was a 26-episode Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

ese anime

Anime

is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....

 television series by Nippon Animation

Nippon Animation

is a Japanese animation studio. The company is headquartered in Tokyo, with chief offices in the Ginza district of Chūō and production facilities in Tama City....

, broadcasted since 1996 to 1997 across Japan on the Fuji Television

Fuji Television

is a Japanese television station based in Daiba, Minato, Tokyo, Japan, also known as or CX, based on the station's callsign "JOCX-DTV". It is the flagship station of the Fuji News Network and the ....

 network as an installment to Nippon Animation's famed World Masterpiece Theater

World Masterpiece Theater

is a Japanese TV anime staple that showcased an animated version of a different classical book or story each year on 7:30p.m. on Sunday. It originally aired from 1969 to 1997 then resumed in 2007....

series. The show was directed by Kusaba Kouzo and screenplay adapted by Man Shimada, with character designs by Ooshiro Katsu.

The story is adapted from Sans famille

Sans Famille

Sans Famille is an 1878 French novel by Hector Malot. Most recent English translation is "Alone in the World" by AJ de Bruyn, 2007.-First Volume:...

, a 1878 French novel, written by Hector Malot

Hector Malot

Hector Malot was a French writer born in La Bouille, Seine-Maritime. He studied law in Rouen and Paris, but eventually literature became his passion. He worked as a dramatic critic for Lloyd Francais and as a literary critic for L'Opinion Nationale.His first book, published in 1859, was Les...

 (adapted previously to anime in 1977 Nobody's Boy: Remi), this version made major changes from the book, including changing the gender of the main character or the "Swan" chapter, along with many other main events.

Started airing on September 1, 1996; the show was canceled by Fuji TV on account of low ratings; ended March 23, 1997 with a low episode count of 23 episodes, but the complete series, all 26 episodes, was later aired by the anime satellite television

Satellite television

Satellite television is television programming delivered by the means of communications satellite and received by an outdoor antenna, usually a parabolic mirror generally referred to as a satellite dish, and as far as household usage is concerned, a satellite receiver either in the form of an...

 network, Animax

Animax

is a Japanese anime satellite television network, dedicated to broadcasting anime programming. A subsidiary of Japanese media conglomerate Sony, it is headquartered in in Minato, Tokyo, Japan, with its co-founders and shareholders including Sony Pictures Entertainment and the noted anime studios...

, who translated and dubbed the series into English

English language

English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

 for broadcast across its respective English-language networks in Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...

 and South Asia

South Asia

South Asia, also known as Southern Asia, is the southern region of the Asian continent, which comprises the sub-Himalayan countries and, for some authorities , also includes the adjoining countries to the west and the east...

, under the title Remi, Nobody's Girl, as well as other languages.

Story

Remi, Nobody's Girl tells the story of Remi, a cheerful and tender-hearted young girl, who is an excellent singer and lives in a French country town of Chavanon with her mother. One day her father returns to the town after a long period working away from home in a city. She discovers that she was a "foundling" or an abandoned child and was adopted by Mother Barberin. Her step father Jerome leaves to work in Paris and expects Mother Barberin to send Remi to the workhouse. He returns 10 years later and finds that Remi is still there, and becomes furious and Remi is almost sold to an evil slave trader. It is Vitalis, a strolling entertainer, who helps Remi. Vitalis discovers her talent for singing and decides to take her in with his troupe. Remi starts her journey with Vitalis and his troupe animals such as the monkey Georicoule and the dogs Capi, Dolce, and Zelbino. On her journeys with Vitalis and his company she must endure and overcome many difficulties while looking for her real family.

Characters

• A bright and energetic 10 year old girl. She was raised in a French village called Chavanon, but she doesn't know where she was born. Remi is an excellent singer. Her foster father, Jerome sells her to Vitalis for her to sing and perform with his band.

• Her husband, Jerome, found Remi abandoned as a child on a street corner of Paris. Afterwards, Jerome leaves to work in Paris and Anne raises Remi in secret.

• Remi's little sister, she is the real child of Anne Barberin.

• Remi's step father. He found Remi as a baby, abandoned. He goes away to Paris to work and expects his wife to get rid of Remi and send her to the workhouse. He returns ten years later because of a work injury and sells Remi to Vitalis because they had become so poor.

• The family cow, which is sold because they had become so poor.

• The owner of three dogs and a monkey. He is a performer who travels throughout France. He is skilled at playing the violin. At first glance, he appears frightful, however he is very kind. He taught Remi to read and write because she doesn't go to school.

• An English lady who in Toulouse meets Remi and believes that Vitalis is innocent. She searches for her own daughter who was stolen not long after birth.Actually it turned to be Remi who was her real daughter

• Mrs. Milligan's son who is paralyzed and in a wheelchair. He becomes good friends with Remi.Also the brother of Remi

• One of the boys who has lived with Gaspard, he is the leader of the children. He's good at playing the violin. He became attached to Remi because of her kindness and gentleness.They promised to be together forever and in the last episode he promised to work hard so that he can be in same social status and ask Remi to be with him forever.

• One of the boys who has lived with Gaspard. He is a friend of Mattia.

• An acquaintance of Vitalis. He uses homeless children and treats them like slaves. He uses the money he collects from them for his own purposes.
• He is based on Garofoli from the original story.

• A dog of Vitalis' company. He has a sense of responsibility and has very strong and leadership qualities. His name comes from the Italian "capitale".

• A dog of Vitalis' company. He is known as the cool one. Zerbino is the Italian word for "dandy".

• A dog of Vitalis' company. She becomes attached to everyone. The name "Dolce" is the Italian word for "sweet".

• The monkey in Vitalis' company. He acts almost like a human and is a natural entertainer. He is also very michievous.

Episodes

Episode titles:

1. La gara di canto (The Singing Contest)
2. Il signor Vitali (Signor Vitali)
3. La compagnia teatrale del signor Vitali (Signor Vitali's Troop)
4. Un regalo favoloso (A Wonderful Gift)
5. Il miracolo di Maria (Mary's Miracle)
6. La piccola Sara (The Little Sara)
7. Il rapimento di Cai (The Kidnapping of Capi)
8. L'incedio (The Fire)
9. Incontro col destino (The Meeting With Fate)
10. L'incidente di Arthur (Arthur's Incident)
11. Un nuovo viaggio (A New Journey)
12. Il sentiero di montagna (The Mountain Path) [this is a recap episode]
13. Addio sulla neve (Farewell In The Snow)
14. Il viaggio solitario (The Solitary Journey)
15. Nuovi amici (New Friends)
16. La gattina smarrita (The Lost Kitten)
17. Persi nel labirinto (Lost In The Labirint)
18. Madre e figlia vicine e lontane (Mother And daughter Close and Distant)
19. La famiglia girovaga (The Traveling Family)
20. L'amica del cuore (The Bosom Friend)
21. Il violino (The Violin)
22. Paura nella minera (Fear In The Mine)
23. Il desiderio (The Wish)
24. Amore diviso in duo (Shared Love)
25. La fuga (The Escape)
26. La mamma (The Mother)

Music

Opening theme:

Lyrics: Masashi Sada

Composition and arrangement: Katsuhisa Hattori

Performance: Masashi Sada

Masashi Sada

is a Japanese singer, lyricist, composer, novelist, actor, and a film producer.Sada formed the folk duo Grape with Masami Yoshida in 1972, and made debut as a recording artist a year after. The pair rose to fame owing to a hit of a song "Shourou Nagashi" composed by Sada, which peaked at the...

Ending theme:

Lyrics: Fumiko Okada

Composition and arrangement: Katsuhisa Hattori

Performance: Youca

External links

• Nippon Animation's official website

See also

• Sans Famille
  Sans Famille
  Sans Famille is an 1878 French novel by Hector Malot. Most recent English translation is "Alone in the World" by AJ de Bruyn, 2007.-First Volume:...
  
  , the novel by Hector Malot
  Hector Malot
  Hector Malot was a French writer born in La Bouille, Seine-Maritime. He studied law in Rouen and Paris, but eventually literature became his passion. He worked as a dramatic critic for Lloyd Francais and as a literary critic for L'Opinion Nationale.His first book, published in 1859, was Les...
  
   on which this anime was based.
• Nobody's Boy: Remi, a 1977 TV anime by Tokyo Movie Shinsha in which Remi is a boy, just like in the novel Sans Familie.