Why Journey to the West is still so very Popular | Sun Wukong's Media Legacy

[@Razzaroola]

I never really grew up with journey to the west but Lego Monkie kid has introduce me to it! I've been obsessed ever since :)

[@MadHatter42]

I commend you for you dedication in hunting down as many adaptations as possible, and I greatly enjoyed your dissection of the novel's themes and characters. I first read the book when I was an English teacher in Beijing, and I loved it so much I would talk about it until my local BF begged me to stop. My views on the book's meaning have changed greatly over the years, but I've never lost my love for its comedic/action-packed episodes, colorful characters, insightful philosophy, and dazzling prose/poetry. I've always thought Sandy to be a sadly underrated character. I love his strong, stoic, slightly fearsome demeanor, and his soft-spoken nature is a good counterpoint to Monkey and Pigsy's manic attitude. As you mention, it usually Sandy who has to point out that the Master has been captured (again) while the other two are busy bickering (again). My favorite adaptation would be the 1964 animated film Havoc in Heaven, which, like the novel itself, remains criminally underappreciated here in the West. Maybe one day people will come to appreciate its genius as much as they appreciate LotR or Harry Potter, but until then, I will feel something like Sanzang myself, wandering through a strange Western land to carry the light of the true fantasy scripture.

[@WooKong]

Well said! really glad you enjoyed the video Mad Hatter :)

[@zhangmike4852]

wow. Hello.

[@MadHatter42]

@@zhangmike4852 Hey man, what's up?

[@oneoflokis]

I like Sandy a lot too!!

[@oneoflokis]

I like Sandy a lot too!!

[@Jangobadass]

3:05-3:30 *from Overly Sarcastic Productions* Red: You were in a river when they first found you, you CLEARLY no how to swim, why couldn't you fight Sandy? Or just take Tripitaka across the river in the first place? Horse: NEIGH! Red: Don't give me that kind of backtalk! What do you even DO?! Horse: *snort* Red: I don't care if you're an allegorical representation of human will, you're a GODDAMN DRAGON! You have NO business being this disappointing!

[@FragrantMandarin]

Holy moly did you watch all of these?! Awesome research. We both enjoyed :)

[@WooKong]

I currently have 230 different shows and movies on my computer, i might be one of the few people on the planet that has at least watched a portion of each one... until tomorrow :)

[@ren-sama4203]

Even though I was born in early 2000’s, I grew up watching journey to the west 1986 in vietsub and I think it is the best one of all of the JTTW adaptations

[@WooKong]

In China its still be being played in reruns, even today. seems a lot of people share ur love for that version :)

[@ren-sama4203]

@@WooKong I think what I like the most was the actor of Sun Wukong really became one with it and maybe because it gives me a good nostalgia of how old technology was and how the Chinese used it to the fullest extent

[@WooKong]

for sure! they were really creative with how they achieved those effects

[@WooKong]

he has a biography about play sun wukong, not sure if it has been translated though

[@Dtzeo503]

Yup that's what i meant literally every Asian kid grew up watching that version lol

[@marionlawless]

It's my personal goal to watch every version I can possibly get my hands on. I look forward to your list!

[@MadHatter42]

Make sure to report back with what your favorites are. I'll wait...

[@marionlawless]

@@MadHatter42 As far as movies go, right now can't go wrong with Monkey King 2 with Aaron Kwok.

[@MadHatter42]

@@marionlawless Thanks for the tip! The last live-action version I saw was Journey to the West: The Demons Strike Back, which I didn't greatly enjoy. Hopefully Monkey King 2 will win me over :)

[@Warlock786]

same

[@Divyanshu5555]

How many have you watched till date and how did the journey go

[@blonglor5114]

I’m glad you are making content on this timeless story!

[@WooKong]

My pleasure :)

[@albertohuang5913]

Wukong is my favorite super hero of all time

[@carthagonova6961]

Your video is a fantastic overview of the modern retellings of Journey to the West I really liked it! Going further down the rabbit hole, have you heard of Joseph Campbell? Particularly his book "The Hero with a Thousand Faces". It is admittedly a very dense book but I see it being very up your alley as it details the mythological structure of the "journey" the archetypal hero takes. His references and conclusions cover myths found in a huge amount of world histories across the globe and I think you could find a lot of inspiration from it if you choose to ever do another video on the Monkey King.

[@WooKong]

Thanks for saying so, it means a lot! I haven't read it before, sounds interesting though. I'll pick up a copy a check it out. Thanks again :)

[@snapbaxtoytalk]

I'd love to see you do a follow up video on the sequels to JTTW, like the literary ones written some time after the original novel and the TV shows such as Monkie Kid, where The Monkey King chooses a successor to fight Sun Wukong's old enemies (it has an amazing imaginative toyline) and A Korean Odyssey, where the characters get involved with the reincarnation of Tang Sanzang in modern day Korea. That one has some fun comedy with Wukong and The Bull Demon King as roommates keeping The White Bone Spirit in the fridge so she doesn't rot 🤣😅

[@WooKong]

it's on the list ;)

[@WooKong]

Sorry for the long wait on this one, I tried my best to make it as high quality as possible. Here is the full list of Journey to the West movies and shows kzbin.info/www/bejne/gXiWfZltYt10b8k

[@1995yuda]

Is your real name WooKong? And where is the list, I can't find it in the description!

[@WooKong]

Sorry to say WooKong is just my username. Thanks for reminding me though, I forgot to add the link in :)

[@1995yuda]

@@WooKong I just saw the other video where you showcase all the Shows and Movies. You're a saint for doing that. What is the best version of Journey to the West? I'd like to read it since I'm writing my own story.

[@xxtjxx6995]

What’s your opinion on Lego monkie kid? It’s one of the most popular JTTW type shows, using Monkey king after he retires and goes about finding a successor. Tbh it’s what got me in JTTW and now the Lego show and the original books themselves, are massive hyper fixations of mine

[@TheSipherArcher]

Woot Woot! Thank you for this video. I've never actually watched something telling the story of journey to the west. What series is the absolute best rendition of Journey to the west? Bonus point for it being in English and easily rentable.

[@WooKong]

glad u liked it! In china its often said that the 86 version is the best, but for something in English you might want to go for the dubbed cartoons, but they are a little old so the animation quality isnt too good. why not go for monkey, the show that i watched as a kid :)

[@shawnmccowan]

Thank you for providing this video! I am having a class read portions of the book this year and it was helpful to have a synopsis and examination of the themes to show my class. Thank you!!!

[@WooKong]

Glad it can be helpful :)

[@426mak]

Glad you're back. Good video and stay safe.

[@WooKong]

thanks 426mak, you too :)

[@monkey_see_monkey_do]

I couldn't ever imagine that this like channel might exist) A very fortunate discovery!

[@AlexAbsolute]

As always absolutely sterling work man, super interesting video!

[@WooKong]

Thanks Alex :)

[@americannumber2]

Hi Alex

[@AlexAbsolute]

@@americannumber2 hey 😄😄

[@zerozone9368]

Why Journey To The West Still So Popular? Ans: MONKE

[@ren-sama4203]

YES IVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS

[@bearded_z0mbiegaming108]

Used to wait up till 3am in the UK to watch every episode an then they could the lost ones 🙌

[@monkeyservant9981]

I wanted to say I LOVE your video it is absolutely amazing and really inspired me to get into Journey to the West media. I've fallen in love with the characters and love seeing how they have been portrayed over the last hundred years through TV shows and Movies. I am almost to 600 at this rate, I hope I can make a website for all the movies and TV shows within the next year. I just wanna to say thank you for inspiring me to do this, you are amazing!

[@WooKong]

glad you enjoyed it! 600, thats impressive. please do let me know which ones i missed in my compilation video :)

[@BaiLong45]

An excellent analysis! I knew that Journey to the West was popular in all media, but never knew exactly how popular! I was glad that you used many in your video. Blade Runner Monkey King? Wow! Great to hear your personal favorite was the Japanese live action show, but me, I’ll always stick to the 1980s CCTV show as the definitive version. It disheartens me a bit that Journey to the West has had only mixed success in the West. There’s an interest to be sure, but as you said the execution has been poor. Marvel and DC have tried to bring the character into their respective universes though. DC just announced they’ll be publishing a new character named the Monkey Prince soon. Finally, really liked the idea of putting characters in a blank room. That’s a great exercise in showing if a character has been really developed. A great video, thank you so much!

[@WooKong]

glad you enjoyed it! i did a video a long time ago (currently unlisted) looking at a dc comic where the new superman was chinese and heavily inspired by wukong. Im sure theyll get it right eventually lol

[@BaiLong45]

@@WooKong Ha, I actually have the first few issues of that series! Never knew about the connection until now! Again, thank you!

[@MariaIsabel_Fufuria]

2024 viewer here and I really appreciate the inclusion of Saiyuki Reload Blast/Gensomaden Saiyuki’s Genjo Sanzo (in the toilet - lol SO HIM….) having grown up with that anime in the late 90’s and early 2000’s. Even as a Filipina girl, Japanese mangaka Minekura Kazuya’s Saiyuki manga/anime was my initial introduction to this story. I realized Son Goku (in Saiyuki) had the same name to DragonBallZ’s protagonist, Son Goku…and several other anime that had monkey-like characters had gold crowns and magical staffs, KOEI’s PS1 Video Game “Saiyuki: Journey West” was also an eye-opener, and all these sent me down on a rabbithole of research, and even now in my 30’s, Journey to the West is still one of my favorite stories ever.

[@Mclawrence2000]

the first half of the story resonates with me more. I guess its like wish fulfillment to have a character who’s not supposed to be, take it to the people in charge and destroy the status quo.

[@LashTVanimations]

Thank you, i am about to use your video as reference for my animation class project, i will shout you out, very informative and inspirational

[@WooKong]

thanks and good luck~

[@matthewcooper3877]

Here in Australia , we loved it. We would beating up each other in my backyard with rakes of metal. Ah the memories.

[@UFOandAlienChannel]

Great video!

[@WooKong]

Thanks!

[@danielwatson3273]

I absolutely loved the Monkey series as a kid in the UK, it was fantastic!

[@Hanumovies]

Well researched and Well made!!

[@WooKong]

Thank you :)

[@KermRiv]

If i had the money i would love to bankroll a complete animated adaptation of this.

[@rokmare]

Surprised you didn’t show the HK journey to the west tv show since that was the one I watched as a kid and it introduced me to the world of journey to the west.

[@WooKong]

Oh, which one? I'll add it to the list :)

[@rokmare]

@@WooKong 1995 by TVB it's even on KZbin but it's only in Cantonese with Dicky Cheung as Sun Wu Kong.

[@WooKong]

Ah ok, I have that one in the compilation video, thanks for helping confirm :)

[@madamkoifish]

The first time I was introduced to the journey to the west was Alakazam the great or Saiyuki 1961.

[@sampeacaml9307]

Me, it was Lego Monkie Kid. I then discovered the classic chinese animated film from 1964 just yesterday. It was amazing!

[@burbex]

did you make all those animations yourself? The 2D one was great

[@WooKong]

Everything except the real animations lol, the 2D 8bit part was the most fun to make :)

[@joseloayza502]

I have an envelope because it is durable, but in a comic format, comparing Sun Wukong, Thor, Wonder Woman, Superman, Shazam, Hulk, etc. In the format they call volume plus event in comic. He is also ironically the only mythological hero to not have "mythological import in the comic" given the weight of him in manga, manhwa, manhua and other Asian media. So having a version that basically should already exist in Western publishers would be to displace those already mentioned. A current example is Kratos in Norse mythology or Wonder Woman in Norse mythology, Shazam with Egyptian mythology, etc. We see that the universe moves without the character, but Chinese mythology does not appear except in the form of Iron Fist and other mini-cameos since Sun Wukong really does not matter in Marvel's Fear Itself and other Thor events. The last one is about his combat ambiguity. If you search for `` Sun Wukong powerfull '' on you tube, curious videos come out because it remains a comic not only in a media way, but also in a popular way, with fighting forums and other things not different from any current comic and people forget that a Buddhist book from 400 years ago.

[@WooKong]

ill have a look :)

[@prateekkumarpradhan2768]

Brother,long time no see😁

[@Leo-iZ177]

when I first saw Dragon Ball Z on TV i thought Goku was related to Sun Wukong because Gohan had a tail, Goku was riding flying nimbus and had power pole in the intro song so I thought Goku was related to Sun Wukong but after episode 1 was over I realised it had nothing to do with monkey king but still continued watching it because well it's Dragon Ball Z so it's thanks to the great sage equal to heaven that I found Dragon Ball on accident

[@lanahanbrian0]

Next vid: Why there’s like a billion 三國 video games

[@WooKong]

haha its on the list ;)

[@joseloayza502]

Sun Wukong MOBA God.

[@charleslee1862]

Greatest fucking acted out cartoon based on a real story!

[@dic-pr9un]

The journey to the west not only cover adventure and fighting plot. It also discuss about religion, philosophy, sociology, human nature, greed and many other elements. That's why this novel can be popular over 500 years. Or maybe everyone of us has a monkey heart

[@warujr]

MONKEY MAGIC. OOOOHHH

[@TrivatorGaming]

My favorite reimaginings are DragonBall and Monkie Kid

[@colorfulBlac]

There was a version that I watched in the 90s that I’m trying to hunt down. I remember distinctively that the ending sees the characters re-entering a cave in a repetitive loop until they achieve an enlightening outcome. Would you have come across that one? And if so can you tell me which one that is?

[@WooKong]

I have a supplementary video compiling all the shows and movies together, it's most probably in there :)

[@colorfulBlac]

@@WooKong i have looked through that one. Unfortunately it isn't there. I've been looking for years. I loved the fact that it has that time loop in the end to demonstrate the repetitive choices that humanity have to make before coming to enlightenment. I watched it in the 90's and it was one of the most trippy scenes I've ever come across. It had a lasting effect on me but sadly, my memories of it have almost completely faded now. Oh well... I really don't think you would have it if you can't tell by my description of that last scene. Thanks anyways, for getting back to me! I appreciate your time. Cheers!

[@WooKong]

No problem, let me know if you ever do track it down :)

[@kaizokujimbei143]

Respect the Monke.

[@oneoflokis]

Because it is great: and King Monkey is a great character! 😊👍

[@user-hq8wm8giyujcg]

10:41 every heard about Mahabharat, it has uncountable versions since more than 2500 years

[@YagamiNoNeko]

also one piece is a big on, and journey to the west tv / cartoons and one piece is basically my childhood

[@nuraolblast1721]

On my way to reimagine the heck out of journey to the weast 😅

[@RedUmbre]

The way the monkey king uses slang and stuff reminds me of bugs bunny

[@avibcci1297]

8:09 many hindu gods like half of em look like this. I meant by that dress that crown.

[@JDR00L]

nostalgic

[@BListeins]

journey to the west is the asian version of Inside Out

[@Blue-gs5gg]

Chinese 1986 version the the THE best.

[@TrideepNagg]

TVB 1996-1998 is way superior

[@jorgelopez-pr6dr]

Because it's the cwasiest TV series ever.

[@MeiziVu]

Love

[@dan020350]

🙏

[@user-hq8wm8giyujcg]

monkey king is a copy of our Hanuman

[@Divyanshu5555]

He literally said that in the book and not copied just inspired and there's no need fight or be negative it's a great story and it's a great cultural phenomenon

[@anphambinh6027]

Have you even read or watched Journey to the West? Sun Wukong actually resembles Wuzhiqi, Shi Pantuo more than Hanuman.

[@infiniteoctopaw]

Mmm monkie