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chuckroDemons rule the world, but if the Monkey King can be resurrected from his stone prison, maybe there can once again be hope. Y’know…maybe.
This is very reminiscent of Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess, though to be fair, Son Wukong (known in this only as “Monkey”) is a very viable choice for that sort of adaptation. He’s super-powerful, full of tricks, incredibly impulsive and prone to terrible decisions, and just goofy enough to go with the semi-serious tone of this style of show.
The main character is an orphan girl who takes the name “Tripitaka,” and though that sounds ridiculous, apparently it’s an acceptable translation of Xuanzang, the main character of the original Journey to the West. The Buddhism is scrubbed off the stories, as the world is full of “demons” and there are many references to “the gods” who are all dead or in hiding. The various monks have Eastern trappings, but they’re careful to avoid real-life religion. Monkey, for reference, supposedly killed a god and stole their sacred scrolls (and gave them to humans), which got him locked up in stone by the other gods. As opposed to his usual “being a dick to Buddha” schtick, which would require, among other things, Buddha.
As one might predict, Sandy and Pigsy appear quickly as long-deposed gods. Sandy, like Tripitaka, is female in this version, giving us some semblance of gender balance. And while all the gods have nebulous magical powers, the exact nature and extent of them is left very vague and tends to follow the demands of the plot. Sandy can control water…when it’s convenient. Pigsy might have earth powers? Maybe?
To give you a sense of the anachronism stew: In an early scene in a vaguely-medieval tavern with some sellswords, an Asian-style monk and a scholar showing them a parchment scroll; a magical lightning-throwing demon attacks them, then leaves a tiny robot-bomb-thing that creates a magical tornado to level the inn.
Overall: Do you miss Xena? This will likely scratch that itch.
This is very reminiscent of Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess, though to be fair, Son Wukong (known in this only as “Monkey”) is a very viable choice for that sort of adaptation. He’s super-powerful, full of tricks, incredibly impulsive and prone to terrible decisions, and just goofy enough to go with the semi-serious tone of this style of show.
The main character is an orphan girl who takes the name “Tripitaka,” and though that sounds ridiculous, apparently it’s an acceptable translation of Xuanzang, the main character of the original Journey to the West. The Buddhism is scrubbed off the stories, as the world is full of “demons” and there are many references to “the gods” who are all dead or in hiding. The various monks have Eastern trappings, but they’re careful to avoid real-life religion. Monkey, for reference, supposedly killed a god and stole their sacred scrolls (and gave them to humans), which got him locked up in stone by the other gods. As opposed to his usual “being a dick to Buddha” schtick, which would require, among other things, Buddha.
As one might predict, Sandy and Pigsy appear quickly as long-deposed gods. Sandy, like Tripitaka, is female in this version, giving us some semblance of gender balance. And while all the gods have nebulous magical powers, the exact nature and extent of them is left very vague and tends to follow the demands of the plot. Sandy can control water…when it’s convenient. Pigsy might have earth powers? Maybe?
To give you a sense of the anachronism stew: In an early scene in a vaguely-medieval tavern with some sellswords, an Asian-style monk and a scholar showing them a parchment scroll; a magical lightning-throwing demon attacks them, then leaves a tiny robot-bomb-thing that creates a magical tornado to level the inn.
Overall: Do you miss Xena? This will likely scratch that itch.
