This is my favorite Japanese Restaurant in Irvine. It's not only well priced but the quality and quantity is perfect. I come all the time. Service is always friendly and sincere. Looking forward to having lunch/dinner again here soon! Thank you, Taiko Irvine read more

Taiko - Sashimi Dinner, Chicken Teriyaki (Dinner) Sesame Chicken (Dinner) - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

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Been coming here for 20+ years. Food is great! Make sure to join the waitlist on yelp before arriving as the wait can be long sometimes.

We have been going here for years and have great experience every time. Really fresh sashimi and great sides appetizers. You really can't go wrong with this place. Service has always been excellent also. read more

Ever since Taiko changed ownership, it hasn't been quite the same. I went awhile back when the change first happened and was pretty disappointed, but I gave it another try more recently and it seems to have improved. I ordered different things both times though so perhaps I'm comparing apples to oranges, but I was happy with what I got this time. The calamari ($7) and the seafood salad ($14) were great, and I highly recommend both as starters. I also had an order of toro nigiri ($12 for 2 pieces) as well as a dinner combination with sesame chicken, steak teriyaki, and sashimi ($19.75). The steak was tender and the chicken was flavorful. Both were just as good as they used to be although I think the portions shrank quite a bit. I remember the amount of sesame chicken being quite generous before, but not so much this time around. After a disappointing first time at Taiko with new ownership, I was ready to downgrade my review to 3 stars, and since then, I hadn't been back. However, this meal has redeemed them to 4 stars and I'll probably give them a shot again. Located next to Yogurtland. Parking lot gets very busy during peak meal hours. read more

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Datenight ;) What I love about this place is the portion size. The combo dinners are perfect to share and great for a datenight with your love. The warm atmosphere and homey feel makes it a great location for great food, a nice warm drink, and happy moments :) My GO TO dishes here has to be there sesame chicken (bite size chicken fried with special sweet sake sauce *drool*) and salmon teriyaki (choice cut of salmon broiled with teriyaki sauce *melts in your mouth*), so good! It comes with a delicious side salad with crack dressing (so addicting), miso soup and rice! mmmm! Also if you're looking for more crunch in your meal, order the fried calamari, it is just devine! :P This place can get pretty crowded at dinner time, so arrive early, and also careful in the parking lot, gets a bit crazy. Happy eats, loves! ^_^ read more

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Taiko always has and always will own my mouth, heart, and wallet. My family's been coming here since I was a kid, and the nostalgic glow has never faded. Sometimes, food from your childhood loses its luster when you've got one of those grown-up, sophisticated palates, but year after year, Taiko delivers. Be warned--at any time of day, the wait may be as much as an hour to an hour and a half long. It's well worth it. More recently, Taiko has adopted a more commercial approach for their operation, adding such conveniences as a stamp card and a larger staff. It's different, to be sure, and I think it reflects in the quality of service, but there's really not much to complain about, especially given the stellar quality of the food. Taiko serves all manner of traditional Japanese dishes from udon to tempura to bento-style proteins to sushi and sashimi. You'll find that everything is exceptionally fresh and well-prepared, and that helpings are in generous quantity. All meals come with complimentary miso soup (good!) and pickled cabbage (great!) and you can feel free to ask for a bit more if it knocks your socks off. Whenever I've come, I've made sure to order the seafood salad, once a bargain on top of being deliciously savory. It's a sashimi medley served with shredded daikon, cucumber, and a tangy ponzu sauce. Over the years, the prices have risen significantly (call it supply and demand), but everything is nonetheless a great value. I also cannot recommend enough the No. 4 Special!! This was my favorite growing up, and now coming back years later, it continues to set off fireworks in my mouth. Composed of baked salmon, avocado, a creamy mayo sauce, and masago, this cosmically tremendous dish is served on a bed of lettuce with rice on the side. I *promise* you'll be amazed by it. Honorable mentions include the salmon collar, sesame chicken, calamari, and rainbow roll--things not particularly special to Taiko but still well-made and satisfying. They also make a mean sukiyaki. If you're looking for variety, order a combination plate, which comes served with a greens-and-beans salad with kewpie and sweet dressing. Pro tip: order the sushi bar tea and a cup of ice and have an adventure with your taste buds. As many thumbs up as I can muster for this top-notch establishment! read more

Taiko - Seafood salad. Served with a refreshing ponzu sauce. - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

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Not sure how this place gets 4 stars, because it felt so middle of the road. ***Why go here*** Quick and easy, in and out, restaurant with Japanese staples at a decently low price point. ***Why you may want to go elsewhere*** There's a lot of better places in the area. ***What I ordered*** Sushi w/ tempura and sesame chicken (which is not like the Chinese style sesame chicken if you were confused, basically fried chicken pieces) for $20.95 Enormous plate. Very much food overkill. Was very full. read more

Been coming here for a while (5-6x a year the last 10 years) and things have really gone down hill as of recently. The crab mix used to have real crab but now it's just all imitation crab. This was a huge deal for me because most place use imitation crab but Taiko always had real crab. The shrimp boat I got yesterday was 1/3 the size of the shrimp boat I got in the past. and imitation crab mix was used so i felt genuinely robbed. Used to be able to share it because they were so generous with the crab mix on top. Now it's literally just one bite. The cuts of fish on the nigiri have gotten considerably smaller as well. I used to tell my friends that Taiko was awesome because they gave the fattest pieces of fish on their nigiri. Now it's just an average portion of fish Taiko used to be my favorite restaurant in Irvine because they gave great portions and value to the customer. The food is still good but it used to be great. They will also be raising the prices on their menu starting 24 July 2022. That would be fine if they didn't change the quality of the items on their menu but I will now look for other places to get Japanese food. read more

The food is really good and they give a generous amount of serving! I was so surprised about the serving size considering the price. It's affordable, which is great! Finally found a Japanese restaurant that i really like! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! read more

This place is popular!! They are open in the beginning of the day and at the end of the day, with a break in the middle. I love to order their lunch special because it ones with miso soup, salad, rice, and 2 choices of meat. They also have sushi and rolls. Service is always great when eating in but you can also order online takeout which is super easy. You pick up takeout at a different entrance than dining in entrance. Definitely recommend because they have best Japanese cuisine in town(: read more

Taiko - Sesame chicken and shrimp tempura lunch combo on bottom & tempura lunch combo on top - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

I was thinking about 3.5 or 4 stars, but decided to go with 3 stars. Taiko restaurant is delicious, but a bit over hyped on yelp. The atmosphere was great I have never been to Japan but I would imagine a traditional style to look like Taiko. Also, the workers at least some of the servers, were JAPANESE!! I know that doesn't sound amazing to you, but I'm tired of hearing korean at every sushi restaurant. I ordered a the Combi with sesame chicken, teriyaki beef, and sashmi. The combi came with a huge quantity, but lacked quality. I came to this restaurant craving Japanese food not sushi so I have to rate both separately. The teriyaki beef was pretty bad. Dry and chewy even at medium rare. The sesame chicken was tender and tasty. The sashmi tasted fresh and melts in your mouth. I'm unsure I would go again. I was lucky to not get stuck on the large waiting list. I wanted "okay" Japanese food and the food was sub-par. The sushi was great, but if you want a combo of sushi and meat try another restaurant. read more

Cute Japanese restaurant that caters to the American crowd. *RESTAURANT* Located in the middle of plaza near Jeffrey and Walnut. Good luck finding parking on peak weekend dining hours. There's usually a large crowd here. The restaurant itself is a good size, and can cater to large parties, but like I said... It's busy here on the weekends. *FOOD* They offer a good variety of bento boxes that includes combination of teriyaki chicken, teriyaki beef, sushi, sashimi and sesame chicken. Prices at this location are reasonable. I came here for dinner and the amount of food offered with their bento boxes seemed too overwhelming for me, so I opted for the a-la-carte orders. Don't be expecting top quality fish when you are ordering bento boxes or the Seafood Salad. The quality of the fish improves if you are ordering sushi or sashimi a-la-carte. read more

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Food and service was outstanding. A great atmosphere to relax and enjoy Japanese food. Our server Sky was very polite and extremely professional and friendly. Thank you read more

Been here a few times usually sitting at a table. Food's been good every time with generous portions. My recent visit was during lunch where I decided to try the sushi bar... one seat left and no wait.. score! The sushi chef was very nice. I placed my usual order whenever I dine at a sushi bar.. salmon, albacore and spanish mackerel... wow, the portions are really big! quality was good as well. the chef seasoned the sushi with some scallions, a dash of bonito flakes and a citrus soy sauce. the spanish mackerel also had some grated ginger on top as well. all very tasty and fresh. Also ordered Toro which was very good even though it wasn't as fatty as some others i've tried. I saw one customer order the soft shell crab without rice and i had to get one order as well. A very nice, lightly battered and fried dish. Service is friendly and attentive. My only turn off of this place is the wait time! It's too popular! :) I'll be back soon, just hope I won't have to wait for too long next time. read more

Taiko - Aji (spanish mackerel) sushi, albacore and salmon in the back. - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

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Taiko has always been my go to Japanese restaurant in Orange County. Always fresh and reasonably priced. We often request to sit at the sushi bar in front of Suzuki San. He is funny and can always make you something special. Must order: amaebi with head in miso soup, hamachi, toro, hamachi kama, seafood salad. If the wait is too long and we have to seat at the table- scallop tempura! One order is big enough to feed two. Oh and they use real crabmeat in California roll! read more

Taiko - Amaebi head in miso soup - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

So you haven't really had sushi until you've tried the sushi bar at Taiko. No kidding but it is revolutionary and will change your life and you will actually never look at sushi the same way again. What's so great about it? The fish is fresh. You can taste the fresh. The rice is good, hits the right amount of citrusy. I tried 6 pieces from the sushi/sashimi menu: salmon, yellowtail, tamago, medium fatty tuna, mackerel, and minced tuna cut roll (from the rolls section). And I can confidently say that each and every one was a winner and left me satisfied. Each fish cut was huge and was rich in flavor. The sushi chefs were fun to watch and very engaging. They know their stuff. We asked them where the ingredients were from. I don't remember too much of the details but I did remember him saying that the uni was from Santa Barbara. Our sushi chef was not wearing a name tag that night and so we didn't catch his name but he was an excellent chef and definitely makes us want to come back. So there is a dining area and a sushi bar. If you want good sushi, then you go to the sushi bar. It opens at 4:30 PM for dinner on a Sunday. But if you want to make it, you'd have to wait in line by 3:30 PM. That's because there's only 18 spots at the sushi bar and the first ones in generally spend about 1.5 hours at their spot. It's a long wait but it's worth it. But since you'd much rather have a 1 hour wait versus a 1.5 hour wait, I would suggest coming in at 3:30 PM. The line could be deceiving since some people would wait in line for their larger parties. The one person ahead of us was waiting for her group of 9 people. So it's in your interest to ask the people ahead of you how many people they are waiting with. I can't speak for the weekdays or for lunch but just know that dinner on a weeknight for the sushi bar is long. They have a yelp waitlist tablet when they open and also on online yelp waitlist too. But there's separate ones for the dining area vs the sushi bar. This is located in an asian food plaza with a large parking lot that can get crowded at times. read more

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So this is my 30th year going to this restaurant and I've seen it change owners and management a few times. Most recently I went here for a takeout order of rolls, nigiri sushi, and sashimi salad. They remain professional, friendly, and of course great chefs of delicious food. Recommend this restaurant to any fan of Japanese cuisine. read more

I came back here a few weeks ago for dinner at a table and not at the sushi bar. I was given false information prior to this: you CAN order actual sushi at a table, not just at the bar. It was busy, but my party didn't have to wait too crazily long because it seemed like the staff were working quickly to get things moving around the restaurant. The food my party and I ordered were all delicious, and our waitress was sweet and attentive even with the full house. Definite good dining experience once again! read more

Have been going here since I was a baby. My grandparents love it they say it reminds them of food back home. Portions are huge and the service is always great. The vibe and aura the establishment gives off is superb. Highly suggest going here for a family or a cute little first date. read more

Big quantities of fried goodies! That about sums up Taiko. We came here around Christmas and the wait for dinner on a weekday was more than 1 hour. Once you enter you can smell the fish from the sushi bar which can be quite powerful. The entrees are around $15 and you get what you ordered on a bed of salad and fried grits. The sesame chicken like everyone says is really delicious. I ordered the fried scallops and the amount of fried tempura batter was overwhelming for me. Service is usually very good once you get seated but the wait can be painful. read more

Taiko - Fried Scallops - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

As good as gets for value. I stick to the more commonly ordered items because fast turnover in inventory is key for any sushi restaurant. I love their seafood salad which includes large chunks of tuna, yellow tail, and salmon. I am also a fan of their spicy tuna, spicy scallops, and california roll (they use REAL crab). I would stay away from their toro. The one time I had it, I was sorely disappointed. This is a premium item and priced at a premium cost but did not meet my expectation. It was fishy and the texture a bit chewy. I was also underwhelmed with their sweet shrimp. I have not tried their uni but am now afraid to since their other premium items disappointed. Clearly the 5 stars are for the standard items. read more

No matter how many sushi joints I've gone too, I will always come back to Taiko. If you're looking for fresh quality sashimi & sushi without burning a hole through your pocket, then this is the perfect place. I usually prefer to sit at the sushi bar, mainly because it is more fun and you get to interact with the chefs (they're funny, friendly, and entertaining)... I have been coming here for the past 3 years and counting. If you dine at the bar you'll also find that many other regular diners and have been loyal to this place up to over 30+ years! I'll be listing out many of my favorite things to order whenever I eat here: Giant Clam (sashimi) crunch texture & I usually pair it with yuzu paste (if you enjoy citrusy flavor then I'd highly recommend this) ** 5/5 Yellow Tail Belly (sashimi)- fresh, not too fatty yet it melts in your mouth ** 5/5 Salmon Special - Salmon wrapped around assorted veggies, showered with ponzu sauce, I like it, however it is quite a big dish for me & I usually order half portion. Taste wise ** 5/5 Seared Toro (topped off with yuzu paste, sea salt, and Japanese mint leaves) This is my ALL TIME FAVORITE! Oo Toro being seared to perfection (medium rare) if you're more of a fatty fish lover, it is a must try. P.s I get judged for not eating Toro raw from time to time but... HAVE THEY EVEN TRIED THIS? I don't think so. ** 10/5 Monkfish liver- these fishes are ugly, but their insides are amazingly tasty! Tastes like the pate of the sea ** 5/5 Cucumber Special roll - I save this for days that I'm extremely hungry, on a budget, and in need of refreshing taste. BIG PORTION alert ** 5/5 Japanese Snapper (topped off with yuzu paste, sea salt, and Japanese mint leaves) citrusy and refreshing ** 5/5 Spicy yellowtail Handroll: I usually get this EXTRA spicy since I love spice. Mmmmmmmmmm it is gooood ** 5/5 Soft shell crab hand roll: if you're craving crunch and creamy but not too heavy then this roll is for you! ** 5/5 Shrimp tempura hand roll: tasty ** 5/5 Salmon skin hand roll: I like hand roll a lot ** 5/5 Dynamite: heavenly creamy goodness, baked scallop, onion, imitation crab and mushroom ** 5/5 Seafood tea: seafood soup served in a teapot! Keep your tummy feeling warm and fuzzy in the cold weather ** 5/5 Oyster Honeymoon Special: fresh oyster topped with masago, ikura, and uni and drizzled with ponzu sauce. Holy goodness ** 5/5 Customized Oyster: fresh oyster with grated Japanese potato & masago on top! The grated potato are slimy, so if you're a fan of that texture then order this and slurp up! ** 5/5 Amaebi (sweet shrimp): I usually topped this off with yuzu paste. Have the head in miso soup to enhance the sweetness of the soup + I like the body fried! 1 shrimp, 3 different dish! Doesn't get any better than this. ** 5/5 Uni (Sea Urchin) it is incredible! When in season, it is sweet and golden. Ice cream of the sea it is! ** 5/5 House made Tamago: this is my end game of every meal at Taiko. I love the sweetness and the texture of the egg ** 5/5 Pineapple Sorbet: not too sweet, it's a nice palate cleanse , ooh! And the sorbet is placed inside of a pineapple shell ** 5/5 I might've missed a couple of things but that is all I could think of for now. Service is exceptional ** 10/5 read more

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Food is terrible: Beef was tough Sashimi not fresh Tempura shrimp taste like flour We were a party of 4 and was given one menu until we asked and waitress gave us one more!!!! So disappointed for I brought my friends and it was their first time to eat there. I could have complained to the manager when I mentioned this to the waitress, for she didn't acknowledge or didn't hear my comments about the food. Not going there again. Thank you read more

After reading how fellow yelpers absolutely loved Taiko, I was super excited to come here. We came before their doors opened for dinner hours and there was already a line outside. We were seated promptly and the place filled up FAST! We ordered the Sushi Dinner and two spicy tuna rolls and one tuna roll (picture below). Sushi dinner was a beautiful platter and fish was fresh. Spicy tuna is my absolute favorite but I was disappointed with their rendition. They seemed to have mixed some mayo and green onion into the spicy tuna, making it a lot heavier than normal. The taste was fine, even interesting in a good way, but the heaviness ultimately made me tap out early. Prices are on the steeper side for sushi. I probably came in with high expectations, but unfortunately, they were not met. read more

Taiko - Spicy tuna and tuna roll - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

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After a long day at work, Japanese food seems to always hit the spot. Food: I ordered the combination with teriyaki chicken and sashimi. I thought the sashimi was ok, but the highlight was the teriyaki chicken, which was grilled and seasoned to perfection. Side Notes Ambiance: There's quite a bit of seating, but it was actually pretty crowded, especially for a Monday night. Service: Our waitress was nice enough to split the bill for each individual at the table. Overall: It's a solid restaurant, but I'm not sure if I would go out of my way to eat here. read more

Taiko - Teriyaki Chicken and Sashimi Combination - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

Good quality Japanese food at a reasonable price for the area. I had grilled mackerel and some calamari, both of which were solid. True rating is more like 4.5/5, but I'll go full stars since it's one of the better restaurants in the area. Might update later once I've tried some sushi rolls and other choices. read more

This sushi place made my family and I happy. We're simple folk and were looking for a local sushi place after our favorite one closed down. We came here and the eel california roll consistently puts a big, dumb smile on my face every time I eat it. read more

Came here with my family during our day trip in Irvine. The wait wasn't too long, but parking is hard to find during peak hours. The Japanese food tastes very authentic and we will be back. read more

Taiko - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

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Watch out on to go orders !!! Several times already, they snuck in sesame chickens that are stale, sitting on the side for hours. probably pieces that were left over. Also portions had been drastically reduced. read more

LOVE FOOD HERE. servings are HUGE and the tempura is the absolute bomb diggity bond! I always go here whenever time permits for lunch. Their lunch specials are definitely worth it for the price and for the serving size. I would definitely recommend the shrimp tempura here. if you dont get that, you will definitely regret it! read more

Taiko - Combo A. It was so much food - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

All around, not as good as it was years ago. All courses served at once on a cafeteria tray. To have enough room for everyone to be comfortable, you must unload tray and try to find a place for it. Small serving of low grade chicken (no upgrade available) and overcooked without any taste of the teriyaki. Plate is mostly salad. Least expensive types of vegetables used for tempura...no mushrooms, broccoli or onion rings. Shrimp size seemed smaller, too. Unfortunately , when a restaurant has many posted papers touting specials, it usually means business is down...this is because their quality is down. read more

Everything was great Service is great Rice's reasonable Food is very tasty Restaurant is very clean read more

Best sushi we've had since we got back from Japan. This place is legit and worth the wait. I've heard so many good things about this place from my friend but finally got a chance to go with them recently. Oh man...everything was sooooooo good and fresh. Service was great and we ate plenty of sushi. My fav from that day is uni and ebi. Both were outstanding and super fresh. Rice to fish ratio is also perfect. Also you can be as creative as you want, they will make your creation come to life! We will be back soon! read more

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Been going here for years. Had a party of 6 last night, entire party got food poisoning

My parents moved to Irvine in '82 and have been eating sushi here ever since. It's OG, it's traditional, it's fair priced and the nigiri always has thick slices of fish. The japanese ladies are the nicest servers and always make you feel so welcome. I'm a Taiko fan; I grew up eating here and strangely, I love the california rolls here! The baked scallops are also a crowd pleaser. Feeling like dessert after sushi? Right next door is Yogurtland! High five for Taiko! read more

I've been coming to this place for 25+ years. It was a solid 5 stars and just awesome in every way. That is, up until they changed things recently. Prices were reasonable, portions huge, service great, and little freebies such as miso soup, hot green tea and pickled cabbage for everyone at the table. Definitely was my family's go to spot in town. Now the menu is completely changed, prices increased between 50-100%, portions are smaller, recipes are skimpy, and they nickel and dime for everything (they charge for tea now, and don't provide miso soup for example). Yes, costs have gone up for everything, but given they increased prices by that much, you'd think that something as cheap as hot salty water wouldn't be a big deal... beware their sushi prices. Now nigiri comes as a single piece instead of two pieces. So an order of nigiri still costs $4-$6, but you now only get one piece instead of two. And the cuts of fish are much smaller than before. So in other words, they doubled their prices but made it seem like the sushi prices stayed the same. Sorry, nice try. Basically, this place went from being a great value restaurant to pricing themselves as a fancy place, yet the ambiance inside is the exact same old school loud run of the mill Japanese restaurant. If you're gonna jack up your prices, at least make it worth it to the customer! I read a bunch of the most recent commentary from other long time patrons like myself and I couldn't agree more. I'm sure the manager may reply to my review, thanking me and saying he values customer reviews, and he may even plug in a comment about their new loyalty club (which is a complete joke), but we'll see if they do a single thing to make this place better again. Until then, my family and I will not be going back. 2 stars, because I still think the food was good. Just felt ripped off while eating it. For those who've ordered the seafood nabe (formerly called taiko nabe) in the past, it is completely different now, and probably the only thing that I think changed in taste (way too salty now). read more

Came here for lunch twice already and I think this is a great authentic sushi spot! The portions are huge and the service is friendly and efficient! There's always a line right when they open so you know it's good stuff. My friends and I were so surprised at the large portions! Even the sushi was so big you can split it in two to make another portion lol the sushi rice is really good too! read more

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Mediocore food. Okay service. Parking is a hit or miss. Long wait usually. Make sure to bring lots of friends or family because the portion sizes are huge. It's your typical japanese fried food and noodle soups here. Sushi is not bad, but it isn't amazing either and is pricey for what you pay for. Overall, I'd come back here once in awhile but it's not something I'd ever crave for...since it is pretty average. read more

Taiko - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

One of the best value sushi places I've been to. The fish tastes fresh and the portions are huge. The sashimi dinner filled me up more than some AYCE places. Their spicy tuna roll is one of the most unique I've tasted with fresh peppers and roe mixed in. It has a nice kick and delicious mix of textures. Their miso soup is also amazing and I end up drinking multiple bowls every time I go. read more

Taiko - Sashimi dinner - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

Taiko presents the best value in town - fresh sashimi & large portion, crispy tempura and nice creation, attentive service, and fast service especially considering the big crowd - my best choice in Irvine! But I also had my worst fried soft shell crab here, they just cut it in half and fry it! No sir, you need more than just that! read more

Taiko - Best seafood tempura, Worst soft shell crab - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

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