Ranked #431

Les Misérables: Shoujo Cosette

Story - 8
What can I say? Shoujo Cosette is an adaptation of my favorite book of all time, Les Miserables, and it's overall surprisingly faithful to the original text. Especially when you consider that SC is geared toward children, and the original is...well, definitely not.

That said, SC gets an 8 and not a perfect 10 from me because in their effort to keep the anime kid-friendly, Nippon Animation committed some pretty grievous crimes against the original canon. I'll keep it vague here, but I'll settle for saying that some characters who ought to have died survive for the dumbest reasons. Overall, though, their attention to canon is commendable indeed.

Art - 4
This, I think, is where SC suffers most. Nippon's animation budget clearly isn't high, and I suppose they do the best with what they're given, but aside from the occasional lovely background, the animation here is sorely lacking and, at times, looks like it might've been passable a decade ago at best. Character designs are decent - Valjean is especially well done - but also somewhat bland. Overall, this is the weakest point of the anime.

Sound - 6
The sound in SC is decent enough, but nothing special. The fact that the same OP and ED are kept throughout the entire anime rather detracts from it as well, especially after Cosette herself has long grown up and tons of new characters have been introduced. Only one or two tracks stand out in my mind at all - good, but nothing memorable.

Character - 8
SC does an overall good job of keeping true to the original characters. Javert could stand to be wittier, and Enjolras could stand to be less - well, nice, but all in all most characters keep true to their original. Characters in the anime who weren't in the book are surprisingly few and far between, and all serve their purpose fairly well - especially Alain.

Again, Character is an 8 and not a 10 because of one unforgivable change to one character in particular.

Enjoyment - 8
As a die-hard Mizzie who was initially very dubious indeed about anything remotely resembling an anime adaptation for children, I was surprised how I kept coming back to watch SC every week, despite my own limited Japanese and the decided lack of subs. Only once did I even consider dropping it, and that hesitation was fairly short-lived. Nippon Animation manages to transcend its clearly limited animation budget and make SC something actually worth watching.

Overall - 7
Overall, SC is an admirable effort by Nippon to adapt a classic work of literature into a television show, several minor pitfalls notwithstanding. It's an enjoyable anime for even those unacquainted with Victor Hugo's masterpiece, and the vocabulary is simple enough that even someone who doesn't know the language can probably follow along (though I do wish someone would hurry up and sub it). The only real downsides are a few instances of bowdlerization and the aforementioned poor animation. read more

In 1862, Victor Hugo published his most famous novel, Les Miserables. Since then, all kinds of adaptations of it appeared from the famous musical to this underrated anime here. Les Miserables is considered one of the best 19th century novels ever. In 2007, Nippon Animation decided to make an anime version of Les Miserables, the promotional art of which is shown above. This is part of the World Masterpiece Theater, an anime staple that showcased anime versions of famous 19th-20th century children's novels such as Anne of Green Gables and Pollyanna.

Basically this anime is about Cosette and her mother, Fantine, trying to find a home in a poverty-stricken France. Fantine has to leave Cosette with innkeepers called Thenardier in order to do her job at a factory. However, the Thenardiers are actually cruel and abusive toward Cosette and treat her like a slave. Also, an ex-convict named Jean Valjean tries to restart his life and help people, but is pursued by the policeman Javert. Both them, and many others, have to deal with the harshness of society and an uncaring French government.

I love historical anime based on 19th-20th century children's novels, and this is my second favorite out of all of them. It's also #10 on my top 20 favorite anime. The novel is also one of the most loved pieces of work ever. And yet...why do so many people give it the cold shoulder and don't give it a chance? The answer is as simple as you can make it: it's too "kid-friendly". Cosette (along with other children portrayed in the show) are drawn to look cute and innocent, Fantine never goes into prostitution, and characters that originally died in the novel actually live on in the anime. Sure, Nippon Animation did make the anime look a bit more acceptable to younger viewers, but does it really look like a water-downed kiddie show like most people claim it is? ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!

Sure, Nippon Animation did change some things to make it kid-friendly, but I say this: SO WHAT!? Let me say this: this anime does not totally shy away from the hardships that Cosette and Fantine endure, other character deaths (including one particular important one that Les Miserables fans might be happy about), and the cold, merciless harshness that comes from living an impoverished lifestyle. I think this is what the anime does best. Portraying people, particularly children with good hearts, who get totally crapped on by life, particularly in hard times. Even so, this anime is actually the most faithful adaptation of the novel I've seen. Of course, I haven't particularly read the novel, but in 8th grade my music class saw a bit of the musical on DVD.

Don't judge this anime by its looks. It may look like a botched-up adaptation of Hugo's famous novel, but believe you me this is a unspoiled, polished gem in the form of a masterpiece. If you think you're not going to like this, AT LEAST watch episodes 39 to 44. Those are the best ones! ESPECIALLY episode 41 (there's 52 episodes to this anime)! You'll be very surprised. This is one of my favorite anime and I truly feel it deserves more recognition than it's getting now. Thankfully a fansubbing group that I love completed the entire series recently, so everyone can see it subbed now! read more