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Tin Wang wants to know the truth. Who are his parents? Where are they, how come he posses such unbelievable strength and why do his peers keep telling 
him he is alien? But most of all Tin wonders why his grandfather continues to avoid these questions?
Tin's mysterious past and the future of his home Bird Island collide as secrets are revealed and petty human differences must be put aside in light of a pending alien invasion.
Bird Island's story misleads in the opening episodes focusing on Tin's war of with Kit, the rich bully son of one of Bird Island's mayor. So just when the idea that Bird Island is another run of the mill coming of age story-with some sci-fi and light comedy in the mix, with the strange and wise ol' granddad and all, out of no where comes an cliffhanging alien invasion!
Unfortunately the copy of Bird Island reviewed was the English dubbed, which may have been the reason for the lack of focus. The dubbing was poor to say the least, the conversations between characters seemed clumsy and in some instances out of context with the visuals. In addition to poor voice over acting, the overall dialogue was forced and without emotion. It was difficult to discern how the characters felt about one another or the situations they were dealt.
However, in fairness to the original Mandarin version the gap between plot, story, and characters may be a casualty of translation and not the overall product. Fans of anime, know this syndrome all to well. From Speed Racer to Robotech, producers, in a rush to make a quick buck, often omit scenes and dialogue that provides subtle, yet important features of a story in order to release a series that relates to the perceived cultural nuances of American and Canadian cultures-often at the expense of a fine animated series.
Adding insult to injury, Bird Island's animation was just as flat as the acting and dialogue. Television animation is expected to be less fluid but Bird Island was mostly stop motion with most of the movement occurring during talking. In general, fans of cartoons are often willing to bypass poor animation but the combination of the two spells certain doom for future sales.
In the end Bird Island was a humongous disappointment, especially the quality of the dubbed. In light of the quality translation and voice talent in American/Canadian domestic releases of anime, the butchered production featured in Bird Island was shameful, making Bird Island barely viewable!
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