Yamatarou Kaeru

This is the fourth short story from Tezuka Productions in the "Lion Book" series. The series is:
- The Green Cat (1983)
- Rain Boy (1983)
- Lunn Flies Into the Wind (1985)
- Yamataro Comes Back (1986)
- Adachi ga Hara (1991)
- Akuemon (1993)

It's a very short story (under half an hour), all about the friendship between a orphaned bear cub and a steam locomotive. Yeah, you read that right. A little bear is taken from his ... dying mother, and ends up as a pet attraction in front of a two-bit vegetable stand. Little bear bemoans his poor state of affairs, until he is befriended by a passing giant locomotive engine, who gives him advice and encouragement. Eventually the bear escapes to the mountains, but is never forgotten by the locomotive, who gives his all to protect the bear at the very end.

Not a terrible little tale, but also not very engaging, to be honest. Seems like Tezuka Productions sort of phoned this one in.