The Tiger Wakes (Italian: Il risveglio della tigre) is the first episode of the first season (The Tiger of Malaysia) of the animated series, Sandokan.
Plot
Macassar, a wise old teacher dies when Sandokan is twenty years old. On his deathbed, the old man who has raised Sandokan, tells him that he is the son of the Rajah of Kiltar and the only member of his family to have survived when the palace was attacked and burned by a tribe of mercenary Dayaks. Macassar bequeaths Sandokan the symbol of his father’s kingdom and his only inheritance, a golden medallion decorated with a tiger’s head.
He then tells Sandokan to seek out the Governor of Labuan who may be able to reveal the secret of that terrible night many years before. Sandokan nearly doesn’t listen to him, and runs to the house of the healer Jori-San, who tells him Macassar is about to leave for a long trip. Setting sail on an English ship, Sandokan sets out for Labuan. On board, he finds himself involved in a brawl on the side of Yanez, a dice-shooting Portuguese soldier of fortune. The two become inseparable friends.
Yanez’s luck at the gambling tables rouses the anger of a treacherous German banker who sets fire to the ship in order to get rid of both him and Sandokan. The fire spreads and the passengers take to the life-boats, however, the beautiful Marianne is trapped in her cabin. Sandokan comes to the rescue, and after he carries Marianne to safety, he is left with only the pearl pendant she wore around her neck and his memory of her.
Sandokan and Yanez are shipwrecked on the high seas, but they are able to reach Labuan on a raft. Sandokan then meets James Brooke, who tells him his father was not only a cruel despot, but also responsible for the massacre of his own family. Later, when joined by Yanez, Sandokan remembers what Macassar had said, and then realizes that James Brooke is not in fact the honest Governor everyone believes him to be.
Characters
Main
Supporting
- Macassar
- Sandokan's father
Villains
- James Brooke
- Dayaks