The thrills and adventures of Lassie: reviews and recommendations

All-round information and reviews of Famous Dog Lassie - Meiken Lassie

■ Public Media

TV anime series

■ Original Media

novel

■ Broadcast period

January 14, 1996 - August 18, 1996

■Broadcasting station

CX, Fuji TV

■Frequencies

half an hour

■ Number of Episodes

Episode 26

■Original Story

Eric Knight (Kaiseisha Bunko "Lassie")

■ Director

Director: Sunao Katabuchi

■ Production

Nippon Animation

■Works

©NIPPON ANIMATION CO.,LTD. "Lassie" © Classic Media, Inc.
LASSIE is a registered trademark of Classic Media, Inc. All rights reserved.

■ Story

John, who lives in the coal mining town of Greenall Bridge in England in the mid-1930s, finds a lost puppy named Lassie and starts raising him. Eventually, John and Lassie make friends with Priscilla, the granddaughter of the mine's owner, the Duke of Rudling, and spend happy days together. However, the mine is no longer able to produce coal, and it is decided that the mine will be closed. John goes to Rudling to try to persuade him to reconsider the closure, but in exchange, Lassie is taken away to Scotland. However, feeling sorry for Lassie, who misses John, Priscilla unlocks the cage and sets Lassie free. Now free, Lassie begins her long journey back to John.

■Explanation

Based on the children's book "Lassie Come-home" by Eric Knight. This was Sunao Katabuchi's directorial debut, but the ratings were poor and the series was canceled after 26 episodes. It ended with mostly John's daily life, and the story's central event, Lassie's journey from Scotland, was hardly depicted.

■Cast

・John/Narumi Hidaka ・Sam/Akio Nojima ・Melissa/Rihoko Yoshida ・Colin/Mayumi Tanaka ・Sandy/Hazuru Matsukura

■ Main staff

・Producer / Koichi Motohashi・Production manager / Hisakazu Motohashi・Planning / Kenji Shimizu (Fuji Television), Shoji Sato・Music / Masanori Sasaji・Director / Sunao Katabuchi・Producer / Sen'ya Suzuki (Fuji Television), Akio Yogo・Screenplay / Aya Matsui, Hideki Mitsui・Character design / Satoko Morikawa・Animation director / Yoshiharu Sato, Tsuyoshi Inoue, Masaru Oshiro・Art director / Shigeru Morimoto・Art setting / Kazue Ito・Director of photography / Seiichi Morishita, Horo Shi Kumagai・Sound recording director / Sadayoshi Fujino・Storyboard / Sunao Katabuchi, Katsumi Terahigashi, Masakatsu Iijima, Shinichi Watanabe・Color design / Akiko Koyama, Hisayo Kozakai, Chieko Oshiro・Animation check / Ko Sato, Sato Sato・Animation / Oh Production, Noboru Takano, Tetsuya Ishikawa, Akiko Yamaguchi, Chie Uratani Others・Finishing / Studio Robin etc.・Background / Atelier Roku, Studio Aqua・Photography / Studio Twinkle, Frame Pot・Sound Production / Audio Visual System, Tetsuo Ono・Mixer / Chiaki Sato・Effects / Fizz Sound, Akihiko Matsuda・Recording Studio / Takuto Studio・Development Lab / IMAGICA
・Title/Michikawa Akira ・Positive editing/Natori Shinichi ・Negative editing/Ueno Hidetoshi ・Assistant directors/Nishida Kenichi, Nagai Yuji ・Production desk/Sato Kenichi ・Production assistants/Sobue Seiji, Tomioka Tetsuya, Miyawaki Masanobu, Kitazaki Kenji, Higuchi Yoshihisa

■ Main Characters

John Caraclough is a boy who is kind-hearted, has a strong sense of justice, and is full of courage. He met Lassie when he was 9 years old. He prefers running around outside with Lassie to studying at school. He is also emotional and has a bossy side, but he is often absent-minded, perhaps because he is an only child or because of his personality.
Lassie is a female collie dog. She was just a puppy when she met John, but as she grew up she started picking John up from school every day, and became a popular dog in the town. She is John's loyal friend and an important member of the Caracrow family.
Sam Caraclosion's father. He is a coal mine office worker and an enthusiastic researcher. He studies the geological layers to combat the threat of the mine closing.
Melissa John's mother. She is Dr. Hopper's nurse. She is a cheerful and reliable mother.
Collingion's best friend. The son of the village grocery store, general store, private post office, and jack-of-all-trades. He loves reading and is always reading. He is knowledgeable and a theorist, but he can be a bit timid.
・She lives half a mile away from Sandy John's house across a ranch, and they are childhood friends. She is a tomboyish, strong-willed, and reliable girl. She is also fashionable, and sees John, who is the same age as her, as a child, so she often talks down to him and sometimes acts like his older sister.
Priscilla is the granddaughter of the Duke of Rudling, who owns the coal mines. She is elegant and graceful, as you would expect from a young lady from an upper class family. She feels lonely living away from her parents. She meets John and Lassie at the Duke's villa and becomes friends with them.

■Subtitle

・1/You're Not Alone 1996/01/14
2/The Big House-Sitter 1996/01/21
3/Goodbye Lassie 1996/01/28
4/Dad's Payday 1996/02/04
5. Six Miles in Search of a Treat 1996/02/11
6. Run Through the Storm 1996/02/18
7. Catch the Muffler Thief 1996/02/25
8. I hate Lassie 1996/03/03
9. The Tomboy Lady from the Sky 1996/03/10
・10/Baking a cake for the first time 1996/03/17
11/Priscilla: The Last Selfish Indulgence 1996/04/21
12/Who Started the Fire? 1996/04/28
13/Is Sandy a cow thief? 1996/05/05
14/Follow the mysterious giant 1996/05/12
15/Prove Iron's Innocence 1996/05/19
・16/Hurry! Save Dr. Hopper 1996/06/02
17/Mr. Curry's Marriage 1996/06/09
・18/Big commotion! Circus elephant escapes 1996/06/17
・19/Colin's First Love and Treasure 1996/06/23
20/Oh no! My mother collapsed 1996/06/30
・21/I want to see my grandma 1996/07/07
・22/John's Determination・Save the mine! 1996/07/28
・23／Go for it, save John Lassie! 1996/08/04
・24/Missing・Look for Lassie! 1996/08/11
・25／Welcome Back Lassie 1996/0818
・26/Run towards your dreams --------------

■ Theme songs and music

・Opening: "Never-ending story"
Lyrics: Kyoko Tomita; Composition: Chihiro Kiryu; Arrangement: Masanori Sasaji; Singer: Jun Morioka (Tricle Records)
・Ending/"Boy's Hill"
Lyrics: Yukinojo Mori; Composition: Chihiro Kiryu; Arrangement: Masanori Sasaji; Singer: Jun Morioka (Tricle Records)

Review and Recommendation

"Lassie" is a TV anime series produced by Nippon Animation that aired in 1996 and is based on the children's book "Lassie Come-Home" by Eric Knight. This work is also known as the directorial debut of Sunao Katabuchi, but it ended up being canceled after 26 episodes due to low viewer ratings. However, the content, characters, and story are full of charm, and it is a work that should be reevaluated.

First, let's talk about the story. Set in the 1930s British mining town of Greenall Bridge, the story depicts the heartwarming friendship between a boy named John and a lost puppy named Lassie that he finds. John and Lassie make friends with Priscilla, the granddaughter of the Duke of Rudling, who owns the mine, and spend happy days together. However, when the decision is made to close the mine, John goes to Rudling to negotiate directly, and as a result, Lassie is taken away to Scotland. Freed with Priscilla's help, Lassie embarks on a long journey back to John in this moving and poignant story.

However, it seems that one of the reasons for the low viewer ratings was that the essence of the original work was not fully conveyed. In the original work, the central episode is Lassie's journey from Scotland, but in the anime the focus is on John's daily life, and the lack of depiction of Lassie's journey may have left viewers feeling unsatisfied. Nevertheless, the human drama depicted through the bond between John and Lassie and their interactions with the people around them was fascinating enough to move viewers.

There are also many unique and charming characters in the series. The main character, John, is kind-hearted and has a strong sense of justice, and he has built a deep bond with Lassie since he met her at the age of nine. Viewers sympathize with his way of preferring to play with Lassie over studying at school, as well as his emotional and bossy side. Lassie is also portrayed as John's loyal friend and an important member of the Caraclough family. As she grows, she becomes a well-known dog in the town, making her a beloved character for viewers.

John's family and friends are also fascinating. His father, Sam, is a dedicated researcher who works as a mine clerk and is shown to be fighting the threat of mine closure by studying the geological layers. His mother, Melissa, works as a nurse for Dr. Hopper and supports her family as a cheerful and reliable mother. John's best friend, Colin, is a bookworm and knowledgeable theorist, but also has a slightly timid side. His childhood friend, Sandy, is a tomboyish, strong-willed and reliable girl who sometimes acts like an older sister to John. And Priscilla, the granddaughter of the Duke of Rudling, is elegant and demure as a daughter of an upper-class family, but she feels lonely living away from her parents. The human drama woven by these characters deeply moves the viewer.

There are also many noteworthy points about the staff. Director Katabuchi Sunao would later gain acclaim for his work on Mai Mai Shinko and In This Corner of the World, but this was his directorial debut and we can see a glimpse of his talent. Many staff members who would later go on to lead the anime industry, such as character designer Morikawa Satoko, and animation directors Sato Yoshiharu, Inoue Ei, and Oshiro Masaru, participated in the production. The beautiful melodies of music by Sasaji Masanori also add depth to the story.

Let's also touch on the theme songs. The opening theme, "Owaranai Monogatari," was written by Tomita Kyoko, composed by Kiryu Chihiro, arranged by Sasaji Masanori, and sung by Morioka Jun, and is a beautiful song that enhances the moving feeling of the story. Similarly, the ending theme, "Shounen no Oka," was written by Mori Yukinojo, composed by Kiryu Chihiro, arranged by Sasaji Masanori, and sung by Morioka Jun, and is a song that symbolizes the bond between John and Lassie. These theme songs leave a deep impression on viewers, further enhancing the moving feeling of the story.

The first and foremost reason to recommend this film is the heartwarming friendship between John and Lassie. Lassie's long journey back to John will move viewers to tears. The human drama depicted through John's interactions with his family and friends is also fascinating and deeply moving. Another thing not to be missed is that this is Sunao Katabuchi's directorial debut. This film, which gives a glimpse of his talent, is a must-see for anime fans.

This work can be enjoyed by both children and adults. Children can learn about the friendship between John and Lassie and the importance of bonds with family and friends. Adults can enjoy the nostalgic Showa era atmosphere and the depth of the human drama. Another attraction is that it gives you a glimpse into the behind-the-scenes of anime production and the talents of the staff.

However, this work ended up with low viewer ratings. Possible reasons for this include the fact that it did not fully capture the essence of the original work and that there was little depiction of Lassie's journey. However, this work is still full of charm and deserves to be reevaluated. It is important to look closely at the appeal of the content, characters, and story, rather than evaluating it based solely on the viewer ratings.

Finally, here are some recommended points to watch when watching this film. First, enjoy the heartwarming friendship between John and Lassie. Second, enjoy the human drama depicted through John's interactions with his family and friends. Third, pay attention to the fact that this is Katabuchi Sunao's directorial debut. Furthermore, don't miss the fact that it's a film that can be enjoyed by both children and adults, and that it gives you a glimpse into the behind-the-scenes of anime production and the talents of the staff. By keeping these points in mind while watching, you will be able to get the most out of this film.

Although "Lassie" ended up with low ratings, its content, characters, and story are full of charm. There are many points that should be reevaluated, such as the heartwarming friendship between John and Lassie, the depth of the human drama, and a glimpse of Sunao Katabuchi's talent. Please watch this work and feel its charm.