Comparison to the West: Epilogue

A few years ago, while I was in high school, the school chaplain and I would talk about Monkey and what an awesome show it was. Then one day he mentioned that a remake happend and that remake had Monkey riding a skateboard, much to my horror. But I was 15 at the time and I may have mistaken it for "he rides a cloud LIKE a skateboard". Because reasons.

From fanboy fears to remake appreciation, I type before you as a fan of Saiyuuki. And I'm honestly as shocked as you are. Monkey was my childhood, much like other fans of the show, and a remake of such a show would blasphemous when you hear it. To this day I'm still defending Saiyuuki to my friends.


(...Ok "trying" to defend it.)

Sadly in Japan it didn't do too well in the ratings and never got another season. From what I've found out, the TV network, Fuji TV, placed it in an unusual time slot with the intention to grab older and younger viewers but resulted in the fewer ratings. But at least the show had a good ending.

Meanwhile in Monkey, the show just ended suddenly. Some think it was because Masako Natsume, Tripitaka, died and they couldn't replace her. False. She died of leukaemia 5 years after Monkey had finished filming. Turns out they've been filming in China and at the time it was very expensive. Most likely they ran out of money and couldn't afford any more episodes.

Moving on, I've been giving "The Edge" throughout this series and I've been curious as to which show has the most.





















Both shows were good in their own right. Judged by the indiviual time standards, they're on the same level. Just. But to me, well, you've seen the numbers.



Another fact I need to seriously address is that although I praise Saiyuuki, it is extremely hard to get. The amount of months I spent looking for all 11 episodes were really, really long and I often bumped into the movie or the Saiyuuki anime which annoyed me so much. They're like gold dust at this point. But I encourage you to find it if you can. Even if it's just the movie.

Some hardcore Monkey fans wont and I know this for a fact and to them I say what I've come to understand throughout this mini-series:



It was just the same thing over and over and over again. It never seemed to arch. No story climax. Nothing. Just continuing to rise and we've seen shows that do that and end horribly. *coughs* LOST *coughs*

What I'm saying is that maybe its time to take off the nostalgia glasses, just for a second, and watch an episode of Saiyuuki then see how it compares. Maybe go on your own comparison to the west.

Only then, dear reader, may you find entertain-lighten-ment.

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OH RIGHT! Next year!

Seeming as how I enjoyed doing this project, I'm planning on partaking in another one next year. And after speaking with a certain Rider on the site about it, I've got everything I need to do it.

What will I compare next year?



Henshin!