Customer Reviews

Sea Prince & the Fire Child [Animated] (Shiriusu no densetsu / Legend of Sirius) [VHS]

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

My mother, sister, and I all fell in love with this in the original japanese as the "Legend of Sirius" even though we couldn't understand it. We were shocked to find it in English in a local video rental store, but thrilled that we could finally hear the whole story.

It is just beautiful to watch, the music is lovely, and the characters are cute. I love the mythological take on Romeo and Juliet, and the ending is much easier to live with :-)

We still have our VHS copies in both English and Japanese, but this is one we really want on DVD.

I have read online that it had a limited release on DVD in Japan, but that it is nearly impossible to find. Please re-release it on DVD!

This was perhaps (along with "The Three Caballeros") one of the first animated films I ever watched. I had to have seen it at a very young age - probably when I was six or seven - but even then it struck deep in my memory. Martin Scorcese once said the first films you see have an impact on you - I think this was probably what helped later spur my interest in art, and later get a degree in animation. Since then, I had forgotten the name, and never got a chance to see it again. Then with the advent of the internet I did some research and discovered the title. Later on YouTube (a site I love and hate with equal passion) I found the original Japanese trailer for it. I knew I had to fulfill that gap left from my childhood. I found a decently priced used copy on Amazon and bought it. I just now watched it today, and I have to say it felt great to relive those moments as a young boy again.

"Sea Prince and the Fire Child" (originally called "The Legend of Sirius" in Japan) takes place in a mythological world where fire and water hate one another. The Queen of Fire, Hyperia, and the King of the Sea, Oceanas, used to be brother and sister, but the God of Wind, Algorac, turned them against one another. Oceanas eventually overthrew Algorac and trapped him in the Forbidden Zone, which seperates fire from water. Since then the two sides have maintained a status quo - no side can meet the other, therefore it's impossible for any one to become enemies.

In the world of the sea, Prince Sirius (who is referred to as Oceanas' son in reviews and synopsis alike, even though he never refers to Oceanas as "father" and Oceanas speaks to him as if he's just another noble) turns 16 and is granted the title of "King of the Sea," to watch over the realm while Oceanas sleeps. Aroused by curousity, Sirius wanders into the Forbidden Zone and comes out on the other side...to see Malta, daughter of Hyperia, tending the kingdom's flame. Both youths are interested in the fact neither is the "savage" their cultures make the other side to be, and an interest grows into love.

Granted, when I was younger there were some things I didn't notice (like the poor dubbing, or the attempts to censor nudity at the film's climax - and before any parent worries, I assure you it is entirely tasteful) but my second experience watching it was just as good as the first. The relationship between the two, while awkward at first, does grow on you, and you begin to feel for the two lovebirds. The film's cast is well designed in their own right - don't expect the anime you grew up with on Cartoon Network or Adult Swim. These characters are more in the vein of Osamu Tezuka and the 1960's character design, and the fish character in particular seem like something out of a Saturday morning cartoon. (actually, I began to wonder if Pixar took a few cues from this film for "Finding Nemo") There are a lot of goofy scenes played for laughs (check out the "Let's break Sirius out of jail" scene) but unlike most films today they don't distract from the serious message. I have to also say the music, done by Koichi Sugiya, is simply beautiful. I have to also commend writer and director Masami Hata for what is just a visually well done film - the music and visuals compliment one another again and again.

It was really great to see this again, after nearly 16+ years. I'm certainly going to treasure my used VHS copy along with some other hard to find films! My only hope now is that maybe someone will get the distributing rights to it and release it on DVD. It would be wonderful to see this not only widescreen with restored film and sound, but unedited and with the original Japanese cast as well. Still, the film as it stands now is a great watch, and I'd encourage any one out there thinking about watching this movie to give it a chance. Whether with the family, friends, or by yourself, it's a great film, and a lost animated treasure.

This was the first anime I EVER watched and it took me forever to find out the title. It took even longer to buy it since it's out of print. The animation, though sparse, is beautiful and fluid. The storyline is based on the legend of Sirius. It is totally captivating. I recommend this movie to people of all ages, but mostly those who are romantics at heart.

I loved this movie. I remember becoming enthralled by it when I was younger. A beautiful Romeo/Juliet type film with fairies and magic. Lovely art shown during the credits make you wish to own everything related to this film.

i though that this movie was made so beautifully. The story is like that of Romeo and Juliet, but it is the animation that sets it apart from the rest of the other cartoon movies made. It is just a beautiful movie to watch i love it!!

This was one of my 2 or 3 favorite movies growing up. When I could no longer get a copy as a teenager, I went through video stores checking to see if any had an old copy to sell out of their old vhs stock. No one did. I finally was given a vhs copy bought off the internet (this was late 90s; the option hadn't existed long and things weren't quite as easy to find - even today the video isn't common). I called a lot of publishers before that though. I learned that the reason it was unavailable was that the rights had been purchased by another entity in the 90s and the film was then put in moratorium (which basically means a company sits on a title until further notice). I could be wrong but I believe it was Time Warner. Like the reviewer above me, I think this film, along with similar animations, made a gigantic impact on my creative sense later in life.

As kids my siblings and I would run to this movie every weekend at the movie store. I was thriled when I found a copy of it online. Such a sweet little story. But GEEZE the price. I bought a copy off of eBay for $10. Works beautifully.

This animated video has many feelings and it's so interesting. I could recommend this one for anybody else.

I loved this movie so much as a kid, that I spent years searching for it as an adult. This movie is so amazing and wonderful. I wish it was on DVD! This is a movie I was excited about sharing with my kids because I enjoyed so much at their age.

i love faeries, and anime, and this is the perfect combination of both. alright, there are definitely some flaws in the movie. the colours are kind of faded, the bad guy is cheesy, and as is typical of 80 cartoons the girl just whines instead of doing something, among other things. my mind was telling me this as i was watching... but a stronger voice drowned that one out and was wishing i'd seen this movie when i was five years old. i would have loved it then. i still appreciate it now, but there's something about a child's perception that makes magic come alive and this story is full of magic.

it's about the son of the sea king and the daughter of the fire queen. as legend has it, the king and queen are siblings and were very close and always together. the wind saw this, became jealous of their happiness and told lies to each of them making them distrust the other. they quarrelled and the fire queen went to live in the sky and the sea god the sea, and the wind was banished to the depths of the sea and his eye was removed. one day the prince of the sea goes to a forbidden place and sees the fire child watching over the eternal flame. he comes back the next day and they fall in love, and from there they try to find a way to make their impossible love work.

one of the things i love about anime is that it's not disnified. obviously. what i mean by that is that a romanticized ideal is achieved, but not without cost. there isn't a false message that you can have your cake and eat it too. you should strive to achieve your desires, but you have to know that there may be a price to pay. this isn't ominous by any means, don't take it the wrong way, the movie isn't sinister and won't worry a child. the moral isn't that bad will always come from getting something you want, but more that sometimes you have to choose between two things you might like and if you choose one you might mourn the loss of the other, even though the choice you made was the best one and is what will make you the happiest. this isn't always the message in main stream films. most of the time the idea expressed is that you go through a tough phase, but then by making the right choices all goes well in your life, happily ever after, without regret or pain or thoughts of what if. the story end with the idea that the couple will always be happy in their paradise, but in real life situations life isn't so black and white, and it's refreshing to see films reflect this every now and again, especially films for children.

the fire people are all faeries, and all except for the fire queen have a sprite-like appearance. the prince is human looking, but very lanky, and all of his subjects are fish (so both boys and girls will watch). it was a great film full of fantasy, adventure, whimsy, and romance. great film.