YMMV / My Daddy Long Legs

• Adaptation Displacement: Many viewers outside America are more familiar with the anime version than the novel. On the other hand, this series is little known in the United States, and often confused with an earlier anime adaptation done by Tatsunoko Production eleven years earlier, which was, unlike this series, dubbed in English (to add to the confusion, Judy has red hair in both of the anime adaptations). If it helps, Judy wears her hair different in both anime.
• Awesome Music: The opening and ending themes courtesy of Mitsuko Horie.
• Base-Breaking Character:
  • Judy. While there are many viewers like her for her cheerful personality, some people think she's annoying and her personality is too different from the book.
  • Jervis Pendleton. Despite being well-liked for his appearance and sense of humor, he received plenty of flak in the recent years, mostly due to his relationship with Judy. The fact that he is revealed as "Daddy Long Legs" doesn't help.
• Broken Base:
  • While the show is considered as one of the best titles in World Masterpiece Theater, some fans think it isn't good due to have lots of classic shoujo tropes and half of its story line is filled with angst and romantic cliches.
  • Aging down the cast from college aged to high school aged has gotten this reaction as well. See Squick for why.
• Catharsis Factor: Seeing Julia's mother break down after Judy reveals her background in Episode 39. It's just glorious to watch.
• Ensemble Dark Horse: Leonora Fenton has quite a following in Japan.
• Fan-Preferred Couple: Some viewers think that Jimmie is more suitable match for Judy, considering the former is few years older than Jervis.
• Heartwarming Moments: Judy and Jervis' kiss towards the end of Episode 34.
• Just Here for Godzilla: A lot of people watch this anime because they want to see the relationship between Judy and Jervis.
• Moment of Awesome: Judy's graduation speech, where she finally lets go of her insecurities and reveals her background as an orphan. She gets unanimous applause from the audience.
• Squick: The relationship between Judy and Daddy/ Jervis was already of a nature to make audiences uncomfortable, given the Wife Husbandry that takes place. But the fact that Judy in the anime is four years younger than she was in the original novel ups the ante. Instead of being the same approximate age as Jimmie, she's now a few years younger, and she's most likely a decade younger than Jervis, and quite probably more than that. Viewers may be uncomfortable with scenes that have her flirting with a grown man when she's still in high school.
• The Woobie: Quite a few characters;
  • Judy is definitely an an Iron Woobie. She grew up in an orphanage where her creativity and education were stifled, was bullied constantly by the neighborhood children to the point where she thought even the kids who were nice to her her were making fun of her, leaving her fairly cynical about people, but still doesn't lose her plucky demeanor, though she does have a few moments of despair, such as episode 8, where she gets very sick and believes, and wouldn't be surprised, her beloved Daddy-Long-Legs doesn't really care about her or her letters.
  • Julia. Her icy demeanor is a result of her snobbish mother's upbringing and in episodes 35 and 36 highlight this. Her mother wants to take her to meet the son of a major New York banker, and actually runs away before Judy intervenes, telling her she should take control of her life, especially since Julia is in love with Jimmie. Julia also becomes much nicer after this.
  • Sadie, a girl back at the John Grier home. Miss Lippett and the older orphans held out for her to win the scholarship, but Judy gets the scholarship instead, leaving her bitter at Judy and taking it out on an older boy named Tommy when Judy gives her a nice pair of shoes, who was recently adopted by a farmer couple, telling him they'll just use him for work. She later is show to have aged out of the orphanage, and gets work as a seamstress in Atlanta, apologizing to Judy for being so resentful, promising that she'll make her own way through life.
  • Leonora Fenton, an ill girl who just wants her busy dadto spend more time with her and not buy her as much stuff to make up for his lack of attention. Hell, her father is kind of one since his business is nearly going under while trying to make sure his daughter is happy.