Stars: Masaaki Sakai, Toshiyukai Nishida, Masako Natsume, Shiro Kishibe

Director: Yusuke Watanabe

Summary: In 'Monkey Goes Wild About Heaven' King Monkey is summoned to Heaven, 'Monkey Turns Nursemaid' sees Buddha send a holy man from China to India and in 'The Great Journey Begins' Tripitaka and Monkey beginning their perilous journey. Includes a bonus never-seen-before episode from Season 2.

This much-loved Japanese adventure series, broadcast in the early 1980s by the BBC, is based on a Chinese legend. Join the irrepressible Monkey (Masaaki Sakai) and his companions on their perilous journey in search of sacred Buddhist scriptures. Featured episodes are "Monkey Goes Wild About Heaven" "Monkey Turns Nursemaid," "The Great Journey Begins," and one additional rare episode.

WIN DVDs by rating this DVD

Average User Rating:

WIN DVDS by being amongst the first to review this DVD. Reviewing DVDs earns you bonus entries and lets you WIN DVDs!Please login before reviewing this DVD. If you're a new user, register for free and enter to WIN FREE DVDs!

A loose (very loose) Japanese TV adaptation of Wu Ch'eng-en's 16th-century collection of Chinese fables, Monkey!was re-dubbed into English in the early 1980s and became required viewing for a whole generation of school children. The titular monkey (played with great enthusiasm, not to mention athleticism by Japanese comic actor and former rock star Masaaki Sakai) accompanies boy-monk Tripitaka (confusingly, a pretty actress called Masako Natsume) on his/her quest for the Indian Sutras. They pick up Sandy (Shiro Kishibe), Pigsy (Toshiyuki Nishida) and a dragon that becomes a horse along the way.

The appeal of Monkey!is easier to experience than explain. It's an occasionally surreal blend of Oriental fable, knock-about martial arts, pop Buddhism and slapstick comedy. The frequent comic fight scenes are accompanied by a 70s disco-fusion soundtrack, and a narrator (English voice: Frank Duncan) uses gaps in the action to deliver inscrutable snippets of wisdom ("Even a starving camel is still bigger than a horse", "Does love mean labour even for the carp-hearted?"). Best of all, though, is the dialogue: without regard to any lip-synch niceties the English script (by David Weir) is full of idiomatic delights, jokes and double entendres. All are delivered by British actors in hilarious cod-Japanese accents (distinguished thesp Miriam Margolyes is the voice of Tripitaka). Bad special effects crown the show's cheesy, retro appeal.

On the DVD:Monkey!volume 1 on DVD features the same first three episodes as the VHS incarnation--"Monkey Goes Wild About Heaven", "Monkey Turns Nursemaid" and "The Great Journey Begins"--but also a bonus previously unseen episode from the second season, "You Win Some You Lose Some", which is subtitled not dubbed, so if nothing else is an opportunity to hear the actors' real voices. Extra features are a stills gallery, text pieces on the principal cast, characters and episodes, Weblinks, trailers for The Water Marginand Blake's Sevenand a pop-video version of the show's irrepressible main title song.----Mark Walker

Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 0
Special Features:	Web Links, Still Gallery, Principle Cast Character Biographies
Subtitles:	English
Year:	1979
Release Date:	April 29, 2002
Runtime:	168 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	F H E D 1506
Label:	Fabulous Films
Keywords:	Action, General, Monkey, Volume, Tv, Adventure, Episodes
Genre:	Action/Adventure