Shounen Kenya Review

Now for something strange yet unique in Shounen Kenya.

Set in World War II as Japan joins the war in 1941, a boy named Wataru gets separated from his father attempting to hide from British soldiers in Kenya. Wataru later meets a Masai Tribesmen named Zega who helps him find his father, as the years of the war roll by, Wataru becomes a strong man under Zega's guidance later meeting a lost British girl named Kate, all the while avoiding hostile tribes, Nazis and dinosaurs. The group is often watched over by a giant anaconda.
This production feels like a magnum opus for the creator as it's stylised in a fashion that he is constantly drawing the film deliberately leaving unfinished animation along the way, it's a strange yet beautiful set up.
The way Africa is drawn is beautiful and gives the people of the continent a dignified look at least when compared to other works set in the continent.
And apart from the ending which is hard to tell whether it's meant to be symbolic of the use of the Atomic Bomb and the evils of man or the artist just felt like putting in dinosaurs, Shounen Kenya is an underrated beautiful piece of art that for an 80s anime film is more than worthy of standing among the likes of Tezuka and Miyazaki.
No dub, production is too old.
Final Verdict: An artistic film that deserves more recognition, a little weird in places but solid effort from it's creators.

End