'Monkey' magic set for revival, partly filmed Down Under in Australia
Good grief.
'Monkey' magic set for revival by Tokyo correspondent Shane McLeod
The cult television series Monkey is being remade in its home country Japan.
If you know which TV character was 'born from an egg on a mountain top' and the lead line of "in the world before Monkey, primal chaos reigned", you probably have the ABC to blame.
The Japanese series Monkey was a mainstay of ABC afternoon television programing in the 1980s, generating a cult following for its theme music, its fight scenes and dialogue that sometimes lost a little in translation.
Fast forward 30 years and Japan's top rating TV network is trying to recreate the Monkey magic.
When ABC Radio's AM program visited the set in the Tokyo suburb of Shibuya, the fight scenes of old were in full swing.
But there are a few differences to the show that Australian fans grew to love.
Blond Monkey
Chief among them, a new look for the main character - Monkey, played in the new series by Shingo Katori and his very blond hair.
"I bleach it every 15 days -- if I don't, it goes black," he said.
Katori says his 2006 version of monkey is a punk rocker, yelling about love.
Known in Japan as Saiyuki, or the "Journey to the West", the series is based on a classic Chinese tale of a priest and three companions, travelling to India in search of Buddhist scriptures.
The original was a hit and its star Masaki Sakai remains a familiar face on Japanese television, appearing in variety and cooking shows.
Producer Yoshihiro Suzuki says those behind the new series are hoping their version will be just as endearing.
"We already have offers from countries in Asia - South Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong and Singapore who are broadcasting it," he said.
"Normally shows are broadcast overseas when the series is finished but this time it's only three or four weeks after Japan.
"I've heard there may be some interest from Australia too, so I really hope that will be realised as well."
Australian backdrops
If Australians get to see it they might notice that the scenery of ancient China looks a little familiar.
Parts of the series were shot in New South Wales at Stockton Desert near Port Stephens and the Blue Mountains last year.
Actor Shingo Katori, says the knowledge of the original series was a surprise.
"At night we would go out for a beer after work and I'd become friends with some of the local people," he said.
"They didn't know we were there to film the show and they said, 'you're a surfer from Japan right? So I said, yeah, right'.
"When I asked if they knew about the show, everyone started singing 'monkey magic, monkey magic'."
Diehard fans might not be ready to contemplate a new version of monkey .
They might still have some unresolved issues from the original, like whether the priest character Tripitaka was played by a man or a woman.
But for those whose mis-spent youth involved calling up a flying pink cloud, a magic fighting stick and some good old fashioned battles with demons, it will bring back some memories and confirm once and for all, as the show's old closing line said "the nature of monkey was irrepressible".
'Monkey' magic set for revival by Tokyo correspondent Shane McLeod
The cult television series Monkey is being remade in its home country Japan.
If you know which TV character was 'born from an egg on a mountain top' and the lead line of "in the world before Monkey, primal chaos reigned", you probably have the ABC to blame.
The Japanese series Monkey was a mainstay of ABC afternoon television programing in the 1980s, generating a cult following for its theme music, its fight scenes and dialogue that sometimes lost a little in translation.
Fast forward 30 years and Japan's top rating TV network is trying to recreate the Monkey magic.
When ABC Radio's AM program visited the set in the Tokyo suburb of Shibuya, the fight scenes of old were in full swing.
But there are a few differences to the show that Australian fans grew to love.
Blond Monkey
Chief among them, a new look for the main character - Monkey, played in the new series by Shingo Katori and his very blond hair.
"I bleach it every 15 days -- if I don't, it goes black," he said.
Katori says his 2006 version of monkey is a punk rocker, yelling about love.
Known in Japan as Saiyuki, or the "Journey to the West", the series is based on a classic Chinese tale of a priest and three companions, travelling to India in search of Buddhist scriptures.
The original was a hit and its star Masaki Sakai remains a familiar face on Japanese television, appearing in variety and cooking shows.
Producer Yoshihiro Suzuki says those behind the new series are hoping their version will be just as endearing.
"We already have offers from countries in Asia - South Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong and Singapore who are broadcasting it," he said.
"Normally shows are broadcast overseas when the series is finished but this time it's only three or four weeks after Japan.
"I've heard there may be some interest from Australia too, so I really hope that will be realised as well."
Australian backdrops
If Australians get to see it they might notice that the scenery of ancient China looks a little familiar.
Parts of the series were shot in New South Wales at Stockton Desert near Port Stephens and the Blue Mountains last year.
Actor Shingo Katori, says the knowledge of the original series was a surprise.
"At night we would go out for a beer after work and I'd become friends with some of the local people," he said.
"They didn't know we were there to film the show and they said, 'you're a surfer from Japan right? So I said, yeah, right'.
"When I asked if they knew about the show, everyone started singing 'monkey magic, monkey magic'."
Diehard fans might not be ready to contemplate a new version of monkey .
They might still have some unresolved issues from the original, like whether the priest character Tripitaka was played by a man or a woman.
But for those whose mis-spent youth involved calling up a flying pink cloud, a magic fighting stick and some good old fashioned battles with demons, it will bring back some memories and confirm once and for all, as the show's old closing line said "the nature of monkey was irrepressible".