Taro the Dragon Boy (1979)

[bunniefuu]

Special Literary Recognition Selection

1979 International

Children's Memorial Production

This is a story from long ago.

A story before electricity and the

television, and before irrigation.

A story from lonnnnnnnng ago in Japan.

The overly mountainous landscape

made farming rice impossible.

Millet and beans were all the

people could grow and eat.

While sowing their seeds, the

people would cry out to the gods...

"May one seed produce one thousand seeds.

May two seeds produce ten thousand seeds".

May one seed produce one thousand seeds.

May two seeds produce ten thousand seeds.

Heeeeey!

Tatsunoko Taro!

Come play with us!

- Hurry and wake up! - Taro, come

play with us. - Wake up, Taro!

Taro, dear. I say, Taro!

Goodness.

Umph.

That sleepy head won't come out.

He's lazy.

He's VERY lazy.

All he does is sleep.

- His grandmother will probably

come out before him. - There she is!

Poor old woman. if Taro doesn't start

to help her out, she'll never make it.

How sad, how sad!

He's a glutton and a sloth!

Perhaps he should be called "Taro the Glutton".

He won't obey the other villagers either.

Dragon boy, dragon boy,

boy of the Beasts!

Dragon boy, dragon boy,

boy of the Beasts!

- Glutton boy Taro! - Lazy

boy, Taro! - Glutton boy, Taro!

- Sloppy pig, Taro! - Glutton

boy, Taro! Lazy boy, Taro!

Glutton boy, Taro! Lazy boy, Taro!

Glutton boy, Taro! Lazy boy, Taro!

Shut up, you!

Good morning!

Good morning!

Winds of the East, blow strong.

Winds of the West, also blow strong.

Take all the rains with you.

I am, I am the dragon child, Tatsunoko Taro

Taro the Dragon Boy

I am, I am the dragon child, Tatsunoko Taro

Taro the Dragon Boy

Taro the Dragon Boy

The land is calling me. Den dera den dera den

The land is calling me. Den dera den dera den

Massive dreams come my way

Dragon child, dragon child, magical child.

Journey through the lands.

Winds of the South, blow strong.

Winds of the North, also blow strong.

Blow blow your flutes with you.

I am, I am the dragon child, Tatsunoko Taro

The clouds are dancing. Den dera den dera den

Endless journies around.

Dragon child, dragon child, magical child.

Soar far above the sky

Taro-san, thank you.

Huh? There come the boars.

You share this with your mother, okay?

Huh? What's that ribbon in the sky?

I wonder where it's headed?

Probably the next mountain over.

I think.

Fine. Let's all go see.

Hey you all,

what are you doing?

Sumo wrestling. Tengu-sama

loves Sumo wrestling.

What you're doing

is NOT Sumo. It's just sparring.

Watch. This is how it's done.

Yoisho! Yoisho!

Well. Any one of you

can try your hand at it.

I'll give it a try.

Goood.

Konta, good luck!

Here they go.

Yoisho! Who's next?

Fiiiline. I'm next.

Fine.

Go, Taro! Go, Taro!

Big Bear, hang in there!

Big Bear, hang in there!

Hooray!

Hey, you boy over there. You're

not so bad. What are you called?

Tatsunoko Taro!

Dragon, eh? That sounds amusing.

Fine. I will wrestle with you. Come!

Fine.

Owwww.

Myyyy, you're fairly strong,

fairly strong.

Finnnne.

What are these? Scales?

Tatsunoko Taro, I think I like you.

I will grant you with the strength of

one hundred men. Come, drink this.

He's drinking it!

Come, animals,

try to push him over!

Finnne. Let's go!

That was a vallant effort. Well, Tatsunoko Taro!

Now you have the strength of one hundred men!

Tengu-sama, thank you!

That was nothing.

Listen, Dragon Boy, that strength of one

hundred men can only be used to help others.

You should find those

in need and help them.

Help others?

Yes.

If you try to help your self,

the strength of one hundred will not surface.

Use your own strength for your

own needs. Do you understand?

Here I go!

I'm so hungry. Grandma, I'm hungry.

Why do you speak such nonsense. This

is the middle of the night. You must sleep.

Grandma, starting tomorrow, would

you make twice as many dumplings?

You say you need more food?

Not for me, I made more friends.

in the mountain next to us.

I wish that you would play a lot

less and help out this village more.

You could help with

the millet crop.

Help the village?

Or you could at least

collect some fruit.

Oh my. So you really are a magical child!

Where are you from? You don't

look like you're from my village.

So you live in the next mountain

over. What's your name?

My name is Aya. And yours?

I am Tatsunoko Taro.

A Dragon Child?

Is it strange?

It's a fine name.

It sounds vallant.

I see. Your flute

is very pretty.

Piay some more for me.

Very well.

Hooray!

Yoisho!

That's strange.

The animals are not coming to me.

What's happened?

Oh my, oh my!

Hey, you! Can you not hear the

drum of the mighty Red Oni?!

Why you!

So you're the flutist girl who has

been steallng away my animals, eh?

Help me!

Here I come!

What is this little runt??

Huh? That's odd.

That's not supposed to happen.

Oh? Oh? Oh no- no- no- no!

Someone help meeee.

It's the Red Oni!

Damn, I shall remember this!

What are these?!

Tatsunoko Taro, thank you.

You are very strong.

Whenever you're in trouble,

I'll help you.

- Well, I must go now. - Sure.

Come back here tomorrow and

let me hear your flute some more.

Very well. I will.

It's a promise.

Good bye.

It sounds like you've

gotten TOO strong.

But I only get strong when

I want to help others.

You just get carried

away sometimes.

Grandma.

What was my mother like?

Was she pretty?

I've been meaning to tell you this for some

time. But your mother might still be alive.

Really?? Where is she??

Patience. I will tell you.

This happened just

before you were born.

Your father had just died, so your mother left

for the mountains to help work with the men.

You were still inside

of her back then.

One day,

there was a big storm.

And your mother did not return.

Tatsuyo is gone!

Tatsuyo is missing!

Tatsuyo?

Just after your mother disappeared,

a pond took her place.

Tatsuyo!

Your mother had turned

into a dragon.

Tatsu,

what happened to your baby?

Mother...

what happened to my baby?

Can I still give birth to him?

Three moons later,

a baby floated down the river.

That was you, Taro.

You were licking a beautiful ball.

That was your "breast miik".

But how did Mother

turn into a dragon?

That I don't know.

The dragon said nothing to me.

This comb here was also with you.

It belonged to your mother.

You licked the ball and

grew bigger and bigger.

But when the ball was gone, you wouldn't

eat anything and you cried all day.

I had no idea what to do.

Tatsuyo, I beg of you!

Won't you show your self to me?

Tatsu. So that ball

was your eyeball?

He's smiling.

Mother...

Since I became blind, I am no

longer able to live in this pond.

I will travel to a lake up north.

But what about your son?

What should I do?

I will pray for him,

so he will be fine.

Good bye. Mother.

My son. Farewell.

Tatsuyo!

When my son gets older,

please send him to see me.

I won't die. And I will

be waiting for him.

I won't die. And I will

be waiting for him.

Fine. I will go search

for Mother now.

You fool! You are

still just a child!

I will go. My Mother

is waiting for me!

Taro! At least wait until morning.

Mother! I'm going to find you!

Don't worry, Grandma.

I promise I'll bring Mother home safe.

Be careful out there.

Taro-san! B- b- bad news! Aya-san

has been kidnapped by Red Oni!

Are you serious??

Hey, Red Oni! Showyour self!

Oh? The runt has come to visit?

I'm not a runt!

Release Aya at once!

You can talk big all you want,

but Aya is no longer here.

You lie!

I do not lie. Before she got a chance to

play her flute, Black Oni took her away.

Are you serious?...

And where is this Black Oni??

In Black iron Mountain over that way.

Ah yes, I'vejust made some rice dumplings.

Let's eat them together while I tell you more.

Rice dumplings?

Correct. I'm sure that's

something you've never eaten before.

Bang on that drum and wait for me.

Fine. Go!

As iong as that runt is beating that

drum, he cannot see what I am up to.

But my, what a bad

musician he is.

Why is it in such poor

condition at a time like this?!

Taro-san, bad news! Red

Oni plots to k*ll and eat you!

But wasn't he going to

feed me rice dumplings?

Not everyone who offers you

a rice dumpling is sincere!

Come, Taro-san, let us escape! Taro-san.

That damn Red Oni.

He tried to trick me.

Fine, this time for

sure I'll get him.

Well, I brought you

some delicious dumplings.

Take that!

Watch out!

What are you doing?

Oh no! Oh no-no-no-no!

My cleaver!

It's gone. Damn you!

I'll throw you to oblivion!!

Please, I'm sick of being thrown.

Have mercy.

Then will you show me to

Black Oni's lair?

Anything but that!

Black Oni is frightening.

In that case, I'll throw you

AND your drum to oblivion!

I will do it! I will do it!

Even I do not care to be a sl*ve to Black Oni.

Good!

Owww.

Fine, fine.

Okay I'm going.

This place is getting

more and more gloomy.

Aya! Aya!

You dare try to

escape from me??

I smell a beast and a human.

Who is hiding back there?

Show your self!

It is i! Tatsunoko Taro!

I was worried for a bit, but

I see you are a mere runt!

Good evening, My Lord.

What is the matter with you??

I don't remember telling you to bring

me a filthy boy or a tasteless boar.

I want a young GIRL.

Where is she?

I will bring her right away.

You make me angry, Black

Oni. I challenge you to a duel!

You foolish little runt.

Can you compare to me?

Go!

What do you think?

That is my 806th swing.

Do you surrender now,

little runt?

Dammit!

Why you!

Hey, stop it, stop it.

That tickles!

Time for stomach stomps!

How's that?

You rotten kid.

You will die for this!

Why you.

Come to me.

Watch out!

Why you!

You foolish Red Oni.

You dare defy me??

Hey, stop. That tickles...

That tickles!

We did it!

Oh my.?

He put on a loin cloth.

Huh? I wonder what that is?

That is the procession that carries a young girl to Black

Oni as an offering. I cannot tolerate this any longer.

Red Oni, what's the matter?

Black Oni forced me to harass the people

of the village at the foot of his mountain.

The girl they are bringing is one of the girls I chose.

Now they will seek revenge on me! What shall I do?

Very well, I will throw you into the

black clouds over this mountain.

You can become a servant

of the Thunder God.

I like that! Please do it.

Throw me.

Fine.

Go!

Farewell!

So this is the top of a cloud,

eh? What a comfortable place.

Now I can bang on my drum as often

as I like! Tatsunoko Taro, I thank you!

Go!

You are very lucky, my dear.

That boy, Tatsunoko Taro,

and that girl rescued you.

I am truly, truly

grateful to you!

Hey! There's treasure

in this mountain!

Atreasure?

Wheeeee, go!

I broke it!

This way, this way!

This is... all the

rice we had grown!

This is our rice!

This is our rice!

That damn Black Oni!

He hid our rice in here!

This is our rice!

So this is rice?

What a pretty horse.

Black Oni said this pony

can run strong all day.

Umph.

Let's follow her.

What a pretty lake.

To us peasants,

water is our livelihood.

But Black Oni...

Look, he used that boulder

to block its flow.

This has put us through

such pain and suffering.

What a beautiful

mirror this is...

I see. Aya-san,

take this with you.

I'm pleased.

Fine. I will move that

boulder for you.

Come, men, we must also help him.

That's right. We'll help.

Let's help!

I'll help too!

Keep going.

Just a bit more.

What a large flat land.

The water is coming!

Everyone will be overjoyed!

- We owe this all to Tatsunoko Taro!

- Yes, we do!

This place has so much more

open space than my village

Doten dotenran dontokoton!

Tatsunoko Taro did. yes! Yes, he did!

He threw away that black Oni.

And once again, we can grow delicious rice

And we owe all our thanks to him.

So this is a rice sprout?

These are rice seedlings.

They are still small now,

but in order to grow tall,

they need to drink lots of water.

Without water, they would

shrivel and die.

Doten doteran dontokoton!

Tatsunoko Taro did. yes! Yes, he did!

He threw away that black Oni.

You both must be tired. We bring you a feast.

Here it is. This is cooked rice.

Please, enjoy yourselves.

Thank you!

Thank you.

Water! Someone bring some water!

Are you okay?

Can you breathe? Are you okay?

Here, drink this.

We have plenty of rice.

Eat as much as you like.

Here. This is rice.

What's the matter?

What alls you, Taro-san?

Does your stomach hurt?

Taro, what's the matter?

Did you eat too much?

No, no.

It's just...

I've never eaten anything

this delicious.

I want to feed some of this to my

Grandma and the people in my village.

My village can only farm millet,

no matter how hard we work.

I feel sorry for everyone,

but it can't be helped.

I see. So that's what

makes you sad.

Taro-san, you are a

gentle hearted child.

Very well. You should bring all the

people of your village over here.

They can all live here.

That's right. With Black Oni gone, we can farm

as much rice as we want. Bring them here.

I appreclate it, but I just left on a quest,

and there is something

I must do right away.

Take care!

Be careful out there, you two!

Farewell!

Well, I will head north from here.

I will come with you.

You mustn't. It's too

dangerous for a girl.

But I want to come, too.

Never mind. Come, get on.

Take care of Grandma for me.

Go!

Taro-san.

You need to go home, too.

Farewell!

Tatsunoko Taro!

Winds of the South, blow strong.

Winds of the North, also blow strong.

Blow blow your flutes with you.

I am, I am the dragon child, Tatsunoko Taro

The clouds are dancing. Den dera den dera den

i wonder what happened here?

It looks like it should

be prime farming land.

Old lady, I hear there's supposed to be a large

pond with a dragon living in it around here.

Dragon, you say?

Yes. I'm looking for a dragon.

Well, there IS a dragon living in the

pond behind my house. A dragon, I say.

Are you sure?

Yes, I am.

But she doesn't show herself.

Would you come work for me?

Work? What exactly do you mean?

I keep a farm.

I had 100 employees,

but they all left me.

Now no one will man my fields. If

things keep up, all my crops will rot.

- Old lady, do you live alone?

- Of course

Why did your employees leave?

They said a strange sickness came

from the pond with the dragon in it.

A sickness?

That's right.

This dragon seems to be a bit bashful

and only appears when everyone is gone.

So you should work here

until that happens.

This will be your house.

I expect you to start work

tomorrow, so go to bed early!

What a strange dragon.

But she might be Mother.

Heyyyy, if you're my Mother,

you'll show your self to me soon,

Okay? I'll be here

waiting for you.

You good for nothing lazy bones.

Kaw, kaw, kaw, kaw,

c*ck-a-doodle-dooooooo!

What the? Huh? Old lady.

Take this and get in the field!

What's this?

You don't even know what a scythe

is?? What a crazy boy I've taken in.

You use this to cut grass.

if you don't hurry, the sun will set!

But the sun hasn't even risen yet.

What a big field. I can grow lots of

rice here. Everyone will be so pleased.

Finnnne! Yoisho!

That's the spirit, that's the spirit!

Work! Work!

You idiot!!

You impudent fool!

You wrecked my machine!

You idiot!!

Look. What an amazing boy.

He must be magical.

Hey, would you mind helping me?

Good, here's our chance.

Take it!

Old lady, you have so much rice from last year's

harvest. So why won't you let me eat any of it?

Why should I feed you rice when you

don't even know how to prepare it?

In that case, I quit!

What?? You're quitting?

Wait, Taro! Owwww!

Mother, if I prepare you some

rice, will you come out to see me?

I'll work hard and learn how.

Tatsunoko Taro.

How are you doing?

Taro. Keep going.

Oh, please, oh, please, Mountain Gods,

Water Gods, please give me some rain!

Please give me some rain!

Please give me some rain!!!

Winds from the mountains, blow strong!

Winds from the sea, blow strong!

What seems to be the problem, son?

Red Oni! The plants are drying

out! Please give us some rain!

Fine, I accept! Here we go.

Whee! Go, go, go, go, go!

Go!!

It's raining! Raining, raining!

The plants are happy!

It's raining! it's raining!

Thank you, Red Oni!

No problem.

Take care, little runt! May we meet again!

You should have told me you

were friends with the Thunder God.

Here, eat these rice ba*ls.

Mother, I made you some rice.

So why won't you show your self?

A snake!

Were you the one who fed me rice?

Are you the dragon the

old lady told me about?

Dragon, you say?

I wouldn't put it past

that greedy old witch.

She keeps all the rice to herself. That old hag

wouldn't feed any of her employees, so they all left.

But she told me everyone ran away because of

a strange sickness that came from this pond.

She only said that because I

refused to let her drink my water.

Dammit, she tricked me. And

here I worked so hard for her.

I thought I would be able to

see my Mother if I did. Dammit!

Thanks, that was delicious. Son,

once you pass the ninth mountain to the

north, you will find a mountain woman.

Ask her about the dragon,

she knows about it.

Are you sure?

If you tell her I sent you, she

will tell you where the dragon is.

Well, take care of your self.

Hey there, old hag!

You really tricked me good!

It wasn't a dragon, but a snake! I'm

leaving now, so give me my pay!!

You're leaving? In that case, I'll have to

pay you. Take as much as you can carry.

- Fine! You said I could take as much as I can carry, right?

- Sure, sure, just leave!

Paying that little runt for a year's work with

just as much as he can carry is dirt cheap!

I'm going to share this with the

workers who were tricked by her!

Taro! You intend to take

ALL the rice with you??

It's MY rice! Give me my rice

back!! Hey! Hey, don't go!

Tatsunoko Taro! I apologize.

Please forgive me!

Please don't go! Don't go, Taro!

It's my rice!

My rice! It was my rice

grown on my land!

What's this?

It's rice on the stalk.

Oh, so this is the stalk

that rice comes from!

I brought some to

share with you all.

It smells good.

This is rice?

It's pure white!

I worked on her farm, but I was sent

away before I got to eat any rice.

This sure is tasty.

It's good.

I'll leave all of this with you,

so you can eat it all.

No. Beyond this village there are so many

others who are in even worse shape than we are.

We can't let them suffer while

we have such wonderful food.

That's right.

Thank you so much!

Nii-chan! Thank you so much!

Why is there nothing but

mountains here?

I had no idea I'd ever

eat something so fancy.

Let's save some of these

seeds and grow our own rice!

I'd like to,

but we have no land.

I wish I were much bigger.

Then I could smash all these mountains down.

You speak as if life

were a fairy taie.

"How can such poor villages become prosperous?" While

thinking of this, Taro arrived at the ninth mountain.

There's a light.

That must be the house of

Mountain Woman.

Good evening, old lady?

And who are you?

The white snake in the

pond told me about you.

Oh, I see.

Come on in.

A man anda woman are bound by fate.

Is it true that there is a lake with

a dragon in it near this land?

It is true. Do you

wish to see a dragon?

I'm on a quest to find my Mother.

She's been turned into a dragon.

I see. But you never know when

the dragon will show herself.

I know. But I can wait until then. So

it's true that there is a dragon nearby?

Of course. I'm not a liar.

What a relief.

I was tricked by the last lady I visited.

She told me a dragon lived in her pond,

but it turned out to be a white snake instead.

I see. That snake also used to be a woman,

but the gods turned her into a snake.

Why did she turn into a snake?

Because she did not obey me.

You sure are a sweet boy.

Don't struggle.

Oh, yes, I'll go make you some

delicious azuki buns. So wait right there.

The lake where the dragon lives

is in the next big mountain over.

But the night paths are dangerous.

Come back! Come back!!

It's cold!

Mother! I'm almost there, Mother!

Where are you going, little one?

It's cold!

What a precious little leg.

It's cold!

What happened to your

strength of a hundred?

Mother.

Mother. Help me.

Tatsunoko Taro, wake up!

Am I dreaming?

This is no dream. It's me, Aya.

Aya, what are you doing here?

When I concentrate into this mirror, I can see you. I saw snow women

were about to k*ll you, so I flew here as fast as I could.

- But how?

- Look.

Do you notice the horse got bigger?

She can fly now.

That's amazing.

Come, Taro, let's fly together.

Then we'll find the

dragon's lake together.

Good!

Here we go.

There it is!

The dragon might live in there.

I'm sure she does!

Look over there, Aya.

There's the ocean.

You're right.

It's the ocean.

The ocean sure is vast.

Mother!!

Tatsunoko Taro is

here to see you!

Showyour self!!

Mother!!

Mother!! Mother!!

Tatsunoko Taro is here!

Mother!

Mother!

Mother! Come out to me!

It's no use. She's not here.

It was all a lie.

I feel so bitter!

Don't cry, Taro. You mustn't give up hope.

What is that sound?

Listen, boys, is there a dragon

living on the bottom of this lake?

Yes, there is.

Are you sure??

Yes, I'm sure. And a very

big dragon, at that.

Please, deliver a message

to that dragon for us.

Tell her Tatsunoko Taro is here.

I'm not sure I want to.

Yes, she might eat us.

Now, don't fret over that, you

two. Fine, I'll deal with it myself.

Listen, the dragon cannot see.

Is that so? Then she must be my mother!

That's it. Take this to her.

Fine.

- I'm sure she'll know it's me.

- Thank you.

It's a dragon! Run for your lives!

Tatsunoko Taro.

Tatsunoko Taro, where are you?

I'm over here, Mother!

Over here!

I'm Tatsunoko Taro, Mother!

So you came to see me.

To such a far off land.

You came to see me.

Taro, I wish I could see your face.

Mother, I will never leave you again.

Thank you. I'm so angry that I have

to face you looking so hideous.

I don't mind!

You're my Mother.

But, Mother, why did you turn

into a dragon? Please tell me.

Yes.

I do want you to

know the truth.

I, your Mother, was turned into a dragon

because I broke the commandment of the mountain.

Since you were inside of me,

the villagers gave me easy tasks.

My job was to fix everyone's lunch.

Since there was fish in the

river, I caught it and cooked it.

And when it's smell reached my nose, I was

overcome with the desire to eat it all myself.

Pregnant women aiways crave fish.

I wanted the fish to help my baby grow strong.

I intended to eat just one fish, but

before I realized it, I had eaten all three.

And then, my throat felt as

though it were on fire.

No matter how much water I drank, the

heat remained and I felt as though I would die.

The gods had unleashed

their punishment on me.

I should have shared the fish with everyone.

Those who are selfish and do not

share are punished by the gods.

That has been a commandment of

the mountains for a very long time.

But I...

I didn't consider the feelings of

others. And I thought only of myself!

I see. So you were turned into a dragon

because you were pregnant with me.

That's not right, Taro.

I was wrong for breaking the

commandment. I was not patient enough.

But that is a sad commandment.

Sad, you say?

It's because there's simply not enough

food to go around! That's why our village,

that's why that commandment was set!

But we cannot resist it. No

matter how hard we siave,

our flat lands are small and

our crops lack water.

Yes, but I see a nice low

flat land over there.

Ifwe break those boulders and

let this lake flow down there,

I'm sure we can make a very large piece of land for

farming. Then the farmers can all move and work there.

I'd like to give it a try.

Mother, won't you help me?

You, what made you come

up with that idea?

During my quest to find you,

I visited many villages.

I even learned how to grow and harvest rice.

So I want to help people who are having trouble.

Is that so.

You are such a good boy.

I was only able to think of myself.

But you think of others.

Very well.

I will help you.

Come, get on my neck. Then, steer

me by my horns. Be my eyes for me.

Fine.

Understand? No matter how

frightened you are, you mustn't let go.

Don't worry, Mother.

Straight ahead, Mother.

Winds from the East, blow strong!

Winds from the West, blow strong!

Tatsunoko Taro, what are you up to?

Breaking those boulders! Will you help us?

Very well! I will call my friends!

Go! Go!

Go!

Go!

Taro, I will warn the villagers

below the lake. it's getting dangerous!

Good. Thanks!

Water is coming! Water is coming!

It's dangerous, so please escape! Water is

coming! Water is coming from the mountains!

- Water?

- Water?

It's a thunderstorm!!

Are you all right, Mother?

With one more shove, it will break.

Fine.

What's wrong?

Amazing!

Taro, keep a tight hold on my horns.

It's water! Yes! it's water!

We did it, Mother! We did it!

We did it! Banzai!

We did it! We did it!

Mother! Wake up!

Mother!

Mother is dead!

Mother.

Mother. Can you see me?

Taro!

Mother!

Taro!

I'm so relieved, Mother!

Taro, thank you!

Because of you.

I changed back into a human!

Mother!

And so, the larrrrrrge flatland that was

created was shared by allll the villagers.

They grew rice, and were prosperous.