Candy Candy anime review + a little character analysis
Spoilers for Candy Candy and tw for bullying, alcoholism, and family issues
Genre: Romance, drama/tragedy, historical
Where I watched it: http://www.stb.dircon.co.uk/CandyGranchester/ (they’re in Italian though)
Characterisation: 8.5/10 (One of the strongest points of the series is the characters. There are a wide variety of them, all with distinct and developed personalities. As Candy goes through life, she meets many different people, and some become more important than others- we get to know these people through her eyes, and watch them grow as she does. The cast is colourful and they all add something to the story which makes it more compelling. Without a doubt, the character designed with the most care was Candy- she’s bold and cheerful, rejecting the “delicate” ideas of femininity imposed by 20th century American society, and enjoying more masculine things, like climbing trees. Most of all, Candy’s tough and determined- she always stands up for what’s right and stubbornly does things her way, even when there are risks involved- throughout the anime, it becomes clear that she doesn’t fear scrapes or confrontation if it means brining justice or helping a friend. Despite her having wilful side, Candy is also very caring and selfless- she regularly puts those she loves before herself, even when it hurts, and she conceals the pain with a smile. Kindness and giving a helping hand are such central parts to her character that her entire ambition of being a nurse is based off of them, as is the way she puts it into practice. After losing her job, Candy starts working at the Happy Clinic, despite knowing that the doctor there is poor and can’t pay her a salary, and, in doing so, she provides poor children with healthcare. Alongside this, Candy is also given the princess treatment, and presented as vulnerable and hesitant. She’s such a nuanced character, because all these elements fit together to create someone who is messy, yet bright and full of hope, someone who every viewer will like and whose story they’ll become invested in. Two other instances where characterisation is used particularly well are the development of Candy’s best friend, Annie Brighton, and her second love interest, Terry Grandchester. Annie starts off as a timid girl. After being adopted by a rich couple, she’s told to forget about her past at Pony’s home and her life as an orphan, and she obeys, cutting off contact with Candy and refusing to speak to her when they are reunited at boarding school years later. However, Annie then learns that her past isn’t something she needs to hide or be ashamed of, and her life at Pony’s home, as well as her friendship with Candy, isn’t something she can just erase, so she starts being herself and gradually becomes stronger, learning to stick up for herself when she’s bullied and not run away from difficult situations. Even though Annie wasn’t my favourite character, it was nice seeing her grow stronger and learn to accept herself despite the judgement she might have received. On the other hand, Terry is presented as the stereotypical bad boy when we first encounter him- he talks back to nuns, breaks school rules, gets into fights, smokes, and most of the girls have a crush on him. However, as he and Candy grow closer and he opens up, it becomes clear that he is a caring and loyal person who values those close to him, despite struggling to show it. The ultimate proof of this is him leaving the school so Candy wouldn’t be forced to. As he grows closer to Candy, he also relaxes a bit- he stops getting drunk and picking fights as he has someone who can help him now. Terry is also portrayed as vulnerable on occasion, which is a nice change from the usual tough and emotionless men in some anime. This is seen several times when it comes to his family issues, particularly his mother, who never truly cared about him, and when he’s forced to leave Candy, so he falls into despair. Overall, he’s a complex character with a well developed backstory and many nuances.)
Setting: 8.5/10 (As Candy moves around a lot, there is no “fixed,” setting, but rather a series of settings depending on the period of her life, all of which work well for that period and cater to it flawlessly. From the humble, yet comforting design of Pony’s home which perfectly illustrated the life Candy led there, to the grand mansions of the wealthy families she encounters later and the prestigious design of the boarding school she is sent to, the setting always perfectly matched and catered to that period in her life, with different times being associated to different settings. Some settings also present challenges, like the mansion Candy lives in when she’s finally adopted by Anthony Brown’s family. Because of her newly elevated status, she is expected to adapt and behave “like a lady” (which she still refuses to do, causing great friction between her and the mistress of the house))
Art style: 7.5/10 (The art style is a very typical one for older anime- I definitely like it, and most settings and characters are drawn with suitable pallets and a good level of detail to their character design. One thing that is definitely worth mentioning about the character design is the women’s clothes, which were a factor in spreading and popularising Lolita fashions- that type of dress is still very much appreciated today. There are some episodes where the quality of the animations isn’t great, and some side characters do not have much effort put in their design.)
Plot: 8/10 (Candy Candy has a very engaging plot- it’s dramatic and combines tragedy and romance with fighting to find your place in the world. The plot incorporates all these different elements by telling the story of Candy’s life from childhood to when she’s a young woman, with all her most significant experiences included, along with some relevant historical events in the background, like the outbreak of the first world war. The plot often has twists and is unpredictable, but it’s also full of filler arcs which have little to do with the main story and take away from the pace. I hated the ending, as it did not tie up all lose ends and felt unsatisfactory compared to the earlier build ups.)
Addictiveness: 7.5/10 (As aforementioned, the plot is engaging, unique and full of twists, and the changes in setting add a dynamic and adventurous thrill. The characters are also well developed and distinct, which makes the show reasonably addictive. However, the filler arcs sometimes take away from this by lasting a long time and contributing nothing to the main storyline, which means that, at certain points, it becomes easy to lose interest.)
Originality: 9/10 (The plot of the anime is a very unique one in my opinion- I haven’t seen anything like it. It combines several different genres and aspects of this girl’s life into one anime, and some of the subplots also add to that, such as when Candy is forced to travel away to work in Mexico, leaving her love behind. Candy herself is also quite distinct - she’s tough, determined and stubborn, but she also has a softer side to her, and longs to be treated like a princess.)
Comfort: 5/10 (Because this anime is synonymous with my late childhood and something I used to watch with my mother, it always brings me comfort. However, the tragedy element of the anime should not be taken lightly. Candy leads, all in all, a very difficult life full of misfortunes. As a baby, she’s left by her parents at an orphanage, and, when she’s older, she’s forced to part from her best friend, Annie, and later, the only family she ever knew when she’s adopted by a rich family. There, she has to endure constant alienation and bullying from every member of the family, and her love life is similarly full of highs and drastic lows. I hate to admit it, but the staircase scene with Terry Grandchester after the two realized they would have to part was the only anime scene to ever make me cry (I was properly sobbing too). However, there are also incredible highs after the lows, coming in the form of heartwarming romance scenes, wholesome family reunions, relaxed and funny scenes with Candy and her friends, or simply self discovery and improvement.)
Consistency: 6.5/10 ( The quality stays pretty consistent throughout the anime- there are some less enjoyable filler arcs, which don’t add much to the plot, but the only place the quality of the story really dips is at the end.)
Philosophy: 5/10 (As an anime, it’s not very deep or thought provoking, and there aren’t many lessons to learn from it, but there are some important ideas about trying to persevere in the face of grief and rebuilding your life, even when it feels like you’ve lost everything.)
The plot
Candy and Annie were left on the doorstep of an orphanage on a snowy day as babies, and found at the same time by the benevolent women who ran it. Ever since then, the two have been best friends and sisters, playing together every day, and deliberately putting people off of adopting them so that they could stay at the orphanage together. However, Annie is starting to really want parents, so when a rich couple offers to take her in (after Candy made a total spectacle of herself so they'd be put off) she accepts. Candy feels betrayed at first, but gradually comes to accept her friend's decision, and the two start writing letters to each other. However, one day, Candy receives one of these letters from Annie, and it says that they will be no longer able to communicate because her parents believe that, for her protection and to truly become their daughter, she needs to put her humble past behind her. Shortly after this happens, there's an offer from another wealthy family to adopt Candy, who accepts because their house is near Annie's. Right off the bat, the children of the family, Neal and Eliza, begin to pick on her and humiliate her. The mother makes it clear that she wasn't adopted as a daughter, but as a companion for Eliza. While Candy clashes heavily with the family, she soon makes friends with all the servants, who teach her a variety of things, and she makes an interesting discovery. Not too far from her new home is a mansion where 3 friendly guys live, and one of these, Anthony Brown, looks exactly like the "prince" she met one night when crying and alone. She soon becomes very good friends with all three, but what she feels for Anthony, with his soft, chivalrous ways and roses, evolves beyond simple friendship and puppy love. However, there are many obstacles to the two being happy together, and life can often bring about unfortunate tragedies when we least expect them. When that happens, Candy has no choice but to try to move on and rebuild her life.
Masterlist
