is an

anime is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...

series based on the Finnish novel ''Paimen, piika ja emäntä'' (''The Shepherd, the Servant Girl, and the Hostess'') by Auni Nuolivaara. The series was broadcast originally in

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

in 1984 as part of the children's anthology series '' World Masterpiece Theater'', also known simply as "''Meisaku''" from

Nippon Animation is a Japanese animation studio. The company is headquartered in Tokyo, with its headquarters in their Tama, Tokyo, Tama City studio and an administrative office in the Ginza district of Chūō, Tokyo, Chūō. Nippon Animation is known for prod ...

. The anthology had before and after produced a great variety of animated series based on different children's novels from around the world; among them were '' My Annette: Story of the Alps'' (1983) and '' Little Princess Sara'' (1985). In Europe, where ''World Masterpiece Theater'' series have found huge success, ''Katri, Girl of the Meadows'' made its way to different countries, including

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

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and the Arabic-speaking world. Despite the series taking place in Finland, it has never been published or broadcast there, and most Finns have never heard of it. The first and last episodes were broadcast English dubbed in the UK on

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...

as ''Little Girl on the Farm'' and ''Little Girl goes to School'' as part of 1987's Japanese Autumn season.

Plot

Set in

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

, the plot starts in 1911 when little Katri's mother leaves for

to work, leaving her daughter with her grandparents. At the beginning of First World War in 1914, with Finland still under Russian rule, the inhabitants of these lands have had little or no news from the outside, and no one knows if Katri will see her mother again, whose money meanwhile stops arriving to the family. To make matters worse, things on Katri's grandparents' farm are not going well; the harvest had been a small one, their only cow had been killed by a bear and the family faces great monetary problems. Katri wants to help and, against her grandparents' will, she finds work in a neighboring farm; for a girl of hardly nine years of age farm work is hard and tiring even with all of her enthusiasm and good moods, which is what keeps her standing. While working on the farm, the little girl learns about

Kalevala The ''Kalevala'' () is a 19th-century compilation of epic poetry, compiled by Elias Lönnrot from Karelian and Finnish oral folklore and mythology, telling a story about the Creation of the Earth, describing the controversies and retaliatory ...

from old Gunilla and learns to read and write thanks to her. Later, Katri works as a nanny for a wealthy child, whose mother will send her to school in Turku. Katri has great success in her studies, thanks to Gunilla's help. The child will also know how the

Russian Revolution The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), political and social revolution, social change in Russian Empire, Russia, starting in 1917. This period saw Russia Dissolution of the Russian Empire, abolish its mona ...

and the war will lead to independence of Finland from Russia. At the end of the war, Katri's mother comes back to find her daughter. Katri, once adult, will write children's stories.

Cast

* Hitomi Oikawa as Katri Ukonniemi * Toru Furuya as Martti * Yuko Tsuga as Mari (Martti's sister) * Yuko Kobayashi as Helena (Martti's cousin) * Yoshiko Matsuo as Miina (Helena's mother) * Mahito Tsujimura as Väinö Harma * Asami Mukaidono as Milole (Harma's maid) * Kumiko Takizawa as Lotta Kuusela * Hisashi Katsuta as Elias Lilack (Lotta's father)

Anime

The opening theme is "Love With You" and the ending theme is "Kaze no Komoriuta", both by Chie Kobayashi.

References

External links

''Makiba no Shōjo Katori''
Nippon Animation * {{Nippon Animation 1984 anime television series debuts 1984 Japanese television series endings Fiction set in 1911 Fiction set in 1914 Adventure anime and manga Drama anime and manga Historical anime and manga World Masterpiece Theater series World War I television series Television shows set in Finland Fictional farmers Fictional Finnish people Fuji Television original programming Television shows set on farms Works based on Finnish novels Anime and manga set in Europe Television series about nannies