The Dancing Girl

Seishun Anime Zenshuu (translated as Animated Classics of Japanese Literature for its English release) is a 1986 anthology series that retold well-known stories from modern Japanese literature. It's very much in the mold of its contemporaries, the World Masterpiece Theater series. Most of the 34 episodes were standalone, although there were a few two- and three-parters. The show was licensed by Central Park Media, but the English version was left incomplete when CPM went bankrupt. Only twelve episodes were released on DVD:

• Episode 1: The Izu Dancer by Kawabata Yasunari. 
• Episodes 2,3: The Sound of Waves by Mishima Yukio.
• Episodes 7,8: Botchan by Souseki Natsume.
• Episode 10: The Dancing Girl by Ougai Mori.
• Episode 14: Growing Up by Higuchi Ichiyou.
• Episode 16: Kaidan: The Song of Hoichi by Lafcadio Heran.
• Episode 20: Season of the Sun by Ishihara Shintarou.
• Episodes 25,26: The Harp of Burma by Takeyama Michio.
• Episode S1 (33): Student Days by Kume Masao.

For Orphan's last release of 2025, I'm skipping ahead to The Dancing Girl, a short story by Ougai Mori published in 1890. For me, it's thematically related to The Izu Dancer and The Sound of Waves. All three are variations on the endless dance of longing and love, this time with tragic results. The team will circle back to the third story, Botchan, next year.

The story is set in 1880s Germany. Toyotaro Ota is a Japanese student sent to study in Berlin. After graduating, he works at the embassy as an interpreter.

One day, he meets Elise Wiegert, an impoverished dancer. She lacks the money even to bury her newly deceased father. 

He impulsively decides to help her. Their connection deepens, and they become lovers. 

However, word of the the affair reaches the embassay staff, and it costs him his job. He moves in with Elise to save money. His friend, Kenkichi Aizawa, helps him get a new job as an interpreter for a diplomat. However, Elise gets pregnant. Ota must choose between abandoning his homeland and marrying Elise, or abandoning Elise and returning home.

He chooses the latter. Elise has a nervous breakdown, compounding Ota's sense of guilt, but he still leaves.  

The Dancing Girl resembles the plot of Puccini's Madame Butterfly, with the nationalities reversed, but it precedes the opera by more than a decade.

The voice cast includes:

• Ikeda Shuuichi (Toyotaro Ota) played Char in Mobile Suit Gundam, Gilbert Durandal in Gundam Seed, and Ulrich Kessler in Legend of the Galactic Heroes. He also played Alex in Dallos, Azuma in Starship Troopers, and the Dragon in both versions of Naki no Ryuu, all Orphan releases.
• Yamamoto Yuriko (Elise Wiegert) played the title roles in Lady Georgie, Hello! Sandybell, Mahou Tsukai Sally 2, and the Iczer OVAs. She also played the title roles in Nora, Twinkle Nora Rock Me, and Tomoe's Run!, Rihabi and Sayuri in Stop!! Hibari-kun!, Maki in Choujikuu Romanesque Samy: MISSING 99 and Telenne in High Speed Jecy, all Orphan releases.
• Hazama Michio (Kenkichi Aizawa) began his career in 1963 with Astro Boy. He appeared in numerous anime, including his roles as Jacques' father in Hitomi no Naka no Shounen: 15 Shounen Hyouryuuki, Gilbert in Michite Kuru Toki no Mukou ni, and Senator Dan Foster in Oishinbo: Japan-America Rice Wars, all Orphan releases.
• Nunami Terue (Elise's mother) appeared in Tsushimamaru: Sayonara Okinawa, Ushiro no Shoumen Daare?, Heidi, Daddy Long Legs, and Alps Story: My Annette.
• Gouri Daisuke aka Nagahori Yoshio (Doctor) played Hoshinaga in Koiko no Mainichi, Kei Saijou in Wolf Guy, Mimi in Okama Report, Bancho in Rain Boy, Jubei in Maris the Chojo, the bartender in Nora Twinkle Rock Me, Bazoo in Bavi Stock, Fatty in Condition Green, the Public Safety Director in Dallos, Sabatini in Hi-Speed Jecy, Taki Seisai in Hidamari no Ki, Ryuusaku in Stop! Hibari-kun, Ujiki in Bouken Shite mo Ii Koro, and a bit part in Doukushin Apartment Doukudami-sou, all Orphan releases. He also played Mr. Satan in Dragon Ball Z, Judge in Enma Ou, and Robin Mask in the Kiniikuman franchise.
• Kitagawa Takurou (Attache) played the Green Dragon in Dragon Knight and Baba in Harp of Burma. He appeared in Meisou-ou Border, the Utsu no Miko movie, and The Sound of Waves, all Orphan releases.

The director, Ishiburo Noboru, was an industry veteran who also worked on Heavy, Mushishi, Hoshi Neko Full House, Legend of the Galactic Heroes, and Tytania.

The original subtitles are from CPM's R1 release. Perevodildo translation checked. ninjacloud fixed the original timing. I edited and typeset. Paul Geromini and Nemesis QCed. The encoder for the series wishes to remain anonymous. CPM's mastering includes hardsubbed translations for some of the Japanese credits. They are incorrectly timed and don't line up with the Japanese credits, but as hardsubs, they can't be fixed.

Like the other episodes in this series, The Dancing Girl is a straightforward adaptation of its source material, but its tone is elegiac and melancholic. It's quite a downer to end 2025 on, but it's been that kind of year. You can get The Dancing Girl from the usual torrent site.