Saiyuki puts a modern twist on ancient myths. © A.D.V. Films.

Saiyuki. V.1, The Journey Begins. V.2, Old Friends, New Enemies. V.3, Confronting Their Demons. V.4, Storms. V.5, Sting of the Scorpion. V.6, Demon Rising. V.7, The Gods of War. V.8, Soldiers of Destiny. V.9, Children of Sacrifice. V.10 - V.12, titles to come.
TV series (50 episodes), 2000-2001. Director: Hayato Date. V.1-2, five episodes/125 minutes; v.3-12, four episodes/100 minutes. Price & format: DVD bilingual $29.98. Distributor: A.D.V. Films.

Saiyuki, a.k.a. Journey to the West or The Monkey King, is an ancient Oriental legend based upon an actual 7th century A.D. journey by a Chinese monk to India to get Buddhist scriptures. Folk legend over centuries added the demons he had to fight, and the three supernatural bodyguards who protected him. This has been a favorite with Chinese and Japanese live-action and animated filmmakers for more than seven decades. Japan’s 1960 Saiyuki animated feature (U.S. title: Alakazam the Great) is one version, and the mega-popular Dragon Ball started as a 1980s TV variant before it evolved in a completely different direction.

Gensou Maden Saiyuki, a 50-episode TV series animated by Studio Pierrot and broadcast from April 4, 2000 through March 27, 2001 (based on a novelization by Kazuya Minekura), is a kick-ass version for adolescents in a mood for punk rock music and violent videogames. The locale is a far eastern fantasy world that is ancient Chinese with modern trappings. As the excellent DVD-extra cultural background notes put it, “While not everything contained in Saiyuki was drawn from the original legend (for example, the traditional story was notable for its lack of cigarettes, mahjong, ATM cards and firearms), a great deal of the monsters and challenges faced by Sanzo and his disciples are at least loosely connected to the original.”

Humans and demons (depicted similarly to pointed-ear elves in modern heroic fantasy) have coexisted peacefully for the past 500 years. But recently the demons have begun turning into homicidal killers. The Elders of the Temple of the Setting Sun (roughly Heavenly bureaucrats) have determined that someone is trying to release the truly evil demon god, Gyumaoh, who was defeated and imprisoned for eternity in India 500 years ago. The aura of evil possessing the demons is the result of the weakening spell; its complete dissolution will result in Hell on Earth. The Elders assign young priest Sanzo Genjo to journey to India with his three companions Son Goku, Sha Gojyo and Cho Hakkai, to find out who is trying to revive Gyumaoh and why, and stop them.

In most versions, Sanzo is a devout pacifistic monk. Here he is a sullen young 20-something who had been raised in a monastery as an orphaned infant, but grew up with a personality unsuited to a monastic life (to put it mildly). But for a danger-filled journey like this, he is an ideal choice. His three companions are either demons or human-demon crossbreeds. These “four hellions” look and act more like a punk gang cruising for babes and brews.

Fifty episodes is a lot of plot to fill, and the journey imaginatively mixes humorous and dramatic incidents, stand-alone episodes and mini-serials of two or three episodes, new challenges and flashbacks showing how the four met each other and what molded their personalities (and why they have decided to remain loyal to the Elders despite their superficial contempt for “boring religious stuff”). The juxtaposition of ancient and modern elements is usually amusing, such as updating their magical horse to a magical Jeep.

The enemy is quickly revealed as more complex than had been expected. Assassins vary from comically inept to chillingly clever, and there is a “noble adversary” who is righteous by nature but loyal to the real villains due to family honor — which side will he really fight for at the climax? This Saiyuki modernizes the old legend to blend elements of heroic fantasy RPGs like Dungeons & Dragons and combat-action RPGs like Street Fighter, with strong enough characterization and plotting to hold the viewer’s attention through the deliberately meandering journey.