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| THIS IS AN ANIME ONLY DISCUSSION POST. DO NOT DISCUSS THE MANGA BEYOND THIS EPISODE. ---------------------------------------- As final episodes go, Sarah's was atrocious. It went from "In the next episode, Sarah treats the lower-class with respect!" to "In the next episode, see how much more Sarah can endure as she's treated worse than a dog!"... and it then proceeded to end without ANY retribution being handed out? What the hell!? How can you have characters that exist only to torture the heroine not suffer any hardships in return? No-one even uttered so much as an apology. Sarah deciding to give the seminary £100,000 and still stay at the school was frustrating to the extreme. She rewarded Minchin for almost straving her to death, working her to the point of exhaustion daily and leaving her to die with an illness. IT MADE NO SENSE. I get she's supposed to have a noble soul and be a true princess, inside and out, but only a robot would've felt no bitterness towards those who enjoyed making her life a living hell. I had started to think of her as a girl with mental strength and kindness beyond others around the time she befriended a rat family and used her imagination to escape her suffering. But I cannot view her as anything other than a creation, rather than a person, after seeing her not give a damn about the way she had been treated. PUTTING MOLLY AND HER HUSBAND IN SANTA COSTUMES DOES NOT MAKE THEM NICE PEOPLE! And the whole Lavina handshake thing was plain weird. It was made clear that she wasn't sorry in the least for severely bullying a girl who'd lost EVERYTHING and had a pitiful life... but all was forgiven with a totally-not-sincere friendship handshake? What bullshit! I know most people hate School Days but this show would've been a hell of a lot better had it ended in a similar manner. A contrived 'moving in next-door' saviour coincidence, Indian ninjas and fake-as-hell end happiness are all fine and dandy, but what I wanted to see was a believable reaction to non-stop abuse. Real people would either kill themselves or crack and kill others in Sarah's situation. It's a shame I've had to end the series with such negativity because, after getting over the pacing issues which made each episode merge together into one in my head, I became addicted and found myself wanting to know what would happen next. But a sad truth is that the series failed to make me emotional even once; the characters only existing for set purposes (victims & abusers)having made it hard for me to completely connect with the cast. I can see why it made a top 100 anime list in Japan (/Wiki), but it's a 7/10 at best in my mind. |
AironicallyHumanAug 29, 2011 3:15 PM
| If you read the novel, you may find the ending a bit more realistic. The part where she revisits the bakery in the last episode is actually in the novel, and that's actually done pretty faithfully to it. However, without spoiling, let's say that the ending in the novel is a bit more what you would have liked. |
| - doll_licca Founder and encoder of Licca Fansubs |
| Given that the the last book I read was The Count of Monte Cristo a good few yeas ago, I'm unlikely to read the novel of Sarah. Would you mind telling me how the original ending differs? It's the final episode thread and others might be interested. Wiki wasn't useful. DOES MINCHIN DIE IN THE NOVEL!? DOES LAVINA GET STABBED!!!?/?1!! |
| I've put part of chapter 18 of the novel. It's the next to the last chapter in the novel; the last chapter deals with the visit to the bakery that you see in the last episode; that was done pretty well in the anime. Compare that to what happens in the anime. Incidentally, I do have some ideas of why the anime ended the way it did. |
doll_liccaSep 3, 2011 10:08 PM
| - doll_licca Founder and encoder of Licca Fansubs |
| Chapter 19 of the novel only covers... That's how the novel ends. There is a sequel to this story that was written a few years ago, but it would have been incompatible with the anime ending. |
| - doll_licca Founder and encoder of Licca Fansubs |
| - doll_licca Founder and encoder of Licca Fansubs |
| After seeing how the novel lacked an ending (but still ended much better than the 'HAPPY EVER AFTER!' anime), there are only two reasons I can see for the anime ending how it did. While what you say about Minchin wouldn't be wrong, had the tone been different, the manner in which Minchin accepted the money / Sarah back and how Sarah acted like some angelic figure made it crystal clear that the thought of revenge wasn't on the agenda, for either party. It was all fake forgiveness rubbish where Sarah was happy to save an evil woman and they then become friends, or something. Ugh. The #1 reason the series ended as badly as it did is the age group the series was aimed at. It seems every WMT title has blood - and even deaths - edited out where possible; Les Mis' adaptation having suffered because of this. Instead of ending with Sarah rejecting Minchin, the writers decided to put Sarah's abusers in Santa outfits and have everyone smile. Why? Because kids like happy endings - simple as that. The other reason? Assuming what you quoted is everything, quite simply because the novel didn't resolve much of anything and left the door open for an expanded version. Ignoring the bakery bit, the novel ended when Minchin went to the Indian ninjustu house; the anime differing in the sense there was no confronation and Sarah was only shown in a dress, coming down the stairs. ...Oh, and cheers for C&Ping the novel. I wasn't aware it was on the net. Then again, reading novels on the net isn't a hobby of mine. |
AironicallyHumanSep 10, 2011 9:19 AM
AironicallyHuman said: The #1 reason the series ended as badly as it did is the age group the series was aimed at. It seems every WMT title has blood - and even deaths - edited out where possible; Les Mis' adaptation having suffered because of this. Instead of ending with Sarah rejecting Minchin, the writers decided to put Sarah's abusers in Santa outfits and have everyone smile. Why? Because kids like happy endings - simple as that. The other reason? Assuming what you quoted is everything, quite simply because the novel didn't resolve much of anything and left the door open for an expanded version. Ignoring the bakery bit, the novel ended when Minchin went to the Indian ninjustu house; the anime differing in the sense there was no confronation and Sarah was only shown in a dress, coming down the stairs. ...Oh, and cheers for C&Ping the novel. I wasn't aware it was on the net. Then again, reading novels on the net isn't a hobby of mine. You're correct on the front that just about every WMT series is toned down for children. One of the things you have to consider is the time slot which they are typically aired. (7pm on a weekday, if I remember correctly). Basically, since that timeslot is watched by lots of children and it was meant to be a wholesome time for children, it is no wonder that things had to be toned or altered down to a children's level. That hasn't stopped people from enjoying these series, though (based on the sheer number of requests my group gets for subbing WMT series). Some cases like in A Little Princess Sara, the bowdlerization is actually pretty blatant as you easily noticed it. In Pollyanna, the bowdlerization is actually a lot more subtle for someone who hasn't read the novels, but very obvious for someone who has read the novels (like I have). I personally prefer the novel's version of the ending, but that of course is personal preference. Quite a few of the novels that the WMT series are based on are available on Project Gutenberg (http://www.gutenberg.org). I've used them since the late 1990s. |
doll_liccaSep 10, 2011 10:08 AM
| - doll_licca Founder and encoder of Licca Fansubs |
| As an adult, it's always irritating to start an adaptation because of how mature its read-up suggests it is, then discover it was watered-down in order to be aired on a certain channel and appeal to the target demographic. Just because the lead of a story is a child doesn't mean only children can appreciate it! I'm watching another novel adaptation at the moment - Erin - and it's frustating to have to deal with 'comical' filler characters, farting and blood removal, just because the heroine starts the story as a child. Grrrr. ...But, that having been said, I still enjoyed all three WMT titles I've finished to date immensely. In fact, at one point I thought Les Mis would become a favourite of mine (unfortunately, I started to lose interest around the time you picked it up, iirc). And I was able to watch something like eight episodes of Sarah a day - something I wouldn't do ulnless I was really into it. I'm very glad anime + fansubs have given me the chance to experience the stories of novels I'd probably never read. Not sure what WMT title to go with next, as none strike me as a dark and tragic enough to get me hooked. I'm watching Nobody's Boy Remi, at the mo, but I don't think that's classed as a WMT title. Random question: Why did you go with 'Sara' instead of 'Sarah'? It's kinda been bugging me. |
AironicallyHuman said: Sarah deciding to give the seminary £100,000 and still stay at the school was frustrating to the extreme. She rewarded Minchin for almost straving her to death, working her to the point of exhaustion daily and leaving her to die with an illness. IT MADE NO SENSE. I get she's supposed to have a noble soul and be a true princess, inside and out, but only a robot would've felt no bitterness towards those who enjoyed making her life a living hell. I had started to think of her as a girl with mental strength and kindness beyond others around the time she befriended a rat family and used her imagination to escape her suffering. But I cannot view her as anything other than a creation, rather than a person, after seeing her not give a damn about the way she had been treated. This is the reason why even if Sarah was meant to be a character people like, I've always disliked her. Her oh-so-perfect attitude is really annoying and does not give any depth or development to her character. And it's nice to see I'm not the only one who thinks like that, I can't understand why her character was so appreciated. |
AironicallyHuman said: Random question: Why did you go with 'Sara' instead of 'Sarah'? It's kinda been bugging me. That's the official English spelling of the title of the series, plus that's how her name is spelled in the novel. |
| - doll_licca Founder and encoder of Licca Fansubs |
Kirika- said: AironicallyHuman said: Sarah deciding to give the seminary £100,000 and still stay at the school was frustrating to the extreme. She rewarded Minchin for almost straving her to death, working her to the point of exhaustion daily and leaving her to die with an illness. IT MADE NO SENSE. I get she's supposed to have a noble soul and be a true princess, inside and out, but only a robot would've felt no bitterness towards those who enjoyed making her life a living hell. I had started to think of her as a girl with mental strength and kindness beyond others around the time she befriended a rat family and used her imagination to escape her suffering. But I cannot view her as anything other than a creation, rather than a person, after seeing her not give a damn about the way she had been treated. This is the reason why even if Sarah was meant to be a character people like, I've always disliked her. Her oh-so-perfect attitude is really annoying and does not give any depth or development to her character. And it's nice to see I'm not the only one who thinks like that, I can't understand why her character was so appreciated. Maybe its just because many admires martyrs 'coz its rare this these days?... Well, It's true that I like Sara and the way how she kindly treats others. However, I must agree that sometimes her "merciful saint" kind of attitude is just too much. I kinda hoped that she think of herself first before others, much more if its Minchin we're talking about. Her character is just too good to be true, actually. If any of you guys who haven't seen its live action drama version, I must say you check it out. Shokojo Seira is the title. At least Sara there is not too perfect there like we what we have seen in the anime version. She knows how to get angry, she knows how to fight back, and she knows how to "not forgive". I actually like this version of her better. And yeah, Sara is in High School! |
"Them who looks blind at ANIME, looks blind at SALVATION." |
| I loved it! =D |
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doll_licca said: This. She pretty much owns the seminary now. Kirika- said: AironicallyHuman said: Sarah deciding to give the seminary £100,000 and still stay at the school was frustrating to the extreme. She rewarded Minchin for almost straving her to death, working her to the point of exhaustion daily and leaving her to die with an illness. IT MADE NO SENSE. I get she's supposed to have a noble soul and be a true princess, inside and out, but only a robot would've felt no bitterness towards those who enjoyed making her life a living hell. I had started to think of her as a girl with mental strength and kindness beyond others around the time she befriended a rat family and used her imagination to escape her suffering. But I cannot view her as anything other than a creation, rather than a person, after seeing her not give a damn about the way she had been treated. This is the reason why even if Sarah was meant to be a character people like, I've always disliked her. Her oh-so-perfect attitude is really annoying and does not give any depth or development to her character. And it's nice to see I'm not the only one who thinks like that, I can't understand why her character was so appreciated. Oh hi, Minchin. Momo-Hime said: Well, It's true that I like Sara and the way how she kindly treats others. However, I must agree that sometimes her "merciful saint" kind of attitude is just too much. I kinda hoped that she think of herself first before others, much more if its Minchin we're talking about. Her character is just too good to be true, actually. That's the point. She's a paragon on how a princess should be. You're not a good princess until you help others before you help yourself. |
UgokiAug 21, 2015 6:36 AM
| An all's well/end's well conclusion eh. I certainly can't complain about how Sara and Becky finally got their happily ever afters, but I'm rather disappointed with the manner in which it was resolved. Minchin, Molly, James, and Lavinia got off the hook completely and suffered no consequences for their sins. I think that this sort of ending would have been acceptable had there been a sincere, genuine change of heart within them. What's absolutely frustrating, however, is that none of them changed for the better. They all continued to treat Sara based on her wealth and status and it was only her becoming a benevolent "diamond princess" that gave her favor among them. I would argue that Lavinia changes a bit, since it seemed like she was swallowing pride to accept that Sara was not arrogant. I think it finally dawned on her when Sara revealed that she wanted to support and continue studying at the seminary rather than monopolize it for revenge. Otherwise I don't think this bodes well as a message - that we should forgive and forget. Another problem (albeit a minor gripe) I have with this conclusion is how it feels incomplete. No doubt the story told has been wrapped up, but I feel like it would have been nice to see some more direction from Sara (such as continuing to teach the other students or pursuing becoming a teacher). I guess maybe I've just been spoiled by the epilogues I've had with other WMT works. Well with the criticism aside, Shoukoujo Sara has certainly turned out to be another profound experience, courtesy of WMT. At first it started out as a nice way to unwind each day, but I soon found myself completely drawn into what was going on and just hoping and near praying that Sara would find a way through all of the suffering. Perhaps the word "enjoyed" isn't appropriate considering I can hardly say that watching Sara endure anguish and abuse for 30+ episodes makes me feel all warm inside. What I did like, however, was seeing the various ways Sara was supported during her struggle to endure her mistreatment. If there's a theme to be had from this, I'd say it's one of perseverance and remaining optimistic in the hard times. Another one is that it's important to treat others kindly and with respect. You never know what someone is going to go on to do with their lives or how their situation will change. Unfortunately Sara's never ending mercy doesn't drive this one home as strongly, but it's still important to note. 7/10, I feel as though my problems with the conclusion cost it the 8 I was leaning towards. Otherwise this was certainly a worthwhile experience. World Masterpiece Theater productions seem to really emphasize character building life lessons in a wholesome manner. |
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| Can't believe that the journey is over now. It was a beautiful finale, BUT I'm not completely fine that every "bully" ended up not facing some kind of consequence. Sure, Sara is a very nice girl and one could see it coming that she will be generous, yet the lack of remorse and sudden change in everyone was hard to swallow. I wasn't expecting fully fleshed out character development in just one episode that was left, but this is leaving a bad aftertaste. Still, seeing everyone getting such a conclusion felt good, I love happy ends like this and it's a great show overall. 7,5/10 Gonna miss watching this. @Cazqui-09 I share your sentiment and I think the way things were wrapped up set a bad example for kids. |
FMmatronMay 5, 2020 3:29 PM
One Piece episode 914 & 915 & 1027 were a mistake and 957 brought the salvation - FMmatron |
| the ride is over. one of my favorite anime now. this was a very dramatic and at times very enraging show with bouts of joy and awe, at least for me. really enjoyed watching it, though it took me very long~ |
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| OH! Finally finished this wonderful anime but somehow I'm not completely satisfied. I mean it's a nice anime, Minchin regretted about what she did to Sara but I really wanted Lavinia to get the right treatment as well, she was even more bitchy than Minchin was. Overall It's a good anime. |
   I want you to be happy. I want you to laugh a lot. I don’t know what exactly I’ll be able to do for you, but I’ll always be by your side. |
| i initially gave it a generous 7, but that deteriorated to a 4 that i might make a final revision for a 5 on later thought. a major gripe i had with a little princess sara was the never ending hardships sara endured with nary a glint of good treatment or luck. and when sara finally got to a position where she could rise above what happened to her, the anime sorely disappointed me with its portrayal of how you can get away with treating a child who has lost everything as a piece of shit and at the same time get rewarded by such a behavior. does ANYBODY not remember when sara told the headmistress that what she has treated her with was not kindness that one episode. and yet at the end not only does sara grant her a fortune to keep her ass of a seminary's doors open but because nobody had been dealt with a taste of their own pain they inflicted, nobody fucking changed. no apologies. forgive everyone, forgive them, even though they were all ready to let you get transferred to a charity sanatorium to die with the disease they thought you had. let them blatantly act nice to you now that you are rich again, let them know, LET them KNOW that no matter what they do, they will take advantage of you and you will allow it to happen. People like Sara get stepped on, unless they become stronger and take initiative to turn their surroundings around, show them that this sort of behavior is unacceptable. Now, it can also be said that Sara being able to forgive so fully their crimes is also, actually the strongest acts one can make. But in this anime, it's extremely numbing. In no situation do you get abused as a maid, bullied by your peers, blamed for a burning hut, get kicked out into the snow, selling matches, only to be retrieved back to the deplorable institution where their treatment would have repeated long into Sara's adulthood as the headmistress planned to have Sara stay there indefinitely to become a slaved teacher she would not pay a dime towards. CAN you believe that sara continued to keep up the bullshit of wanting to be lavinia's friend, even after all of this, and lavinia just kept smirking like "oh yeah? 8)" oh my god i want to. AAARGH!!!! sara is very much what an example of a character that is more of an idea than they are human, that idea being a perfect martyr. the lyrics of 花のささやき (the opening) explain why i think that quite well, i realized this when they played the second half of the song during which she got kicked out and was wandering in the streets. "even though i want happiness myself (too), there are things that are more important than that. whether it is love or a gentle heart," evidenced by how sara would often not enclose what happened to her at the hands of the staff at miss minchin's seminary to becky and peter (two very sweet children btw, they deserve everything) for their sakes, she clearly holds the interests and feelings of others before herself in every case. then, there is no wonder why she did what she did at the end. to see others suffer, even due and justified regret, is something the sara who braved through what i'd call a trial for her payoff without any lasting psychological trauma, had nary a place in her soul. i mean what other child starving to death would find a FREE coin on the ground, attempt to give it to the baker, then go on to attempt to donate it to the church, and eventually using that coin to give almost all the bread to another child starving? goddamn...! anyways. i don't know if it's just the anime that screwed it up during the process from the book adapting to the show, but if there were more episodes with sara growing up and all that jazz i'd be first on the boat to watch em for sure. but as it ends here. i'm going to really miss hearing that opening, like, really miss. it's one of the best openings i've ever seen in my opinion, one of my favorites. at the first few episodes, i tried to skip it like i usually do with most anime however over time only one note of that epic instrumental got my heart chained and i sung along in my head with my eyes closed. it was so peaceful, sad, soothing, elegant, and hopeful all at the same time... the visuals took me along with sara, and i should definitely stop writing now or else this is gonna be trailing till the end of time. |
| I'm truly happy for Sara, but I wish we got to see how everything she went through truly affected her. At the end, it just looks like it affected her by making her even wiser than she already was, which fits the message but is a bit disappointing as far as character development goes. She could've gotten a very interesting psychology but nothing truly happened at the end. As a whole, this last episode feels very underwhelming. We've witnessed Sara being tortured for almost 40 episodes, and at the end no one pays the consequences ? And not only that, but Sara even forgives and helps them ? Like, is she a masochist or what ?! I get that she's naturally genrous and kind-hearted but it shouldn't be encouraged like that, she'll be even worse than Amelia if she keeps behaving that way. People sometimes deserve to be slapped back, especially when they don't do anything to actually make up for what their awful actions. Seriously, Sara actually donated to the college and wants to keep study here like... SARA ?! Forgiving is already a lot but at this point it's like she didn't learn anything, she truly shouldn't be this naive, she's been hurt here, why helping them and why coming back ? I know she has friends here but come on ! And what are Lavinia's friends doing, they really want to become Sara's friends after everything they've done to her ?! They kept bullying her, it doesn't matter if they were following Lavinia, they still did it ! And switching friends just like that... They're not at all reliable people. The show suddenly decided to turn them into likable characters but it's wayyy too late, the damage's already been done. And Sara, seriously, does Lavinia look sincere to you with this malicious smile ? And don't even try to befriend this jerk, she doesn't even try to look like she's sorry ! And Molly and James are nice now ? Apparently since they decided to play along and dress as Santa Claus... Sure, people switch personality just like that, it makes total sense. Just like how Miss Minchin suddenly is a light-hearted woman, just because Sara donated. I understand that she is happier but here she just is a completely different person ! This is an incredibly quick redemption, too quick. At least she got character development in multiple ways, that's not really the case of the rest of the cast except maybe Lottie... And Becky, even if she didn't get much development, is a character that really touched me, so I'm very happy for how things went for her, this little girl deserves it. But overall... Yep. Disappointed. Especially since the message is flawed, it is very heartwarming at first but if you really think about it, it's just teaching kids to never stand up for themselves and just keep smiling through hardship because someday a miracle will occur and your exaggerated kindness will be rewarded. Well unfortunately real life isn't that pretty, and behaving like Sara will just make you get hurt and hurt again because you'll never actually fight back. It would be too good if things were so easy. I give this show a 7, because as disappointing as the ending is, the show was still good, and a 7 has always been my score. |
FafetteJun 3, 2020 2:17 AM
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| I was hoping Becky would be invited to work for Mr. Carrisford so I'm glad it happened! Sara forgiving all the abuse she suffered, supporting the school and continuing her studies there is.... yeah... At least Lavinia won't be there when Sara comes back from India, there's no way she wouldn't have messed with her again. I'm glad I watched this overall! It wasn't always the most fun to watch, the relentless abuse went on for too long. But I did get invested in the story and Sara was just a charming character. I really liked Becky and Peter too! I really wish the imagination/story aspect was more exploited though, since it's such a big part of the original novel. |
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| AironicallyHuman thought's about the ending are pretty much same as mine and there's no need to really add to that. But I did care for Becky and to me she was the real heroine in this show. Sadly instead of 100 hundred thousand pounds, she only got a job, but I guess you have to treat people like dirt to get real reward. And I know, I know that it was happy ending for her, but at the same thing it kinda feels like class thing. Maids should stay as maids. |
| I cant belive that she gives 100K to someone that didnt treat her with any kindness, said by herself 4 episodes ago. Lavinias moment of """reconciliation""" was also too artificial. I heard that novel readers were mad about the ending and now i can understand why. |
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