Cinderella Monogatari -- the adventures before the glass slipper
- noorka
- Nov 21, 2015
- 4 min read
“In the wake of her father’s passing, Cinderella is suddenly wrenched from the quiet world once so familiar to her. Her stepmother and stepsisters - terribly jealous of the orphan’s beauty - impose the most tiresome domestic chores upon the poor girl... Assisted by Cinderella and her team of animal friends, the young prince is then involved in a series of coup de théâtre leading to the dramatic climax: the duel! Fortunately, a happy ending is assured — a conclusion in which Cinderella’s identity is revealed in a subtle game of fear and desire thanks to the work of a certain Fairy Godmother ... or rather, the “minor” inconvenience she suffers when she loses a glass slipper while rushing down the stairs!” – summary from the Mondo TV website
This is a review of Cinderella Monogatari (aka Cinderella and Prince Charles), an Italian/Japanese anime TV series based on the Cinderella story. This series was created by Mondo TV and Tatsunoko Production and aired on Mondo TV from April 4 to October 3 1996.
The show explores Cinderella’s new life with her step-family. She meets a boy named Charles in the town square and goes on some adventures along with her animal friends and her fairy godmother Pauline. The story ends with the classic ball where Cinderella meets Charles as he really is, a prince!
Accuracy
Young girl under the care of wicked stepfamily – check
Prince/ King throwing a ball – check
Impossible task to keep her from the ball – check
Magical creature assistance – check
Looses her shoe at the ball – check
Prince uses shoe to find her – check
Originality
This retelling of the Cinderella story is just like the Perrault version, It is even set in a vaguely French town and a vaguely French land. However, it has more of a storyline than Perrault’s. Cinderella doesn’t just loose her family then meet a prince. She has to learn to make the best of her situation and does so with the kindness and elegance expected of a future princess.
Creativity
I am a big fan of the ‘princess’ meeting her prince without knowing he is a prince. I liked that Cinderella could act naturally in front of Charles so that he could see her for her faults and her strengths. This also gives her a chance to see Charles as a regular person. In the beginning of the series she even calls him Charles the Fibber because he meets he and says he is the Prince’s friend and page. It makes the romance much more real than just falling in love at first sight.
Another aspect that is really interesting is the slight subplot that they add to the story. The advisor to the King tries to get the Prince to marry his daughter. When that doesn’t work he resorts to killing the Prince to get leverage for the King to give the throne to him. It was interesting to further bolster the story with this plot.
Overall
This is a very cute portrayal of Cinderella and the English dubbing is very good. I do have a few issues with it. For one, it seems like Cinderella and Charles have opposing character development. At the beginning Cinderella is a spunky and sweet girl who is willing to do anything to help others and Charles is rather naïve and irresponsible. He pretends to be a common boy so that he can escape his life at the castle. In the beginning Cinderella is helping Charles more than he helps her. By the end of the series Charles has clearly grown and is ready to take on the responsibilities of his position, Contrarily, Cinderella becomes less bold, though still kind. The spirited little girl we meet in the beginning is much more passive by the end.
Despite all the added story and Cinderella and Charles knowing one another well, Charles still doesn’t recognize Cinderella at the ball. She does have a rather different look in her ball gown, but she even references a previous conversation they had and he still doesn’t recognize her! About halfway through the series Cinderella does realize who Charles is despite his more regal appearance.
Since this is not originally an English animation and not widely dispersed in America it was difficult to find reviews in English. Anime Lovers, a Bengali anime blog, expressed similar sentiments that “Anime did not adopt the traditional fairy tale, Cinderella how to strengthen self-esteem and how realistic she's a girl. Further showed, the prince did not come into contact with the means of ordinary people from enjoying a luxurious life is not eliminated inefficient people. Confined to his palace with the prince of the story of our limited distance from the people sitting there.” Please pardon the google translate, but the idea is all the same. This version of Cinderella makes her seem like a more relatable girl and shows the shortcomings of growing up in the lap of luxury.
Cinderella Monogatari is a cute and sweet anime TV series that give greater depth to a classic tale. I would recommend this retelling as a 4/5 stars.
Comments