I firstly must stress this is not for everybody. There are many things that people will not like about this programme. The biggest thing is the special effects. This was made in the seventies and early eighties and on a cheap budget. But the programmes do have some good appealing factors
The programme is Japanese, with Japanese actors, telling a Chinese story. It is based around 4 central characters. These are Monkey {Great Sage and equal of all heaven} Pigsy {Once heavenly Marshall, kicked out for being obsessed with women} Sandy {A water spirit} and Tripitaka {a buddhist monk, who is a boy, but is played by a female actress} Pigsy, Monkey, and Sandy are the disciples of Tripitaka, protecting him on a great mission from China to India to collect Buddha's scrolls.
But the path is wrought with danger from various demons etc trying to stop them from succeeding. Monkey is an Ape god who can fight excellent, with his wishing staff. He has many magic powers and can also cloud fly. Sandy's weapon is a staff with blades on both sides, and Pigsy uses a rake. I watched this programme when i was a child and Monkey was my childhood hero. I have noticed on the Monkey websites that most adults that love this programme are those that watched it as a child.
What makes Monkey special is firstly the interaction between the characters. I kid you not there are jokes and banter in abundance and although this was designed as to appeal to children first adults second, many jokes are ones that are definitely levelled at adults....oooh er. Also the way Monkey alwys insults Pigsy is so comical.
The second great thing about Monkey is it is actually magical. The fantasy elements are such fun, secondly there is a lot of action. Monkeys common remark is "I love to fight"
The third thing is morals. This programme is like a visual Aesop's Fable. Every episode contains wisdom and tries to instill morales and principles into the viewer. It certainly could even give many adults food for thought. Also the programme cleverly deals with real issues that would be a part of childrens and adults lives, by putting the characters in many precarious situations, and dealing with these issues. The programme is very deep and profound but keeps it appealing by adding so much humour.
All the characters are so likeable, even Pigsy with his womanising and obsession with food, he is also a coward, but when the chips are down he comes through. But largely Monkey is a loveable charcter. He is the type of character that everybody would want for a friend. He is hysterically funny, witty, loyal, friendly, he just oozes character.
I cannot warn people enough if you buy this, the special effects to watch now are not special. They are extremely dated. After being spoilt by modern viewing i thought my children would turn their noses up at this......but they love it. After watching you hear them all singing the Monkey Magic theme tune. Even many adults that view it admit that it is so dated but they still get something out of watching it. I honestly believe that it is impossible to hate the show, simply for the virtues and intentions of the programme, and additionally it gets amny adults laughing at the banter. Call it nostalgia but i like this programme a lot and i guarantee they do not make show's like this anymore.
The DVD has some extras. There are character biographies of the actors. These are lenghty and detailed. There are also many stills from the programme to enjoy.
