Wakakusa no Charlotte
Encyclopedia
is a vintage shōjo
anime
series produced by Nippon Animation
Co. Ltd. It was first aired in Japan
between October 29, 1977 and May 27, 1978, and is based on an original story by screenwriter Shun'ichi Yukimuro
(as opposed to an existing manga
).
While this series - Nippon Animation's first to specifically target the shōjo audience, followed by Haikara-san ga Tōru
- was taken off the air in Japan early due to mediocre ratings, it is a much-loved and well-known series in some European countries, particularly in Italy
.
nobleman, who is now living on a ranch in Quebec
, Canada
.
Although motherless, Charlotte was a happy girl until her 12th birthday, surrounded by a loving father and many friendly animals. On that day, however, a package arrives from her “mother”, who was supposedly dead.
After Charlotte’s father dies, this mother comes to live with her. At the same time, Charlotte meets a strange boy. This is only the beginning of many heartbreaking incidents in the little girl’s life, but in the end, her trusting and optimistic nature wins over all hardship and Charlotte is able to regain happiness.
Shojo
The term refers to manga marketed to a female audience roughly between the ages of 10-18. The name romanizes the Japanese 少女 , literally: "little female". Shōjo manga covers many subjects in a variety of narrative and graphic styles, from historical drama to science fiction — often with a strong...
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....
series produced 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....
Co. Ltd. It was first aired in 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...
between October 29, 1977 and May 27, 1978, and is based on an original story by screenwriter Shun'ichi Yukimuro
Shun'ichi Yukimuro
Shun'ichi Yukimuro is a veteran screenwriter for television anime series. During a career spanning some four decades, Yukimuro has written over 3,000 TV anime scenarios, including episodes of many classic series produced by the Toei Animation studio...
(as opposed to an existing manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
).
While this series - Nippon Animation's first to specifically target the shōjo audience, followed by Haikara-san ga Tōru
Haikara-san ga Toru
, also known as Smart-san or Mademoiselle Anne, is a Japanese shōjo manga series by Waki Yamato. It was serialized by Kodansha in the magazine Shōjo Friend from 1975 to 1977...
- was taken off the air in Japan early due to mediocre ratings, it is a much-loved and well-known series in some European countries, particularly in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
Plot summary
Charlotte was raised by her father, a former FrenchFrench people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
nobleman, who is now living on a ranch in Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
Although motherless, Charlotte was a happy girl until her 12th birthday, surrounded by a loving father and many friendly animals. On that day, however, a package arrives from her “mother”, who was supposedly dead.
After Charlotte’s father dies, this mother comes to live with her. At the same time, Charlotte meets a strange boy. This is only the beginning of many heartbreaking incidents in the little girl’s life, but in the end, her trusting and optimistic nature wins over all hardship and Charlotte is able to regain happiness.
Original cast
- Ichirô MurakoshiIchiro Murakoshiwas a male Japanese voice actor from Tokyo, Japan. He was a Waseda University graduate. His real name was .-Anime:*The Adventures of Tom Sawyer *Doraemon *GeGeGe no Kitaro 1985 *Gekisou Rubenkaiser...
as Andre - Ichirô NagaiIchiro Nagaiis a male seiyū from Ikeda, Osaka Prefecture. He was formerly represented by Tokyo Actor's Consumer's Cooperative Society, but is now represented by Aoni Production.-Television animation:*Akuma-kun *Bikkuriman...
as Grampa - Kaoru Kurosu as Cassie
- Kazue KomiyaKazue Komiyais a Japanese voice actress who is affiliated with Theater Echo.-TV anime:*Aim for the Ace! *Ashita no Nadja *Combat Mecha Xabungle *Fullmetal Alchemist *Hiatari Ryōkō!...
as Satie - Keiko YokozawaKeiko Yokozawa, born September 2, 1952 in Niigata, Japan, is a Japanese seiyū.She is most known for the roles of Dorami , Mami Sakura , Benio Hanamura , and Sheeta -External links:...
as Charlotte - Kôhei MiyauchiKohei Miyauchi' was a veteran Japanese seiyū born in Kagoshima Prefecture. His real name was Takayuki Miyauchi and his nickname was "Miya-chan". On June 2, 1995, Miyauchi died on his hospital bed at the Nihon University Itabashi Hospital from abdominal varices...
as Count - Osamu Kato as Garcon
- Reiko Suzuki as Bella
- Rokuro NayaRokuro Nayais a Japanese voice actor. He is the brother of voice actor Gorō Naya. A lifetime resident of Tokyo, he is affiliated with Mausu Promotion.-Anime:*Aquarius Camus in Saint Seiya*Sensui Shinobu in Yu Yu Hakusho*Enchou in Crayon Shin-chan...
as Night - Toshiko Shimaki as Becky
- Toshiya UedaToshiya Uedais a Japanese voice actor who works for 81 Produce.-Notable voice roles:*Ōsanshōuo-san and Kaeru-kun in Bonobono*Professor M in Burn Up W*Monsieur Dufarge in A Little Princess Sara*Enma-sensei in Mirmo!...
as Jean - Yasuo Muramatsu as Gordon
- Yoshito YasuharaYoshito Yasuharais an actor and seiyū born on November 17, 1949 in Aioi, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. He is a member of Theatre Echo, a theatre troupe and talent management firm known for its comedy sketches...
as Sandy - Youko Matsuoka as Jim
- Yūko MitaYuko Mitais a Japanese voice actress. She is known for playing gentle, sexy bishōjo as well as many roles of young boys. Her hobbies include tennis and skiing...
as Katie - Yûko Mitsuda as Katie
Episode list
| Episode | Title |
|---|---|
| 1 | It happened one birthday |
| 2 | I don't need a mother |
| 3 | Go away, bad dreams! |
| 4 | Spica, the star shining in my heart |
| 5 | Papa's alive |
| 6 | Dream carriage from heaven |
| 7 | Queen of the farm |
| 8 | Knight in the snow |
| 9 | A Christmas letter |
| 10 | Snow festival to usher in spring |
| 11 | Messenger from Paris |
| 12 | Little wings on the Atlantic |
| 13 | The day I'll meet mother |
| 14 | I hate aristocrats |
| 15 | The morning I met mother |
| 16 | Reunion |
| 17 | 75% happiness |
| 18 | A little fountain in the blaze |
| 19 | Goodbye to Paris |
| 20 | Little farm in the middle of the ocean |
| 21 | Dear old Andre farm |
| 22 | The light of papa's farm goes out |
| 23 | My first camping |
| 24 | Two battles |
| 25 | News from Flock |
| 26 | Marie in the sunset |
| 27 | Papa's ghost |
| 28 | Mama becomes mayor |
| 29 | Parting in the flowered woods |
| 30 | Beautiful May!!! |
Music
| Title | English Title | Performer | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wakakusa no Charlotte | Charlotte of the Young Grass | Kumiko Kaori | Opening Theme |
| Mei Furawaa | Mayflower | Kumiko Kaori | Ending Theme |