Orphan presents the first English-subtitled version of the 1979 TV Nippon Animation special *Maegami Tarou*. This is a composed story fashioned after Japanese folk-tales, about a boy given to a childless couple by the New Year's Spirit. The boy grows into a fearless horse-rider and adventurer. To calm the explosions of a nearby volcano, which are caused by the frustrations of an imprisoned Firebird, he sets out on a quest to find the Water of Life, riding the New Year's Spirit's flying horse Tsubametomi. Only the way, he encounters an Ushi-Oni (cow demon), a treelike ancient spirit, and a stranded whale. Ultimately, he finds a village under threat from a monstrous serpent, which has stolen the Water of Life and kidnapped a local princess. Tarou must defeat the serpent, rescue the princess, recover the purloined Water, and free the Firebird. Got all that?    The show is very rare. The raw is a webrip from Fabretella18. See [this blog entry](https://collectr.blogspot.com/2026/08/maegami-tarou.html) for more details.