Hi, Silver! Cool name btw.
I am kinda curious and not sure if people have asked you this before, of all the media you have found for jttw so far.. What is your favorite one? If you don't have a favorite one.. Name your top 5 favorite medias.
Thanks in advance for answering.
And AH! MY FAVORITE JTTW MEDIA that is SO HARD since there is just so much and a lot that I really really love. I think I'll say my top 5 even if I know what is my fav!
I could be called basic for this but I can't deny that I am being biased with my first JTTW media which is Journey to the West 1999
I haven't seen a Retelling that has as much love and care in full 24-minute episodes that captures what there is to love about each character and each arc. There have been some great animated content with jttw but it's either modern takes or CGI or just something original, and that is fine, I love that! But I can't deny that I wish we could get another 2D retelling of the original story, no need for twists or turns, but something beautiful and heart-warming to show another new young audience.
And then my second favorite is another obvious one, but what can I say, if it ain't broke then don't fix it! Monkey King: Hero is Back!!
This one really kicked off the new wave of jttw media, I can tell you that and with good reason. A reluctant hero Sun Wukong, who has been humanized and weakened, but still sees those who need protection and rises to the challenge. He wasn't just some happy-go-lucky protagonist that was willing to help anyone, but someone who was beaten and bruised and only because he opened his heart reluctantly to new friends (and an adopted son) was he able to become the hero that he was seen as.
Needless to say any time Sun Wukong is a small child or a potogege that he needs to protect, I'm already on board.
And funny enough I think that my third favorite is actually Immortal Demon Slayer.
This one was GREATLY inspired by also favs Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons (2013) and Journey to the West: The Demons Strike Back (2017), but while I do love those movies, I can't help but always come back to this movie's Wukong in particular. This one was highly inspired by the Novel by the same name (Bio of Wukong), and while I am not a huge fan of the novel, the movie really makes me fall in love with Wukong, seeing him as someone trying to forge his own spot in the world despite everything and everyone telling him he doesn't belong. Maybe it's the actor, or maybe it's the setting, but this movie's Wukong is one of my favorites.
And then there is a surprise, but personally, I really love this CGI movie called Monkey Magic made in 2018
This one is kinda crazy in that it's about a toy Wukong that is called Wuyuan (his name is literally 5 yuan = 5 dollars) and he wants to be a real Wukong, so he goes into a storybook to find Sun Wukong and be taught by him.
Now I will say I am not a fan of fat jokes but honestly, there was only like 2 fat jokes in the whole movie and they never make Wukong incompetent or like he doesn't know what he is doing. He does agree to teach Wuyuan and slowly starts to care for his pupil in that kind of "Wukong becomes a Dad" storyline that I eat up every single time. The plot isn't strong but OOOOMG I love this Wukong and even in his design, he looks so soft and he is such a funny, clever, and cheeky character I wish that more people could give this a watch just for the Wukong alone.
Luckily, there might be a new movie in the works for this Wukong~
But what can I say, I really love any piece of media where they give Wukong a child/protege, and I'm like butter on bread I melt for that.
Which is why close fifth places are Monkey King Reborn, Nezha: New Gods, and Lego Monkie Kid. Each one has beautiful animation and great Wukongs that I really LOVE. The stories are interesting and strong, and I hope that these companies continue to pump out great media like this.
But I have to say that my fifth favorite spot would be.... Mei hou wang 2009
Like this one had to be obvious, I HAVE to love it that much to add subtitles! I don't think that story/plot-wise is as clever and tight as like some of the other movies/shows I have mentioned, sadly, but there is just something about the concept of a whole show focused on wukong on his island and making friends that just a huge comfort to me. I LOVE any and all media that goes into Wukong's previous sworn brothers, something that is VERY lacking in jttw media. And we only get like two of those brothers in this version.
But we get to see how Wukong goes from being rejected from his monkey troop to being accepted, to going to Putis and even meeting Xiao Bailong, Zhu Bajie, Sha Wujing, and GOLDEN CICADA all before they start their journey, something that I think was SO COOL concept-wise. I think that this kinda more highlight what jttw could do MORE, showing off minor characters when they were before the story and have more prequel movies that show characters off more that aren't just Wukong. While I do think that this version is more aimed towards kids, I can only hope we get more movies that are willing to explore other minor characters in JTTW like this one!
