Member whitesnake Posted June 3, 2017 Member Share Posted June 3, 2017 "The Legend of Monkey is an Australian-New Zealand television series inspired by the 16th century Chinese fable Journey to the West. The series is a co-production between ABC1, TVNZ, and Netflix, and will consist of ten thirty minute episodes which will premiere in 2018." (source - Wikipedia) That's 5 measly hours of Monkey. Monkey Magic series 1 and 2 (combined) were 39 hour-long episodes. Why are they calling this a Monkey Magic reboot and this it will satisfy the fans of the original Japanese series? What's making Chinese really upset is that no one in the cast is Chinese. Only Chai Hansen (as Monkey) is half-Asian, his father being Thai. Luciane Buchanan (Tripitaka) and Josh Thomson (Pigsy) are part-Maori. See cast photo and Asian reaction at http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2017/04/25/netflix-whitewashing-legend-of-the-monkey_n_16234616.html At least most of the cast of the Monkey King mini-series (aka The Lost Empire, aired in 2001) were Asian. And Russell Wong looked like Monkey King, not some generic adventurer. Chai Hansen has played more fantastic beings than just Monkey. He was a merman in the Mako Mermaids series (Australian series, 2013-2016; trailer and related videos on Youtube). I can't believe I found an episode of Mako Mermaids playing on Universal Kids channel last night (Nov 2017). There was the future Monkey King turning into a merman on my screen. There are other Legend of Monkey (and Mako Mermaids) photos starting at - http://www.imdb.com/name/nm5098626/mediaviewer/rm2453615616 News AU Youtube Channel posted a Legend of Monkey news item, equating it to a new Monkey Magic series that should appeal to nostalgic Australian fans of Monkey Magic who "remember rushing home from school in the 1980" to watch the show, here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnD5IKYveWU Something similar here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAfq3qYm0SI My interest in Monkey King started with Alakazam the Great. I got Monkey Magic episodes by trading VHS tapes, and it's hard to see The Legend of Monkey as any kind of equivalent replacement. (Can this new Monkey fly around on a cloud?) Meanwhile, I've bought a Monkey Magic t-shirt (with pix of the cast) on Redbubble and am thinking seriously about the Monkey Magic DVD box sets at Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member whitesnake Posted February 16, 2018 Author Member Share Posted February 16, 2018 Update on Netflix series The Legend of Monkey, now re-titled The New Legends of Monkey. The series, with 10 episodes, premiered on ABC ME (Australian Broadcasting System) on January 29 and ended on February 4, 2018. Tweet - "The series should be available on US Netflix, Monday, 19 Feb. 2018." Of 11 viewer comments on IMDB, the average score was 5.9 out of 10, with scores between 1 and 10. Those who like it enjoy being entertained by the "transcultural adaptation" of the story, the acting, the "clever dialogues," cast chemistry, "hammy fun," the soundtrack, dirty costumes, diverse cast and mix of accents. Critics didn't care for the "cacophony of accents", the synth music soundtrack, bad acting ("Thunderbirds has a less wooden cast" and "the characters are as believable as an honest man in congress"), "lack of authenticity," "reduction in intelligence of the scripts," "dreadful costumes (nylon fleecy fabric and on screen zippers)," "laboured" jokes, the action "about as believable as a Steven Segal fight scene", and disrespect for the source material. New Legends of Monkey Trailer and some shorts - the Monkey Good, humans gods demons, the world, the two warriors, the quest, and action - Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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