Japan Synopsis
少年猿飛佐助
“He'd leap upon the wind and hitch a ride…”
Magically gifted boy Sasuke lives in peace, deep in the forest with his animal pals and Oyu, his elder sister. After their forest sanctuary is violated by a demon witch who devours one of Sasuke's animal companions, he vows vengeance. Leaving the forest, he sets out to master his magical gifts, making a pilgrimage to the home of the wizard Hakuunsai. While Sasuke learns the ways of magic, the demon witch terrorizes the countryside, and Sasuke works to complete his training in time.
The 1958–1960 Japan Window
38 Japan films released in this three-year window, ranked here by audience rating. Magic Boy sits at position #12.
#1Hero of the Red Light District
★ 8.6 · 1960
#2The Human Condition II: Road to Eternity
★ 8.2 · 1959
#3The Hidden Fortress
★ 8.0 · 1958
#4The Human Condition I: No Greater Love
★ 8.0 · 1959
#5When a Woman Ascends the Stairs
★ 8.0 · 1960
#6Hiroshima Mon Amour
★ 7.8 · 1959
#7Good Morning
★ 7.7 · 1959
#8The Bad Sleep Well
★ 7.7 · 1960
Titles With Overlapping Themes
Films and series that share thematic tags with Magic Boy. Number on each card indicates how many keywords overlap.
Other Titles From Toei Animation
The 1950s Japan Landscape
Catalog density by release year in the 1950s. Highlighted year (yellow) is when Magic Boy premiered. 76 total titles in this decade from Japan.
Reception Benchmarks
Ranked #1,670 of 4,579 Japan films indexed here (64th percentile by TMDB audience score).
Rating is +0.4 points above the Japan average of 6.9/10.
Among Japan Adventure productions specifically: #618 of 1,216 (top 51%).
Production Details
| Primary Country | Japan |
|---|---|
| Original Language | Japanese |
| Production Companies | Toei Animation |
| Runtime | 1h 23m |
| Release Date | December 25, 1959 |
| IMDb | tt0053275 |