Interest Stacks

To aid his conquest of Japan, the ruthless lord Daigo Kagemitsu offers to sacrifice his soon-to-be-born son to 48 demons. The demons accept, and the next day, the child is born with several missing limbs and is ruthlessly cast down a river. Fifteen years later, a stubborn young boy named Dororo struggles to survive against hunger and oppressive samurai on the streets of an impoverished and war-torn village. After angering a group of thugs, Dororo is attacked by them, but a mysterious man interrupts them, claiming to hear spirits nearby. Sure enough, a monster emerges from the river, and the man then removes his prosthetic arms, revealing blades hidden underneath, with which he slays the monster before leaving. That night, as the man walks through the forest, Dororo approaches him and declares that he will accompany him. From this, the man, Hyakkimaru, reveals that many of his body parts were stolen by demons and that though he sought a peaceful life, he couldn't escape their relentless onslaught. Despite the tale, Dororo still insists on tagging along. And thus, Hyakkimaru travels through Japan with his new companion and a puppy named Nota, facing the brutality of both hell and mankind. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

Very loosely based upon the Moomin books by Finnish author Tove Jansson. Jansson, however, never really approved of the series due to dramatic changes in plot, atmosphere, character personality, appearance and names etc. The series was directed to adults rather than children. (Source: Wikipedia)

Adaptations of numerous stories written by Hans Christian Andersen.

A remake of the 1969-70 Moomin series. This version is more closely based on the books by the Finnish illustrator and writer Tove Jansson.

Various stories about a group of animals that live together in a forest. The stories are adaptations from the many children's books written by Thornton W. Burgess.

After becoming an orphan, Heidi is forced to live with her grandfather Öhi, who lives in the Alps. She learns he's a very bitter man who only accepted by force to take her in. But Heidi's kindness may be able to open his heart. Together with the shepherd Peter and invalid Clara, she has lots of adventures. (Source: adapted from ANN)

Nello Tarth is a poor but happy orphan who lives with his grandfather Jehan in a little village nearby Antwerp. Nello has a talent for drawing pictures and has been fascinated by it since he saw one of Rubens (a famous artist) pictures as a little boy. Helping Jehan with the daily milk delivery to Antwerp, Nello one day discovers Patrash, a working dog who has been mistreated and abandoned by his former owner. He treats the exhausted animal and after a little while a close and dependable friendship develops. Alois Cojez, the daughter of the richest and hence most influential man in Blacken Village, is Nellos best friend. When Nello decides to become an artist he has to experience firsthand the ignorance and cruelty of the villagers. Especially Alois father thinks of him as a slacker who cannot earn his living by drawing pictures. Nontheless Nello perseveres and never gives up to achieve his dream and to win their appreciation and respect while strenuously struggling with his poverty. (Source: ANN)

Based on a short section of the novel Cuore by the Italian Edmondo de Amicis, Marco is a young boy living in Genoa, Italy, together with his father Pietro. But the family is not complete, for Marco's mother left for Argentina around a year earlier in order to find work. Letters from her arrive regularly until one day they suddenly stop. Worry for his mother and what might have happened to her overcomes the young boy. Marco thus decides to embark upon a journey to Argentina in the hope of being reunited with his mother. At first, Pietro is opposed to Marco's plan, but moved by his son's enthusiasm, he eventually allows the boy to go. So begins Marco's long journey of the heart. Marco encounters many people throughout his travels, and finds maturity and self-acceptance as a result of his experiences. (Source: Nippon Animation)

Life in Brailsford Junction, Wisconsin, is simple and quiet for Sterling North, who spends most of his free time caring for animals. With his mother in the hospital and his brother fighting on the Western Front, the boy lives only with his father and his dog Hauser. One weekend, cutting away from his usual chores, Sterling, his friend Oscar, and Hauser head off on a fishing trip. On their way to the river, his dog catches a scent at the base of a tree. Unearthing a raccoon's nest, the two boys find an orphaned kit. A passing hunter has killed the kit's mother to make a fur hat, leaving Sterling to adopt and care for the orphaned raccoon. Torn by his fracturing family, a brother in the trenches, along with the ailing health of his mother, Sterling's bonds with life and the world around him are kept together and strengthened by life with his new friend, the "ring-tailed wonder" and scoundrel, whom he names Rascal. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

Perrine is a young girl who lives in Bosnia with her Indian mother and beloved father – that is, until her father passes away, leaving her mother with a single wish: travel to France to be with his father. The over 1,000 kilometer journey seems unfathomable, but Perrine and her mother have a plan: they will photograph people in the towns along the way to support themselves. With their hardy donkey Palikare and faithful dog Baron, the two set forth for Paris; along the way they encounter kind souls, barren villages, and a number of hardships; will Perrine and her mother survive the long journey to France? (Source: Anime-Planet)

Life is not easy for Anne Shirley, an 11-year-old orphan with a vast imagination and a short temper. In a twist of fate, she gets taken into the Cuthbert house in Avonlea. The elderly occupants Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert were looking for a young boy to help in the fields, but they're in for quite a shock when they realize Anne is a girl. Adapted from the acclaimed classic by L. M. Montgomery, Akage no Anne portrays Anne's upbringing from 11 to 17 years of age and her encounters and separations with various people. Only time will tell what major decision Anne has to make that will change her life forever. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

Tom Sawyer is a young boy growing up along the Mississippi River in the mid 1800s. Along with his best friend Huckleberry Finn, he spends his days ditching school, fishing, climbing trees and having adventures. (Source: ANN)

10-year-old Flone is a very active, tomboyish sort of a girl. One day, her father receives a letter from his English friend who is now in Australia. In the letter, the friend asks her father to come down to Australia because of a serious shortage of doctors. The family decides to leave their old house in Bern. Now their drifting voyage has begun! Flone's fantastic adventures will teach children about the importance of family and the joys of living amidst nature's beauty.

Lucy's family moves from England to Australia planning to run a big farm. Starting a new life proves to be full of frustrations. Their agonizing days of despair continue until they finally obtain their farmland. However, Lucy and her sisters enjoy a range of new experiences such as discovering exotic animals and meeting with aborigines and other new people. (Source: AnimeNfo)

12-year-old Annette was born into a poor family in Switzerland. Together with her family she lives in a small village in the Alps. She is a sweet girl and dearly loves her little 5-year-old brother Dani, at whose birth their mother died. She also has a best friend, Lucien. Her wonderful friendship with him comes to a crisis when one day Dani gets injured in a terrible accident.

This series tells the story of 9 year-old Katri, a girl who lives on a farm in Finland with her grandparents. Katri's mother has been away in Germany for three years. The farm is not doing well, so to help support her family, she goes to work on a neighboring farm. Katri faces many struggles and challenges.

Sent to an all-girls boarding school due to her father's overseas job, Sara Crewe is a promising young girl who excels both academically and socially in her new life in London. However, her world is turned upside down when she is called into the headmistress' office and informed of news that no child wants to hear: her father has passed away. Now an orphan, Sara is stripped of her status as a student and is forced to work in the boarding school as a maid in order to support herself. To make matters worse, her once friendly peers suddenly turn against her upon hearing about her fall from wealth. Coming to terms with the unfortunate situation she faces, Sara must learn to persevere and form new friendships in order to regain her dignity as well as her identity. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

Motherless since birth, Pollyanna was an ordinary happy-go-lucky girl, leaving peacefully with her father, the vicar. Then one day her life changes completely when her father dies and she has to live with her aunt whom she has never met before. In the beginning, she seems to be detested by her but as time passes, they develop a very strong bond. (Source: ANN)

Meg, faithful and gentle, Jo, independent and energetic, Beth, quiet and shy, Amy, amiable and precocious–the four sisters live vigorously and happily at home with their gentle mother while waiting for their father to return from the Civil War. Helping each other, they challenge their fates and grow up to become wonderful women.

After his father's sudden death, Ceddie moves to England as an heir to his grandfather, the Earl of Dorincourt. The Earl is a stubborn and selfish old man. Gradually, however, Ceddie's innocent love opens the Earl's heart and changes him into a caring and generous person. This is based on "Little Lord Fauntleroy" by F.H.Burnett. (Source: AnimeNfo)

Wendy and her two little brothers are brought to the land of adventures, Neverland, by Peter pan, a boy who will never grow up. In Neverland they encounter exciting events and meet with little fairies, mermaids, Indians, and pirates. Required to act as a mother, Wendy never has a moments peace with all that is happening around her, including breath-taking fights with pirates. Later in the series, they set off to find a buried treasure with a map that they obtain from the pirates. (Source: AnimeNfo)

Daddy Long Legs is based on the novel of the same name by Jean Webster. It chronicles the adventures of Judy Abbott, an orphan in New York. During a meeting for the superintendent, with other important and rich people in attendance, a scholarship is offered to Judy by a mysterious benefactor. Catching only a glimpse of his tall shadow as he leaves, Judy calls him "Daddy Long Legs" and writes him letters every month as per his request. While studying at the Lincoln Memorial school, she makes many friends and learns about a world she never knew about before. (Source: ANN)

Based on the same story that produced the classic musical 'The Sound of Music', this is the story of Maria, who leaves her life in a convent to take up the responsibility of taking care of Captain Trapp's children. (Source: ANN)

When Jackie Rhodes, a british girl living in Kenya with her family, finds an ill animal called a Bushbaby, she adopts him, calls him Murphy and nurses him back to health. Murphy, Jackie, her family and their friends go on many adventures involving wild animals, poachers and more. But when Jackie's father is recalled to England, Jackie must leave her life in Africa behind. However, before she can go, Jackie, Murphy and Tembo, a friend of Jackie's father, go on one last adventure: they must cross the dangerous savannah to escape the poachers and corrupt police officers chasing them. Along the way, Jackie teaches the now domesticated Murphy to survive in the wild, so that, before she leaves, she can release him in his natural habitat. (Source: ANN)

Nan Harding is the new student at Mr. and Mrs. Bhaer's school. Everyone thinks that she is a pain in the head, but not Mrs. Jo. Together with the other kids, they all embark on their personal adventures and misfortunes while learning in school. (Source: ANN)

Nanami Simpson is a young girl. Her mother dies when she is young, and she goes to live with her father, Scott Simpson, on board a marine research vessel, the Peperonchino. Her father is a marine biologist, and he is in search of a creature known as the glowing whale. When he finds the bones of one of these, he is saddened, and resolves to change his mission toward preserving and caring for the creatures. Nanami befriends an Orca which she names Tico, and she goes swimming with it every day. Eventually, she learns to breathe underwater which astounds her father. Nanami nearly drowns one day, and one of the glowing whales saves her from certain death and returns her to the vessel, where her father finally gets to see it. (Source: ANN)

Romeo is a kindhearted and courageous boy living with his family in a small village in Switzerland. Unfortunately, Romeo becomes the interest of a man named Luini, known as "The God of Death," who is infamous for buying children and selling them as chimney sweeps in Milan. While visiting the village, Luini burns down Romeo's family cornfield in an attempt to have Romeo as his own. With the cornfield gone and his father sustaining a head injury trying to put out the fire, Romeo bravely sells himself to the God of Death in order to help his family afford a doctor. On his way to Milan, Romeo meets a boy named Alfredo Martini and they quickly become friends. Just as Alfredo is sold to a different master, the two boys swear eternal friendship and vow to meet again. As a chimney sweep, Romeo faces many hardships and abuse, especially from his master's family and a gang known as the Wolf Pack. But after reuniting with Alfredo, the two form a fraternity of chimney sweeps called "The Black Brothers," who will learn to fight against the Wolf Pack and help each other in times of need. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

John is a cheerful and energetic young boy, who lives in a small coal-mining town in England. One day he finds a small dog lost in a flock of sheep. John takes her back home and names the puppy Lassie. Soon they become good friends, just like real siblings. Lassie is a very lovely and smart dog, so everyone in the town loves her very much. But their happy life doesn't last long. Suddenly a coal-mine owner closes his company because there is no more coal left in the coal mine. John goes to meet the coal-mine owner to request a further investigation. The owner accepts John's request, but in exchange for that, he takes Lassie to Scotland. Priscilla, the owner's granddaughter and also John's friend, cannot just stand by and let Lassie suffer in a cage. She opens the cage and sets Lassie free. Lassie sets out on a very long and hard journey from Scotland to her hometown. (Source: AnimeNfo)

Remy, a cheerful and tender-hearted girl, lives with her mother in a French country town. One day her father returns to the town after a long period working away from home in a city. Her father tells Remy that she isn't their real daughter, and Remy is almost sold to an evil slave trader. It is Vitalis, a strolling entertainer, who helps Remy. Vitalis discovers her talent for singing and decides to take her in with his troupe. (Source: ANN)

In 19th century France, a struggling single mother, Fantine, leaves her three-year-old daughter Cosette in the care of her new acquaintances, the Thernadiers. Unfortunately, Cosette's caretakers prove to be anything but loving, and the poor girl is subjected to repeated abuse and forced servitude. Still, she endures the torment in the hopes of seeing her mother once again. One night, while doing errands for her host family, Cosette is assisted by an honorable stranger named Jean Valjean. After a brief conversation with the young girl, Jean acknowledges her as the type of person he has been seeking and rescues her from the clutches of the Thernadiers. They make their way to a nearby town where Cosette enjoys a new life thanks to her savior. Under Jean's guidance, Cosette promises to help others with her newfound freedom. She pledges to heal the nation, ensuring that no one else suffers her fate. Though the road ahead is paved with tragedies left by the French Revolution, this idealistic girl will not rest until France is freed from poverty and suffering. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

Porfy, his younger sister Mina, and their parents live a humble but happy life in the Grecian countryside. They've just started running a gas station, much to Porphy's joy, and it seems like only good things are in store for their future. However, a huge earthquake changes all that, leaving Porfy without a home or a family -- sans Mina, who seems to have disappeared in the commotion. Now, Porfy is determined to find his sister and be able to live together happily again.

The story of what happened to Anne Shirley before she was adopted.