Shiriusu no densetsu

I saw this on either HBO or Showtime in the early 80's (As the legend of Sirius) and was entranced by it. The story is a retelling of Romeo and Juliette, though with a happier ending (Not a difficult feat). It also reminds me greatly (especially Ursula) of Disney's 'The Little Mermaid', though that came much later (And wasn't as good). The final battle between Posideon and 'Ursula' (A very different beast that I can't remember the actual name of) is better than Disney's offering, including the animation.

Our hero Sirius, a water child, falls in love with Marta, a fire child. In the english translation, they were Prince and Princess, respectively though that doesn't affect the storyline much. Friends are lost, and other sacrifices are made in the name of true love, then....well, can't give away the ending.

I have a copy of this movie taped from TV in the 1980's, otherwise it would be a fuzzy memory to me by now. The Sea Prince and the Fire Child ranks right up there with The Last Unicorn for great animation and powerful story. It begins with the tale of fire and water, and their love for each other. But the wind grew jealous of their love and planted lies to each about the other. A terrible battle was fought and now the forces of water and fire have separated and their kind are forbidden to see each other. This is where the story is brought up to the present time and focuses on a Sea Prince, Sirius, and a fire child, Malta. Much in the fashion of Montegues & Capulets the Lord of Water and the Queen of Fire, Oceanus and Hyperia (respectively) try all they can to keep their children apart. Filled with beautiful (if surreal) underwater scenery and definitely a must watch...if you can ever find it.

What I remember of the Sea Prince and the Firechild are the images. The story is simple enough, two star-crossed lovers who can't be together, we've seen that before. What is unique in this film are the visuals. I recall Marta's Queen mother being ten times the size of her daughter. Or the little fairy Pialay, who constantly declares,"Pialay loves Marta!" Another striking image is the flowers that only bloom at a special time of the year. Their blooms reach for the sky and burst open then die. The dancing fairies are a very strange but whimsical detail that makes this cartoon stand out among all the shows from my childhood. I would love to see pictures from this film again.

Here is another rarely-seen anime film I watched online, and after I did, I loved it. It's a beautifully animated fantasy about two star-crossed lovers from opposite sides: Fire and Water. You know, I didn't know Sanrio, creator of Hello Kitty and all the other cuddly characters we love, made this film, but now I do.

The feud between Fire and Water started a long time ago, when the two siblings, Oceanus, God of Water (Sirius' father), and Hyperia, Goddess of Fire (Malta's mother), lived in peace and dearly loved each other. However, the God of Wind, Algaroc, becomes jealous of the pair's happiness and spreads lies and deceit between them until their hatred for each other brings about war. Finally, Algaroc was imprisoned by the King of Gods himself, but after that time, the brother and sister still despised each other. And so the children of fire and water remained apart. Years later, Prince Sirius of the Water and Princess Malta of the Fire meet and fall in love, and they meet in secret.

So that was all I could tell you. And I don't have a favorite scene because I love this film from beginning to end.

In my opinion, this is an absolutely romantic masterpiece about breaking rules to be together. If you ask me, the law about children of fire and children of water was absolutely pointless. You'll have to see the movie if you want to know why. On the other hand, Malta (voice of Mami Koyama) was a very beautiful young woman. I believe that she and Sirius (voice of Tôru Furuya) were truly meant for each other. To me, the setting was beautiful, the cast was well chosen, and the writing was strong. Before I wrap this up, I'd like to say that everyone involved in this film did very well. Now, in conclusion, I highly recommend this absolutely romantic masterpiece about breaking rules to be together to all of you who haven't seen it. You're in for a good time, so go to the video store, rent it or buy it, kick back with a friend, and watch it.