My Daddy Long Legs is a Japanese animated television
series based on the novel Daddy-Long-Legs by Jean Webste.
First episode date: January 14, 1990 (Japan)
Final episode date:December 23, 1990
Adapted from: Daddy-Long-Legs
Genre:Drama; Comedy; Coming-of-age; Slice of Life; Romance
Original network: Fuji Television
This anime was aired in 1990 and part of the container World Masterpiece Theater produced by Nippon Animation studios and was awarded the Excellent Movie Award for Television by the Japanese Agency of Cultural Affairs for Children in 1990. 40 episodes were produced.
Premise
Judy Abbott is an orphan who has been given the opportunity to study at the prestigious Lincoln Memorial High School by a mysterious benefactor whom she only knows as "John Smith". She has only seen his shadow once, and because of his long legs, she calls him "Daddy Long Legs". The only payment she is to give her benefactor is that she write him letters every month, with no expectation of them being responded to. The anime covers three years of Judy's life, starting with her leaving the John Grier Home orphanage, and ending with her finishing high school.
Main Characters:
Judy Abbott (ジュディ・アボット):
Original voice cast:
Mitsuko Horie
A cheerful and intelligent girl whose parents died when she was still a baby.
She was found at Bayson Avenue at New York City and was taken into the John Grier Home, where she develops her talent for writing.
It is one of her essays that catches the attention of a trustee known as "John Smith", enabling her to earn a scholarship from him to attend the Lincoln Memorial High School.
She does not know who John Smith is, and calls him "Daddy Long Legs".
Even so, she considers him the only family she has, and becomes attached to him. She talks very much and loves story telling. Judy's roommates at Lincoln Memorial are Sallie McBride and Julia Pendleton. Judy has a considerable inferiority complex that she is orphan, she suffers not to be able to confide it to anyone.
In the anime, Judy's appearance seems to resemble like Pippi Longstocking, by having red-hair and braids sticking out.
Sally McBride (サリー・マクブライド):
Original voice cast:
Chie Satou
A shy but sweet girl who is one of Judy's roommates at the Lincoln Memorial High School.
They become very close, and Sallie grows very fond of Judy.
She is often made fun of by Julia because of her short and chubby stature.
She is strong-willed in spite of her appearance.
Julia Rutledge Pendleton (ジュリア・ルートレッジ・ペンデルトン):
Original voice cast:
Yuri Amano
A wealthy and snobbish, but well-mannered student,
she is very tall and elegant and one of Judy's roommates at the Lincoln Memorial High School.
She and Judy initially do not get along, with Julia constantly trying to uncover Judy's secret background.
However, she eventually becomes Judy's best friend along with Sally.
Jervis Pendleton (ジャーヴィス・ペンデルトン):
Original voice cast:
Hideyuki Tanaka
Julia Pendleton's uncle, whom Judy meets over her time at the Lincoln Memorial school.
He is called an eccentric misanthropist and is famous in business world, however the reason is because he hates polite society.
He later develops feelings for Judy.
He, later in the series, admits to Judy that he was her 'Daddy Long Legs' all along. At the end of the series, he and Judy are married.