Animation Sensation: THE SEA PRINCE AND THE FIRE CHILD: A Classic Waiting To Be Rediscovered

It is 2012 and I am a young reporter for an independent Asian pop culture website called Green Tea Graffiti. Sadly, the site is no longer online but my memories of my time with them have been good ones, but none of my recollections with them are as important to me as when I met the voice acting legend, Tohru Furuya. Long-time anime fans may recognize him, especially fans of the classic Mobile Suit Gundam franchise since he plays the main lead of the first series, Amuro Ray.

I was scheduled to hold an interview with Furuya and I was a nervous wreck, hoping that my questions for him would be satisfactory. The beginning stages of the interview were basic and I could tell that he was going through the motions. It was when I mentioned that my favorite work of his was from a 1981 anime film called Sirius no Densetsu, or as it is commonly called by American audiences, The Sea Prince and the Fire Child. As his translator began speaking his eyes lit up and he looked at me, his posture becoming warm as he let his guard down. He attempted to speak English as he asked me, “You know about Sirius?” I happily responded with a resounding yes and presented him with my DVD copy of the film which he took with both hands and laughed.

I was able to pick up on some of the Japanese he was speaking and his translator confirmed that “He wanted you to know that he was happy that you brought this film up, not even many Japanese remember this film and that he is impressed that a foreigner, of all people, knew of his favorite anime that he worked on.” He then – in a manner that was not common to his culture – grabbed both of my hands and shook them profusely, thanking me for returning a pleasant memory. To make matters better, not only was I able to have my copy of the film signed by him, but when we took a picture together he wrapped his arm around my shoulder and pulled me close in a friendly manner, and gave a big ‘thumbs up’ for the photo.

It was a fond memory for me, one that I cherish to this day. But what is it about this film that made him fall in love with it so much? And not just him, but many people I have talked to – as small as that demographic may be – all have positive things to say about The Sea Prince and the Fire Child, some even going as far as to state that it was their favorite childhood film. Let’s find out. Here is The Sea Prince and the Fire Child, a classic waiting to be discovered.

Mukashi-Mukashi

Mukashi-Mukashi is a phrase commonly heard in Japanese folklore and myths that can be translated roughly to “long ago in a place far away.” Westerners know this as “Once upon a time.” Well, that is where our story takes place, in a time long ago and in a place far away there were two gods; the god of the sea, Oceanus, and the goddess of fire, Hyperia, who lived in harmony and were happily in love. Algoroc, the god of the wind, was jealous of their union and began to spread lies until the two sides started to mistrust and hate one another.

The war between fire and water began (yeah it doesn’t seem like fire would be winning many skirmishes in that conflict) and the two sides nearly destroyed one another until the highest god of them all decided to intervene. Since then fire and water, respectively, have remained separated and have done so for thousands of years. That is until the sea prince, Sirius, meets the fire Princess Malta and their hearts collide.

Where Have I Heard This Story Before?

Let me get this out of the way, The Sea Prince and the Fire Child is not a unique story, in fact, it is simply a retelling of Romeo and Juliet by good old William Shakespeare. Star-crossed lovers stories aside, the entire production also has influences from many Western sources, especially Disney which, even the original Japanese trailer has no qualms about admitting. But what sets it apart is that the film avoids cliches and instead leans in on conventions. What’s the difference?

A cliche is something done for lackluster effect, a cheap shot, or an easy out in favor of effective storytelling and visual motifs. A convention, on the other hand, is something that may be used a lot but when done well – it still emotionally and thematically resonates with viewers time and time again. An example would, as seen in some earlier animation, be a schmaltzy rendition of There’s No Place Like Home with a panning shot of a house. It’s a cheezy way to tell the viewer that “hey, this is the home of the character and it sure means a lot to them!”

But a convention, on a different note, carries more weight such as the story of star-crossed lovers. The above-mentioned trope is something many are familiar with, but when done properly it still carries resonance. The Sea Prince and the Fire Child is a story that can be predicted beat for beat (it is Shakespeare after all) but it is the way it is told that makes it work. Although it is a story we have heard many times over, there are several things that make The Sea Prince and the Fire Child stand above the rest, especially with how it handles its tougher themes for a younger audience.

Pulls No Punches For The Tykes

One of the strongest points of The Sea Prince and the Fire Child that I can tip my hat to is how it handles its rather mature themes. While it is clear that this animated film is made for children with its childish sense of humor, bright colors, and simple plot, there is one thing the film does not do–take its audience for granted. For example, some of the side characters die and do not return. There is no hokum about wishing hard enough for them to come back, or, psyche! we got you, they’re not dead! No, their deaths are carried with weight and the children in the audience are expected to feel that tragedy and come to terms with it.

Another surprising aspect of this film is how it handles nudity. There are a few moments where the main female lead, Malta, is in the nude and while done in a tasteful manner it might come across as a little unnerving to Western audiences. This is nothing new for Japan, where nudity is considered a part of life and not something to be ashamed of. The nudity in the film is also not here for titillation but kind of acts as a nod (at least in my opinion) to a work of art, like the Venus De Milo. Somewhat unorthodox for a children’s film, The Sea Prince and the Fire Child believes that children are not stupid and can take whatever it throws at them. It is the sincerity of the film that makes it shine. And speaking of shine.

A Beautiful Little Gem

This film is gorgeous. Not gorgeous in the modern sense with polish, a big budget or huge names attached to it like many modern-day animated movies. But gorgeous in a classical sense with stunning watercolor backdrops, a grand fairytale setting, and a harkening back to the yesteryears of Disney animation. Despite being made in 1981, The Sea Prince and the Fire Child looks closer to something that was made in the 50s, only this time with a facelift. And this homage is not by accident, the original Japanese trailer gives a clear shout-out to Western animation with the line thrown in (and I am roughly translating here) “inspired by the films of Walt Disney.” 

A bold move to say the least which, in a lesser film, would have been a detriment but while watching this movie it was clear to me that the animators had a deep love for classic American animation. The only “Japanese” thing about this movie is the language barrier but everything else makes it a time capsule for the West – especially the music.

It is no exaggeration on my part that The Sea Prince and the Fire Child has one of the most sumptuous, grand, and beautiful scores to be put into animation. This is part and parcel because of Koichi Sugiyama who, to readers who are fans of RPGs, that name might sound familiar since he is the composer of the music for the famous Dragon Quest series. If it were not for his work on The Sea Prince and the Fire Child, Dragon Quest’s music, in many of its forms, would not exist, and neither would its most famous compositions. After watching the film, I went back and listened to some of the soundtracks of several of the Dragon Quest games and could instantly pick up some samples from The Sea Prince and the Fire Child. 

Sugiyama himself was classicly trained in orchestral music composition and it shows the most in The Sea Prince and the Fire Child. Many of the pieces sound less like what would be heard in an anime and closer to a Tchaikovsky ballet and exude the same dreamy quality. If The Sea Prince and the Fire Child were to gain more popularity (which I believe has massive potential to do so) I for one would not be surprised if it were adapted to a lavish ballet set to stage with Sugiyama‘sscore given a full live orchestral treatment. Sad to say, he passed away in 2021 and would not be able to see one of his best scores given such international attention.

If the animated feature is beautiful, the storybook which the film is based upon is godly. For ages, I have been looking for this book, and finding it, even after searching high and low, has yielded no results. Thankfully, the film’s end credits showcase some of the art from the book, and the attention to detail and the rich elemental mythology are breathtaking. In fact, during my interview with Tohru Furuya, as I mentioned earlier, he stated that one of the reasons why he chose to work on the film was due to the book. He said he was moved to tears by the art and story and he knew that he had to take part in the project. I think another reason why he cherishes this movie so much is that he met his first wife – who interestingly enough played Malta – while they worked on the film together. A romance in a film led to a romance in real life.

Speaking of Furuya playing the main lead, Sirius is a great character for a story such as this. At first glance, he looks like Disney’s Peter Pan decked out in red instead of green. But unlike Peter Pan, who is an absolute douchebag, Sirius has the best qualities of Pan with none of the drawbacks. He’s mischievous but never malicious; brash but also brave; He has his moments of impulsive behavior that get him into trouble, but he is also willing to own up to them when needed. His brotherly bond with his childhood friend, Teak, is a nice model for boyhood friendship, and in the Japanese dub, Teak affectionately calls Sirius “aniki” which is a Japanese slang term for big brother or bro.

But the crux of the story is the romance between Malta and Sirius and in the initial stages, it is the most saccharine version of a ‘meet-cute’ that has ever been put to film. I must admit, I find romance movies to be a drag or, in common internet parlance, “cringe.” But even though The Sea Prince and the Fire Child has many of the same ques of a typical forbidden romance story, there is enough heart and good-faith investment in its audience to not turn it into a corny mess. Even though the story is a beat-for-beat retelling of Romeo and Juliet – although the “death” scene at the end is softened for a younger audience – it still packs an emotional punch.

Who is Masami Hata?

Masami Hata is a name that is not well known, even amongst the most seasoned fans of Japanese animation. This is perplexing since some of the best anime movies have had his butt firmly placed in the director’s seat but he never reached the heights of notoriety such as Hayao Miyazaki or Mamoru Hosada. And despite his extensive filmography that has spanned decades, he doesn’t have a Wikipedia page.

Such a travesty! Not only did he direct The Sea Prince and the Fire Child, but other classics have also had his name attached to them such as Ringing Bell, Journey Through Fairyland, and the American-Japanese animated film Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland. Hata’s films remind me of the kind that Don Bluth made early on in his career. Both of them have a similar style in crafting beautiful animation and some hard-hitting, emotionally knife-cutting plots that show children that the world can be simultaneously pretty as well as dark. It is unfortunate that Bluth has received plenty of attention and Hata has received barely any at all. I think it is time to change that, at least as far as Wikipedia is concerned. And there is no better place to start than The Sea Prince and the Fire Child. 

Watch The Sea Prince and the Fire Child