I absolutely adore this series! Granted, I haven't read the original book, but from what I hear this anime took lots of liberties with it and changed a lot of things. I have seen the 1977 anime, and I definitely like it, but I like this version just as much. It's so sweet and charming and full of great messages, and can be pretty darn sad when it wants to be. True, it's not perfect, but nothing ever is, and just because this anime is very different from its source material doesn't make it automatically bad, and it's not like there wasn't any effort put into making it into a nice anime for kids to enjoy. Why can't shows like this be aired in America?! Some things could be improved upon, like developing one of the villains more, exploring back stories of some characters, making other characters less one dimensional, explaining some things better, and polishing the story somewhat. But even with its flaws and drastic changes, I love it very much, and I think other people should really give it a try if they see it as its own entity and appreciate what it does right instead of nitpick at everything and lambaste it for not being faithful to the text (if you want a more faithful version, watch the 1977 version, which is just as good). I created the TV Tropes page for this because it really needs more love. It deserves it!
A sweet series that Needs More Love!
I absolutely adore this series! Granted, I haven't read the original book, but from what I hear this anime took lots of liberties with it and changed a lot of things. I have seen the 1977 anime, and I definitely like it, but I like this version just as much. It's so sweet and charming and full of great messages, and can be pretty darn sad when it wants to be. True, it's not perfect, but nothing ever is, and just because this anime is very different from its source material doesn't make it automatically bad, and it's not like there wasn't any effort put into making it into a nice anime for kids to enjoy. Why can't shows like this be aired in America?! Some things could be improved upon, like developing one of the villains more, exploring back stories of some characters, making other characters less one dimensional, explaining some things better, and polishing the story somewhat. But even with its flaws and drastic changes, I love it very much, and I think other people should really give it a try if they see it as its own entity and appreciate what it does right instead of nitpick at everything and lambaste it for not being faithful to the text (if you want a more faithful version, watch the 1977 version, which is just as good). I created the TV Tropes page for this because it really needs more love. It deserves it!