The original, 31 episode Kaizoku Ouji, or, Pirate Prince, from Toei follows the classic tale of a young boy who turns out to be the son of a pirate captain in the golden age of piracy, but with talking animal friends. The black and white series saw a dvd release in Japan in 2016.
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| Pirate Prince |
The stylized kanji for the series are fantastic, and the opening theme is a classic of the older era. The art direction, however, may leave something to be desired, at least if one does not have an appreciation for more Hannah Barbera-esque stylized simplicity. There are some good moments of humor, such as the monkey eating one of the knock out stars circling a pirate's head, or Kid running on cannonballs.
There is an ending song that differs from the opening, and while the visual are stills, it is still closer to modern ending themes than most of its predecessors. As with some of this era, I must warn episode 2 depicts native islanders as cannibalistic stereotypes, while the core premise is doing a mission for a king who loves popcorn. The plots are what one would expect for a kids adventure anime of the era about pirates.
Our hero is brave, our girl is cute, our animals are silly, and our old man is ignored, and our reoccurring villain is a buffoon. If you like old adventure shonen or pirates past One Piece, this may be worth seeking out for you. Or if you want to look at some nice lettering.
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