Line #16 YMMV/CandyCandy


1	* AdaptationDisplacement: Many didn't know ''Candy♡Candy'' was originally a series of novels.
2	* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation:
3	** Just how much does Eliza actually believe her own spiel about how Candy creates trouble wherever she goes and was responsible for [[spoiler: Anthony's death and Terry leaving for America]]? Has she actually convinced herself that Candy is the true Problem Child and that [[NeverMyFault everything bad that befalls her is her fault rather than Eliza's own?]] Or is she faking her grief over such events while really only fixated on tormenting Candy to make her life miserable ForTheEvulz and is just making an excuse for why she does so to say in front of others? She doesn't end up looking good either way, but it's left ambiguous enough that it's hard to determine if she has a legitimate mental illness/personality disorder or if she's just a JerkAss for no real reason. Episode 45 and Episode 50 in particular gives strong support to the former interpretation, but Eliza's appearances since then make the latter interpretation look more likely.
4	** [[spoiler:Many allege that Archie only dated Annie out of pity, since from day one he never showed any interest in her and was smitten with Candy instead. Volume 2 of Candy Candy: The Final Story seems to support this interpretation.]]
5	* BaseBreakingCharacter:
6	** The Regan family, mainly Neil and Eliza and their HateSink status. Some viewers find them to be LoveToHate characters and good antagonists for the series while others just flat out ''despise'' them in a way they can't even have fun with, as they feel like their perpetually two-dimensional portrayal and constant [[BreakTheCutie cruel bullying of Candy]] drags the show down. And while no one can deny that they're unlikable characters, a few might find them almost UnintentionallySympathetic due to being the products of a spoiling, enabling upbringing by their mother yet get positioned as being evil within the story despite being little more than bratty children who, unless pushed to doing worse, usually resort to simple cruel pranks.
7	** Susanna Marlowe, who many fans hate for coming between the Candy/Terry romance. On the other hand, many fans think she is a respectable character in her own right as she didn't try to come between them on purpose and was the victim of a pushy StageMom.
8	* BigLippedAlligatorMoment: Neil frames Candy for something she didn't do, and as a result she gets sent to Mexico.
9	* BrokenBase: When ''Candy Candy: The Final Story'' was released in Latin America, many Latino fans did NOT like it [[spoiler: because of the ambiguous ending, preferring that it wrap up the plot threads left open in the anime (such as Terry's disappearance)]]. Others thought it was a [[https://lacasamagnolia.wordpress.com/2020/10/11/odiando-el-final-de-candy-candy/ solid ending]], and the debate of whether it's a satisfying conclusion or not has long plagued the internet.
10	* CommonKnowledge: Many people who have never thoroughly seen the show (or hear about it from word of mouth) think it's about Candy "obsessing over boys" and endless LoveTriangle drama.
11	* DesignatedHero: Candy when she agrees to hide Charles. While it's understandable why she sympathized with him (he had mental issues), that doesn't change the fact that he committed identity fraud and beat up his own mother. Not to mention, since she aided him she can be legally punished by the U.S. penal system for accessory. We're also supposed to hate Eliza [[https://www.tumblr.com/ultraericthered/177556177580/eliza-being-a-goddamn-hero-in-all-seriousness-i?source=share for calling the cops on him]], but instead she comes off as the OnlySaneWoman.
12	* DieForOurShip: Susanna Marlowe is clingy, but she ''still'' doesn't deserve half the utter shit that fandom throws at her. Specially considering that [[spoiler: she saved Terry's life and lost her leg ''and'' her acting career for it]] and that [[spoiler: she actually ''told Terry to go after Candy'' a while after this. It was '''Terry''' who chose to stay by Susanna's side, [[DoubleStandard and yet no one remembers it while blaming and slutshaming Susanna]]]]. '''And''' that [[spoiler: when Terry was pressured into marrying Susanna, this came '''from Susanna's mother''' and not from Susanna herself]].
13	* FandomRivalry: With ''Manga/{{Lady}}'', which is often accused of plagiarising ''Candy Candy''. However, ''Lady'' takes a different turn with the plot threads and also has a more serious tone. Some fans allege ''Lady'' is a [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome better]] [[CharacterDevelopment version]] of ''Candy Candy'', since it lacks many of the criticsms (such as the extended love triangle and the terrible ending), [[spoiler:as well as the drama of the Russells losing their wealth]]. Not helping matters is that in many parts of the world, ''Lady'' was introduced first (mainly the Middle East and Italy), leading them to accuse ''Candy'' of being the ripoff.
14	** Even worse, in UsefulNotes/SouthKorea when the ''Manga/{{Lady}}'' movie was released, the Korean dub studio realized how similar it was to ''Manga/CandyCandy'', and decided to change the name of the movie to ''Lady Candy'' (캔디레디). They also changed protagonist Lynn's name to Candy, believing that it would help the series sell more ([[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idxZbOP9EAs See here]]). This led to many Koreans confusing ''Lady'' as part of ''Candy''.
15	* FanonDiscontinuity:
16	** The Italian fans hated the BittersweetEnding ''so'' much that they forced the Italian editors to make them a sort-of GeckoEnding where [[spoiler: Candy and Terry got together again]].
17	** And the French broadcasters just didn't want [[spoiler: Anthony to die. The French dub said that he "fell from his horse and lost the use of his legs". And [[PutOnABus disappeared]].]] Two of the episodes were edited later to fix the problem, but elements of the fake story remained in some other episodes.
18	* FanNickname:
19	** Latin American fans take to calling Candy "Tarzán pecosa" (Freckled Tarzan).
20	** Look up ''any'' Platform/YouTube clip of Susanna Marlowe. You'll find Spanish-speaking fans calling her "Gusana Marlowe" ("Gusana" is Spanish for "worm")
21	* FriendlyFandoms: Despite the FandomRivalry between the two series, many fans of ''Candy♡Candy'' also adore ''Manga/{{Lady}}'' because of their similarites and dub ''Candy'' it's "progenitor". Even their respective authors, Creator/KeikoNagita and Creator/YokoHanabusa, are friends and co-wrote a manga together, ''Manga/PremierMuguet''.
22	* GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff:
23	** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HgodEd30dlo VERY]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwT2CegLsbc popular]] in Latin America (espeicially the UsefulNotes/DominicanRepublic), to the point even today some Latin American countries still air it. It is even her voice actress' most [[https://www.poresto.net/unicornio/2024/3/3/cecilia-gispert-la-voz-de-la-tierna-nina-candy-candy-entrevista-exclusiva-425034.html well-known role]]. One can confidently say that is Latin America's favourite {{shojo}}, the same way ''Anime/DragonBallZ'' is their favourite shonen.
24	** It was also popular in France where it was the very first shojo ever seen. Author Keiko Nagita even [[http://candynindunyasi.com/eng/encounterwithkeikonagita.php went to Paris]] to meet her French fans.
25	** It was so big in Italy that Italians received exclusive {{Compilation Movie}}s and [[https://www.ilbazardimari.net/recensione-libri-candy-candy-i-romanzi-italiani/ novelizations]] by Italian authors related to the series. The first two recapped the events of the series, but the last three were written by Italian authors and had completely different endings from the author's intentions.
26	** It's also quite popular (and still well-remembered) in Turkey. One of the biggest [[http://candynindunyasi.com/eng/story.php fan-sites]] is even from there.
27	** It was popular enough in UsefulNotes/SouthKorea to get a [[http://www.kmdb.or.kr/movies/movie_detail.asp?nation=K&p_dataid=03531 live-action]] movie.
28	** It was also beloved in Greece for being one of the first shojo ever seen (like France), and even the manga was released there.
29	* HarsherInHindsight: [[spoiler: Many fans wanted Susanna to be killed off for coming between Candy/Terry. ''Candy Candy: The Final Story'' reveals that she actually did die (of illness), as her obituary is mentioned in a newspaper Candy reads.]]
30	%%* IronWoobie: Candy, Archie.
31	* JerkassWoobie:
32	** Terry. His issues are pretty severe and understandable, but he brings a lot of misery ''on himself''. And sometimes he makes Candy suffer a '''lot''', too.
33	** Eliza and Neil had their moments of this early on, being the products of a toxic, spoiling, and enabling upbringing by [[RichBitch their mother]] that turned them into [[SpoiledBrat bratty children]] with [[RichInDollarsPoorInSense no understanding of how to socialize with anyone outside their class]] (for Eliza it's most evident during the St. Paul Boarding School arc), but this ultimately fizzled out in favor of keeping them straight-up Jerkasses instead. Neil [[BaitTheDog seemed to be becoming one again]] when he discovered he had feelings for Candy, [[JerkWithAHeartOfJerk but NOPE]], he's still a raging asshole.
34	** [[BetaBitch Louisa]] as well. One can't help but feel for her in Episode 50 when she's recalled from school and breaks down in sobs, feeling like she was unable to become a true lady like she felt pressured to become.
35	* MainstreamObscurity: One of the most game-changing {{shojo}}s of all time, yet its lack of a proper English dub and old age has resulted in this. Nowadays it takes word of mouth for its popularity to spread.
36	* MemeticMutation:
37	** "Give my daughter's leg back!"[[labelnote:Explanation]]Susanna Marlowe's mom says this after she breaks her leg. Many people found this line hilarious because of how absurd it sounded[[/labelnote]]
38	** In Latin America/Mexico, there's a common saying "Candy sufría más que cualquier heroína de telenovela mexicana" (Candy suffers more than lead heroines in Mexican telenovelas) because of how much endless {{melodrama}} there is.
39	* {{Moe}}: One of the earliest examples of this trope. Candy combines her sweetness with HeartwarmingOrphan and ThePollyanna.
40	* MoralEventHorizon:
41	** Neil's ScarpiaUltimatum to Candy; and ''just'' as we were led to think [[LoveRedeems there might be some hope for him]]. And specially considering that after said ultimatum, [[LoveMakesYouEvil he insists that he loves Candy more than anything]]. [[StalkerWithACrush Uhm, Neil,]] [[EntitledToHaveYou things don't work that way.]]
42	** Eliza has several moments of [[KickTheDog dog kicking]], but her worst actions are framing Candy '''and''' Terry to get Candy expelled from St. Paul School (though Candy and Terry's gullibility did them no favors there), threatening to send a hospital bill she's fined Candy with to Pony's Home (where she knows the people there aren't wealthy enough) should Candy not get enough money to pay the fine in time, and scheming with her mother Ruth to [[SlutShaming get Candy's reputation smeared]] because after she takes the amnesiac Albert into her household. Geez, what a spoiled little ''bitch.''
43	** Ruth also crosses the line by getting the hospital Candy works at to fire her or she'll have their funding cut.
44	* PeripheryDemographic: A girls show that Latin American boys were more than willing to watch.
45	* ShipToShipCombat: The cat fights, scuffles and screaming matches between Candy/Terry and Candy/Albert shippers ''subsist to this very day''.
46	* {{Squick}}:
47	** A friend of Candy's is pushed by his father to get married at 17. That's odd enough but not AS terrible... until you see that the "bride" is a girl who is ''very'' clearly under 10. Candy says it's strange, the little girl was shown to be uncomfortable, and the father ended up admitting it's not right.
48	** It may also be a case of ArtisticLicenseHistory - even with the ValuesDissonance about rich people marrying younger than the standard, it's still '''too''' ridiculously young.
49	%%* StoicWoobie: Albert,and [[spoiler: Frannie]] after learning her backstory.
50	* TearJerker:
51	** Anthony's death.
52	** Stear's death
53	** "Separation on a snowy day" (A.K.A the episode that definitely [[ShipSinking sinks]] the relationship between Candy and Terry) is this for many viewers. It's so well done that ''even those who don't ship Candy x Terry'' are moved.
54	* TooBleakStoppedCaring:
55	** More than one watcher/reader ended up getting tired of all the relentless, neverending, borderline ridiculous melodrama surrounding Candy's life and ended up dropping the series. [[spoiler:One of the biggest examples of this is when after pages and pages of abuse, we see Neil potentially reforming. Until nope! He's a [[VillainousCrush bastard]] [[IfICantHaveYou all]] [[ScarpiaUltimatum along]].]]
56	** Additionally, there's also the fact that Eliza never changes over the course of the anime and continues being an over-the-top HateSink, with Candy always the more gullible to fall for her schemes. Whereas in the novel Eliza eventually gets bored of the schtick and fades out of Candy's life.
57	* UnintentionallyUnsympathetic: Charlie Sanders in episodes 81 and 82. We're meant to feel for him and view him as a JerkassWoobie, but the fact that he's hiding from the law and gets Candy to harbor him in his hospital room thanks to having faked being Terry, his constant belligerence, his willingness to want to commit ''murder'' (even if his targets to be would be AssholeVictims), and the reveal that he physically assaulted his own mother before leaving her do a lot to negate any sympathy viewers could feel for him.
58	* ValuesDissonance:
59	** Candy White Ardley and her best friend Annie Brighton are being mocked for being adopted children. To a modern Western audience this would come off as odd at best and downright cruel at worst. However, when you consider the time period of the show and the fact that it comes from Japan, where adoption, even now, is not looked on favorably by some, the ridicule becomes more understandable.
60	** [[spoiler:Neil's VillainousCrush on Candy which is revealed in the last leg of the series. Many Westerners were {{squick}}ed out about it because Candy was adopted as his sister.]]
61	* ValuesResonance: A shoujo manga from TheSeventies that isn't necessarily centered ONLY on romance '''and''' tells people that they can be whatever they want to be in life, as long as they work hard for it? While the latter theme is not entirely new, it might seem more reminiscent of a modern work.
62	* DarthWiki/WhatAnIdiot: The BoardingSchool that Candy, her love interest Terry, her rival Eliza and others attend has separate dorms for men and women ''and'' strict rules about not allowing any boy/girl meetings after class. Candy, at some point, gets a letter that apparently comes from Terry, asking her to meet up with him outside the dorms at night.\
63	'''You'd Expect:''' Candy to try confirming with Terry whether the letter was written by him or not. This is a VERY straightlaced school that's located in London ''and'' the timeframe is Edwardian England right before UsefulNotes/WorldWarI, so there will be HUGE consequences if they get caught.\
64	'''Instead:''' She doesn't. As a result, [[spoiler: she stupidly goes to the supposed meeting spot, meets up with a very confused Terry who got a similar letter supposedly coming from '''her'''... and they get caught by the nuns, who believe they're fooling around and decide to both ground them ''and'' kick them out for breaking the rules. And unsurprisingly, this was all a plan by SmugSnake AlphaBitch Eliza, who wanted to get the two in trouble [[ForTheEvulz just for the lulz]]. [[TheBadGuyWins And succeeded beyond her wildest dreams.]]]]
65	%%* TheWoobie: Annie, Patty, Anthony and Susanna

Context YMMV / CandyCandy