#Starzinger | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

the-monkey-ruler · 4 months

Note

I'm a fan of the Saiyuki/Monkey 1978 show and I thought I'd throw in some extra info after seeing that last anon ask about "why is sanzang often a woman in japanese media"

First off, I hope I don't come across as nitpicky, but the show in English is called "Monkey", not "Monkey Magic", and the only reason I point that out because there IS another JttW adaptation (animated series, but also from Japan) called "Monkey Magic" and I don't want anyone to get the two confused. (But the theme song to Monkey 1978 IS called "Monkey Magic" so confusion abounds lol) You said "many Japanese media followed its example and had Sanzang be a woman." While Sanzang is often played by a female actress in Japanese media, the character is almost always still male, at least in the more mainstream direct adaptations of the JttW story. DBZ is hardly an accurate adaption, and Bulma being made a woman was probably just inspired by Sanzang being played by actresses, like you said. I could be wrong but at least from the ones that I've seen, the adaptations that do change Sanzang the character to be a women are usually ones that don't take themselves as seriously when it comes to "accurately" adapting the original story (not that there's anything wrong with that).

"I can’t say for certain why they made Sanzang a girl in the 1970s" Unfortunately I haven't been able to find a definitive reason either, but I did read once that the actor who played Wukong for the show gave an interview and said that the reason they hired an actress was "to generate buzz about the show" (but I can't confirm a source for that quote). I've also seen multiple theories that another possible reason is due to the fact that Sanzang is supposed to be a beautiful man, so why not have a woman play him to amp up the attractiveness factor?

Also, in the English dub Tripitaka is often referred to as "the boy priest" which to me seems a weird specification to point out, unless they're implying that he's very young or not even an adult yet in this show. Wukong calls him "the lad" a lot too, which maybe lends a little credence to this Sanzang being young. I don't know if that's also true in the original Japanese, but if it is, then that might also explain why they chose an actress to play him, to make him look properly youthful.

(Or maybe the English dub kept emphasizing Sanzang being a boy/a lad simply to help audiences know that despite being played by a lovely actress, the character is still a man lol)

OR who knows, maybe the casting director for the show felt like being progressive for the 70s, because Sanzang isn't the only cross-cast character; Buddha is played by a female actress and Guanyin is played by a male actor.

Sorry for such a long ask, I tried to keep things concise while still hitting the main points. I really really enjoy this show and I'm sad there isn't a whole lot of information available for it!

I'm a fan of the Saiyuki/Monkey 1978 show and I thought I'd throw in some extra info after seeing that last anon ask about "why is sanzang often a woman in japanese media" First off, I hope I don't come across as nitpicky, but the show in English is called "Monkey", not "Monkey Magic", and the only reason I point that out because there IS another JttW adaptation (animated series, but also from Japan) called "Monkey Magic" and I don't want anyone to get the two confused. (But the theme song to Monkey 1978 IS called "Monkey Magic" so confusion abounds lol)

I like that Monkey Magic anime that you brought up. It's good stuff!

You said "many Japanese media followed its example and had Sanzang be a woman." While Sanzang is often played by a female actress in Japanese media, the character is almost always still male, at least in the more mainstream direct adaptations of the JttW story. DBZ is hardly an accurate adaption, and Bulma being made a woman was probably just inspired by Sanzang being played by actresses, like you said.

I'm not saying that most Japanese media have Sanzang as a girl, just a lot of them, and yes most faithful adaptions of course have Sanzang as a boy but that doesn't discount how many girl Sanzang media has come out of this and could have been influenced by Monkey (1978). This is more just observing the combination of Japanese media that has femme Sanzang more than other countries' media.

The Saiyuki franchises do keep it that Sanzang is a male played by a woman there is other Saiyuki media that has him as a female on purpose. Saiyuki TV series (1993), Saiyuki (1994), and the Sayuki movie (2007) are clearly 1978-inspired but as such just have Sanzang is supposed to be a man. Maybe even Doraemon: The Record of Nobita’s Parallel Visit to the West (1988) since while the character is a girl she is still playing Sanzang as a man.

I didn't even consider Dragon Ball as an example of Sanzang being portrayed as a woman. I was thinking Saiyuki Starzinger (1978), SF Saiyuki Starzinger Movie Edition SF (1979), and Saiyuiki Journey West (1999) where you play as Sanzo and choose your gender as either a girl or a boy. There is also the Japanese anime Nanbaka (2016) where Sanzang is played by two different characters also a man and a woman. There is also just anime-games like Monster Super League (2016), Dragalia Lost (2018), Granblue Fantasy (2014), and Monster Strike (2014) モンスターストライク.

There are other non-Japanese productions that also follow the idea of having Sanzang as a woman and while these can be separated from Monkey (1978) I think they should also be considered to be have some influence. The Australian tv show Legends of the Monkey King (2018) is stated to be inspired by Monkey (1978) more so than Xiyouji itself. Korean Odessey (2017) and God of High School (2020) are Korean productions but I'm not sure if this is inspired by Monkey (1978) as it is a different modern take of the story and thus could be different. There has only been one Chinese media that I have seen with a female Sanzang Ultimate Westward Journey (2019).

I could be wrong but at least from the ones that I've seen, the adaptations that do change Sanzang the character to be a women are usually ones that don't take themselves as seriously when it comes to "accurately" adapting the original story (not that there's anything wrong with that).

I guess they don't have to be taken seriously but they should still be noted all the same because this is still Japanese media that is portraying Xiyouji characters. It doesn't have to be taken seriously to still note when and to whom gender bent happen (should also be noted that Bailong and Wujing are also common characters to have their genders differ). Just cause they are games or cartoons doesn't make them any less media that should be considered how easily it is to change Sanzang's gender even for casual and common everyday games and shows.

It's not so much about accuracy as that isn't needed but how to widespread the idea of changing Sanzang's gender. It's not a bad thing but something that should be recognized. Personally, in terms of Dragon Ball, I always like the idea of Krillin being as Sanzang as well since I think that being an ex-monk would be clever. But since there is a lot of Japanese media that has Sanzang has multiple characters that could be Sanzang it could just be up to interpretation as Bulma was the original idea for Sanzang representation.

I was quoting from the Monkey 1978 Baidu page when I was talking in my last post and it did seem like they were going to hire Tamasaburo Bando until the change was made. @journeytothewestresearch suggested that it could have been to highlight Sanzang's natural beauty so perhaps that could be the case. But in any case it def left an impressive on lots of media later down the line.

I think they could have been implying that he was younger in the show since there was some media in the early 1960-70s where young boys were played by women. I have only seen this in like musical movies though, so that the 'young boy' would have a higher-pitched voice.

I do think that showing Buddha and Guanyin as genders differing from how they are usually portrayed was very innovative! Perhaps even touching on Guanyin's original legend where she was an Indian Prince, gives her an ambiguous gender role. It could be that the director seeing that both form and beauty are not limited to gender could be played by anyone as long as the acting is top quality.

Sorry for such a long ask, I tried to keep things concise while still hitting the main points. I really really enjoy this show and I'm sad there isn't a whole lot of information available for it!

I do wish that I could find more information and I'm surprised that there is very little despite how globally popular it was. I know that the sub was many people's intro to Xiyouji and further created a stronger legacy. But it could be that the show's run was to be short

33 notes · View notes

mixedupmojo · 1 year

Text

jttw sci-fi

Just want to put this out there but am I the only one who wants to see a journey to the west sci-fi retelling/crossover. Like considering the number of adaptations jttw has had. I expected there to be at least a few which were inspired by the sci-fi genre and aside from starzinger there don't seem to be any (if there are more please let me know). I just think it would be really cool to do a whole sci-fi version (with some fantasy elements mixed) especially considering how awesomely weird jttw can be at times I just keep thinking, how cool would it be to have a space version that feels like it's in the same ballpark/is inspired by Farscape, treasure planet, hitchhikers guide to the galaxy and to cap it all off the humans are weird/space orcs/space Australia concept.

Anyway with this concept rattling around in my head. it has inspired some ideas, so without further adu here is a list of headcanons for a sci-fi world of the journey to the west that I have. A spoiler alert is now in effect as I'm gonna be referencing some things from the book.

· First off I am personally thinking of a version that takes place in outer space as I think it fits with the whole journey aspect not to mention there is a whole galaxy of possibilities that could be encountered (see what I did there)

· but I could also imagine it taking place in a future dystopian world instead. where Tripitaka has been tasked with getting some important artifact, in order to restore the world and bring back life to the planet or something. however, I'm gonna stick with the space theme so here we go

· Combining magic and mythology with sci-fi. I just really like the idea that even though this world is heavily technology-based and scientifically advanced there is still an underlying magic system in place that governs things and that everyone relays on. Not to mention it provides an opportunity to delve into different theologies and philosophies and explore these concepts in a different way.

· just imagine the character designs!!!

· Just think of how otherworldly and alien they could be like for example:

-I can't get the idea out of my head that sun wukong looks like he's made from actual living rock. Something akin to marble with the cracks and veins looking like molten gold/lava (they also glow). I also like the idea that even though he looks like he's made from stone he doesn’t actually feel like it. Like you expect him to feel like marble but in reality, it's completely different, actually feeling like fur in some places. quills in place of some of his more fluffier parts mainly around his neck/back and head. Also, I have no explanation for this but I can't stop thinking that he would have an extra set of arms and at least one extra set of eyes. His eye's would also be huge as this is to do with the fact flower fruit mountain relies heavily on bioluminescence. originally they were black but after the incident with the furnace, they are now blood red with flecks of gold.

-when it comes to tang Sanzang/Tripitaka I have a few different schools of thought about how he could be portrayed. The first is that he is human as I feel it kind of fits based on how his character was originally portrayed in the book and it also allows for an outsider's perspective (IDK I'm just getting token human vibes off him for some reason). Second, he is part of an endangered race that is very spiritual, taking on a slight insect appearance but in a very subtle way with iridescent skin. But for all versions, he has this hovering platform which he constantly sits on or uses as a place to meditate. it has the ability to fold in on itself for easy storage/carrying. I also like to think that as the journey progress, he starts using it less and less

-I think it would be a cool idea for Sha Wujing "Sandy" who is obviously some kind of aquatic alien having to wear a high-tech suit that allows him to breathe out of water. Something with a large fish bowl helmet that is filled with water

-Zhu Bajie "Pigsy" I honestly haven't given it too much thought when it comes to him. But I do like the idea of him having these insanely large tusks like that of a wild boar

-for Bai long ma I have this whole idea. if anyone here has seen Farscape then you will know that in the show Moya is a living space ship and I kept thinking what If Bai long ma was the same what if he started out as a space dragon, but instead of turning into a horse-like creature he would become a living space ship as it makes a lot more sense since the group are travelling through space. there could even be moments throughout the journey where he needs to turn into a smaller dragon-like astral horse creature in order to travel places or conserve energy as I imagine travelling through the void of space would take a lot out of him

-six eared macaque shearing sun wukong's rock-like appearance (as they were both born from stone) but instead looking like he is made from quartz, with some parts of him even appearing transparent (he is also much softer to the touch than wukong somehow). his six ears are always changing colours and look like reflected rainbows

-Neha looks like a lotus flower but on fire. Let me elaborate he looks vaguely humanoid in shape but where his head is it looks like it is made up of lotus pelts, which depending on circumstances appears as a bulb or in full bloom and he always seems to be admitting a flame-like aura around him. His body is comprised of living armour and appears copper coloured that is heavily patterned. He never walks he is almost always floating this is done through the use of a high-tech version of his fire wheels

· Space dragons with translucent glittery scales that reflect the void of space so all that you see is a shimmer before they reveal themselves to you and it's suddenly like a whole new galaxy just appeared before you. Their eyes burning with the force of the sun

· The four dragon kings are the largest of all the dragons and because of this each of them is often mistaken for being a star themselves. However in reality each of the dragon kings has taken up residence in the biggest star in each of their respective galaxies and are often found curing around them hence where the confusion comes from. and like the Tardis in doctor who, Their star homes are much bigger on the inside

· sun wukong's staff was originally being used to prop up the sky in the domain of the dragon king of the east ao guang. After taking it the loss caused that part of the sky to sag and several stars to fall. to this day they are some of the most coverted items in the whole of the galaxy and ao guang was not happy about losing them

· On that train of thought just imagine how cool and high-tech the weapons could be

· I'm just imagining the part where wukong is first brought before heaven to stand trial play out similar to stitch's trial

Jade Emperor: It is an affront to nature. It must be destroyed!

The gold star of Venus: Calm yourself, sir. Perhaps it can be reasoned with. wukong give us some sign you understand, any of this. Show us that there is something, inside you that is good.

The entire court of heaven waits on bated breath as wukong takes a moment to think before breaking out into a great big grin

Sun wukong: Meega, nala kweesta!

The court of heaven gasps, several of the members fainting

The gold star of Venus: So naughty!

Wukong laughs maniacally

· Space pirates/bandits with ships that look like they've been cobbled together or ones that take after a traditional sailing boat

· On a side note, just imagine all of the different types of space transportation and I'm not just talking about spaceships. What if there is more than one way to get around in space such as teleportation and it being highly regulated much like an airport you have to go through mass amounts of security. or star roads that only appear at certain points in the day and only last for a certain amount of time so you have to be quick when crossing

· Space fish and other creatures that somehow manage to survive in the vacuum of space

· On that note when it comes to wukong's summersault cloud I have two schools of thought one being that its technology base appearing as a sort of hoverboard. the other is more mystical like it's made out of stardust or something

· The group having to hitchhike on different spaceships for whatever reason and having memorable encounters with each individual that picks them up

· Flower fruit mountain is completely bioluminescent the plants, the rocks even the water and everything seems to pulse with a strange heartbeat. the plant life being larger than life tree's towering thousands of miles into the sky that are completely hollow on the inside and looks like they are nothing but roots that have been twisted together. The flowers are as big as cars and appear to breathe their petals opening and closing in rhythmic patterns. The ground and the rock are always emitting a strong heat with different spots on the island being warmer than others and all of the residents taking advantage of that. Flower fruit mountain appears to be steeped in an almost permanent night. This is mostly due to the fact that the island does not have a sun of its own, since it is constantly on the move. It doesn't matter though as both the mountain and the inhabitants have evolved to survive without

· I like the idea that flower fruit mountain is a wondering place never staying in the same spot for too long, and like the stars and planets themselves appearing in certain places depending on the time of year and season. I also like the idea that it is very much a floating island and not an actual planet. The rivers just flow off the side and down disappearing into the void of space. While all the residents have to be careful not to fall off the edge

· all of the monkey residents being very varied in their appearances and species. They live high up in the vast canopies of the trees in intricate woven villages that are hidden from all, but the ones in the know

· The water curtain cave being at the highest point of flower fruit mountain and behind it being a complete juxtaposition from the rest of the mountain. The mansion/palace/house (I've heard it be called a couple of different things) being made of a chrome like metal and heavily patterned.

· The entrance to the place of the dragon king of the east sea is a wormhole.

· Heaven being an intergalactic space federation type of organization. with the main headquarters being located on a planet that looks a bit like Saturn but has at least five times the amount of rings and glows. it is also near impossible to get to, as you have to navigate through a minefield of asteroids and other obstacles.

· Just imagine all of the different worlds to explore and the different alien cultures to encounter like for example:

-the group having to cross a desert made up of red and purple sand, with there being at least three suns overhead but somehow the sky is a deep plum colour and it feels dark despite this.

-coming across a world where the inhabitants are long since dead but their spirit still lives on vicariously through their creations

-visiting a planet where the colours are completely inverted or alternatively a world where everyone perceives a completely different spectrum of light/colour (kind of like how a mantis shrimp can see 12 more colours than a human can) and trying to navigate it.

-a Gulliver travels inspired world. I'm just imagining a scenario where Tripitaka gets kidnapped by a giant little girl who views him as a new pet and the group has to figure out a way to get him back.

-visiting an intergalactic spaceport and trying to navigate through the crowds of different alien species

-accidentally ending up on a primitive world that hasn’t yet figured out space travel or the fact that they are not alone. Trying to keep a low profile so as to not freak out the locals but inevitably being discovered.

-going to a planet that is entirely covered with water and wukong absolutely hating it while sandy is just having the time of his life.

-ending up on a very sketchy planet where crime is rampant and having to constantly be on the lookout for anything shady. Wukong slowly loses his mind as somehow Tripitaka keeps getting into trouble every five seconds. the rest of the group is no better.

-visiting cities that are technologically advanced, fast pace and obsessed with the latest craze.

-stopping at an intergalactic truck stop for food and rest and being confronted by the strangest weirdest food they ever have to eat, while simultaneously trying to figure out if it is even edible. Just imagine everybody's unique individual reactions in this situation.

There are just so many possibilities

· Imagine them having an encounter with chang'e on the moon. I'm just picturing the group having a nice chill tea break with chang'e talking about life and just taking some time to recharge before they have to move on.

· Encountering red boy on a planet made of pure molten lava and fire. Where the fire/ lava of this world is safe to touch in some parts and in other parts it burns so insanely hot that it can melt the flesh off of the bone. and no one really being able to tell the difference between which fire is safe and which isn't. red boy is completely immune to this world and knows how to wield it to his advantage

· Demon bull king and princess iron fan are some of the galaxies' biggest warlords and conquers. They have one of the biggest fleets of battleships and an unstoppable army. As such they have conquered multiple planets

· That just made me think what if there was a galactic villain scoreboard just like the one in wander over yonder. Or at the very least the villains have a celebrity status amongst the galaxy. (at some point wukong would have been totally at the top of that scoreboard)

· There's a part in the book where they encounter a demon that turns out to be Guanyin's pet goldfish that’s gone rogue. And I like the idea of the group encountering a giant dangerous Robo-mech that they have to face off against only for it to turn out that it was a tiny goldfish controlling the suit all along. (and he would have gotten away with it too if it weren't for those meddling pilgrims)

· the lady bone demon being in control of a hive mind of other alien species. Working like a parasite she infects/possesses other creatures to do her bidding and expand her influence. the longer they are under her possession the quicker they start to waste away and become a skeletal zombie-like version of their former selves. Think of something similar to the zombie-ant fungus.

· What if the Single Horned Rhinoceros King instead of just stealing everyone's weapons through the use of the jade ring (an alternate form of the diamond snare that Laojun had made and used to capture Sun Wukong) like in the book. he was actually capturing planets and hoarding them like ships in bottles and the jade ring is actually some super weaponized shrink ray that allows him to do this. The group ends up not only trying to find a way to defeat him but then having to figure out how to return all the planets back to their normal size. This idea could also work with an original character as an alternative.

· The immortal trials I can see playing out much like the book with the exception that It takes place on a more primitive planet that does not have much experience with technology and goat, deer and tiger immortals taking advantage of that. using the knowledge and tech they have to trick people into thinking that they are all powerful, omnipotent beings and forcing them to do their bidding

· The spider queen/spider demons being these drider like aliens. Their ships are equipped with web-like nets that they use to capture spaceships. The nets are huge in size as well as virtually unbreakable. They then kill and eat any of the unfortunate victims that they trap and sell off the ships for scrap metal along with any valuables they find. Often they will leave their webs out in space, trapping anyone unfortunate to get stuck and not returning for a lengthy period of time while they check on their other traps. by then the victims of the snare are too weak to fight back and make for easy pickings.

· Shapeshifting while being pretty common is extremely hard to do with only a few beings being able to actually do it properly (sun wukong is one of them, pigsy on the other hand is not so he resorts to holographic glamour instead) most just end up using holographic technology to glamour themselves. Or pills that can transform a person for a short amount of time, or even stranger alternative methods

· A planet being inhabited entirely by females playing out much like the book. With the inhabitants having the appearance of both lizards and starfish combined. They are very pleasant but extremely curious about the male species

· Finally, let's talk about the main goal/objective of the journey personally I like sticking with the whole finding the scriptures and returning them to the east. Which still works for this only the stakes are much higher as the whole universe has been plunged into chaos and is on the verge of full on collapsing and the only way to stop it is to get these special scriptures (honestly this can be subjective as they don't need to be scriptures just something of great importance) and get them to where they need to be. Not only is the journey there hard but the stakes are upped as they now have to get them back and by now every powerhouse and criminal wants to get their hand on them as they are a highly coverted item

So yeah those are my thoughts. If I think of any more I'll be sure to add them but for now, this is all I got. Apologies for any spelling mistakes or if I've messed up on the lore (I tried to be as accurate as possible). I'll be honest I'm getting very tempted to write a full story based on this however I've got other writing projects in the works so I don't want to start anything new just yet. But who knows maybe one day in the future.

#jttw #scifi #sci-fi #journey to the west #sun wukong #random thoughts #fantasy #monkey king #tripitaka #space #outer space #aliens #bai long ma #zhu bajie #sha wujing #pigsy #sandy #space adventures #My writing

10 notes · View notes