Or as we like to call it, Char of Clean Stables
- You are hope, Charlotte— Japanese theme song
Charlotte (若草のシャルロット, Wakakusa no Charlotte, "Charlotte of the Young Grass") is a 1977 anime series produced by Nippon Animation and Asahi Broadcasting Corporation. The anime ran from October 29, 1977, to May 29, 1978, on ABC, TV Asahi and other stations, ending at 30 episodes. Episodes were broadcast every Saturday from 19:00 to 19:30 (JST). Eiji Okabe served as the director, while Shunichi Yukimuro served as the scriptwriter and Shinya Takahashi served as the character designer. It is notable for being Nippon Animation's first attempt at a Shoujo anime, followed by Haikara-San: Here Comes Miss Modern.
Set in a rural Quebec, Canada, the anime tells the story of Charlotte "Char" Montburn, an ordinary girl who lives with her father, Andre. They both manage the ranch that Andre has built, and love taking care of all the animals there. On her 12th birthday, Charlotte learns that her mother, Simone, actually isn't dead - she has been living in France, and hopes to reunite with her and Andre soon.
The ship Simone arrives to Canada falls victim to a storm, and Charlotte's father dies saving her. Charlotte is now orphaned and has no one to rely on. Things take a turn when her uncle Albert arrives to Canada, promising her that her mother is alive and he can help her find her, but only if she comes to France with him. Charlotte agrees, and it turns out she's been deceived. Thus starts her journey of making it back to Canada with all the odds stacked against her side...
Not to be confused with that Charlotte. Or that Charlotte. Or The Boys spin-off series Gen V that also has a character named Marie Moreau.
It is also known for being the first anime in history to ever take place in Canada. Yes, even before Anne of Green Gables (1979).
Charlotte (若草のシャルロット, Wakakusa no Charlotte) has examples of:
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Tropes A-K
- Accidental Good Outcome: Charlotte being taken to France under false pretenses. She eventually manages to convince her grandfather, who ordered her to be kidnapped, into seeing reason and letting her go, and eventually make peace with Simone.
- Alternative Foreign Theme Song: Here
's the Italian one, sung by Alessandro Zambrini, alongside with the choir of Piccoli Cantori di Milano. It also has one in Tagalog, dubbed by GMA-7. - Ambiguously Related: Mareux believes that Charlotte is his long-lost daughter because he was forced to give one of his daughters up for adoption, and she was around Charlotte's age. He doesn't have many clues about her, but knows that she was adopted by a ranch owner in Canada. Unfortunately for him, it turns out to be a red herring. His real daughter is actually Marie Moreau.
- Ambiguous Time Period: The setting obviously screams "rural Canada" but the time period remains a mystery. It could be the 1970s like when the anime was made, but it could also be during one of the many waves of Franco-Canadian immigration.
- Biological Parent Reunion: Charlotte Montburn was raised by a single father all her life. The anime begins when after a long time, her mother arrives from France to reunite with them.
- Birthday Episode: The anime begins on Charlotte's birthday, and her doting dad gifts her new clothes alongside positive news - her mother is coming to see them. Charlotte is hesitant about meeting her at first because she believes she abandoned her, but her father explains that it wasn't her choice.
- Bittersweet Ending: Charlotte's farm is saved and she and her mother return to manage it. However, Knight announces that he is leaving Canada to be with his fiancée Stella. Sandy also leaves to study under the Marquis, vowing to return someday after he's made a name for himself. Charlotte is forced to say goodbye to them both through Broken Tears, having never gotten the chance to confess her love to the latter, though the story leaves the door open for Sandy's return.
- Coming of Age Story: It'ss about Charlotte standing on her own two feet after her parents go missing and their messy past comes to light. It tackles the Culture Clash of her Canadian upbringing contrasted to her noble French origins, her grandfather's controlling behaviour tearing the family apart and the power struggle left behind due to her father's disappearance, ending when she's successfully matured into a successful ranch owner caring for her mother - and then her first heartbreak occurs.
- Close-Knit Community: The Quebecois village that Charlotte lives in is this. After her father dies, many villagers do their best to show up for Charlotte, and it's not uncommon for elders to act as Parental Substitutes for the kids.
- Downer Beginning: Charlotte learns that she's the result of a disastrous marriage and her parents die afterwards. Or do they?
- Dub-Induced Plotline Change: The Italian dubs (both of them) make Marie a Princess, and dub her "Principessa Marie".
- Dramatic Irony:
- By the end of the anime, Char and Marie's positions have completely reversed; while Marie and her father live by themselves in Canada, Char is now part of a noble family and has to watch the love of her life leave to another country. This time it's Char who cries seeing him leave, but unlike Marie, she never reveals her true feelings for him.
- To twist the knife, the man Marie loved left their native France for Canada, and man Char loved left their native Canada for France.
- Earn Your Happy Ending: After a long journey, Charlotte and Simone are able to reunite. Charlotte's grandfather sees the error of his ways and apologizes for holding Charlotte in France against her will, giving her his blessing to move back to Canada. Albert is also kicked out of the family after his attempt to frame Char for a crime goes horribly wrong.
- Flowers of Nature: Quebec is full of flowers, and Charlotte even wears some in her hair to show how she's close to nature. They go well with the many Woodland Creatures.
- Gray-and-Black Morality: On the "white" side we have Charlotte, an innocent and vulnerable soul who wouldn't hurt a fly. She is an Animal Lover, having been raised on by Andre to care for animals, and is seen as a Cool Big Sis by all the kids of the village. On the "black" side, we have a landlord who tries to con her out of her rightful inheritance, his equally stuck-up, snooty daughter. On the "gray" side, we a haughty Alpha Bitch from her days in France, who wants to burn her ranch and all the animals inside it because she holds a grudge over something Charlotte didn't do. Thankfully, this is prevented by the village's protests. Just as it looks like Marie is about to exact the rest of her vengeance, she has a chance encounter with Char's friend Mareux, who turns out to be her true father. Marie rejects him at first because she's fraught with shock, but soon recognizes him as her father and turns over a new leaf.
- Kill the Cutie: Post-Time Skip, The sheep, rabbits, deer, birds and various animals at Charlotte's ranch die due to an illness.
Tropes L-Z
- Lethally Stupid: In the first episode, the neighbourhood kids start a forest fire because they set off fireworks to celebrate Char's birthday.
- Melodrama: Charlotte is coloured by the drama behind the main character's status as one of the Montburns, the inherited wrath of those who hated her father. There's also the constant question of whether her mother, Simone, truly is alive, and if Charlotte can find her.
- Moose and Maple Syrup: According to this anime, Canada is a big snowy wonderland full of friendly big animals and lots of French speakers. Which actually isn't that far off.
- Murder by Arson: Andre Montburn murders the Marquis' pedigree horses by setting fire to the stable and then locking it.
- Phenotype Stereotype: The Canadians are usually depicted as dark-haired while the European characters are mostly blondes.
- The Reveal:
- Knight is the younger brother of Mylène. He trying to help Andre to make up for the grief his sister is causing, knowing that she is a spoiled, violent-tempered woman.
- Marie Moreau is the daughter of Char and Sandy's old friend Mareux.
- Ridiculously Cute Critter: After her father goes missing, Charlotte searches for him and comes upon a cute little hamster she names "Spica". He looks like a golden and white pound of fluff.
- Scenery Porn: All over the place. Quebec is very green and lush, and it helps that Charlotte was brought up on a ranch, where there's guaranteed to be a lot of cute animals and flowers.
- Shoujo: It's a Cinderella-style story of a girl who's part of a French noble family, though she rejects her aristocratic origins and is content with her ordinary life in Canada.
- Shout-Out: Char goes to Prince Edward Island in one episode.
- Social Services Does Not Exist: Justified since this is pre-modern era Canada, and there's no consequences for the Montburns kidnapping Charlotte and holding her in France.
- Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: Because she's an orphan, the costs of the ranch become too much for Charlotte to keep up with, and she's forced to sell it to Marie.
- Tender Tomboyishness, Foul Femininity: Charlotte is a tomboy, and is a kind Friend to All Living Things. Marie, on the other hand, is a girly Alpha Bitch who throws tantrums when she doesn't get her way, manipulates everyone around her and taunts Charlotte about her low status.
- Token Religious Teammate: One of the members of the village Close-Knit Community is a Priest.
- Truth in Television: French emigrants to Canada were a real thing, and are the reason why it's a Francophone country. Quebec, where the series takes place, is also notorious for its large amount of French-speaking immigrants, to the point it's spoken more than English.
- Woodland Creatures: Though the Montburns manage a farm, they have their fair share of these, such as rodents, rabbits and deer.