antiallamericanghoul

This anime was one of the many shojo anime that was adapted from a Western novel and introduced to Japanese girls of the Showa and Heisei era (but mainly Showa). "Daddy Long Legs" is not a story many Westerners are familiar with, which was one of the reasons I was super excited to see this anime back in spring 2021. Before watching it I was just watching "Princess Tutu" on Prime Video but left it for this anime because I was worried this anime was going to get taken down (since it was on YouTube) and "Princess Tutu" was slowly getting on my nerves. I never finished "Princess Tutu" btw.

I remember seeing the classic Hollywood movie starting with the lovely Leslie Caron and Fred Astaire. It was that movie that introduced me to the story! I wasn't too crazy about the movie. I'm not even sure if I finished the movie. I saw it back in 2016. All I remember is that the movie was lovely to look at and Leslie Caron, as always, was a cutie. I was super psyched to watch this anime since I didn't enjoy the movie much. I knew before watching this anime it would hold a special place in my heart (especially since this was my first retro shojo non-magical anime ever. I adore the animation! It wasn't done in the typical anime style that was usually seen in Showa era shojo anime. This anime looks as if it was released a lot earlier than 1990. I also love the opening song AND the ending song. Both of them are perfect and catchy and, for some reason last year, both these songs popped into my head and I'd sing along to them. This hadn't happened since I last saw the show in 2021. Now the songs will occasionally pop in my head, and it still happens to this day.

This anime holds a cherished spot in my heart. I watched it just moments before everything fell apart for me. I mean well the gates of hell had already opened before I was watching it anyway, but the anime was as a pleasant distraction until things took a turn for the worse after I completed it. I'm thankful that the show wasn't around during the more challenging times; if it had been, it would have brought back unpleasant and unbearable memories. Whenever I reflect on or think about this series, I can't help but wear the biggest and dumbest grin.

The biggest flaw I have with this anime is the main characters' hairstyles. Like Pippi Longstocking, she is a redhead, but why give her a similar hairstyle?? Why not give her the Anne of Green Gables treatment? Why the Pippi treatment? Why did the animators do her dirty like that? Her hairstyle was too juvenile and comical. Especially since this is a coming-of-age story, we get to see her grow up at the end....with that hairstyle still there...(I cannot remember if she changed it at the end. I didn't think she did. Forgive me if I cannot remember I saw this four years ago, but it felt like seven years ago)

I love looking for and watching retro anime, especially the rare ones like "Daddy Long Legs". And damn, it's so sad we don't see them like that often! I know times change and styles change, but there's no argument that anime from the Showa and Heisei periods were so beautiful to look at compared to the anime we see today, which is nothing to gawk at (don't get me wrong there is still some beautiful anime out there. It's just not as much anymore. I am about substance over style any day. But the artist in me loves style too). I read on NHK news in late 2023 that the animators in the studios get treated badly and work in a harsh environments (they didn't specify if it was the same back then.) But could this be one of the reasons why we don't get that superb animation anymore?! NHK also pointed out that if those animators worked in much better environments and got treated better, anime could've been 10 times more popular than it is now. Isn't that crazy?! I hope those workers stand up for their rights someday.

Overall this anime deserves more praised. If you are curious or reluctant to watch please it go for it! Don't let my rant on that Pippi hairstyle stop you! This anime will put a smile on your face & pull your heartstrings. For me this a good show to watch in the spring or autumn. Maybe someday we'll get more realistic shojo anime like this... style with substance (just with original stories this time....!).