Line #66 YMMV/PrincessSarah


1	%% Administrivia/ZeroContextExample entries are not allowed on wiki pages. All such entries have been commented out. Add context to the entries before uncommenting them.
2
3	* AccidentalAesop:
4	** ''Princess Sarah'' was released in 1985, when ''ijime'' (bullying) was a hot-button issue in Japan. Combined with Lavinia's behaviour towards Sarah, this led many fans to believe that the series was covertly dealing with this issue. However, WordOfGod says that [[http://www.pelleas.net/int/int1.shtml this was purely unintentional.]] In the interview linked to above, he points out that some fans went overboard with this -- one fan even sent the writer a razor blade, with the message "Stop bullying Sarah!" Kurokawa took this in stride, seeing it as a sign that viewers were connecting with the characters.
5	** Lavinia's voice actress, Eiko Yamada, also recalled that ''she'' received a lot of hate mail because her character was just ''that'' odious. Fortunately for her, the next time she worked with Kurokawa, on ''[[Anime/AiNoWakakusaMonogatari Little Women]]'', she was cast as Jo, and didn't have to play another villain.
6	** The last episode is explicitly stated to forgive your enemies, but to many modern viewers it is often interpreted [[spoiler:that [[FairWeatherFriend some people will only be nice to you]] when you have a lot of money and in high status. Some have also interpret that you can only solve huge problems and gain friendship by [[EveryManHasHisPrice giving them money.]]]]
7	* {{Adorkable}}: Becky. Her CuteClumsyGirl tendencies and her genuine excitability over Miss Amelia giving her one of her old hats is quite endearing.
8	** Peter can be this as well. On top of providing some of the series' lighter moments, he is also quite a loyal friend to Sara, doing what he can to help her out as an ally outside the Seminary. He also blushes profusely when he takes Sarah's hands in episode 19, all but outright stating he's [[PuppyLove got it bad for Sara]].
9	* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation:
10	** Is Sarah an AllLovingHero or an ExtremeDoormat?
11	** Most fans of this show clearly identify with Sarah and see her as a strong character. However, according to [[http://www.pelleas.net/int/int1.shtml an interview with Fumio Kurokawa]], the director, she wasn't really meant to be a role model (in fact, he views her as rather passive), and both Miss Minchin and Lavinia have admirable qualities and are not meant to be one-dimensional villains. This is partly supported by the little that we see of the two characters' backstories -- Miss Minchin's difficult childhood, and Lavinia's parents.
12	** Miss Minchin, Lavinia, James, and Molly in the final episode. [[spoiler: Did they actually have a change of heart, or were they just trying to keep up appearances yet again and salvage whatever dignity that they lost in an attempt to spare themselves further embarrassment?]]
13	* BaseBreakingCharacter:
14	** Sarah. While there are many people who praise her for her kindness and endurance, some of them dislike her for being [[ExtremeDoormat too sweet and passive]], as opposed to the good-hearted but assertive figure she is in the book (or other adaptations such as the 1995 film, which has Sara being an outspoken MouthyKid towards her antagonists). The fact that her personality seems to be more inclined towards [[YamatoNadeshiko Japanese sensibilities]] than Western sensibilities and her decision [[spoiler: to [[EasilyForgiven forgive her abusers]] in the final episode]] lead her to this.
15	** Ermengarde is a similar case. She's either a great friend who supports Sarah, or she's just timid, especially when it comes to watching her friend being abused and doesn't do much to stop it in many episodes.
16	** Lottie. On one hand, she's one of the few characters who try to help Sarah and is not scared to tell Lavinia off in front of everyone (while all the other good guys are mostly {{Extreme Doormat}}s). On the other, she's a clingy, loud, and whiny TagalongKid and many of her scenes are just plain annoying.
17	** Becky is this for some viewers. Mostly due to the fact that she's often seen crying and being passive whenever Sarah is in trouble. On the other hand, she tries to intercede on Sarah's behalf whenever she can (and it's implied the only reason she can't do more for Sarah is because it would jepordize her family, as she is revealed to be their sole source of income).
18	** Peter. Many viewers consider him a great addition to the show for being a comic-relief, helping Sarah in many episodes, and giving Sarah a glimpse of life outside her sheltered bubble but some felt he just merely exist to be Sarah's love interest and DeusExMachina.
19	** Amelia herself is this. Many people like her for being one of the nicest adults in the show and understands Sarah's poor situation. Others criticize her for being useless, despite having the qualities that are desirable in a good teacher, she demonstrates her inability to stop her sister from abusing Sarah in most episodes. [[spoiler:Though she gets better in the next-to-last episode, as she is the only one of the good guys to GrewASpine and tell Miss Minchin off.]]
20	* BrokenBase:
21	** The series' finale is a subject of much controversy. [[spoiler: There are people who think that Ms. Minchin and Lavinia deserved to be forgiven especially the former gives her a FreudianExcuse. Then there are others especially to those who read the book version think that Ms. Minchin and Lavinia have no excuse for their behavior towards Sarah and her friends. There are also some viewers who are okay to forgive those two but didn't like the idea of giving Ms. Minchin a lot of money and making friends with Lavinia]]. The fact that WordOfGod [[http://www.pelleas.net/int/int1.shtml left their fates ambiguous]] will likely to leave fans warring over that issue for a long time.
22	** The show in general. While it is considered as one of the best entries in ''World Masterpiece Theater'' series, there are some people who dislike it since there are some characters that tend to be unlikable. How Sarah's personality handled and the show's controversial finale are the major point of contention.
23	* CatharsisFactor:
24	** Lavinia, who has been bullying Sarah so much received [[spoiler: a slap from her father]] in Episode 20.
25	** Episode 45. It's very satisfying to see [[spoiler: Miss Minchin break down after she saw Sarah wearing a gorgeous gown in Mr. Carrisford's mansion]]. Not to mention [[spoiler: [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech Amelia's verbal lashing]] to her sister]] in the same episode.
26	* CrossoverShip: Some viewers like to ship Sarah with Cedie, the main character from another WMT entry ''Anime/LittlePrinceCedie'', citing that they're both rich and kind-hearted. Sometimes, she is paired with Sterling, the main character of ''Anime/RascalTheRaccoon''.
27	* DeathOfTheAuthor: Kurokawa admitting on his interview that he views Sarah as a passive character and considered Miss Minchin as a main heroine caused irk to some viewers. Some of them lamented that the show would be better if it was directed by a woman instead of him.
28	* EnsembleDarkhorse:
29	** Monsieur Dufarge. Being one of the few truly good supportive adults in the show definitely helps. Some viewers lamented why [[spoiler: he doesn't show up in the last episode.]]
30	** Lavinia's father only appears in one episode but the viewers highly praise him. At first, he seems like the typical DotingParent who does nothing but spoil his bratty daughter, but then it becomes clear that he [[spoiler: doesn't approve of his daughter bullying Sarah, to the point that he slaps her, finally giving Lavinia some comeuppance for her actions and averting AdultsAreUseless.]]. His actions are recognized to the point that he was given a cameo in a Japanese WMT and Kraft Parmesan cheese collaboration commercial.
31	* EsotericHappyEnding: The series ends with an uplifting ending but in some viewers' eyes, it looks rather disappointing. [[spoiler: While it could be acceptable to forgive, the fact that Sarah rewarded Ms. Minchin a lot of money and then befriends Lavinia who bullied her in most episodes made viewers cringe. Sarah also seems to ignore that her friends were also victims of those people. The add insult to injury, WordOfGod admits that Sarah's efforts to change them are likely to end up futile and doesn't tell when will they do so.]]
32	* FridgeLogic: Sad to say, but even a series of this quality is not immune to the Curse of the Refrigerator. [[spoiler:Near the end of the series, the DeusExMachina Mr. Carrisford, feeling sorry for the girl in the attic next door -- whose identity he does not yet know -- asks a dressmaker to make her some nice clothes. This dressmaker is ''the same one who sold Sarah and her father her precious doll, Emily, right at the beginning'', and he has already met her after her fall from grace (episode 34) and ''knows that her father is dead.'' A simple question from Carrisford at this question would have saved him -- and Sarah -- several days of misery. Of course, this allows TheReveal to be postponed for dramatic effect, and sets up the events leading up to Sarah's expulsion, which are among the most moving in the series.]]
33	* GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff:
34	** Filipino fans love ''Princess Sarah'' and re-runs of them are not uncommon. The Filipinos even made a live-action movie back in 1997 based on the anime, and a children's ''teleserye'' in 2007, which took even more creative liberties with fantasy elements thrown in.
35	** It was also wildly popular in Saudi Arabia and the Arab world under the name Sally (سالي), and was often re-run in The90s and 2000s. On November 19, 2020, Netflix MENA added ''Princess Sarah''[='=]s Arabic dub to their collection.
36	-->'''Arabic Wikipedia page for ''Princess Sarah'':''' This cartoon series is considered one of the most successful cartoon series dubbed into Arabic because it contains a very profound idea, the transition of man from the stage of wealth to poverty, which does not mean the end of the world, and that hope and faith are capable of transforming the worst circumstances into the most beautiful ones.
37	** Same for France. It's one of the numerous anime originally aired in TheEighties that gets the most re-runs.
38	* HilariousInHindsight: Lavinia is voiced by Eiko Yamada in the original Japanese dub and by Paola Tovaglia in the Italian dub. In the [[Anime/TheStoryOfPollyannaGirlOfLove next WMT anime]], they both get to dub the same character again, who also happens to be [[CrossDressingVoices a boy]].
39	** In Episode 16, Miss Minchin is depicted as a deformed tree in Lottie's nightmare. Taeko Nakanishi (Miss Minchin's Japanese voice actress), would later dub as the Hell Tree in ''[[Franchise/SailorMoon Sailor Moon R]]'' series.
40	** The director mentioned that there was supposed an episode where Sarah has to search for Emily who is missing, but decided against it thinking it could make Sarah look egoistic. Cue Filipino live-action movie version, said scene was actually included.
41	* MemeticMutation:
42	** Owing to GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff above, in mid-September 2014, Filipino fans started making {{Image Macro}}s using screencaps from the series (with occasional cameos from other ''Anime/WorldMasterpieceTheater'' characters), with the text typically making up a random context for the screencap. As of October 1, 2014, [[https://www.facebook.com/pages/Princess-Sarah-Memes/693917080699661 the meme's Facebook page]] has over 116,000 likes. A particular recurring one involves a screen of everybody standing around Sarah as she reads a letter. Said letter typically reads like a text message, answering machine, or anything that can be done by a modern phone. Sarah is turned into someone who has an obsession with PeelingPotatoes, frequently being shopped into photos of [=McDonald's=] fries, or of Potato Corner, a popular kiosk franchise that sells fries. Else, the text just has her somehow talking about potatoes (or peeling them). The meme has brought the series back into the Filipino public consciousness and daytime variety shows have started doing skits parodying the series. Additionally, ABS-CBN, the network that first aired it in the 1990's, has begun to show reruns.
43	** Arab fans who were unhappy with the ending consider [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1MNUEvHxHY this ending canon]].
44	* {{Moe}}: Sarah (who goes from a pampered girl to HeartwarmingOrphan, while never losing her kindness) and Becky (a poor PluckyGirl who is very lovely and friendly).
45	%%* SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome:
46	%%** Anytime one of Lavinia's schemes to make Sarah's life even more miserable [[HoistByHisOwnPetard backfired on her]] - in particular the moment mentioned under CatharsisFactor above, and Lavinia's attempt to steal Emily from Sarah, which ended with Lavinia being chastised by her classmates for stooping so low and forced to give the doll back.
47	%%** [[spoiler:Miss Amelia's ReasonYouSuckSpeech to her domineering older sister]] in episode 45.
48	* MoralEventHorizon:
49	** Lavinia crossed this line when [[spoiler: she [[{{Sadist}} gleefully tells Lottie that Sarah is ill and dying.]]]] Her friends Jessie and Gertrude [[EvenEvilHasStandards could never agree for what she said]].
50	** Miss Minchin crosses the line when she forces Sarah to sleep in the horse stable. In winter. After Sarah just recovered from pneumonia.
51	* NeverLiveItDown:
52	** Miss Minchin. Her character is forever known as someone who has an obsession with money and good luck finding anyone who understands her. Her [[spoiler: sudden change when she received a lot of money from Sarah]] in the last episode didn't help.
53	** In the Philippines, many people thought that Sarah likes or is always forced to peel potatoes due to the famous meme related to the show. To be fair, she was seen peeling potatoes in the show once but it doesn't stop many people for bringing it up because ''it was too funny to forget''.
54	* NightmareFuel: In episode 16, "Lottie's Adventure", there is a scene in which Lottie has a nightmare and runs to Sarah for comfort. This nightmare involves deformed trees that turn into Miss Minchin and Lavinia's faces, and a wolf that tries to eat her (Lottie plays the role of Little Red Riding Hood in the dream). Pretty scary stuff for children, and it was censored in the French dub.
55	* SignatureScene: Sarah [[spoiler: leaving the Seminary]] after being physically and verbally abused by Miss Minchin. That scene is used as source material in some fan art and official Japanese home video covers.
56	* TheyChangedItNowItSucks: There is a portion of fans who read the novel who don't like how Sarah is portrayed in this version. Some of them also dislike how the ending in the anime is different compared to the original.
57	* ToughActToFollow: The reason why the next few entries in ''World Masterpiece Theater'' received decent or mixed reception is that ''Princess Sarah'' is fondly remembered for its heavy drama and over-the-top moments.
58	* ToyShip: It's made pretty obvious to the viewer that Peter (clearly a pre-teen) has a schoolboy crush on Sarah (aged 11), and he often helps her out of tight spots, including [[spoiler: aiding her in sending a letter to the Bombay police to inquire about her father's death]]; the scenes of the pair talking together on the bridge exemplify this trope. Towards the end, he actually takes her into his home when she is cast out of the Seminary.
59	* UnintentionallyUnsympathetic:
60	** According to series director Fumio Kurokawa, Miss Minchin is not meant to be seen as a villain. However, many fans thought that even her FreudianExcuse fails to make her forgivable. It doesn't help that it's left ambiguous whether Minchin actually changed for the better or not.
61	** Similarly, all of Sarah's antagonists who [[spoiler: suddenly become her "friends" in the finale are this to many viewers, especially Lavinia and her two-faced GirlPosse. Their HeelFaceTurn comes off as forced and insincere, and it's pretty clear that they are merely {{Fair Weather Friend}}s who only care about Sarah when she's powerful. Like in Miss Minchin's case, the viewers were disappointed to see them EasilyForgiven by Sarah so easily, after they have spent most of the series bullying her.]]
62	* ValuesDissonance: Many viewers were put off by how Sarah chose to [[spoiler: give £100,000 to Miss Minchin and make friends with Lavinia as [[EasilyForgiven a part of her forgiveness]] despite that she was tormented by them in many episodes.]] None of this ever happened in the book and this was probably changed to appease Japanese audiences.
63	* WinBackTheCrowd: After the poor reception of ''Anime/LucyMayOfTheSouthernRainbow'', ''Anime/AlpsStoriesMyAnnette'' and ''Anime/KatriGirlOfTheMeadows'' in Japan, ''Princess Sarah'' was made more dramatic and over-the-top in order to win back the audiences.
64	* TheWoobie:
65	** Sarah deserves the most hugs out of everyone in the show. She is basically enslaved and the endless TraumaCongaLine she goes through at the hands of Miss Minchin and Lavinia is seriously horrifying. Considering how she manages to be still hopeful and patient for most of the story (coming close to the DespairEventHorizon only once before the end), she also qualifies as an IronWoobie.
66	** In the early episodes, before the story started putting Sarah through hell, Becky was the main woobie: a NiceGirl who works as a maid to support her poor family and is often mistreated by the staff (though it's nothing compared to the abuse Sarah will suffer later on). Even after Sara becomes the main Woobie, she still has some sad moments, such as returning from her vacation early, despite missing her family, because she feels as if she's a burden on her family.
67	** Ermengarde, a shy, insecure, not very bright girl who is often bullied by Lavinia and her friends. Unfortunately for her, they are also her roommates.
68	** Lottie. Much of her woobieness comes from the fact that she is simply too young to comprehend what's going on around her.

Context YMMV / PrincessSarah