Yusuke Murata, the animator most well known for his work on ONE’s One-Punch Man, created his own animation studio known as Village Studio. His first work Zaiyuki is a new rendition of the incredibly popular and prolific Chinese epic tale Journey to the West. While we just have a teaser and no premiere date for now, we have enough to wonder about what could be.
— 村田雄介 (@NEBU_KURO) February 24, 2023
Kappa Tripitaka’s Unexpected Journey
Yusuke Murata released few details about the series or plot. From his Twitter posts, the kappa version of Tripitaka gets caught up in a robbery. Some treasure hunter was after something valuable, and the kappa boy is part of it in some manner. Apparently kappa Tripitaka will grow on his journey.
Zaiyuki‘s Current Details
As previously stated, plot and series details are scarce at the moment, and even the character names are uncertain, but we have something to go on. Zaiyuki takes inspiration from the Chinese legend Journey to the West, but the characters are completely different. Tripitaka, the Buddhist monk tasked to bring sacred Buddhist scriptures back to China, is now a kappa, a Japanese water yokai.
Sun Wukong is more monkey-like than his original counterpart that wears clothes and acts less bestial. Also, he apparently glows and has eyes that lack irises and pupils.
Pigsy is now a scantily-dressed gyaru pig girl that wields a powerful rifle.
Sandy appears fully human, dresses in a suit and tie, wears sunglasses, and he wields a Buddhist shakujo staff.
Yusuke Murata released concept art for the characters.
Zaiyuki, Saiyuki, and Journey to the West
Longtime anime and manga fans may have already seen the similarities between the title of Yusuke Murata’s first work Zaiyuki, and the manga series by Kazuya Minekura Saiyuki, which also adapted Journey to the West. There is not much to speculate on so far, only that the titles are similar, and they both adapt Journey to the West. How much Zaiyuki will adapt Journey to the West, whether this Sun Wukong will be the most powerful being in creation, or if Sandy is a former General of Heaven who now acts as a treasure hunter are all topics for speculation until Yusuke Murata reveals more of the plot.
Considering that this is Village Studio’s first work, and even the best studios have shut their doors, it is hoped that Zaiyuki will be a success. It probably will be, there’s a gyaru pig girl on the cover.
Journey to the West has been adapted numerous times over the years, and to list all of the titles could be its own article. For those unfamiliar with the work, Overly Sarcastic Productions has been working on its own animated series that explores the plot in an entertaining and educational format.
For those who want to read the story for themselves, Anthony C. Yu’s translation of Journey to the West is regarded as the most faithful and comprehensive translation available. Other translations tend to remove whole stories from the book since they’re unrelated to the main plot, but Anthony C. Yu leaves everything in.
Are you looking forward to Zaiyuki? Considering Yusuke Murata impeccable work in One-Punch Man, do you have high expectations for this work? Is gyaru girl Pigsy possible waifu material? Let us know in the comments below.
