Chiisana Love Letter: Mariko to Nemunoki no Kodomo-tachi
Japanese title: 小さなラブレター まり子とねむの木の子供たち
Alternative titles: A Little Love Letter, A Little Love Letter: Mariko And The Children Of The Silk Tree
Type: TV Special
Source: Unknown
Episodes: 1
Status: Finished Airing
Aired: Dec 22, 1981
Duration: 1 hr 24 min
Rating: PG-13 - Teens 13 or older
Producers: TV Asahi
Genres: Drama
Themes: Music, School

A follow-up to the same studio's Helen Keller anime, A Little Love Letter kept the handicapped theme but focused on a wholly Japanese story. During the 1970s, actress Mariko Miyagi became heavily involved in the Silk Tree Academy (Nemunoki Gakuen), a rehabilitation center for disabled children. She appeared in several live-action films to promote the project, including The Silk Tree Ballad, Mariko-Mother, and Children Drawing Rainbows. This anime charts the 14-year period of Miyagi's stewardship of the academy and her relationships with several of the children. Divided into four seasonal chapters, the film uses highly realistic character designs based on the actual people involved and features storyboarding from the versatile Star Blazers-director Noboru Ishiguro.

(Source: AnimeVice)