Obligatory disclaimer that English isnt my native language Please feel free to point out any glaring typos or mistakes One Christmas morning as I was chasing the nostalgic feeling of flipping through TV channels during the early morning hours on a holiday I found myself scrolling through the obscure channel selection of my smartphones free TV app where I ended up watching two random episodes of this anime. Maybe it was the Victorian setting which Im a sucker for the nostalgia of watching an oldstyle anime in my native language or perhaps my melancholic mood latching onto what is essentially a story about child abuse. Either way I was immediately very invested and went on to binge the entirety of this anime within a few days. I was left with no regrets but some thoughts to share spoilers will be marked. A Little Princess Sara is based on the classic novel A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett set in the British Empire of 1885 detailing the story of a kind privileged girl who loses all of her wealth and status but not her kindness. The anime is from 1985 and very much looks like it with both art style and animation being rather simple but endearing. The soundtrack while also somewhat simple is notably nice and quite memorable in my opinion as the melancholic pieces in particular enhance the emotional tone and atmosphere very well. https://www..com/watch?v=1XWwlkMHVws One of the series strengths lies in its slice of life pacing which creates a deeply immersive window into the Victorian period. Theres something both comforting and charming about following the daily routines that unfold within this carefully crafted setting. Calling the story itself enjoyable feels kind of wrong within this contextits genuinely sad not so much because of what the summary gives away but particularly in how Sara is treated. Classism plays a significant role within the story so much so that it could warrant its own review and sets the backdrop for all of the unfolding tragedy but arguably the biggest tragedies stem from some characters relentless efforts to be cruel towards Sara. On the other hand this makes moments of kindness and compassion feel all the more valuable whenever they occur. The story is definitely quite touching and emotionally appealing despite the anime keeping everything suitable for a child audience. As for the cast the characters who are lovely are very very lovely and provide a lot of what little comfort the series has to offer whereas the bad characters can be frustratingly bad and produce most of the series discomfort. While this might sound onedimensional all of the characters including the antagonists are actually quite humanized though theyre all clearly meant to emphasize certain moral dichotomies. Interestingly from what Ive researched the anime actually fleshes out its antagonists more than the novel where they remain archetypal and less nuanced. Its overall a very fairy taleish story with a lot of emphasis on noble suffering unrelenting kindness and forgiveness regardless of what hand youre dealt and there are definitely some religious undertones to it as well though not to the point where I feel the need to delve deeply into that aspect. The fairy tale/fable quality of the story honestly does take away some from its potential realism/authenticity in my opinion though it aligns well with the animes childfriendly tone and its emphasis on hope and resiliencejust something to keep in mind depending on what type of story youre looking for. In conclusion if you: Dont mind symbolism in place of a more realistic approach Have a high tolerance for tragedy/misery Like atmospheric slow stories to immerse yourself into you should absolutely give this anime a chance. I found it to be a very worthwhile watch that provided food for thought especially on classist issues and the theme of kindness in the face of opposition while delivering some genuinely touching momentsboth happy and heartbreakingthat left me quite emotional. 500https://i.ur.com/Su2IVUg.png For those who have already watched this I got some further thoughts to share this section contains Spoilers: On some of the characters: On the pacing: On the ending overall message of the story: As for scoring I think any score in the mid to highish range is fair for thisits not the most unique set up or idea though presented and told in a way that is charming and appealing enough to be both memorable and touching and can be quite thoughtprovoking even for an older audience. Since personally I had a wonderfully sad time Im gonna go with 8/10.