Penelope Season 1: A perfect balance of humor and adventure

Penelope Season 1 - Penelope

■ Public Media

TV anime series

■ Original Media

Picture books

■ Broadcast period

November 20, 2006 - December 29, 2006
NHK Educational TV November 20, 2006 to December 29, 2006 (episodes 1 to 28) Every Monday to Friday 7:25 to 7:30

■Broadcasting station

・Broadcasting/NHK Educational

■Frequencies

5 mins

■ Number of Episodes

Episode 28

■Original Story

Original story by Anne Guttman and Georg Hallensleben

■ Director

・Director: Jun Takagi

■ Production

Produced by Koichi Motohashi, Tatsuo Shimamura (Shirogumi), Tetsuro Kamemura (NHK Enterprises)
Produced by Nippon Animation, Shirogumi, NHK Enterprises

■Works

©Careless Penelope Production Committee

■ Story

Penelope is a 3-year-old blue koala girl who is curious about everything. She spends her days happily helping out on the farm, playing with friends, and sometimes getting up to mischief with her favorite stuffed rabbit, Doudou. Penelope is a bit of a forgetful person (tete en l'air). She tries on different colors for each pair of socks, doesn't notice a hole in a flowerpot and makes a dirt trail in her room, and looks for Doudou who has sunk into the bathtub and pulls out the plug... Her adorable mistakes make every day even more wonderful.

*Quoted from the official Nippon Animation website

■Explanation

This animation is based on a picture book series by French authors Georg Hallensleben and Anne Gutmann. The main character, Penelope, is a 3-year-old little blue koala who is a bit of a careless girl. She draws pictures at kindergarten, makes crepes at home, plays in the snow, helps out on the farm...she's busy every day doing fun things. But Penelope is also careless, and her adorable mistakes, like trying to go to kindergarten in her pajamas or putting her socks on her hands, make every day even more wonderful.
The first time you put on clothes by yourself, the first time you learned to count... These "firsts" and the thrilling, exciting feelings are depicted in beautiful, free-flowing colors. The leisurely time of childhood days that everyone has passed by flows by.
The original picture book, "Penelope," was first published in France in 2003 and has since been well received around the world.

■Cast

・Penelope / Akari Kudo・Dad / Taro Yamaguchi・Mother / Kikuko Inoue・Tata / Ayaka Maeda・Fifi / Naomi Ozora・Grandpa (paternal side) / Nobuaki Sekine・Grandma (paternal side) / Yoshino Otori・Grandpa (maternal side), greengrocer, conductor / Shinpachi Tsuji・Grandma (maternal side), dog's mother / Chie Sato・Lily-Rose, baby dog ​​/ Yuki Matsuoka・Cesarine, Marie-Christine / Mikako Takahashi・Stromboli / Yumiko Kobayashi・Aladdin, kindergarten teacher / Akino Watanabe・Bakery lady / Kimiko Saito・Flower shop lady / Masashi Yabe・Pharmacist lady / Kanako Tateno・Milo / Reiko Takagi・Madeleine / Fumiko Orikasa・Cesarine's dad / Toru Inada・Mr. Zebra / Ryosuke Kanemoto・Narration / Mamiko Noto

■ Main staff

・Original story: Ann Guttmann, Georg Hansleben ・Produced by: Koichi Motohashi, Tatsuo Shimamura (Shirogumi), Tetsuro Kamemura (NHK Enterprises)
・Planning: Kazuko Ishikawa, Yuichi Suwa (NHK Enterprises)
・Series composition, scriptwriter: Mitsuru Shimada・Storyboard: Jun Takagi, Ryuichi Yagi・Director: Ryuichi Yagi・Chief animators: Minako Okuguchi, Yoshinori Tagawa, Noriko Katsumata, Yumiko Tanaka・Music: Yuko Fukushima・Music production: Miracle Bus, Motofumi Komori・Sound director: Sadayoshi Fujino・Sound production: Sun Onkyo, Masakatsu Aida・Sound effects: Fizz Sound, Mutsuhiro Nishimura・Sound editing: Kazuyoshi Iino, Kazunari Tanaka・Recording studio: Omnibus Japan・Video editing: Tokyo Development Laboratory, Yoshiaki Kanazawa・Producers: Satoshi Ochiai, Naomi Tanaka (White Team), Yukihiro Toda (NHK Enterprises)
Director: Jun Takagi Produced by: Nippon Animation, Shirogumi, NHK Enterprises

■ Main Characters

Penelope is a 3-year-old blue female koala. She's very forgetful.
・Papa the yellow koala ・Mama the pink koala ・Lily Rose the yellow elephant girl ・Cesarean the polar bear girl ・Stromboli the blue dog boy ・Aladdin the tiger boy ・Milou the cousin twins of Penelope ・Madeleine the cousin twins of Penelope

■Subtitle

Episode 1: Dressing by OneselfEpisode 2: Going to KindergartenEpisode 3: Penelope Sows SeedsEpisode 4: Penelope's GreetingEpisode 5: Penelope Cleans UpEpisode 6: Penelope Goes to the SeaEpisode 7: Penelope Plays in the SeaEpisode 8: Penelope's ShoppingEpisode 9: I'm HungryEpisode 10: Penelope's ShopEpisode 11: Goodnight, PenelopeEpisode 12: Penelope Plays in the SnowEpisode 13: It's Delicious, PenelopeEpisode 14: Sing, Sing, Penelope
・Episode 15/Penelope sketches ・Episode 16/Penelope rides a bike ・Episode 17/Penelope's hide-and-seek
・Episode 18 / Penelope bakes cookies ・Episode 19 / Penelope plays with colors ・Episode 20 / Grandpa's birthday ・Episode 21 / Penelope takes a bath
・Episode 22 / Penelope takes a nap ・Episode 23 / Penelope and the twins ・Episode 24 / Penelope goes on a field trip ・Episode 25 / Santa's present ・Episode 26 / Penelope's carnival ・Episode 27 / Merry Christmas, Penelope ・Episode 28 / Penelope's Christmas party

■ Related works

・Careless Penelope Season 2 ・Careless Penelope Season 3 ・Careless Penelope Special

■ Theme songs and music

・OP1
・Opening theme for "Ucchuri Penelope" ・Composer: Yuko Fukushima

Penelope Season 1 - Detailed review and recommendation of Penelope

"Careless Penelope" is an animated work based on a picture book series written by French author Georg Hallensleben and his wife Ann Gutmann. It was broadcast on NHK Educational TV from November 20 to December 29, 2006, with a total of 28 five-minute episodes airing every Monday to Friday. The anime depicts the daily life of Penelope, a three-year-old blue koala girl, and provides children with the opportunity to learn while having fun through her inquisitive nature and small mistakes.

Story and Characters

Penelope is a three-year-old blue koala girl who is curious and active. She spends her days helping out on the farm, playing with friends, and sometimes getting up to mischief with her favorite stuffed rabbit, Dudu. Penelope is known for being "careless" and makes adorable mistakes, such as wearing different colors of socks on each foot, not noticing a hole in a flowerpot and making a dirt trail, and pulling out the plug to find Dudu who has sunk into the bathtub. These mistakes enrich Penelope's daily life and bring smiles and sympathy to viewers.

Penelope's family and friends also appear as important characters. Her father is an ochre koala and her mother is a pink koala, who watch over her as she grows up. Her friends Lily-Rose (the yellow elephant girl), Cesarene (the polar bear girl), Stromboli (the blue dog boy), Aladdin (the tiger boy), and Penelope's twin cousins ​​Milo and Madeline also add color to Penelope's adventures. These characters are portrayed as beings who support Penelope's life and help her grow.

Animation and Music

The animation of "Careless Penelope" faithfully reproduces the beautiful colors and warmth of the original picture book. The character designs and backgrounds, created by chief animators Minako Okuguchi, Yoshinori Tagawa, Noriko Katsumata, and Yumiko Tanaka under the direction of Director Jun Takagi, are full of charm that will capture the hearts of children. In particular, Penelope's facial expressions and movements realistically express her curiosity and failures, evoking empathy from viewers.

Music is also an important element in enhancing the appeal of this anime. The opening theme "Careless Penelope", composed by Yuko Fukushima, is a bright and cheerful melody that livens up Penelope's adventure. The background music for each episode is also used skillfully to match Penelope's feelings and situations, enhancing the emotions of the viewer. The team in charge of music production, Miracle Bus and Motofumi Komori, has earned a high reputation for producing music for children's anime.

Educational value

"Penelope's First Time" offers children a lot of educational value. Penelope's "first" experiences, such as getting dressed and counting by herself, give children an opportunity to feel their own growth. Penelope's failures and the lessons she learns from them teach children the importance of getting back on their feet after failure. Furthermore, Penelope's interactions with her family and friends teach the importance of sociality and communication.

This animation depicts various activities that children experience in their daily lives, such as drawing at kindergarten, making crepes at home, playing in the snow, and helping on the farm. These scenes provide children with opportunities to learn, as they can easily relate to their own experiences. Penelope's failures also convey the message to children that it's okay to fail, helping to develop a sense of self-worth.

Broadcast and audience reaction

"Careless Penelope" was broadcast on NHK Educational TV and was loved by many children and their families. The broadcast every Monday to Friday from 7:25 to 7:30 a.m. became an indispensable part of children's morning routine. The response from viewers was very positive, and Penelope's lovable character and her adventures were popular not only with children but also with adults.

Following the success of this animation, sequels such as "Careless Penelope Season 2," "Careless Penelope Season 3," and "Careless Penelope Special" were produced, further expanding Penelope's adventures. These series have also been highly acclaimed, and Penelope's fan base continues to grow.

Recommendation

"Penelope" is especially recommended for children between the ages of 3 and 6. This cartoon allows children to learn while having fun, and there is a lot of educational value to be gained from Penelope's adventures. Also, Penelope's lovable character and her mistakes will bring smiles and sympathy to children and adults alike.

What's more, this cartoon is perfect for watching together as a family. Penelope's adventures are enjoyable for the whole family and provide an opportunity to celebrate the growth of your children together. Penelope's mistakes and the lessons she learns from them send a message to the whole family that it's okay to fail, helping to strengthen family bonds.

"Penelope" is an animated series that is full of charm and will capture the hearts of children. Through Penelope's adventures, children can learn and grow while having fun. Be sure to watch this animation and enjoy Penelope's adorable mistakes and her growth together.