Saiyûki

Clearly-drawn and unusual characters and relationships, fast-paced stories, and a sense of humour amid the unfamiliar mythological setting, all combined to make this rather entertaining to my childhood self (around the age of ten, I guess). And the first time seeing a male character played by a woman probably added another layer of exoticism and mysteriousness. The theme songs of the two seasons were both memorable, and I still recall most of the lyrics four decades later.