Monkey-Volume 9 (1980)

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General		Extras
Category	Adventure	Biographies-Character Synopsis DVD Credits
Rating
Year Of Production	1980
Running Time	127:43 (Case: 130)
RSDL / Flipper	No/No	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	1,2,3,4,5,6	Directed By	Yusuke Watanabe
Studio Distributor	NTV/Kokusai Hoei Shock Entertainment	Starring	Masaaki Sakai Toshiyuki Nishida Shirô Kishibe Masako Natsume Tonpei Hidari Shunji Fujimura
Case	Soft Brackley-Transp
RPI	$29.95	Music	Yoshino Micky

    Volume Nine of Saiyûki, or Monkey as it is known in English-speaking countries, is a memorable collection because it contains the last episode from the first season, and the first episode from the second season. As has been made clear on the cover artwork, only thirty-nine episodes were made of this classic kung fu adventure, and this volume contains episodes twenty-five through twenty-seven. Astute fans will be aware that the first episode of the second season is where Toshiyuki Nishida was replaced in the role of Pigsy by Tonpei Hidari, a change that would have provided ample opportunity for some interesting notes as an extra.

    The three episodes contained on this disc are as follows:

• The Country Of Nightmares (Season One, Episode 25, 42:09)
  On the way to India, our four heroes find they must pass through a region known as the Land Of Nightmares, where bad demons and other such things reside. In order to pass, the four must past tests of their magic abilities, which poses a problem since Tripitaka (Masako Natsume) is human, and such a discovery would prompt his being devoured. Monkey (Masaaki Sakai) gives Tripitaka some limited magical powers and briefly coaches him in their use, but the other two pilgrims prove more problematic in getting past the demons.
• The End Of The Way (Season One, Episode 26, 43:29)
  Our four pilgrims seemingly manage to reach the land of India, with the Gold Temple Of The Thunderclap clearly in their sights. Unfortunately, the King Of All Geological Ages decides that he wants to stop the four pilgrims from entering India, while Pigsy is troubled by finding the King's beautiful wife familiar. Just to add to the fun, the King captures Tripitaka and puts the Iron Collar Of Death on him. The question is whether Tripitaka can survive this latest challenge, even with the help of his disciples.
• Pigsy's Ten Thousand Ladies (Season Two, Episode 27, 42:05)
  Pigsy (Tonpei Hidari), Monkey, and Sandy (Shirô Kishibe) reach a state of disillusionment with the pilgrimage and go their separate ways. In spite of this, Tripitaka decides to continue his journey, and he is surprised when a lightning bolt hits his horse and turns the animal into a human-looking creature called Yu-Lung (Shunji Fujimura). With the pilgrimage being what it is, however, it is not long before the young priest finds himself in danger. More of the usual Monkey hilarity ensues.

    The first two episodes of this collection are worth the purchase price by themselves, as they are examples of Monkey at its very finest, with stories that are both entertaining and full of the usual morals that make the series much deeper and more meaningful than the usual fantasy adventure programmes. The End Of The Way in particular shows a development in the character of Monkey that makes it one of the best episodes in the entire Monkey canon. Not only does Pigsy's Ten Thousand Ladies introduce a new actor, it also introduces a rather interesting new character, and a new introduction that is both a little too truncated for my liking but also very interesting.

Video

    When I sit down and look at a transfer of Monkey episodes, I can sum up the problems in two phrases: film grain and compression artefacts. The former is something that cannot be helped, but fending off the latter would be easy if only Shock Records would see fit to grant each collection of three episodes a second layer.

    The transfer is presented in an aspect ratio of 1.33:1, and it is not 16x9 Enhanced.

    The sharpness of this transfer varies noticeably, with some shots looking quite blurred, while others simply look like a current-generation VHS transfer. The grain in the picture often plays a part in this variation, but a fair amount of it would also appear to have been introduced by the compression. The shadow detail of this transfer is adequate, and there is no low-level noise.

    The colours in this transfer are reasonably presented, but some minor cross-colouration patterns become evident from time to time in such costumes as that which is worn by Toshiyuki Nishida during The Country Of Nightmares. Such artefacts were within acceptable limits considering the age and quality of the source material, however.

    MPEG artefacts were noted in this transfer, usually in the form of compression-related grain, but brief macro-blocking can be seen in scene transitions such as at 6:38. This macro-blocking was quite severe for a brief moment, but it passed quickly and was only distracting for a second. I know I sound like I am beating a dead horse, but this transfer would have looked a lot better if it had been spread over two layers. Film-to-video artefacts consisted of some occasional and minor aliasing, as well as some telecine wobble such as during the first two minutes of The Country Of Nightmares. Film artefacts still pepper the picture in liberal amounts, but they were in more acceptable amounts than was noticed in several other volumes.

    There are no subtitles of any kind on this disc, and no layer change to worry about.

Video Ratings Summary

Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

    As is the case will all other Monkey volumes, there is one soundtrack on this disc: the English dub that was prepared for the BBC about a year or two after the series was originally recorded, rendered in Dolby Digital 2.0 with a bitrate of 192 kilobits per second.

    The dialogue is clear and easy to understand at all times, with nothing really getting in the way of making out what is being said. The audio sync in this transfer rarely comes close to being coincidental, but this is typical for an English dub of a Japanese programme from this era.

    The score music in this series is credited to one man whose name is rendered differently in the credits of each season. In the first two episodes, this name is spelt Yoshino Micky, while the last episode uses the spelling Mickie Yoshino in its credits. The music itself changes quite radically between episodes two and three of this disc, with mixed results, and the music that plays over the end credits of the last episode is truly insipid. The opening credits of this episode are dramatically different, too, and gone is the Monkey Magic theme that is just so damned infectious. I'll reserve judgement on how the new score music arrangements work until I have seen more of the Season Two episodes, however.

    The surround channels are not used by this soundtrack, and there seems to only be minimal stereo separation, which is understandable when you consider that this series was shot and broadcast in an era when stereo televisions were considered the same kind of luxury item as a digital receiver is today. The subwoofer was not specifically encoded into this soundtrack, either, but that didn't stop it from supporting the music and some action sequences in a limited manner.

Audio Ratings Summary

Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

    The same extras that adorn every other Monkey disc are present here.

Menu

    The menu is static, and it is not 16x9 Enhanced. I am still quite frustrated by the menu design, but I will leave it at that.

Character Biographies

    A small list of facts about each character, including who they are played by. This is redundant if you've already watched the first few episodes, but a welcome inclusion for those who like to jump in at the last episode.

Synopses

    If you can recognise your favourite episode from the brief descriptions provided here, then tracking down that essential volume can be so much easier.

DVD Credits

    This lists every guilty party involved in putting these episodes on DVD.

    There is still no evidence of this disc being released in Regions 1 or 2.

    Monkey, Volume 9, is absolutely essential viewing for anyone who feels, as I do, that adventure series of today are without heart and soul. It makes a truly brilliant companion for your Doctor Who discs in spite of the fact that the two series are only related by aspects of their philosophies. This volume is also quite a good choice, as it introduces an interesting new element in addition to providing a superb almost-climax.

    The video transfer is rather ordinary, and I am getting tired of repeating the call for this series to be given a second layer.

    The audio transfer is as good as it is ever likely to get, and surprisingly clear considering the condition of the source material.

    The extras are pretty sparse.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall