World Masterpiece Theater Series Aired in the Philippines Part Four

I'm apologize to everyone out there for the slow pace for my World Masterpiece Theater series posts. Well, I guess I have to finish this up.

Trapp Family Story / Torappu Ikka Monogatari (1991)

Trapp Family Story (or "Trapp Family Singers" in Tagalog-dub) was released for World Masterpiece Series back in 1991. It was based on the novel entitled The Story of the Trapp Family Singers by Maria von Trapp, which also inspired to a popular musical The Sound of Music.

Similar to the novel and the musical, the show centers to a young woman named Maria. She worked as a nun until she take up the responsibility of Captain Trapp's children. The anime
was probably known to have a beautiful opening theme entitled Doremi no Uta (Doremi's Songs). In DVD, home video, and dubbed version the broadcasting's opening theme were different and which it's version entitled Hohemi no Mahou (Smile Magic).

The last time I've seen this anime was in ABS-CBN last year.

The Bush Baby / Daisougen no Chiisana Tenshi Busshubeibī (1992)

The Bush Baby (also known as "Bush Baby, Little Angel of the Grassland") premiered in the year 1992. It is based on a 1965 novel entitled The Bushbabies by William Stevenson.

Set around 1964, thirteen year-old Jacqueline "Jackie" Rhodes and her family lived in Kenya, where her father is a Wildlife Officer. Jackie found an ill bush baby, take care of it until she named the bush baby Murphy. When Jackie's father loses his Job, his family including Jackie prepares to return to England. Right before leaving Kenya, Jackie forgot the papers for Murphy as a pet and then she stayed for Kenya for searching. Luckily, she found Tembo, an African and Jackie's father loyal assistant. A manhunt incident began when some people realize that Tembo kidnapped Jackie. They both must pass the dangerous way through Savannah to poachers and police officers. In the end after Jackie found her family and proved Tembo is not a kidnapper, Jackie finally released Murphy into the wild.

The last time Bush Baby aired was in QTV around 2007.

Little Women II: Jo's Boys / Wakakusa Monogatari Nan to Jō Sensei (1993)


Little Women II: Jo's Boys (also known as "Tale of Young Grass: Nan and Miss Jo") was released in year 1993 as a part of World Masterpiece Theater series. The anime also a sequel of 1987 Nippon Animation's Little Women. Like in Little Women, Jo's Boys is based on a novel entitled Little Men by Louisa May Alcott.

Josephine March (nicknamed "Jo") matured into a woman ten years later after Little Women. She was married by a German professor and they had two sons, Jo established a school for his children, nephews and a bunch of orphaned children in the Plumfield farm-house. With the experience of having her own family and children, Jo guided her pupils through values and education while getting into adventures and mischief.

Although in the Philippines aired Little Women in ABS-CBN in 1990's, Little Women II: Jo's Boys would definitely a certain classic show which first aired in the mid-90's in ABS-CBN. I'm not really sure when Little Women II last aired.

Tico of the Seven Seas / Nanatsu no Umi no Tiko (1994)


Tico of the Seven Seas is another World Masterpiece Theater series aired in 1994. It features of a young girl named Nanami. She was raised by her father who's a Marine Biologist while her mother died when she was young. Nanami's father's mission is to search the legendary creature of the sea known as the Glowing Whale and protect the undersea creatures. While Nanami, met and befriended a female Orca and named it Tico. Both Nanami and Tico swims in the sea everyday. Eventually, Nanami learned how to breathe underwater which astounds her father. On the board of their ship Peperonchino, they both met struggles and adventures until they search the Glowing Whale.

Aired in ABS-CBN in late 90's. I'm searching for the original novel.

Romeo's Blue Skies / Romio no aoi sora (1995)


Romeo's Blue Skies (or "Romeo and the Black Brothers" in English version) released in 1997. It is based on the novel Die Schwarzen Brüder written by Kurt Held in 1941.

The anime focuses on adventures of a pre-teen boy named Romeo who ventured to Milan in order to get money for healing his father's sickness. Unfortunately, he was sold to a chimney sweep and do the job as a chimney sweeper. While on the way in Milan as a chimney sweeper, Romeo met Alfred, who has the same fate as Romeo's. Later in the series, two of them both formed as "The Black Brothers". With encountering struggles from bosses, hardships and relationships Romeo found out Alfred's secret: he sold himself for the life of his sister Bianca and had a terrible sickness. It's now up to Romeo and "The Black Brothers" to stand up from struggles, and protect Bianca with their own.

Romeo's Blue Skies also known as Munting Pangarap ni Romeo in Tagalog-dub. It is also probably one of the WTO series known in the Philippines and aired in ABS-CBN. The last time Romeo's Blue Skies aired in the Philippines was in early 2008 and nominated in Anak TV Seal Awards in the same year.

Remi, Nobody's Girl / Ie Naki Ko Remi (1997)

Remi, Nobody's Girl is another World Masterpiece Theater series aired back in 1997. Before, the revival of WTO series in 2007 Remi, Nobody's Girl would actually the last installment of the classic series. The anime was adapted from 1878's French novel Sans famille, written by Hector Malot. Unlike from the original novel, the protagonist Remi is a girl instead of boy.

This tells a story of a cheerful girl named Remi, who lives in a countryside in France with her mother. Until one day, Remi discovered that Remi is abandoned and the mother she known was Mother Barberin. Remi's stepfather told Mother Barberin to sold Remi to the workhouse because of poverty. Remi was sold to Vitalis, who is a performance traveler by Remi's stepfather. Vitalis and his fellow group of performance travelers accept Remi as their new member because of her talent in singing. While on the journey, Remi hopes that she will find her real family through hardships.

The last time Remi, Nobody's Girl was aired in ABS-CBN around 2000's. In Animax Southeast Asia, dubbed in English few years back.

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It's all finished. I've notice I've seen a lot of World Masterpiece Theater series are many and aired in the Philippines. Currently, there are few series still air mostly in ABS-CBN or Q. For the meantime, I'm not sure if any local channels have any plans for releasing old especially new WTO series. Since 2007 during the revival, World Masterpiece Theater series is one of the series that definitely a classic anime for many countries around the world.