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Taro The Dragon Boy

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    Ian Jane
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  • Taro The Dragon Boy

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    Released by: Discotek Media
    Released on: 1/31/2006
    Director: Kiriro Urayama
    Cast: N/A
    Year: 1979
    Purchase From Amazon

    The Movie:

    Taro's a weird little kid, in no small part because he's, well, a dragon boy but also because he prefers the company of animals to the other children. Day in, day out, Taro can be found hanging out in the woods with his wee animal pals, and in fact more often than not he spends his nights there too, sleeping under the stars and having a grand old time with his tiny furry friends.

    All is well for Taro save for the fact that because of his seemingly anti-social behavior the other kids who live in and around his village tend to pick on him. Because he doesn't want to hang out and play the way that they want to play, he's a target for teasing and as such, he's not the most popular dragon boy around. This all changes for Taro when, while out partying in the forest with some critters, a magical wizard shows up and gives him the strength of thousands.

    As luck would have it, Taro's old grandmother, who has rasied him in the absence of his mother, lets it slide that his mother has actually spent the last few years since he was born as a dragon. It seems that a curse was put upon her and that she's unable to revert to human form. Now that Taro has the kind of strength that would make the Incredible Hulk green with envy, he figures he can set out to find his mom and help her get back to normal once and for all. Of course, tracking her down isn't going to be easy, but he meets a few people along the way who prove to be helpful and he in turn is able to help others who happen to cross his path.

    Taro The Dragon Boy is a fun and fast paced kid-friendly anime that has a nice message to it but that doesn't get bogged down under its own morality. The movie keeps the action and humor coming quickly and while not every joke is a knee slapping winner, most of the humor is pretty effective. Kids will dig the colorful characters that show up on Taro's journey as they're many and varied while adults will enjoy the detail present in the animation and the slick visual compositions that have been created for the movie.

    The packaging does a good job of making the movie look like a Studio Ghibli production and while it isn't at all, it does have some of the same qualities and the same level of enjoyment. It doesn't talk down to its audience, it has a few very clever moments and a couple of interesting plot twists, and it's a fun way to kill seventy-five minutes.

    Video/Audio/Extras:

    While the limitations of the old school animation are evident, the transfer itself on this release is very nice. Colors come through very well, black levels are strong and deep, and there isn't really much to complain about in terms of this 2.35.1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. There's as much detail as one would expect to find in an older cartoon present here, and for the most part, aside from some really mild print damage and a wee bit o' grain, the picture is solid.

    You've got your choice of watching the film in its original Japanese language with optional English subtitles, or in a dubbed English track, both in Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo. There are some differences between the tracks, but the subs seem to more accurately represent the Japanese version, they're not dub-titles. Clarity on the Japanese mix is pretty nice, dialogue is clean and clear and the track doesn't suffer from any hiss or distortion. The English track doesn't fare quite as well, as there is some hiss in a few scenes and a few other audible defects. Watch this one in Japanese and there's nothing to complain about.

    The back of the cover art has a chapter listing, and one the disc we a trailer for the feature and one trailer for Animal Treasure Island.

    The Final Word:

    While it's light on extra features, Taro The Dragon Boy looks and sounds very nice on this region one DVD release from Discotek. The movie itself is a lot of fun for kids of all ages and is worth checking out for fans of the genre.
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