Saiyūki (TV series)

Infobox Television
show_name = Saiyūki
caption = Title screen of "Saiyuuki"
format = Drama
runtime = 84 minutes (Ep.1,11)
54 minutes (Ep.2-10)
creator = Yuji Sakamoto
starring = Shingo Katori
Eri Fukatsu
Atsushi Ito
Teruyoshi Uchimura
Asami Mizukawa
country = Japan
network = Fuji TV
first_aired = 9 January 2006
last_aired = 20 March 2006
num_episodes = 11
|nihongo|"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", [http://www.saiyuki.jp/index.html] 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.

Cast

*Son Gokū - Shingo Katori
*Sanzōhōshi - Eri Fukatsu
*Cho Hakkai - Atsushi Ito
*Sa Gojō - Teruyoshi Uchimura
*Rin Rin - Asami Mizukawa

Notable guests

*Kadono Takuzo
*Takuya Kimura
*Rieko Miura
*Keiji Mutoh
*Hitomi Takahashi
*Shaku Yumiko
*Ayumi Ishida
*Masaaki Sakai -- Portrayed Son Goku in the original "Monkey" series

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.

See also

*Monkey (TV series)
*Saiyuki (manga)
*Patalliro Saiyuki!

External links

* [http://www.fujitv.co.jp/ Fuji TV official]
* [http://www.jdorama.com/viewtopic.php?p=351014&sid=459cea7c33c47be182938454188df0d7 Saiyuuki at J-dorama.com]
* [http://www.vbtutor.net/Xiyouji/journeytothewest.htm Journey to the West] - Comprehensive and detailed website with in-depth information about Journey to the West, the book "Saiyūki" was based on.
* [http://wiki.d-addicts.com/Saiyuuki Saiyuuki - DramaWiki]
* [http://www.saiyuki.jp/index.html Feature film home page (Japanese)]