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Little Women (1981 TV series)

Little Women, also known as Little Women's Four Sisters (若草の四姉妹, Wakakusa no Yon Shimai) or From "Little Women Story": Little Women's Four Sisters (「若草物語」より若草の四姉妹, "Wakakusa Monogatari" Yori: Wakakusa no Yon Shimai), is a 1981 Japanese animated television series adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's 1868-69 two-volume novel Little Women. The series is directed by Kazuya Miyazaki (a veteran Toei director whose credits included Cutie Honey and UFO Robo Grendizer among others) and produced by Toei Animation for the Kokusai Eiga-sha (Movie International) company.

The series was produced as a follow-up to a TV special based on Alcott's novel the previous year by the same animation studio. The TV series character designs differ slightly of those of the TV special; Jo, for example, while she is blonde in both versions, has curled hair rather than straight hair in the TV series.

This series is sometimes confused with Nippon Animation's 1987 World Masterpiece Theater TV series Tales of Little Women, as both series were dubbed in English and broadcast on U.S. cable TV in the 1980s (the 1981 series on CBN, and the 1987 series on HBO). In addition, both TV series share a voice actress: Keiko Han, who plays Beth in this TV series, and Meg in the 1987 series.

Characters

Jo (ジョー, Jō): Voiced by: Mami Koyama

Meg (メグ, Megu): Voiced by: Yuko Takagi

Beth (ベス, Besu): Voiced by: Keiko Han

Amy (エミー, Emī): Voiced by: Chiyoko Kawashima

Father (父, Chichi): Voiced by: Takashi Tanaka

Mother (母, Haha): Voiced by: Akiko Tsuboi

Hannah (ハンナ, Hanna): Voiced by: Nana Yamaguchi

Lawrence (ローレンス, Rōrensu): Voiced by: Yonehiko Kitagawa

Laurie (ローリー, Rōrī): Voiced by: Tsubasa Shioya

Narrator (ナレーター, Narētā): Voiced by: Taeko Nakanishi

Production

Staff

Series director: Kazuya Miyazaki
Script: Eiichi Imado
Character designs: Joji Kikuchi
Animation directors: Joji Kikuchi, Takeshi Shirado
Backgrounds: Tadami Shimokawa

Music

Openings

"Where There's Happiness" (しあわせさがして, Shiawase Sagashite)
- April 7, 1981 - September 29, 1981
- Lyricist: Jun Takita / Composer: Takeo Watanabe / Arranger: Yushi Matsuyama / Singers: Mitsue Kondo
- Episodes: 1-26

Endings

"Jo's Dream" (ジョーの夢, Jō no Yume)
- April 7, 1981 - September 29, 1981
- Lyricist: Juzo Tsubota, Jun Takita / Composer: Takeo Watanabe / Arranger: Yushi Matsuyama / Singers: Mitsue Kondo
- Episodes: 1-26

Broadcast

This TV series aired on Tokyo Channel 12 from April 7 to September 29, 1981, totaling 26 episodes. It aired from 18:00 to 18:30 on Tuesdays. While this series has been released on VHS, it has not been released on DVD in Japan due to the original film negatives being damaged.