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Main characters
As a whole
Left to right: Jeanie, Stephen, Bill
- Artistic License – History:
- Jeanie MacDowell had light brown hair. In the anime, she's a blonde.
- Stephen Foster had dark brown hair. In the anime, he's a redhead.
- Babies Ever After: In the Distant Finale, Jeanie and Stephen marry and have a baby daughter.
- Blonde, Brunette, Redhead: Jeanie (blonde), Bill (brunette) and Stephen (redhead).
- Children Are Innocent: Having grown up in the tightly-knit community of Lawrenceville surrounded by loving friends and family, they have an idealized view of the world and don't consider just how tough life in the outer Americas is. For all their bragging about how they'll be successful in the future, they are stumped when things don't turn out how they expect, but they still try to make the best of it using their wits and determination.
- The Cutie: All three are precocious children with big dreams and a strong sense of justice. Stephen wants to become an esteemed man worthy of Jeanie's love, Jeanie is a Friend to All Living Things ready to help anyone, and Bill is a soft little boy who desires to be like his tough-as-nails dad.
- Male Band, Female Singer: All three of them play varying instruments, but Jeanie is the only one who sings.
- Put on a Bus: Since they all pursue different paths in life (Jeanie with medical school, Stephen with law school and Bill as a musician), Bill and Stephen are temporariy removed from the plot while it focuses on Jeanie, but we do get occasional glimpses on then.
- Token Trio: The main character is a white girl (Jeanie) and her best friends are a white boy (Stephen) and a black boy (Bill).
Jeanie MacDowell
Jeanie MacDowell (ジェニー)
Voiced by: Mitsuko Horie (Japanese), Sabrina Lerquin (French), Deborah Maghnaghi (Italian), Angela Weiderhut (German), Afifa Faour (Arabic), Unknown (Tagalog)
Jeanie
- The Ace: Jeanie is good at singing, playing the piano, captures the hearts of many of her male classmates and is a fast runner. She's also training to be a doctor.
- Break the Cutie: Her mother's death changes her into a moody person and she refuses to go to school and live as she used to, because she's torn up about losing her.
- Friend to All Children: She cares for the children at the orphanage as if they're her own, going out of her way to meet their every needs and understanding the reasons behind their behaviour. She's ready to risk her life when they're missing. She encourages the rest of the townspeople to similarly treat the children with kindness. She's so beloved that the children beg her not to go when she's finished her job.
- Friend to All Living Things: She cares for the horses at the MacDowell family stable, cares for the little fox with the injured paw, cares for all the children at the orphanage and is compassionate to no end.
- Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: Jeanie is a noble-hearted, caring girl, who treats everyone the same regardless of race and class. Even Jackson, the cook at St. Mary's who was jaded as a result of constantly being maltreated by racist white people, is touched by her kindness.
- Hospital Hottie: She's a beautiful girl and a nurse-in-training, specifically a pediatrician. Her own parents are doctors and she wishes to emulate them.
- Innocent Blue Eyes: She has a pair of pretty blue eyes and is idealistic, loving and caring to the core.
- Long Hair Is Feminine: She has long hair tied into two bunches at the front. At school, she ties it into a ponytail.
- Plucky Girl: Like no other. Diana won't let her go to medical school? She argues and convinces her to agree. The children at the orphanage play pranks on her and don't trust her? She pranks them back and impresses them, and they become her friend. A child goes missing? Jeanie convinces everyone to help find them using betting money as a reward. No matter what obstacle appears, Jeanie is ready to throw herself at it and win.
- Pink Is Feminine: She wears a pink gown with a white apron, and red ribbons in her long hair.
- Token Religious Teammate: She is a Christian and prays to Jesus whenever anyone is sick or in need of comfort. Many of her actions, such as humility and treating people with kindness, reflect the teachings of Jesus Christ himself.
- Took a Level in Jerkass: After her mother died Jeanie changed as a person, being bitter and cold to everyone including her closest friends. Her father takes her aside and speaks to her about Angela's death. Jeanie believed he was deliberately hiding her illness from her, but as they had a long talk, she understood his reasons for doing it and forgave him. She then apologized to Stephen, Bill and Robert for taking out her anger on them.
Stephen Foster
Stephen Collins Foster (スチーブン・コリンズ・フォスター)
Voiced by: Toshiko Fujita (Japanese), Ioanna Gkizas (French), Diego Sabre (Italian), Benedikt Gutjan (German), Unknown (Arabic), Bryan Homecillo (Tagalog)
Stephen Foster
- All American Boy: He works on the fields, rides horses and is a brilliant musician, and hails from rural Pennsylvania.
- Cannot Spit It Out: He has feelings beyond friendship for Jeanie, but she doesn't know. He tries to tell her, but ultimately chickens out the last second. He eventually manages to and they have their own Big Damn Kiss.
- Clingy Jealous Girl: Downplayed and subverted. While he isn't possessive towards Jeanie, he fights for her with Robert and dislikes when other men give her attention, because he Cannot Spit It Out.
- The Gunslinger: When cattle rustlers kidnap Jeanie, he's ready to use his rifle to set her free.
- Ill Girl: He comes down with a sickness at one point and Jeanie is so worried that she leaves school to visit him. He turns out to have mumps, and Jeanie catches them.
- Oblivious to Love: Julia likes him, and in her true Uptown Girl nature, she takes him to a shop to buy a fancy piano for him. He still doesn't realize she likes him.
- Satellite Character: Despite being the deutragonist, Stephen functions as a narrator for most of the anime, and spends most of his screentime fawning over Jeanie.
Bill
Bill (ビル)
Voiced by: Masami Kikuchi (Japanese), Sylvain Goldberg (French), Patrizia Scianca/Davide Garbolino (Italian), Unknown (German), Unknown (Arabic), Unknown (Tagalog)
Bill
- Break the Cutie: He tried to give Jeanie a carved wooden animal he made as a gift...only to be screamed at by her racist Private Tutor Sandra. For Bill, this was a huge loss of innocence since the MacDowells often treated him nicely. Jeanie refuses to stand for this and argues with Sandra defending Bill, and it ends up with Bill's family no longer working for them and being employed by the Fosters instead.
- Clear My Name: When a store is broken into and robbed, Bill is immediately suspected without any evidence. He's almost arrested, but another black man comes to his rescue and proves his innocence.
- Obfuscating Disability: He pretends to have a broken arm because he has creative block and doesn't feel like playing, but everyone sees right through it.
- Quirky Ukulele: He plays the banjo and is an upbeat, dapper guy.
- Token Minority: He's the only black kid out of Stephen and Jeanie's friends.
- Wide-Eyed Idealist: Bill is very optimistic at the start of the story, but the tragedies he goes through break him entirely.
- Writer's Block: A variant. He has a creative block after breaking up with his old band and loses the desire to play music.
MacDowell Family
As a whole
- Betty and Veronica: Angela is the "Betty" (a kindhearted girl-next-door) while Diana is the "Veronica" (a playful, passionate wealthy heiress).
- Good Parents:
- Frederick MacDowell, Jeanie's father, is a firm yet caring father. He also sets an example for Jeanie by opposing the racism his black friends face, and treating sick patients even if they can't pay.
- Angela MacDowell was also very loving to Jeanie, encouraged her to play music and applauded her performances. Jeanie sorely misses her after she dies and it drives a wedge between her and her father for a while.
- Happily Married: Angela and Frederick, until her death. He later took on Diana as a second wife.
- In the Blood: Frederick is a doctor and Angela is a nurse. Jeanie was training to be a nurse but later decides to be a doctor after hearing that the US' first female doctor graduated from Harvard.
- Rich Suitor, Poor Suitor: Angela is an ordinary woman who works as a nurse, while Diana was born into wealth and has never had to work a day in her life.
- Strong Family Resemblance: Jeanie inherited her "light brown" hair from Angela, though Angela's is a much darker shade.
Frederick MacDowell
Frederick (フレディ)
Voiced by: Kinryuu Arimoto (Japanese), Unknown (French), Unknown (Italian), Unknown (German), Unknown (Arabic), Unknown (Tagalog)
Frederick MacDowell
- Cool Old Guy: He is well respected by Jeanie, Stephen, Bill and the rest of the townspeople for being a humble man who treats people with kindness.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: He wants to raise Jeanie into being a respectable young woman, so while he's firm, he always acts within reason and tries to meet Jeanie halfway.
- Smart People Wear Glasses: Frederick is an accomplished doctor and pediatrician, and wears glasses.
Angela MacDowell
Angela (アンジェラ)
Voiced by: Waka Kanda (Japanese), Unknown (French), Unknown (Italian), Minna Bernales (German), Unknown (Arabic), Unknown (Tagalog)
Angela MacDowell
- Fainting: She has a heart illness, and often faints in front of Jeanie. She has to spend some days in hospice care later. Jeanie has hope that she'll pull through, but her condition already entered it's fatal stage a long time ago.
- Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: She has golden blonde hair, and like Jeanie, is an All-Loving Hero who cares about everyone she meets.
- Long Hair Is Feminine: Like Jeanie, she has long, blonde hair, but hers reaches her waist.
- Secretly Dying: She has an illness, which Frederick knew of, but hid because he didn't want to break Jeanie.
- Too Good for This Sinful Earth: She was nothing but sweet and full of love for Jeanie, Frederick and everyone around her. She died when Jeanie was just a child, after collapsing in front of her.
Diana Johnson
Diana Johnson
Voiced by: Masako Katsuki (Japanese), Unknown (French), Caterina Rochira (Italian), Christina Hoeltel (German), Unknown (Arabic), Unknown (Tagalog)
Diana Johnson
- Evil Stepmother: Subverted. While Diana and Jeanie don't get along, she still cares for Jeanie, and the root of their issues stem from their clashing personalities, not out of inherent malice on Diana's part.
- I Owe You My Life: Ever since Fredrick healed her sickly father, she's felt indebted to him and even fell in love with him. The two get married, and she starts training as a doctor for his sake.
- Ojou: She's from a very wealthy family and showered Frederick with money after he saved her father.
- Resentful Guardian: Jeanie and her stepmother, Diana, do not get along and she is sent to a convent later.
- Second Love: Frederick's, after Angela, Jeanie's mother, died of an illness.
Friends
Robert
Robert
Voiced by: Teruhisa Tsuyusaki (Japanese), Unknown (French), Davide Garbolino (Italian), Dominik Auer (German), Unknown (Arabic), Rafael Miranda (Tagalog)
The son of the mayor who's in Stephen and Jeanie's class.
- Flowers of Romance: He loves Jeanie and gives her a big bouquet of roses while they're at school to profess his romance.
- The Rival: To Stephen. They have a crush on the same girl and both ride horses, and Robert doesn't like that her heart belongs to him.
St Mary's School
Miss Garland
Liz Garland
Voiced by: Unknown (Japanese), Unknown (French), Unknown (Italian), Unknown (German), Unknown (Arabic), Unknown (Tagalog)
Liz Garland
- 0% Approval Rating: When Rosa falls down from a tree, Miss Garland blames Jeanie for it and punishes her. While the rest of the girls were never fully on Jeanie's side to begin with, they see how utterly stupid it is to blame her and begin rebelling by refusing to show up to class and break the rules until she's pardoned. Eventually the Board of Directors get involved and Jeanie's punishment is waived.
- Character Development: Started out as a cruel woman who hands out punishments willy nilly, but she is touched by Jeanie's altruism and softens up.
- Evil Redhead: She has red hair in a pouffy afro and is an unpleasant, rude and strict woman.
- Jerkass Realization: When the entire school rebels against her and she's at risk of losing her job, it finally sinks in to her just how much she's reviled.
- Sadist Teacher: She is extremely strict and punishes students for petty reasons such as "wearing a ribbon that's too flashy". Thankfully, Ms. Annamarie is the opposite.
Julia
Julia
Voiced by: Unknown (Japanese), Unknown (French), Lara Parmiani/Emanuela Pacotto (Italian), Melanie Manstein (German), Unknown (Arabic), Gwen Masilongan (Tagalog)
Julia
- Long Hair Is Feminine: She as long light brown hair that reaches to her waist, and also wears a poofy gown and pretty jewellery.
- Runaway Bride: She was engaged to a man named Marcus by her wealthy family, but ran away because she didn't want to marry him. She chose to go the St. Mary's School because she was friends with the headmistress.
- Uptown Girl: She's from a wealthy, influential family and falls for Steven, an ordinary boy from Lawrenceville. He doesn't like her back because he likes Jeanie.
Other
Dr. Samuel Jensen
Dr. Samuel Jensen
Voiced by: Unknown (Japanese), Unknown (French), Giorgio Melazzi (Italian), Unknown (German), Unknown (Arabic), Maynard Llames (Tagalog)
- Cool Teacher: He is the one who trains Jeanie on how to become a doctor.
- Friend to All Children: He offers his clinic as a substitute orphanage when it's burned down. Him and Nancy are philanthropists and manage it financially.
- Happily Married: To Nancy Conrad, who he met during his work.
