# Little Women II: Jo's Boys

Little Women II: Jo's Boys, also known as Wakakusa Monogatari Nan to Jō Sensei (若草物語ナンとジョー先生, "Tale of Young Grass: Nan and Miss Jo") is a 1993 Japanese animated television series based on Louisa May Alcott's Little Men, produced by Nippon Animation. The title is taken from Jo's Boys, the title of the sequel to Little Men, on which the series is also partially based.
The series is the sequel to the studio's 1987 Tales of Little Women, an adaptation of Alcott's novel of the same name.

## Plot

Josephine March has grown into womanhood about ten years since Tales of Little Women and is now married to the German Professor, Friedrich Bhaer. In the Plumfield farm-house that Aunt March had left her, Jo Bhaer has established a new school for her two sons, Robby and Teddy, nephews (Franz, Emil, Demi-John), niece (Daisy) and a gang of orphaned children, including Annie "Nan" Harding and a rough, street-wise adolescent named Dan. With the experience of a model childhood and a faithful and caring husband, Jo guides her pupils in their young lives; with song, music and play, the children are led through the joys and sorrows of life, work and play, rewards and punishments, getting involved in all sorts of mischief and adventure.

## Cast and characters

The original voice cast is:

### Bhaer family

* Annie "Nan" Harding (voiced by Hazuru Matsukura): The main character of this anime.
* Josephine "Jo" Bhaer (née March) (voiced by Eiko Yamada): Second main character of this anime.
* Fritz Bhaer (voiced by Yōsuke Akimoto): Jo's husband.
* Robin "Rob" Bhaer (voiced by Yuriko Fuchizaki): Jo and Friedrich's five-year-old son.
* Theodore "Teddy" Bhaer (voiced by Kyōko Minaimi): Jo and Friedrich's three-year-old son.

### Brooke family

* Margaret "Meg" Brooke (née March) (voiced by Keiko Han): Jo's eldest sister, John Brooke's wife, and Daisy and Demi's mother.
* John Brooke (voiced by Toshihiko Kojima): Meg's husband and Laurie's former teacher, he dies in the story.
* Margaret "Daisy" Brooke: John and Meg's daughter, and Demi's twin sister.
* John "Demi" Brooke (voiced by Kyoko Yamada): John and Meg's son, and Daisy's twin brother.
* Josephine "Josie" Brooke: John and Meg Brooke's two-year-old daughter, Jo and Friedrich's niece, and Daisy and Demi's sister.

### Laurence family

* Amy Curtis Laurence (née March): Amy attends the funeral of Meg's husband, John.
* Theodore "Laurie/Teddy" Laurence (voiced by Nobuo Tobita): Amy's husband and good friend of Jo.

### Others

* Jack Ford (voiced by Tsutomu Kashiwakura): A boy who stole Tommy's money and ran away, leaving a letter confessing of his crime.
* Franz Hoffman: One of Fritz's nephews.
* Emil Hoffman: Franz's fourteen-year-old brother.
* George "Stuffy" Cole: An overweight boy.
* Daniel "Dan" Kean (voiced by Nobutoshi Hayashi): A rebellious friend of Nat.
* Mary-Ann (voiced by Kayoko Fujii)
* Tommy Bangs (voiced by Minami Takayama)
* Nat Blake (voiced by Mariko Ikegami): A boy who is a violinist.

## Broadcast

Jo's Boys aired on Fuji Television on Sundays from 17 January to 19 December 1993 as part of Nippon Animation's World Masterpiece Theater.

## International titles

* Mulherzinhas II (Portuguese)
* Los chicos de Jo (Spanish)
* Missis Jo und ihre fröhliche Familie (German)
* Petite bonne femme (French)
* Una classe di monelli per Jo (Italian)
* Wakakusa Monogatari Nan to Jou Sensei (若草物語 ナンとジョー先生) (Japanese)
* Маленькие женщины (Russian)
* نوار (Arabic)
* 新小婦人 (Chinese (Taiwan))

## Music

The opening theme ("Ashita mo otenki") is performed by Akiko Kosaka.

## Episode list and original air dates in 1993

The original broadcast list of episodes is:
* Welcome to Plumfield (January 17)
* Rivers and fields are the best classrooms! (January 24)
* Picking strawberries and the dark forest (January 31)
* The appointed box (February 7)
* The violinist's performance (February 14)
* Tommy Bang's business (February 21)
* I am Robinson Crusoe (February 28)
* First time making pumpkin pies (March 7)
* Gift for the toy king (March 14)
* The big war in pajamas (March 21)
* The rotten youth from town Dan (April 18)
* Plumfield's thunderstorm (April 25)
* Duel! Emil got angry (May 2)
* Dan and Teddy's secret (May 9)
* Buttercup's mayhem (May 23)
* The school's on fire! (May 30)
* So long, Dan! (June 6)
* Mother's here (June 13)
* Welcome to the dance (June 20)
* If we grow up what shall we be? (June 27)
* Please hit the teacher! (July 11)
* Letter from Mr. Page (August 1)
* The abandoned flower garden (August 8)
* Afraid to freely speak (August 15)
* Establishing a museum (August 22)
* I am not the thief! (August 29)
* Broken friendships (September 5)
* Words of explanation (September 12)
* Won't lose to a boy! (September 19)
* Clock sounds of a little wedding (September 26)
* Best way to use five dollars (October 17)
* I want to be a doctor! (October 24)
* Regarding father's decision (October 31)
* The ambassador on a snowy day (November 7)
* In the middle of a blizzard (November 14)
* Dan searches for a strong horse (November 21)
* Premonitions of going on a journey (November 28)
* Everybody's decisions (December 5)
* Naughty Jo riding a bicycle (December 12)
* Goodbye, Plumfield! (December 19)

## Reception

The series received generally positive reception, and it was described as "beautiful" and "thought-provoking", with a story that can appeal to both younger and older audiences. The French website Planet Jeunesse gave a positive review, mainly commending its fidelity to the source material and the focus on the main character Nan.