Lucy-May of the Southern Rainbow

Lore & Background

The series centers on the Popple family, who move from England to South Australia in the 1830s. The main character is seven-year-old Lucy-May Popple, voiced by Minori Matsushima. Her ten-year-old sister Kate, voiced by Rihoko Yoshida, serves as the narrator. Other family members include Clara (16), Ben (12), and two-year-old Tob, along with parents Arthur and Annie. Lucy-May keeps a pet dingo named Little. The family's journey and struggles are depicted across 50 episodes, with titles such as 'To a New land,' 'First Exploration,' and 'Bridge over the Rainbow.'

Reader's Guide

Lucy-May of the Southern Rainbow holds a unique place in the World Masterpiece Theater franchise. It was the first anime in that series to be broadcast while the author of the source material was still alive, and the only one to air before the original novel was finished—*Southern Rainbow* was still being serialized in an Australian family daily magazine when the anime began airing in Japan in 1982. A tie-in adaptation by Ken Wakasaki was also published in Japan that same year. The series represents an early instance of Japanese animation adapting contemporary, non-Japanese literature, and its international dubbing into eight languages reflects its broad appeal. The opening theme 'Niji ni Naritai' and ending theme 'Mori ni Oide' were both performed by Sumiko Yamagata.

Did You Know?

• The novel *Southern Rainbow* was published as a complete book in 1982, before the anime aired.
• The series was dubbed into six languages: French, Italian, Arabic, Spanish, German, and Portuguese.
• A tie-in adaptation of the story by Ken Wakasaki was published in Japan in 1982.