Little Women

Little Women, is an anime produced by Nippon Animation in 1987 in 48 episodes and inspired by the 1868 novel Little Women by Louisa May Alcott and in small part by the subsequent Little Women Grow Up. A sequel to this anime was produced in 1993 titled A Class of Brats for Jo based on Louisa May Alcott's subsequent novels Little Men and Jo's Boys. The series premiered on Fuji Television starting January 11, 1987 and is part of Nippon Animation's World Masterpiece Theater (Sekai Meisaku Gekijō) project. In Italy the anime was broadcast for the first time by Italia 1 in the summer of 1988 every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 20:00.

As early as 1981, Toei Animation had produced Little Women, another anime inspired by Louisa May Alcott's novel.

## Plot

The story is set in the United States during the Civil War. In a quiet village near Gettysburg, the March family lives, consisting of their mother Mary, her four daughters Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy, and their maid Hannah. George March, the head of the family, is instead at the front fighting against the Confederates. One day George returns home for a short leave following a minor injury and decides to have a picnic with his family. The quiet afternoon is interrupted by a serious setback: Jo has seen some Confederate soldiers in advance, and George is forced to return to the front.

As the days pass, the war picks up quickly and the Confederates arrive in the city following the defeat of Gettysburg. The March family, along with many others, decide to take refuge on the hills overlooking the town, to avoid contact with the defeated army. The next morning the Marks find the city, and then their home completely destroyed and the bank pillaged by the Confederates. At this point, at the suggestion of her husband, Mary and the family moved to Newcord to the home of Marta March, George's old aunt. Aunt March is a cold and severe woman and due to old grudges with George, and initially does not look kindly on her nieces, especially Jo, with her unconventional character and alien to the feminine canons of the time. However he decides to host them anyway, the minimum necessary so that they do not find a new accommodation. Mary starts looking at the real estate agency for a house suitable for their conditions, and the two older daughters look for a job. Meg will become the babysitter of the little Kings, Jo, the most enterprising, is looking for a job at the Newcord newspaper. Jo would like her novels to be published in the town newspaper, but Anthony, the assessor, seems reluctant to the idea, harshly criticizing the stories.

Mary realizes the difficult situation and with Jo's help, she will soon find a house where she can shelter the family so as to stop being unwelcome guests. But old Aunt Marta will slowly change her attitude and become attached to her nieces, even if she never explicitly demonstrates it, and when the March family moves into her new home, she will make Jo promise to visit her often.

Now the March family has a new home, and to the great surprise of Beth, a very fond of music, there is a small, slightly out of tune piano in the living room. Sure it's nothing compared to the beautiful piano Beth had in her old house, which was destroyed with the rest of their belongings, but it's still usable.

Near the house of the Marches, there is a villa inhabited by Mr. Lawrence, very rich and elderly, who is hosting his nephew Laurie to persuade him to undertake university studies. Although the boy is constantly followed and encouraged by the severe John Brooke, he does not show much aptitude for the study.

Meanwhile, Meg and Jo, the older sisters, are invited to a dance: it is their entry into society and they both receive a dress from Aunt Marta, but Jo, at home, remains too close to the hearth and burns a piece, damaging it irreparably. With a patch in her dress, she is forced, during the party, to stay on the sidelines against the wall, and that's how she meets Laurie for the first time, also hidden so as not to be noticed: from that moment, the two boys become friends.

Jo goes to visit Laurie's house, and as soon as she discovers she has a piano she manages to invite her sister Beth to play it: but Beth is afraid of Mr. Lawrence, and to make her play quiet he is forced to shut himself up in his study. Actually, to old Lawrence, Beth remembers her granddaughter, who died prematurely just when she was Beth's age. So, one fine day, Beth receives from Mr. Lawrence the very piano that her niece played before she died: from that moment the fear she had towards him vanishes, and to thank him, she gives him a pair of hand-embroidered slippers, and the two they begin to love each other like grandfather and grandson.

Amy, who is also the narrator of the story, is the younger and more spoiled sister. One day, for trivial reasons, he quarrels with his sister Jo and to make her a terrible spite he burns all the short stories that the girl had written with the intention of having them published. Jo is furious and cannot forgive her sister's stupid gesture, and since that day Jo has completely ignored her sister. One day Jo and Laurie go ice skating and Amy follows them, pretending nothing has happened: she is sincerely sorry for her gesture, but doesn't know how to be forgiven. Amy, however, deliberately ignored by her sister, goes skating where the layer of ice is thin and sinks: fortunately, Laurie and Jo save her, but Jo realizes that she was stupid to ignore her and not have warned her of the danger. This dramatic event will finally make the two sisters make peace.

Jo continues to write and Anthony finally publishes her first novel, but happiness does not last long: a telegram asks Mrs. March to go to Washington to assist her husband seriously injured and in danger of life. Jo, to find the money to pay for her mother's trip, makes a sacrifice and sells her hair. Mary accepts this token of love, even though both Mr. Lawrence and Aunt March have given her enough money to pay for the trip to Washington.

It's almost winter: Jo is cold, Meg is with the Kings and Amy at school, while Hannah is shopping. The March family has been busy giving half of their food to the Hummels for some time, a family consisting of a poor woman and seven sick children, but that day the only one who could go home to the poor family was Beth. When Hannah returns, she sees Beth walking up the stairs, red in the face and sad and Jo finds out what happened: Beth tried to save the youngest Hummel, Minna, from scarlet fever, but when the doctor arrives the little one is already dead , and poor Beth took scarlet fever to a greater extent because of her poor health. Amy, being the only one who hasn't taken scarlet fever, reluctantly lives again with Aunt Marta for a while. The doctor does not give much hope for little Beth: if the girl does not improve within three days there will be nothing to be done. Jo begs her mother to come back as soon as possible, but when Mary returns home the danger is over: Beth is healed, but she is more fragile than before. Amy, however, she can go home.

John Brooke, Laurie's teacher, and Meg have long been in love, but Jo bets Laurie that Meg could never marry him. In order not to lose the bet, Laurie writes a love letter to Meg pretending to be John Brooke without thinking about the consequences: Meg is scandalized, and Laurie suffers a good grooming from Mrs. March and then from her grandfather, but in the end everything falls into place .

The war is over, slavery has been defeated and the soldiers are returning home. Old Aunt March will disinherit her profligate nephew David, due to his gambling debts, and reconcile with his nephew George; John Brooke offers Meg an engagement which she accepts despite her aunt's protests.

Finally, John Brooke and Meg March get engaged, and the March family, along with the Lawrences, organize a wonderful engagement party. At this point Jo decides to seriously undertake a career as a journalist and writer and will follow Anthony who in the meantime had gone to live in New York. Laurie is disappointed: she believed that all this time, the feelings she felt for Jo were reciprocated, but for the girl Laurie remains only a great friend, in fact Amy's narrator will reveal in the finale that once she grows up, it will be her and not Jo to marry Laurie.

## The main characters

Margaret March (Meg)

Meg is sixteen and the eldest of the four sisters. When she and her family are forced to live in a small house in poor conditions due to the war, she becomes the babysitter of the two youngest children of the King family. She is a beautiful girl, always invited to parties, and although she does not seem, she is perhaps a bit vain and proud of her condition as a firstborn. She is friends with Sallie Gardiner, and throughout the story she will begin a relationship with Mr. Brooke (Laurie's tutor), which will eventually result in a marriage, despite Aunt Martha's opposition to it. Voiced by Keiko Han (original), Elisabetta Cesone (Italian).

Josephine March (Jo)

Aunt Martha's favorite niece is the main character of the story. Jo at the beginning of the story is fifteen and among the four sisters she is the one who has a more "tomboy" character and this will be the cause of serious discussions between her and Amy. Despite this she is a girl convinced of her literary abilities, and aims to become a writer: at the end of the story she will then follow Anthony to New York to become a journalist [1]. Jo is also a great friend of Laurie, who will fall in love with her even if it is not reciprocated. Voiced by Eiko Yamada (original), Dania Cericola (Italian).

Elizabeth March (Beth)

Beth is almost twelve years old, and she is the frailest of the sisters, so much so that she will risk death from a bad scarlet fever. Due to her poor health, she often stays indoors and is also very shy and reserved. At the beginning of the story she is afraid of the elderly Mr. Lawrence, but after a short time she realizes that the old man sees in her his granddaughter who died prematurely and slowly a relationship of grandfather and grandson is established between the two. Voiced by Mayumi Shou (original), Patrizia Salmoiraghi (Italian).

Amy March

Amy is about ten years old and the youngest of the four sisters. She is very vain and mischievous, and always quarrels with Jo. When Beth falls ill, she is reluctantly forced to live with Aunt Martha for some time to prevent her from falling ill. She is also the narrator: in the last episode she will tell that once she grows up she would marry Laurie. Voiced by Rei Sakuma (original), Anna Bonel (Italian).

Mary March

She is the mother of "little women", a strong but kind woman who never loses her head in the face of difficult situations and is always ready to help others. Having received the letter about her husband George's serious condition, she will have to abandon the family to assist him in Washington, entrusting the house to the housekeeper Hannah: it is precisely in this period that Beth will get scarlet fever and risk dying, even if on Mary's return, her little girl will now be on the mend. A few days after these last events, the war will end and George will finally be able to return home from the front making everyone happy. Voiced by Taeko Nakanishi (original), Valeria Falcinelli (Italian).

George March

He is the father of the "little women" and the husband of Mary, a person with a strong will who knows very well his duties and responsibilities. At the beginning of the story he is forced to leave his family and hastily return to the front after seeing some Southern soldiers on an advance near his city during a short leave. He will be the one to settle the family with Aunt Martha after the destruction of the house caused by the Southern attack on the city. Throughout the story, George will only make a few brief appearances: eventually he will be seriously injured and Mary will have to go to assist him in Washington. After his recovery the war will finally end and George will be able to return home for good. Voiced by? (Original), Marco Balzarotti (Italian).

Hannah

Hannah is the cook and maid of the March family, and is of African descent. She is a faithful woman who always gives great advice and never loses her head, especially when Beth gets sick. Mary trusts her very much, and it is precisely for this reason that she will entrust her daughters to her when she has to go away to assist her husband. Voiced by Hisako Okata (original), Marinella Armagni (Italian).

Aunt Martha

She is a rather stubborn rich lady, who has broken off all relations with her nephew for old disagreements that have never been settled. When Mary and her daughters move in for a short period of time with her aunt, she maintains a cold attitude towards them, accentuated by the criticisms of her nephew David, who wants to get all of her aunt's fortune for herself at the expense of her cousins. During the unfolding of the story, however, the aunt will become particularly fond of Jo and will eventually reconcile with Mr. March (in the novel she will hand over her estate into the hands of the March family). Voiced by Ranko Mizuki (original), Lia Barbieri (Italian).

Theodore Lawrence (Laurie)

Laurie is the same age as Jo, and despite being a listless and shy guy, He was forced by his grandfather to attend John Brooke's lessons to prepare for university. Become friends with Jo and her sisters and will always be close to them, in all difficult situations. Laurie is in love with Jo, but for the girl he will always remain only a great friend and nothing more. Voiced by Nobuo Tobita (original), Gianfranco Gamba (Italian).

Mr. James Lawrence

Neighbor of the Marches, he is Laurie's grandfather; a grumpy and unfriendly old gentleman who does not attract sympathy. He wants his nephew to attend university despite his constant objections and strong resistance. When Beth sneaks up to play the piano at her house, he decides to give her a much better piano than the pianola she's used to and slowly their relationship will turn into pure affection. Voiced by? (Original), Maurizio Scattorin (Italian).

Anthony Boone

Anthony works for the Plumfield publishing house, where the March family went to live after their home was destroyed. Jo knows him when he shows his stories for publication in the newspaper: he harshly criticizes them, calling them "girlish nonsense". But Jo doesn't give up bringing her more all the time until Anthony is forced to recognize Jo's talent by publishing her first novel. Later Anthony will propose to Jo to go to New York with him to study journalism: she initially refuses but in the end she will be convinced to follow him. Voiced by Kazuyuki Sogabe (original), Massimiliano Lotti (Italian).

David March

He is a distant cousin who, after Aunt Martha broke off relations with George March, is extremely condescending to the old lady for her fortune. Unfortunately, she has a gambling habit, and spends her grandmother's money going as far as blaming her innocent cousins. He is a presumptuous and proud man, who does not waste a moment to deceive his cousins, but in the end old aunt Martha, tired of his behavior, will remove him from the list of heirs and decide to give his estate to her nieces. Voiced by Kôzô Shioya (original), Enrico Carabelli (Italian).

John

He is a runaway slave. In one of the first episodes, the March family keeps him hidden at home to protect him from the Confederate army that is hunting him. He later gets a job at the Newcord paper where Anthony also writes.