Honoo no Alpenrose: Judy & Randy

Honoo no Alpenrose is a fairly predictable and by the numbers World Masterpiece Theater clone but that's not necessarily a bad thing since those shows were always pure , Had likeable characters and good moral lessons and this show is no different . I found myself invested in the first half of the story as the struggles the main couple faces and their search for answers amidst the WW2 setting were really interesting . Unfortunately the quality of this anime takes a massive nosedive after Judy resolves the situation at her home

Before that the only downside to me was the amount of times they managed ... to escape from the comically over the top and almost Looney Tunes at times Nazi army because it clashed hard with how they portrayed them outside of those occasions . There's also 2-3 episodes that felt like nothing but filler but I would be able to overlook both problems if the final stretch didn't suck so badly

Beyond the show ending abruptly and never giving a proper send off to many of it's side characters , From out of nowhere a previous rather uninspired villain returns for no reason with a completely new motivation for his actions thus making the earlier conclusion in a previous episode feel utterly meaningless . Worst of all he gets a good ending despite never truly having a change of heart and only stopping because his plans were foiled

The first half and a bit more is worth it but the rest is just really bad with very few highlights like Tarantula for example . I was extremely disappointed

Alpenrose, Alpenrose~ this song is the best thing aside from the art can this anime offer.
I didn't want to be harsh on a personally classic nostalgic show that I once thought it was great and even now I can't bring myself to rate it below 7 even though in reality it would be a mediocre 5 😅

Story: 3/10
+ The story is really interesting and the setting is too but thr execution and show length made it a terrible mistake.
- The plot has alot and I mean ALOT of stories and twists to tell for a 20 episodes show! If Alpenrose have been a 100 episodes ... anime I think it would have been a solid 9! Because the length of the episodes gives no room to do anything and the writers fill each episode with a new twist without even trying to solve the rest. Which ended up by solving everything through luck. Can you imagine how almost EVERYTHING that happens is pure luck! Characters get their motivations and dreams through luck too.
They always get away from danger through luck. They go out in broad daylight without wearing anytype of disguise and somwhow they are never captured even though they have posters with their face on all around cities!

Characters: 7/10
+ Here is the part where I I become biased. The characters are flipflop cookie cutter flat but I don't know why they are LOVABLE! I love all the gang and even the side characters thatshow up once or twice for a plot device and then disappear for internity.. like if they meant nothing just off with them and make more screentime to develop the stuffed plot!
- ON THE OTHER SIDE, when it comes to villains it's not the case at all. One of the biggest fails in the anime is Villains. They are wacky, cocky, good for nothing, disgusting, and inconsistent.

Art: 9/10
+ The art is really beautiful! Most of the characters have beautiful looks and hair! Always dressed neatly and nice. As of all the old classics Alpenrose's art is one of my favorites! It really ages well and the animation isn't as bad considering the age of it. It's obviously the main reason I rated the show so high.

Enjoyment: 6/10
+ The art and characters are a joy if you're into old anime shoujos.
+ the music was really nice and captivating. I loved the flute piece that Laundi and Judi play. Love the Alpeenrose~Alpenrose song, and of course whenever Leon plays anything.
- The stuffed undeveloped plot that makes it seem ss if the episodes have been truncated from 1.5 hours to 20min is somewhat hard to sit through.
- The discomfort we are left to feel after knowing Judi is 12 or younger with all the things that she goes through and does!

Recommend: Yes, if you're into old shoujo classic and appreciate the 80s art, want to enjoy the good music, and if you don't mind to fill in the gaps inbetween episodes.
No, if you want a worthy classic old shoujo, there are far better ones.

Why am I reviewing this...?

Okay well, there is only 1 other review as of the time I'm writing this and I do feel strongly about this show even though the rating itself is rather mixed.

So the shallow stuff out of the way: this show was made in 1985. Let me repeat: NINETEEN EIGHTY-FIVE. Graphically, comparing this show to anything contemporary to the time of writing this review would be unfair, ye? So I'm going to compare it with other shows from around this time: Macross, Gundam, etc. Graphically, this show is ok. It's in fact got its own charm for what it is and actually ... a little reminiscent of disney cartoons. Yes, graphically, this show will remind you of disney... A LOT.

A stern warning on the graphics: This show takes place on the start of World War 2. If you are sensitive to controversial symbolism, the symbols used by a good deal of the villains might put you off. I will note that the whole goal of pretty much all of the protagonists is to resist them though.

Sound wise, this aspect does not stand out either. It's rather forgettable unless you like the style of music offered here (classical, the more bland kind, not the kind with dramatized flairs). Alpenrose is pretty much the only track that is worth noting but keep in mind how many times this tune plays throughout the show. It's not likely you will sing it or want to listen to it after the show's over though.

Now the plot and characters...

I'm going to start by noting that there is something charming about the main couple. Jeudi and Lundi (or Judy and Randi, depending on who's subbing it) are cute together. This is also all there is to them. This show has a lot of tropes precisely because it is old. The characters do not really grow either, they basically get chased their whole screentime.

However, as simple/cliche as they are, they DO have their charm. This is further enhanced by the side characters, some of whom evolve their morals, others realize their feelings. Some never really grow but there are enough that do that all the story arcs have some sort of charm to them to keep you watching.

The main issue in the story is that, the main couple being chased/hunted by various villains is also more or less all there is to the story. The staff totally did try to spice this up and add more depth and complexity; this is obvious given how the show could have ended on episode 11 or 12 but dragged on all the way to 20. However, given the chase-run nature of the premise, the story is basically stuck having to tell everything in separate arcs, some of which do not really have enough depth on their own to be interesting.

That said, the show did more or less wrap up all its loose ends and if you can overlook the potentially offensive symbolism from the villains, this show has the charm of your typical disney princess movie.