Cult Appeal
Monkey is considered a cult classic in countries where it has been shown, especially in Australia, where its immediate widespread popularity surpassed its success in both Japan and the UK.
Among the features that have contributed to its cult appeal are the theme song, the dubbed dialogue spoken in a variety of over-the-top "Oriental" accents, (except for Sandy who inexplicably speaks with an English accent), the reasonably good synchronization of dubbing to the actors' original dialogue, the fact that the young priest Tripitaka was played by a woman and the fact that Guan yin, who is usually depicted in statues and paintings as a female, is portrayed by a male.
Australian contemporary youth programs like the alternative music show Recovery and the radio station Triple J often made references to Monkey. Triple J interviewed the original voice actors on several occasions.
Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation frequently repeated, at 5pm or 6pm on weeknights, the 39 episodes dubbed by the BBC. Recovery aired an episode of Monkey weekly from 1996-2000. When Recovery was put on hiatus, it was replaced with three hours of Monkey.
A stage show, based on the book Journey to the West, was produced by the Young Vic in 2001. Written by Dublin-born playwright, Colin Teevan, Following the play's successful outing in London's West End it toured England to great acclaim. The musical score was composed by Ireland's Kíla.
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