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Cloaked Critic Reviews The Legend of Sirius

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!!!!SPOILER ALERT!!!!

"The Sea Prince and the Fire Child" (also known as "The Legend of Sirius") is a 1981 anime film produced by the Sanrio Company in Japan. The movie is basically a very loose retelling of "Romeo and Juliet" with a "Little Mermaid" motif (in fact many elements of this film remind me slightly of the "Little Mermaid" anime released six years earlier in 1975). This is a story where Shakespeare melds with mythology and folklore to tell a tragic tale of two star-crossed lovers from a torn family who's ill-fated romance helps to shape the foundations of the Earth and eventually give birth to one of the brightest stars in the night sky. I will say that although Romeo and Juliet-inspired stories are a dime a dozen, I do feel that this one has a much stronger thematic appeal due to its mythological framework.

Here we have another Sanrio animated production which sports a faintly Disney-esque protagonist. Although he doesn't look like a Disney reject something in his character reminds me a lot of Peter Pan. However since the character of Disney's Peter Pan can very easily be summed with the words "smug hyperactive teenager" I could be barking up the wrong tree. That having been said the main male lead of this story, Sirius, is kind of a jerk. Within the first few minutes after his initial introduction we see him lead a small merchild into dangerous territory to mangle, murder, and just generally fuck with sea creatures who were seemingly just minding their own business. They might be jellyfish, but that doesn't give you the right to harass them and cut off their limbs, you little shit! Not to mention you put Bibble (the merchild) in life-threatening peril! This kid seriously demonstrates all the early signs of a serial killer!

Without any doubt my favorite part of this movie are the visuals; which are stunning, to say the least. The story might not be the best thing ever written, but the environmental atmosphere of the movie is certainly nothing to sneeze at. It's some of the most imaginative eye-popping artwork I've ever seen in any animated film. Some serious points must be awarded to the animators of this movie for not only portraying the rampant surreality of such a mythic tale but also the alien and sometimes frightening nature of the uncharted ocean depths. Certain scenes in this movie are not only jaw-droppingly awe-inspiring but give you a little bit of the goosebumps too.

As quaint as the story is and in spite of the movie's stunning beauty, it is certainly not without its flaws. One underlying flaw I noticed is how certain details of the story are glossed over despite them apparently being signficant to the overall plot. For example, at the beginning of this story they tell us that the evil lord of the wind, Algorac, was responisble for all the bad blood between the children of fire and the children of the sea because he lied to both Oceanus and his sister, Hyperia; telling them both that the other was plotting against them. However, my problem is if Oceanus and Hyperia knew this and knew that everything Algorac had said was a lie then why did they continue being at odds with each other? Seems like much of the conflict present in this movie is purely the byproduct of two powerful idiots being petty and arrogant...not unlike every other war this world has seen.

Some of the dialogue comes off as clunky and unnatural, but considering that I was watching the English dub I'm opted to assume that the original Japanese version had a better flow to it since this seems to be a common characteristic whenever animes are dubbed over in English; especially old animes like this one which are infamous for sounding atrociously cheeseball.

Also who the hell is this Mugwug character? Obligatory bully is obligatory. I'm not really sure I see any true purpose for him being in this story. He just seems like superficial forced conflict for a story that already suffers from an excessive amount of superficial forced conflict...and what makes him think he's somehow entitled to the throne? Sirius was crowned king because he was Oceanus' son. What breeding or credentials does Mugwug have to make him think he can be king? The motivation for his character just doesn't make any sense!

I would have liked to have said something special about the main female lead, Malta...but there's really nothing to say. She's just your standard run-of-the-mill anime chick. She's the stereotypical female; overly emotional and only half as important as the male lead. Although I think their respective obstacles aren't any less substantial, it really does feel like Malta is playing second-fiddle to Sirius throughout this whole picture. There's nothing that makes her stand out and the only thing you really remember about her is that she's Sirius' love interest. I mean, yeah she's a princess who's about to become queen, but that's totally played down during the film, and she certainly doesn't act like someone who's about to become queen. She just acts like an emotional lovesick brat...but then one could honestly say the same of Sirius.

As I watched this movie again after so many years, something about it finally reached out and struck me. The story of the film carries a very subtle suggestion that sets the wheels of the critical mind to turning. Throughout the course of the movie we're never told who Sirius' mother is, nor do we find out who Malta's father is, and considering that this story incorporates many elements from classic mythology we're ultimately left to ask the question, "Are Sirius and Malta brother and sister?" "Did the Japanese seriously make a kids movie about incest?!" Of course even if they aren't brother and sister they're still cousins and so the incest jab still counts either way. Taking everything into account, I consider this to be among the movie's biggest plotholes.

Outside of all that there's nothing really special to say about this movie. I mean, if you've read the original "Romeo & Juliet", or even seen any of the movies you already know everything that happens. It's pretty much the same exact story, just with some mythological make-up. I don't consider it especially bad or good, it's just a light-hearted kids movie about a merboy and a fire-fairy falling in love. It's good for a chuckle and a smile. And yeah, I know a lot of my grievances and questions are probably explained in the manga...but this is a review of the movie, not the book. There are plenty of stories which are great in book form, but it's a pretty common truth that movie adaptations of books almost never do them  ANY justice.
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cjbolan's avatar
My thoughts exactly. Overall the best things about this film are the animation and the music. The story needs to patch up several plotholes, and the lip-synching at times is God-awful.

You mention this movie borrows a lot from Disney. Ironically, maybe Disney borrowed a lot from this movie in return ;) : www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jQItV…