Buzz
The Japanese adaptation of Journey to the West is significantly more famous than China's 1986 version.
Journey to the West is one of China's greatest classics adapted into films the most. The 1986 version directed by Yang Jie is deeply ingrained in the childhood memories of many. However, upon its release, it still couldn't surpass the success of the 1978 version produced by Japan.
In contrast to the Chinese versions which closely resemble the original characters, the Japanese adaptation introduced significant changes in character portrayal. The most surprising and controversial aspect was casting a female actress as the role of Tang Sanzang.
The 1978 Journey to the West was a major investment by two major television stations, with a budget of up to 1 billion yen, making it the most heavily invested project of its time. The visual effects were handled by renowned Japanese film experts Nakano Akira and Takano Koichi (director of the Ultraman series), with the support of a skilled technical team.
The character of Tang Sanzang was portrayed by the beautiful actress Natsume Masako. Additionally, familiar characters such as Sun Wukong, Zhu Bajie, and Sha Wujing had appearances closer to ordinary people rather than the peculiar ones seen in the 1986 version.
Natsume Masako's portrayal of the character Duong Huyen Trang endeared her to Japanese audiences with her gentle and graceful demeanor. Producers explained that casting a woman as Tang Sanzang was to depict the noble beauty of this character. Natsume Masako's successful performance is the reason why subsequent Japanese versions of Journey to the West also used female actresses in the role of Tang Sanzang. Besides Natsume Masako, many other roles in the film, such as the role of the Buddha, were also played by female actors.
After airing in Japan, the series received enthusiastic love from the audience, prompting the producers to embark on making a sequel. Additionally, countries like the UK, Australia,... also bought the broadcasting rights. However, the series only aired 3 episodes on China's Central Television CCTV and was forced to stop broadcasting due to heavy criticism for deviating too far from the original work. This is also the reason why China decided to produce another version that adhered as closely as possible to the original work. This project was then assigned to female director Yang Jie, resulting in the creation of the iconic 1986 version.
The series garnered intense love from Japanese audiences after airing, leading the producers to undertake a second installment. Moreover, countries such as the UK, Australia,... also secured broadcasting rights.
However, the series was only able to air 3 episodes on China's Central Television CCTV and had to halt broadcasting due to extensive criticism for straying too far from the original source material. This prompted China to decide on producing another version that closely adhered to the original work. This project was subsequently handed to female director Yang Jie, leading to the birth of the classic 1986 version.
