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the-monkey-ruler · 11 months

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If you were given the green light and enough money what kind JTTW adaption would you make?

Def an animated retelling cause I’ve been wanting that for years!

Probably would want 2D cause I’m old fashion but I think that allows for more cartoony actions but I would actually like it to be more “adult” in that there is blood and death, nothing too graphic, but doesn’t shy away from violence either. Something like how Samurai Jack or Lupin the 111 Part 5 is treated with being watched for a younger audience but like in no way is it just for kids either or holds back on the violence.

Really inspired by these designs!

Just love love love the range of possibilities that this kinda 2D animation with designs like this would allow! All these are fantastic designs but def something like this!

I think if I had the power it would be definitely character-driven, with attention to each of the group throughout the series and pace it or add on to each where the natural development of their relationship can be realistic but not rushed cause it would span 14 years so there is time for that kind of development. Personally, I think I would keep the tone more humorous and comedic as while the demons ARE powerful and very much a threat, Wukong, Bajie, and Wujing always go in with some kind of “yeah and I’m your Grandfather so show some respect” attitude that I would love to see highlighted in a series. But while it's supposed to be more comedic there is a layer of seriousness in the more quiet moments it's just that the characters treat even the most serious situations with an air of 'yeah same shit different day'. Just three vastly different-sized deities fighting these ‘oh so powerful’ demons that are so arrogant and need to be taken down a peg.

But then always the demons outwit the heroes and get Sanzang when they think they have the upper hand in the fight but lose the real battle when they forget about their mission in the heat of the moment. And then the three either delve into arguing with each other blaming each other when it was supposed to be a team effort. But by the end they come up with a plan or get the assistance they need to overcome their foes… and perhaps start to see they not only have to rely on each other but that they CAN rely on one another.

Definitely highlight more of the quiet moment in between. Show them cooking and cleaning their camps sights as they get ready for another day of walking. I think maybe even some filler episodes that focus solely on flashbacks for like Bajie or Wujing and Baling and how they were kicked out of heaven and how each one feels into some kind of depression for having their humanity ripped from them into new bodies that aren’t their own and how they kinda lose their sense of self for looking so different and acting so different than they used to.

Bajie used to be a Marshall in charge of 100,000 navel ships, used to only answer to the Jade Emperor himself… but now he is a lazy pig on earth that has no weight to his name and no better than a joke. I think it would be cool to take a spin on him being lazy cause he doesn’t care anyone, about himself or anyone really, he is just in such a state of depression on earth he just acts on a whim looking for any joy he can in fleeting because he doesn’t see any point in trying to reach for more. And how that kind changes throughout the journey as he does start to prove he is still a capable fighter and how he might be a pig yaoguai but that doesn’t mean he gets to act like a monster. And how he starts to find people that he cares for and maybe he can start caring about himself. He sees how Wukong and Sanzang don’t really sleep or eat cause they are so focused on the mission and “can survive on only a single drop of water” or some kind of bullcrap to skip meals and not sleep and how he starts to be the one to push for naps and breaks and eating not only for his own sake but he got the most self-sacrificing buckle heads that can’t even bother to take a nap to “save the world.” He is still a jerk but he cares in his own rough way. Absolutely starts pranks wars with Wukong he knows he is going to lose but he is a stubborn man and doesn’t know when to back down from a clearly superior foe.

Wujing I would have it that he would be very soft-spoken and also quick to rage. He got kicked out for a single mistake that has defined the rest of his life and carries that kind of anxiety around. That if he just does a single thing wrong it’s over and he will be blamed, hence why he doesn’t say a lot at first, cause he is always so afraid that any move can be wrong so he rather not say anything at all and be neutral than wrong. But as he sees how loud and brash his brothers are he can only take so much before he either tells them to shut up or joins in on the fight. But he does start to see that he isn’t going to be judged for every little mistake. Bajie, Wukong, and even Sanzang are ALWAYS making mistakes but while there is yelling and blaming there is also that layer of 'okay we fought, blah blah, pass the salt would ya,' like things go back to the norm. That yeah, he accidentally burned the rice but he isn’t going to be punished, that a good ribbing is going to be with a joke back and not a reprimand. Just for the first time in forever Wujing can relax and just be comfortable around these new people that are kinda screw-ups too. And from there starts to build his own self-confidence and stand up for himself without being a doormat to other people.

BaiLong I think I would like him very standoffish hence why he doesn’t get out his horse form often… but he is still VERY expressive as a horse. Like that one horse from Tangled. If there are robbers, BaiLong kicks the fuck out of them with his hind legs, if there is someone trying to touch him, he bites them, if someone is trying to touch SANZANG… tries to beat them to death with his hooves. He is a very angry horse. But also he is the one in charge of trying to keep Sanzang safe the most when you think about it. I think I would definitely have him try to run away from demons with Sanzang on, or try to at least hide him when there are suspicious people. Always on guard dog mode. Even bites Wukong or Bajie when THEY fail to protect Sanzang cause HE is just the horse! He doesn’t have his scales or his horns! He can’t fight like they can, he isn’t a trained soldier, he was a prince from a very cold family that didn’t look twice at him when he got kicked out. He always tried to keep the peace of the family only to be written off as useless or worthless while his older brothers and even younger brothers have great feats and merit while he is a criminal forced to be an animal. But for the first time, he is treated like a brother. He might not be able to answer or even be part of the fights but they always make sure that he has water and food and always talk to him with some kind of comment as if he can answer back but just gives a single brow like “seriously.” Also, anytime Bajie says they are going to sell the horse BaiLong gets to kick him.

Sanzang I think would be the biggest change in that I would want him younger like early twenties by the start for two reasons. First I rather him be shown to be more early twenties to highlight his inexperience in the real world at this moment. He has been living in the monastery his whole life and yes he has a big heart but he is still kinda sheltered when it comes to how other kingdoms that ain’t nearly as rich as Tang or even outside the kingdom at all. Kinda wanna take from Monkey Magic 1999 cartoon where Sanzang sees the king's monk advisors be corrupt and how the scriptures are being twisted and used for their own gains. He finds the palace life to be suffocating and to be ONLY at the emperor's side as his sworn brother. He sees the corruption in his own city but he is given a sign by Gaunyin herself. How TO make a REAL change and save people without having to be limited by politics or saving face. I rather it follows Xuanzang's Pilgrimage here where Sanzang actually sneaks out of Tang without the approval of the Emperor and accepts that he would be a criminal in his own homeland going on his quest. But he finds it all worth it if that means he can make a difference.

But then his horse gets lost and he always starved to death. And the season reason I would have him younger would be that he is arrogant. He got to the highest level of monk in his kingdom in a few years by being able to be both smart and knowledgeable so he thinks he is too stuffed and knows what he talking about. He thinks he is in the position ready to face the world alone without any real other qualifications leading to a huge mess of him almost drying in the woods if it wasn’t for a woodcutters family there to save him. But even then once he finds his new disciples that were hand-picked by Guanyin he is more confused by their looks than scared as he has never seen a Yaoguai so… small as Wukong. Which is also thing would be a fun scene. He just thinks that he has everything figured out and doesn’t need to listen to people that HE is supposed to be in charge of. I’m thinking making him like this at the start as with each kidnapping either humbled him or lets him show that he needs to rely on other but also he CAN.

Dipping into something the backstory of his family trauma of avenging his not-so-dead dad and his mother's suicide and how he emotionally disconnected from that to protect himself but like never really gave himself a chance to mourn and move on properly. Love to touch that. Even with each kidnapping he does get hurt and does get scars or rope burns and he starts to less give orders and rather starts to open up with his journeymates. I feel like he could be a character that a lot of people could relate to when it comes to being thrust into a world will suddenly you have more responsibilities than you think you are prepared for, and how people usually have different responses to that kind of stress. Also, love to see how he would physically change from a young adult to late thirties by the end of the journey and how that change can be seen! This man spent more than a decade on the road and started as a young man but ended as a wider adult for it.

And as for Wukong… he would definitely be the center of the show as usual. But I really want to kind of make it clear at the start he is definitely still an ex-warlord. He is arrogant and cocky, he thinks he could do everything on his own, thinks that he’s always in the right, never take no for an answer, or he will immediately start to threaten with violence. Like don't get me wrong, he’s very charming and charismatic, and honestly, considering how he always gives people a “chance” to walk away, he is the funniest most lively guy in the group. I kind of want him like teetering on the edge of your never going to know his next move. Either he laughs at threats or he takes some very seriously, depending on who they are from. I think I would make him definitely the most expressive and cartoonish with his reactions just to get that huge range of how much he feels. No hold him back on his power either but throughout the story, it’s more like because he uses such an excess of power. He also harms the environment or people around him because he doesn’t take them into account. Hence why Sanzang always pushes for him to go for less violent means or just to subdue. I think this would be a great case of like showing how creative and innovative Wukong is through the use of 2D animation, mostly in what you can do with the animation, which is limitless, which is exactly what I want an audience to get from Wukong powers.

Like sure he is strong, but I also want to show like his vast wide use of powers and how each one can be creatively used within the story. And especially in cases where the gang needs to get information on the demon, in order to learn how to defeat them really hammering in the idea of how Wukong really can’t do this entire mission on his own. He needs to be more considerate of his actions because he needs to protect Sanzang and he needs to start relying on Bajie and Wujing and acknowledge them as equals if he’s ever going to work with them rather than barking orders at them. And he needs to see that just being the strongest person in the room doesn’t automatically make him right. I feel like in a long-running series this would be a great ongoing theme throughout each episode to see Wukong slowly coming to the idea that he does have a team he can work with now and maybe even a flashback episode about how different his current brotherhood is compared to his past brotherhood. Like his previous brotherhood was more of a delegation of followers, and he was the ringleader. But compared to the new brotherhood there are no leaders but rather there is that kind of mutual respect. Especially that coming to a head with the Demon Bull King episode! Oh, I would love that!!

I’m kind of just still going off of that of like Wukong realizing how alone he is in the world. Like sure, he has his monkey family and he absolutely adores them and it will do anything for them but also he recalls how they first feared him when he came. They thought he was a monster, until he was able to prove himself by jumping through the waterfall, and became the king and earned the respect. And with his past brotherhood, it was more just a bunch of yes-man around him, never really holding him accountable for his actions, but rather just enabling him and his destructive behavior. And from there it’s just been a continual downhill of him spiraling out of control of what he thinks is right because he is the most powerful person versus what it means to show empathy and compassion for those that don’t have the same strength. And how they are different types of strength as well. Pretty much just focusing on his continual growth of increasing his empathy for others because I think that’s a big skill that’s hard to learn as well. Some people have to practice empathy and Wukong finally been in situations where he has to struggle not only physically, but mentally and emotionally as well and ask him self what is really write in a situation. Should he kill that demon? Or should he tried to let them go? Should he give people the benefit of the doubt or should he follow his experience and not take any chances? It’s a constant battle he has to have with himself and especially on a pilgrimage where he hast to go on his redemption arc, one that he didn’t even want to join in the first place, and gradually become one of the most dedicated to the mission. Not to mention his own identity, and what it means to be both Yaoguai and a deity. Now that would be amazing in the said Ears arc!

Also him coming to the realization that just because he’s one of the most powerful creatures on the plane that doesn’t make him better than anyone else, the guy does need a little bit of humbling. And furthering the realizing that his teammates Bajie, Wujing, Sanzang, even BaiLong, all have something to bring to the table, even if it isn’t immediate mass strength. And I feel like that’s also kind of growing. For him as he starting to recognize that other people can do what he can’t do and accepting those limitations he has on myself. He’s kind of a perfectionist, and that way. Like Wukong can do many things! Practically everything! But I will be seeing him as kind of like a jack of all trades master of none. Well, he might be able to do everything, but some people just able to do it a little bit better depending on the circumstances. When it comes to fighting, usually he is the best! But there is also Erlang Shen! He can heal! But not as good as GuanYin. He can disguise himself. But he still has his tail showing. He can do so many things, but there’s always a little bit of a catch. And honestly, he isn’t the best cook. And he’s not the best at being a sympathetic ear. And he isn’t the most graceful when to come to the losing. Or winning either. I’m trying to say is he hast to recognize he has faults of his own and it’s OK to rely on others. And especially on his new group that don’t see him as a king… but as a fellow Pilgrim. The playing field is finally equal because for the first time in a long time he finally is speaking to people that aren’t talking down to him, they aren’t talking up to him, they were just talking to him. And I feel like that would be really the start of him coming to realize he is also just like anyone else, just out here trying his best. And that may be these bozos on the worst group of people to be stuck with.

I guess I wouldn’t want there to be really a star of the show but rather have all of them interact with one another to keep all of the bases even. Like I would constantly push for scenes where all five (yes even BaiLong in horse form) are either arguing or just simply talking to one another about an issue or the current dilemma. Especially push for a lot of background scenes, where only certain people are talking, but you could still see them interacting with one another in the background. Just really pushing the idea of these guys are very used to one another and that they are really starting to grow on one another. It’s kind of like that team dynamic well at first it’s very rough at the start and throughout the journey it’s still that kind of gruff attitude, but you can see how they start to blend with one another. There is a dynamic that is being created and throughout the journey, you can see how that dynamic either changes and how it affects the entire group or how the whole group changes for the sake of one another. That might be taking it too far but personally, I think for this kind of show, that would be exactly what I would like to see.

Sorry that I kind of went off on that question but I think if I was ever in charge of a Xiyouji series I think I would probably give it way too much thought and way too much detail for it to be plausible. But I would just throw as much money as I could into the animation just for the sake of reaction shots, still shots, and action scenes. Comedy and overarching story and action would probably be the main focuses. And yet I will definitely put a lot of focus on it being character-driven rather than being story-driven because I feel like everyone knows the monster of the week formula. I do enjoy most of the week formula because it allows more room for characters to breathe personally.

Thank you for coming to my ted talk.

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