#journey to the west media

[the-monkey-ruler]

i'm not sure if this is where i'm supposed to send in media to be added to the list since i don't use tumblr but i assume it is so 😭 i'd like to submit 劇団『ドラマティカ』ACT1／西遊記悠久奇譚 AKA Troupe Dramatica ACT 1 Journey to the West - The Eternal Legend; i'm mostly sure that it's not listed since i searched for like half an hour but if it is my bad!

I haven't heard about this but OMG thank you! And no it isn't listed! (to search better you have ctrl-f on any google sheets to search by name) This looks like it's part of a stage play but since it does count as a production with a DVD release it does count! Thank you so much1!

[sonicasura]

Has Sun Wukong met Infernape and the other Monkey Pokemon under Trainer's care like Annihilape, and Aipom

And it would be funny too see Pigsy reaction too their basically being another Sun Wukong in Infernape and just going

"Dear Buddha theirs's 2 of them now!"

No he hasn't so it makes the encounter with Infernape extra funnier. Pigsy should count himself lucky that the Fire/Fighting Type is more chill. Sun Wukong is gonna have a blast meeting them, lol. Monkeys are very social creatures and the Monkey King is no doubt homesick.

Thus having a Pokemon like Aipom, Annihilape or Infernape around would help him feel better.

[cheerful-sixears]

Same Art Director~

For Journey to the West//Lego Monkie Kid enthusiasts looking for other medias to watch (plus a little random knowledge):

The same Art Director who worked on this childhood masterpiece:

(The Brave Little Toaster; 1987)

also worked on this beautiful film:

(Lotus Lantern; 1999)

I totally recommend Lotus Lantern. It's one of the less commonly mentioned stories told that involves Sun Wukong! <3 It's easy to find on YT to watch, and it's subtitled just for specifics! the movie has more mention and visual of Erlang Shen and the Celestial Hound, as well. Definitely worth it for those wanting to find more media with him in it, as well. Beautiful art style.

Slowly but surely @sun-uwu-kong and I are looking for other movies like this to find and watch!

[royaltea000]

Hmmmm…monkey

[ryversreality]

Skate Legend! AU

Wukong (Lao Sun) concept page

I thought of this in my evil class where I am evil 😇

I’m still trying to think of shop names for him, so we will find this out. Maybe the shop names were the friends made along the way.

[journeytothewestresearch]

Your articles have been incredibly helpful to me as someone who's only a recent fan of JTTW; many thanks for providing such in depth information about and surrounding the books!

I wanted to ask if you might know why in a considerable number of media featuring Sun Wukong, he has one or both of the feathers from his Pheonix-Feather Cap in his mouth? I found some images showing this:

I haven't found anything that touches on it in-depth, so I figured my best bet would be to ask from the best source of info about JTTW that I know. Very sorry if this has already been asked/answered and thank you regardless!

Thank you. It's a concept from Beijing Opera. Bonds (2008) explains:

[F]eather movements enlarge the gestures and emotions of the wearer. For example, rotating the head in circles … expands a sense of anger. Shaking the head back and forth quickly … adds to extreme frustration. Biting crossed feathers in the mouth heightens the appearance of aggressive feelings (emphasis added) (p. 44).

Source:

Bonds, A. B. (2008). Beijing Opera Costumes: The Visual Communication of Character and Culture. Honolulu: University of Hawai’i Press.

[dunanana]

Put on a playlist yesterday and youtube decided its the perfect time to watch Jttw demons strike back movie and I loved it! 🤭

[saroscy]

Size difference 📏

[sari-artworks-schyzotypalmind]

Some Journey to the West 1986 fanart

Cof cof ... slidding into JTTW fandom, may I join? >.< I´m so hooked with the old tv series.

Please do not repost/steal.

[joshua-beeking]

What's cooking? Wait and see.

[the-monkey-ruler]

i've been seeing so many comments about the possibility of wukong (after rebirth) and/or many yaoguais/mortals going to war to overthrow the heavenly palace and seize the emperor after the events in black myth: wukong. is that possible to happen? i've read something in your posts about how despite their actions, the heavenly palace/jade emperor is needed to balance the three realms? if that is so, how is overthrowing going to solve any problems? like i get the unfairness of the treatment of yaoguais but ngl, going to war felt like an even worse solution. idk im not knowledgeable of the rules.

i've been seeing so many comments about the possibility of wukong (after rebirth) and/or many yaoguais/mortals going to war to overthrow the heavenly palace and seize the emperor after the events in black myth: wukong. is that possible to happen?

Think of it like this.

There needs to be a Jade Emporer in charge of heaven without a doubt. I've seen some adaptions have it that if he does fall then the world goes through a small apocalypse but isn't unsavable or unliveable. Personally, I think that the world is more likely to fall into an unliveable state, with no weather regulations, ghosts could leave hell and haunt earth, there would be nothing separating the three realms and honestly, humans would be taking the full brunt of the impact. With at least someone in charge of most of the large phenomenons on the planet I do think that would make earth, the underworld, and heaven into a mess of chaos where maybe ghosts and immortals could survive but humans would be nearly wiped out.

That being said while there needs to be a Jade Emperor for sure but that doesn't always have to be the same guy. I believe the original plan was something like Sun Wukong was going to overthrow Heaven and then take over as the Jade Emperor. I've seen this taken in the Lotus Lantern series in a 'what if' dream if Wukong 'won' the fight in heaven and now HE was in charge. One thing that you have to understand that Black Myth Wukong is taking GREAT LIBERTIES with is that Wukong is fighting for yao rights when in the original novel Wukong was fighting for himself. I have to give credit to the detail that Black Myth put into the game but it HEAVILY changed the lore of the story and can almost be an alternative universe within itself with how heaven functions in relation to earth.

Like there are cultivated creatures in heaven, even in the game we see many heavenly beasts that still keep their cultivated form in heaven and are treated as works/disciples/coworkers. The Zodiac animals have humanoid forms. The Plum Brothers, originally Yao in FSYY are Erlang's sworn brothers. Black Wind King and Red Boy are Guanyin's disciples. Yellow Wind Demon is an OFFICAL disciple rather than being a lil mongoose thing that just run away pet. If anything in Black Myth it just shows how maybe Yaos are in heaven. Sure it frames it as them being oppressed but I truly don't think this reflects the original story.

In the original book, Wukong wasn't trying to overthrow heaven in order to overthrow an oppressive regime against yao, but because he broke the laws, ran away, and knew that war was inevitable. He wasn't looking to dismantle an oppressive system, he was going to become the new head of the system and rule it in a way that only benefited himself.

WUKONG IN THE BOOK IS THE BAD GUY.

We love him, we adore him, but HE IS THE BAD GUY.

You can argue that maybe the Jade Emporer wasn't using Wukong to his full ability with how powerful he is, sure, absolutely, but also he had TWO FORMAL COMPLAINTS about him from KING YAMA and ALL FOUR DRAGON KINGS. He wasn't starting his new job with any good recommendations on his resume so it could also be understandable why he started with a low-entry position and maybe worked his way up. This is a job at the end of the day, Wukong COULD have just worked his way up the corporate ladder, that isn't impossible and with how strong/powerful Wukong is, he could def have done that personally.

i've read something in your posts about how despite their actions, the heavenly palace/jade emperor is needed to balance the three realms?

If Wukong won then he would undoubtedly try to take over as Jade Emproer but considering that Wukong at the start of the book had very lil care of humans or yao (I think people forget how Wukong didn't care that his non-monkey yao army was captured and he was only pleased not a single one of his own monkeys were captured) so that he would only rule the heavens where only monkeys made rights and would benefit him and his Sun Clan. He would be grandfather of the year but the rest of the world would be in shambles. Wukong was never trying to overthrow the system, he was going to be in charge of that system and just choose who he wanted to oppress instead.

The Jade Emporer is the Jade Emporer because he has spent his entire lifetime training his mind and body to balance all three realms to keep all life protected. He studied for about 327 million years to get this job, it is not just something you can casually fight him for and take it, like there needs to be credentials. Ghosts are directed to the afterlife, humans stay on earth to live, love, cultivate, and die, and cultivated humans turn into immortals who then can turn into gods who are in heaven to help continue to keep the balance of the world.

if that is so, how is overthrowing going to solve any problems? like i get the unfairness of the treatment of yaoguais but ngl, going to war felt like an even worse solution. idk im not knowledgeable of the rules.

I love that we are getting more media with Yao being sympathetic but the original creation of Yao is that they are unnatural beings. They go against the balance as they are animals/objects that skip their reincarnation process and just jump into being sentient beings without being reborn as humans first. While not inherently evil it does mess with the flow of nature and does make them more prone to be chaotic as it is in their nature to be unbalanced.

Wukong going against heaven was more for the sake of his own ego at the height of his warlord years and could have been completely avoided. The reason that it seems like a bad solution to fighting for Yao rights is because modern writers make it so.

There is no changing the outcome of the story. Wukong has to lose if the plot is to resemble anything like the original tale. And modern writers know this. The war was NEVER INTENDED to be a good solution because it is a plot device to make Wukong look better and make Heaven look bad. Writers don't have to worry about a 'what if he won' because that isn't possible and was never made to be possible.

Wukong was written to fight a war that could never be won to highlight the hopelessness and powerlessness Wukong is facing, making him more human and sympathetic to a large audience. I've spoken about this maybe times before but the plot of Bio of Wukong 悟空传 from 2000 NEARLY 20 years ago really made this popular. That kind of "It is better to die trying than to live a slave" mentality that Wukong is going to lose this fight but at least he is going to fight at all. It is that early 2000s angst that affected many movies and shows after it and even 20 years later we still see how Black Myth Wukong is following this old plot line of "Heaven is actually the bad guy and yao are the oppressed ones." It's not that this plot hasn't been done well just that this is such a common plot point in modern media that it diverts from the original story so much.

Modern writers change it so that instead of Wukong being an egotistical warlord who doesn't think about the consequences of his actions, he is a freedom fighter who is trying to save a marginalized group. The issue is that it seems hopeless to help the Yao cause because there was never a Yao issue in the first place until this point of view came into being. We see in the story that actually many Yao Kings are taken under heaven or were run away from heaven itself who came to earth for personal power. Guanyin takes in Black Wind Demon, Red Boy, and the Centipede Demon to help her. In the book, there isn't an inherent prejudice against yao (because most of them are flat characters that just want to eat Sanzang) and there are many chances of mercy given to them despite their transgressions.

But we see in Black Myth Wukong that any of these attempts to give Yao grace are framed more as 'subjugation'. Any goodwill or olive branch is now just heaven trying to control this marginalized group and they are just manipulating them into being subservient to heaven's will. I really love that the game takes time to flesh out Yaos in the story and still doesn't shy away from showing how they are still the ones at fault for their own current predicaments. Yellow Bros is still an egoistic more worried about winning than truth, Yellow Wind was using the kingdom to his own gain, and the Elder Abbot did let his disciple die to his own greed. I will say I'm not a huge fan of Red Boy's backstory change and then him just killing himself at the end as it felt disingenuous.

What I'm trying to say is that there is no winning in these kinds of storylines. They are twisted for the sake of making Wukong as a tragic hero who is fighting a losing battle that he shall never win which they do a wonderful job at. Everyone loves a tragic hero story and even makes it relatable to people's own struggles with conformity. Wukong is NEVER going to win, Yao are NEVER going to get their rights and it is meant to be just SAD and EDGY but how people shouldn't stop trying to fight even if it is a losing battle else than fight they would in a fate even worse than death. Spoilers but the end of 悟空传 is that WUKONG DIES because he rather die than be subjugated and THAT HAPPENED IN BLACK MYTH. This is a 20-year-old light novel and they are still rehashing this plot. (I'm sorry if it seems I don't like this trope, I do, but I have seen it for years and find it unoriginal at this point. I have seen it be done very well but I shall say I did enjoy it more in my 'teen angst' years than I do now.)

The OG light novel never made it so that anyone can 'win' and the same can be said in the Black Myth Universe. It almost glorifies being a martyr rather than living in subjugation because modern writers didn't write any viable solutions where our heroes 'win'. And you can't apply this with the original Xiyouji mythos or else it starts to fall apart when looking at what ACTUALLY happened with Wukong and how yaos are treated.

Also having that the fillet isn't gone and that buddhahood is a lie in Black Myth is also a HUGE divination from canon. Just know that if Wukong is a Buddha he wouldn't be bound to the fillet because he isn't bound to his physical body anymore and IS AS POWERFUL as the OG Buddha himself making any case of this null.

Personally (we are getting into AU territory) if there was a case of fighting for Yao rights in a frame of actually trying to find applicable solutions to make a real difference in the world then I truly believe that the ACTUAL JOURNEY TO THE WEST is the answer.

I'm taking some inspiration from the 1996 TV series when Sanzang wants to actually save every demon he comes across on their journey and he believes that the scriptures can provide that way. That through the Buddhist texts, Yaos could cultivate without eating humans and they can reach full human-hood and even enlightenment with the sacred texts thus creating a world where both humans can become more enlightened and kind to one another and where Yao can live peacefully without needing to cause harm to others.

I think that if there was ever a story that really captured the essence of what Journey to the West was about, that anyone can have a second chance and that no one is beyond the line of being saved, then Wukong trying to liberate Yao kind is to find a solution to why there shouldn't be Yao Kings or yao-eating-humans and thus dissolving any reason heaven would see Yao as threats to humans. Not all Yao eat humans yes BUT MOST DO to cultivate, and if the scriptures can bring that kind of enlightenment to a human then they could offer an easy and safe way that Yao can be accepted into society.

Journey to West to me has always been about second chances and how it's never too late for people to change and learn from their mistakes. Even a warlord monkey, an ex-marshall, a disgraced general, a banished prince, or a cast-out disciple could come together on a strange journey and find that violence doesn't have to be the answer but how compassion, teamwork, and understanding lead to try change within a person.

It makes it so that the journey isn't just a 'tool of heaven' but a valid solution not only to humans but also to Yaos who are genuine in wanting to become human and not cause any harm. Even humans can learn how to let go of their prejudices by becoming enlightened and letting go of fear and hate of new things. Bringing in a better world where the goal isn't separation but learning how to connect with others through understanding and patience.

That is more MY THEORY on how a better way to handle a (hypothetical) yao discrimination issue would arise.

I'm sorry for the LONG winded answer, I did have a lot to say on the matter but I hope that clears up more why the 'Wukong fighting heaven as a rebel' is a popular trope but also why it was never written to explain how it would be a viable solution as it was always written to make Wukong a tragic hero than anything else. You are right that it would not likely fix anything but also it was never intended to 'fix' as Wukong is always fate to lose that battle.

[sonicasura]

At the start of the Adventure with Tripitaka's crew I have an idea about Trainer brining along their new friend Tepig after they found the Pokemon abandoned and hungry and not wanting too leave the Fire Pig Pokemon alone they bring them on this new adventure.

Where Pigsy immediately falls in love with the Fire Pig Pokemon and cares for the Pokemon any time he can. Tepig's own bravery and kindness is what spurs Pigsy too grow and get stronger wanting too set a good example too Tepig who looks up too the Demon.

A little character growth for Pigsy

Considering some of the problems they had were caused by Zhu Bajie/Pigsy, a little character growth would do some good. Sun Wukong was very amused at how fast his fellow pilgrim fell for the little Pokemon. Meanwhile Tripitaka found it delightful as it could be a good learning experience for his disciple.

The bond between Pigsy and Tepig really hits its peak when the two get separated from the group by bandits. It ends with the former getting stuck in a trap leaving the Fire Pig Pokemon to defend them. Pigsy tries to get Tepig to escape but the Fire Type refuses despite being outmatched. The determination to protect the pilgrim causes them to evolve into Pignite.

Everyone else soon arrives but the experience affected Zhu Bajie quite a bit. He still argues with Sun Wukong and can be a bit of a lazy ass but not much as usual. There's a bright young pig that needs a good role model after all.

[ryemiffie]

For all the lmk fans who haven't read Jttw for whatever reason, here's a cute little fun fact about Sun Wukong and the monkeys of flower fruit mountain that I'm obsessed with that I don't ever see anyone talking about.

Very small spoilers for early Jttw!!

In the first few chapters of Journey to the West, we get this scene after Monkey King is given the name Sun Wukong where when he goes back to Flower Fruit Mountain with his new name he is overjoyed to tell the other monkeys that he has a true name now, (and all the little monkeys are so excited for him it's so cute! But back to the point) and says that since he is now Sun Wukong, that makes all the little monkeys his little suns which I think about every time the little monkeys show up in an lmk scene!

Anytime someone points them out in a post and is like "see they care so much for Wukong and Wukong cares so much for them!" I just sit there and go, "Eeeee!! Yeah because they're his little suns!"

[Keep in mind though that this is from an english translation of the book though so the original text may be slightly different, I'm not totally sure as I have only read the translated version so far]

[generalcornetto]

[ryversreality]

does anyone see my vision? has this been done before? I’m scared. I’ve never drawn something so fast.

[sunny-days-and-warm-mournings]

The monkeys of Huagoushan watching Sūn Wùkōng disrupt the peace in Heaven, waging war on them and then going back only to wage ANOTHER war after stealing fruits, wine, and pills of immortality, pissing off Lǐ Jing, Nezha, and Erlang (don't forget the venerable Yù Huáng and pretty much the entirety of Heaven), getting cooked in the brazier, defeating the Heavenly Army yet again, and then graciously pissing on Buddha's hand: