News: What happened to the cast of Monkey Magic?

Thứ Hai, 24 tháng 4, 2017

What happened to the cast of Monkey Magic?

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Monkey Magic opening titles1:55

Opening titles for the very popular television show Monkey Magic.

April 20th 2017
4 days ago
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Masaaki Sakai as Monkey.

THE cult show was just called Monkey but for some reason it’s fondly remembered by every 80s and 90s kid as Monkey Magic.

Although it first aired on the ABC in 1981 and was repeated many times over the years only two seasons - 52 episodes in all - were ever made.

After yesterday’s announcement that the show is being rebooted we thought we’d track down what happened to the cast of the original show.

FYI: Some of them have passed away. Prepare yourself emotionally before reading on.

MONKEY

Masaaki Sakai was a big deal in Japan before he starred in Monkey.

He’d already acted in a number of TV shows and also had a couple of hit songs with his band, The Spiders.

But Monkey made him an even bigger star and Sakai told Rolling Stone the attention from fans during the show’s run was intense.

“I was mobbed with fans every morning who would wait for me as I went to work,” he said in 2000, “I would give them cans of juice”.

Post-Monkey, Sakai continued acting and also hosted several TV shows including It’s The Kitchen and New Year Stars Unique Tricks Competition.

In 2011 he married his third wife who is 22 years younger. Playa!

Now 70, Sakai was last seen on the big screen in 2012 movie, Beautiful World.

Oh, and just in case you were wondering, those sideburns he sported in Monkey weren’t real.

Masaaki Sakai.Source:Supplied

Monkey.Source:Supplied

TRIPITAKA

The role of the young male monk was played by female actor Masako Natsume.

The actor who played Monkey, Masaaki Sakai, told Rolling Stone they gave the role to a female to generate buzz about the show.

“If only men were used it would not be interesting,” he said, “and by shaving her hair, it also added to the buzz that was generated by the program”.

Natsume continued acting after Monkey, appearing on stage, on the small screen and in several films.

She married a TV producer named Shizuka Ijūin in 1984, but the following year Natsume passed away from acute leukaemia aged just 27.

Masako Natsume.Source:Supplied

Tripitaka.Source:Supplied

PIGSY

Toshiyuki Nishida played Pigsy in the first season of Monkey but accepted a role on another show before he found out there was going to be a second season.

Considered one of the greatest actors in Japan, he went on to star in plenty of TV shows and movies, including starring alongside Brittany Murphy in the 2008 film, The Ramen Girl.

Nishia’s received 10 Japanese Academy Awards nominations during his career and the 69-year-old is currently filming Outrage: Final Chapter, a yakuza movie due for release in October this year.

Toshiyuki Nishida in 2015.Source:Alamy

The original Pigsy.Source:Supplied

In season two of Monkey, Pigsy was played by Tonpei Hidari who has had a consistent acting career ever since.

He was last seen on Japanese TV screens in a 2016 miniseries called Kozure Shinbee.

Tonpei Hidari.Source:Supplied

The second Pigsy.Source:Supplied

SANDY

Shiro Kishibe played Sandy, a water monster and former cannibal.

Kishibe continued to act after Monkey and even hosted an entertainment talk show for a few years.

But then it all went wrong according to an interview with Masaaki Sakai from 2000.

“Shiro Kishibe, who played Sandy, left acting only to go bankrupt after investing too much in antiques,” the actor who played Monkey told The Age.

Perhaps inspired by Sakai’s shade, Kishibe returned to acting in the mid-2000s and was last seen on screen in a 2009 episode of the drama series, Reset.