
Atsushi Ito
Teruyoshi Uchimura
Country of origin Japan
No. of episodes 50
Production
Running time 20 minutes 
creator = Yuji Sakamoto
Broadcast
Original channel Fuji TV
Original run 9 January 2006 – 20 March 2006

Saiyūki (西遊記?) is a 2006 Japanese historical TV drama based on the 16th Century Chinese story Journey to the West. It is a successor to the popular 1970's TV show Saiyūki, known outside Japan as Monkey. There have been 3 dramas and one special based on Journey to the West that have aired previously, making this one the fifth adaptation in Japan.

Fuji TV made an unusual decision to air this on 9pm every Monday, a primetime slot usually reserved for romantic dramas, hoping to capture both the young and the old by making this choice. While the series started off with viewership nearly reaching 30%, its rating gradually sank, barely making it at 20% at one point; the last episode finished off with 24.5%.

Rather than producing a second season, Fuji TV and Toho produced a feature film version of Saiyūki,[1] that was released in Japan on July 14, 2007. The film was a box office success. The DVD was released on January 1, 2008 in two formats; a single disc version with audio commentary and trailers, and a 2-Disc limited collector's edition with documentaries and making-of featurettes.

Contents

[edit] Cast

[edit] Notable guests

[edit] Trivia

  • Japan was the first country to adapt this enduring story into a TV series, when NTV aired Monkey in 1978; China would not make a live action series until 1986.
  • Eri Fukatsu actually shaved her head for her role as Sanzohoshi.
  • Traditionally, the role of the monk has been played by a female in Japanese dramas.
  • The theme song, "Around the World," is performed by Japanese pop group Monkey Majik, who took their name from the theme song of the original Monkey series, "Monkey Magic," performed by Japanese group Godiego.
  • Journey to the West is one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. It was written during the Ming Dynasty, in the 1590s. Its attributed author is Wu Chengen.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

Languages