New Journey to the West

What it is

New Journey to the West is a variety show directed by Na Young-seok in which the cast, borrowing character roles from the classic novel Journey to the West, play games and quizzes on location. Its first season in 2015 was released online before television, and later seasons also aired on tvN. It drew attention from the start because Kang Ho-dong, Lee Soo-geun, Eun Ji-won and others who had worked together on 2 Days & 1 Night were reunited, and as the seasons went on new cast members joined and the show widened. The new in the title signals the intent to play with an old classic again through the grammar of modern variety.

How it borrows from the classic

The cast appear in costume as characters from the novel, such as the Monkey King, Pigsy, Sandy and the monk Tang Sanzang. The show does not follow the novel's plot, though; it simply uses the character roles as a frame for play. The costumes get a laugh on their own, and who plays which role helps define each person's on-screen character. A device in which collecting seven orbs grants a wish has become something of a series emblem, and winning games to gather those orbs becomes the goal that drives a whole season.

Starting on the web

Releasing the first season online first was a notable choice at the time. Episodes were cut into pieces to suit short viewing habits, and the emphasis was on keeping the cast's rough banter rather than polishing it with television standards in mind. Even after it moved into a broadcast slot, the loose, fast rhythm built in this period remained part of the show's identity. As an attempt made before online-first variety became a trend of its own, it is a case worth noting.

How the games and quizzes run

The destination is a backdrop; most of the running time goes to games and quizzes. Many are simple, such as naming a person from a photo or naming a song, and because the rules are easy, the fun centres on who comes up with the most absurd answer. The stakes are immediate rewards such as meals, rest and orbs, so the cast become desperate even over trivial questions. The wrong answers are more memorable than the right ones, which is the defining feature of the show's quizzes and why viewers end up shouting answers along with the cast.

• Person quiz: name someone from a photo
• Song quiz: name a track from a short clip
• Meals and rest at stake: winners eat and rest, losers wait
• Orb collecting: game rewards build toward the season goal

Links with 2 Days & 1 Night

With the same director and cast reunited, traces of 2 Days & 1 Night are everywhere. Typical examples are deciding who eats what by game results on location, and editing that pushes the cast and brings their failures to life with captions. The difference is where the weight falls. Where 2 Days & 1 Night treated the frame of a domestic destination and an overnight stay as central, New Journey to the West spends far more time on the cast's wordplay and the games themselves than on the place. Comparing the two shows how the same people reworked a format.

Spin-offs

The cast and spirit of the show have carried over into separate programmes. The best-known is Kang's Kitchen, in which the cast run a restaurant themselves, an idea that takes the main show's world and the cast's relationships with it. The mood is different, but the cast's relationships carry straight over, so watching the main show first makes the in-jokes between them easier to read. Going the other way, getting familiar with the cast through a spin-off before turning to the main show also works.

Checklist for first-time viewers

There are several seasons and the cast grew partway through, so this order is comfortable to start with.

• Get a feel from the online release of the first season
• Do not skip the first episode of a season where new members join
• Quiz episodes are more fun if you try answering along
• Watch the spin-offs after getting to know the main cast

Worth knowing before watching

The rough talk and teasing among the cast are on-air jokes resting on long relationships. Using the same tone in everyday life can come across as rude, depending on who you are talking to. The quizzes also feature a lot of catchphrases, celebrities and songs from the time, so answers may feel unfamiliar if you do not know when an episode was made. The cast and release format vary by season, so the broadcaster's and official channel's information is the most accurate reference.