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40
TV
Finished Airing
Jan 17, 1993 to Dec 19, 1993
Nan Harding is the new student at Mr. and Mrs. Bhaer's school. Everyone thinks that she is a pain in the head, but not Mrs. Jo. Together with the other kids, they all embark on their personal adventures and misfortunes while learning in school. (Source: ANN)
6.5/10
Average Review Score
50%
Recommend It
2
Reviews Worldwide
Short review for those that discovered the story of Little Women with the anime and consider following up with this one. Should you watch it? Probably not The first reason is because there is a huge amount of content skipped (the entire book called âGood Wivesâ) making this anime feels like it shares almost nothing in common with the first anime and doesnât even include a summary to help you know what happened to the four March sisters. The only recurring character is Jo who had a 180° change of character, from a tomboyish girl who didnât believe in love and wanted to be an independent woman,writing books for a living, she turns into a tender and caring mother figure taking care of problem childrenâs in Plumfield, making her feel like sheâs just not Jo. There are some brief moments there and there where her former personality comes back to the surface but these scenes occur way too rarely to really matter which is a shame because they prove to be quite enjoyable. *Meg and John also make a brief appearance in the series but have so little influence on the plot theyâre not really worth mentioning The second reason would be its linearity and lack of progression. While essentially it can seem that it isnât a big problem as a lot of WMT shows have plenty of stand-alone episodes that werenât useful and didnât contribute to the grand narrative, I canât help but feel it was a waste being this way in this anime. The premise of the show I find is actually quite promising as it is good opportunity to build a coming of age story, the plot being actually similar to GTO with Jo acting as a special teacher for children and helping them overcome their problems. And this is where I was heavily disappointed, it spends so much time on random slice of life episodes that their development feels scarce and they get stuck in their basic archetype introduced at the beginning. When the end finally comes, it feels mostly undeserved as their aspirations and plan for the future are crammed into the last few episodes of the show instead of being gradual, the only exception being Dan. It feels even more of a waste by the fact that Little Women actually had all that, each of the four sisters personality felt complementary and the plot moved in a satisfying way, prioritizing their developments and reactions to the different events surrounding them. Had they kept the same approach and direction to the story, it certainly wouldâve been much more satisfying to follow. This review probably sounds more negative than I want it to be, I think it stands perfectly average in the realm of World Masterpiece Theater anime so you can definitely have fun with it. Just try to keep in mind that if you want to get a better enjoyment of it, either consider it as a standalone or maybe read the missing part of the novel.
Click an episode to read its synopsis.
âTrain up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.â â Proverbs 22:6 âŠor something like that. Bible quotes aside, Wakakusa Monogatari: Nan to Jo Sensei is a great anime about teaching children to have a love of learning and to bring out their full potential. Of course, it is on the optimistic side, sometimes to the point of sacrificing some realism, but itâs a childrenâs show, the optimism is part of the charm. That said, the show doesnât shy away from introducing some pinches of tragedy into the story, along with covering some moremature topics regarding poverty and sexism in an era before women could vote. Set in the New England countryside just before the 20th century, the show is a nice change of pace from typical Japanese high schools, but thatâs to be expected from a World Masterpiece Theatre anime. The open fields of grass and crops dotted with trees and ponds surrounding the wooden school really add the showâs magic and make it feel so cozy. Regarding the original Ai no Wakakusa Monogatari, this show is quite detached. Itâs much more like its own thing that happens to have some of the original characters in it than a proper sequel, for better or worse. If all youâre looking for is closure on the original show, then you might be disappointed to learn how little continuation there is here. But on the other hand, it also means you can watch this show without seeing the original (Iâd recommend watching both anyway).