Little Women (1981 TV series)

Little Women
	The March sisters, clockwise from lower right: Jo, Amy, Beth, and Meg.
若草の四姉妹; (Wakakusa no Yon Shimai)
Genre	Romance, School
Anime television series
Directed by	Kazuya Miyazaki
Produced by	Juzo Tsubota
Written by	Eiichi Imado
Music by	Takeo Watanabe
Studio	Toei Animation; Kokusai Eiga-sha
Licensed by	NA Enoki Films
Original network	Tokyo Channel 12 (1981)
Original run	April 7, 1981 – September 29, 1981
Episodes	26 (List of episodes)
	Anime and manga portal

Little Women, also known as Little Women's Four Sisters (若草の四姉妹, Wakakusa no Yon Shimai) or From "Little Women Story": Little Women's Four Sisters (「若草物語」より若草の四姉妹, "Wakakusa Monogatari" Yori: Wakakusa no Yon Shimai), is a 1981 Japanese animated television series adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's 1868-69 two-volume novel Little Women. The series is directed by (a veteran Toei director whose credits included Cutie Honey and UFO Robo Grendizer among others) and produced by Toei Animation for the Kokusai Eiga-sha (Movie International) company.

The series was produced as a follow-up to a TV special based on Alcott's novel the previous year by the same animation studio. The TV series character designs differ slightly from those of the TV special; Jo, for example, while she is blonde in both versions, has curled hair rather than straight hair in the TV series.

This series is sometimes confused with Nippon Animation's 1987 World Masterpiece Theater TV series Tales of Little Women, as both series were dubbed in English and broadcast on U.S. cable TV in the 1980s (the 1981 series on CBN, and the 1987 series on HBO). In addition, both TV series share a voice actress: Keiko Han, who plays Beth in this TV series, and Meg in the 1987 series.

Characters[]

Jo (ジョー, Jō): Voiced by: Mami Koyama

Meg (メグ, Megu): Voiced by: Yuko Takagi

Beth (ベス, Besu): Voiced by: Keiko Han

Amy (エミー, Emī): Voiced by: Chiyoko Kawashima

Father (父, Chichi): Voiced by: Takashi Tanaka

Mother (母, Haha): Voiced by: Akiko Tsuboi

Hannah (ハンナ, Hanna): Voiced by: Nana Yamaguchi

Lawrence (ローレンス, Rōrensu): Voiced by: Yonehiko Kitagawa

Laurie (ローリー, Rōrī): Voiced by: Tsubasa Shioya

Narrator (ナレーター, Narētā): Voiced by: Taeko Nakanishi

Production[]

Staff[]

Series director: Kazuya Miyazaki
Script: Eiichi Imado
Character designs: Joji Kikuchi
Animation directors: Joji Kikuchi, Takeshi Shirado
Backgrounds: Tadami Shimokawa

Music[]

Openings

"Where There's Happiness" (しあわせさがして, Shiawase Sagashite)
- April 7, 1981 - September 29, 1981
- Lyricist: Jun Takita / Composer: Takeo Watanabe / Arranger: Yushi Matsuyama / Singers: Mitsue Kondo
- Episodes: 1-26

Endings

"Jo's Dream" (ジョーの夢, Jō no Yume)
- April 7, 1981 - September 29, 1981
- Lyricist: Juzo Tsubota, Jun Takita / Composer: Takeo Watanabe / Arranger: Yushi Matsuyama / Singers: Mitsue Kondo
- Episodes: 1-26

Broadcast[]

This TV series aired on Tokyo Channel 12 from April 7, 1981 to September 29, 1981, totaling 26 episodes. It aired from 18:00 to 18:30 on Tuesdays. While this series has been released on VHS, it has not been released on DVD in Japan due to the original film negatives being damaged.

#	Title	Original airdate
1	"Christmas Eve in the March House" Transcription: "Māchi Ka no Kurisumasu Ibu" (Japanese: マーチ家のクリスマスイブ)	April 7, 1981 (1981-04-07)
.
2	"Angels in Boots" Transcription: "Nagagutsu wo Haita Tenshi" (Japanese: 長靴をはいた天使)	April 14, 1981 (1981-04-14)
.
3	"Jo's Boyfriend" Transcription: "Jō no Bōifurendo" (Japanese: ジョーのボーイフレンド)	April 21, 1981 (1981-04-21)
.
4	"Beth's Transformation" Transcription: "Besu no Henshin" (Japanese: ベスの変身)	April 28, 1981 (1981-04-28)
.
5	"Stuck-up Amy's Expulsion Incident" Transcription: "Kidori-ya Emī no Taigaku Jiken" (Japanese: 気取り屋エミーの退学事件)	May 5, 1981 (1981-05-05)
.
6	"Confrontation: Jo VS Amy" Transcription: "Tairitsu: Jō Tai Emī" (Japanese: 対立・ジョーVSエミー)	May 12, 1981 (1981-05-12)
.
7	"Dance at the Lawrence Home" Transcription: "Rōrensu Ka no Budōkai" (Japanese: ローレンス家の舞踏会)	May 19, 1981 (1981-05-19)
.
8	"Meg Caught in a Trap" Transcription: "Wana ni Hamatta Megu" (Japanese: 罠にはまったメグ)	May 26, 1981 (1981-05-26)
.
9	"Editorial Meeting in the Attic" Transcription: "Yaneura no Henshū Kaigi" (Japanese: 屋根裏の編集会議)	June 2, 1981 (1981-06-02)
.
10	"Jo's Cooking Duty" Transcription: "Jō no Ryōri Tōban" (Japanese: ジョーの料理当番)	June 9, 1981 (1981-06-09)
.
11	"Picnic" Transcription: "Pikunikku" (Japanese: ピクニック)	June 16, 1981 (1981-06-16)
.
12	"Laurie's Troubles" Transcription: "Rōrī no Nayami" (Japanese: ローリーの悩み)	June 23, 1981 (1981-06-23)
.
13	"A Group of Refugees" Transcription: "Nanmin no Mure" (Japanese: 難民の群れ)	June 30, 1981 (1981-06-30)
.
14	"Beth and the Canary" Transcription: "Besu to Kanariya" (Japanese: ベスとカナリヤ)	July 7, 1981 (1981-07-07)
.
15	"Jo's Secret" Transcription: "Jō no Himitsu" (Japanese: ジョーの秘密)	July 14, 1981 (1981-07-14)
.
16	"Meg is Now an Adult" Transcription: "Otona ni Natta Megu" (Japanese: おとなになったメグ)	July 21, 1981 (1981-07-21)
.
17	"Mrs. March Chooses a Foster Daughter" Transcription: "Māchi Oba-san no Yōjo Erabi" (Japanese: マーチ伯母さんの養女選び)	July 28, 1981 (1981-07-28)
.
18	"The Field Hospital Raised in Town" Transcription: "Machi ni Dekita Yasen Byōin" (Japanese: 町にできた野戦病院)	August 4, 1981 (1981-08-04)
.
19	"Lawrence's Tales of Old Times" Transcription: "Rōrensu-san no Mukashi Banashi" (Japanese: ローレンスさんの昔ばなし)	August 11, 1981 (1981-08-11)
.
20	"Jo's Fantasy" Transcription: "Jō no Fantajī" (Japanese: ジョーのファンタジー)	August 18, 1981 (1981-08-18)
.
21	"Jo's Fantasy 2" Transcription: "Jō no Fantajī Tsū" (Japanese: ジョーのファンタジー2)	August 25, 1981 (1981-08-25)
.
22	"Ominous Telegram" Transcription: "Fukitsuna Denpō" (Japanese: 不吉な電報)	September 1, 1981 (1981-09-01)
.
23	"Don't Die Beth" Transcription: "Besu Shinanai de" (Japanese: ベス死なないで)	September 8, 1981 (1981-09-08)
.
24	"Angel's Lullaby" Transcription: "Tenshi no Komoriuta" (Japanese: 天使の子守唄)	September 15, 1981 (1981-09-15)
.
25	"Amy's Will" Transcription: "Emī no Igonjō" (Japanese: エミーの遺言状)	September 22, 1981 (1981-09-22)
.
26	"Spring in Concord" Transcription: "Konkōdo no Haru" (Japanese: コンコードの春)	September 29, 1981 (1981-09-29)
.

External links[]

Little Women (anime) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
Enoki Films' Wakakusa no Yon Shimai (Little Women) page

show v t Louisa May Alcott's Little Women (1868–69)
Film	1917 1918 1933 1949 1994 2018 2019
TV series	Little Women (1950) Little Women (1958) Little Women (1970) Little Women (1978) Little Women (1981 Japanese) Tales of Little Women (1987 Japanese) Little Women (2017)
Other media	Little Women (musical) Little Women (opera)
Trilogy	Little Men Jo's Boys
Related	Little Women II: Jo's Boys March Little Men (TV series) Little Men (1934 film) Little Men (1940 film) Little Men (1998 film) Dear My Girls Jo's Boys (TV series)

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