Reviews

Saiyuuki, aka Journey to the West, is not a great film by modern standards. But it's an important one in the history of anime. It's only the sixth anime feature film ever made and the first one to be released in the US. The substantially reedited American version was titled Alakazam the Great, in a dub featuring notable actors including Jonathan Winters and Dodie Stevens, the voice of Frankie Avalon singing the title part of Alakazam, and Sterling Holloway as the narrator.

Because of its historical significance, it's a must-see for serious students of anime. (Alas, the original Japanese version seems to be unavailable, but the dub is available on Amazon Prime as I write this in December 2017.) For everyone else it's something that you might want to check out if you're curious. I admit to having a soft spot in my heart for it because it is the first anime I ever saw, during its original US release in 1961. The dates here are of my most recent viewing of the film. I couldn't put in 1961 if I wanted to; this site doesn't accept dates that far back!