Patalliro's Journey to the West!
A twenty-seven episode satirical animation produced by Magic Bus in 2005 that casts the characters of Patalliro into the legendary quest for the scriptures.
Patalliro Saiyuki! is a television anime adaptation of a spin-off from the long-running shōjo manga Patalliro! by Mineo Maya. Produced by Magic Bus and directed by Kenichi Maejima, it aired on the Kids Station channel from June 5 to November 9, 2005, spanning a total of 27 episodes. Adapted from the spin-off manga of the same name serialized between 2003 and 2005, the series takes the eccentric cast of the original Patalliro!—represented by the diminutive King Patalliro of the British Kingdom of Marinella, the beautiful bodyguard Bancran, and the young assassin Marais—and drops them into the fantastical framework of the Journey to the West pilgrimage for a parodic reimagining. The short, plump, super-intelligent, and sharp-tongued Patalliro is transformed into Sun Wukong, while Marais becomes Tang Sanzang. Bancran appears in a supporting role, maintaining his persona as a "beautiful assassin." Together with the newly added Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing, they form a thoroughly farcical "pilgrimage party." Renowned for its absolute comedic tone, lavishly exaggerated tropes of male beauty, and nonsensical plot twists, the work is a rare example of a pure BL (Boys' Love) comedy adaptation within the Japanese Journey to the West genre. It also serves as a representative work of Magic Bus bringing Mineo Maya's unique art style to the screen.