This week we take a dip in the feelings with one of the most famous anime of the 80s that, even today, is on the air: Georgia. Between impossible and unrequited loves, between lost origins and family tragedies, the story of little Georgie and her growth is studded with events and, in some way, reminds us of Candy, the protagonist of another famous anime of those years. We are in 1984 when this cartoon taken from a manga arrives in Italy and divided into 45 episodes that have fascinated entire generations. Let's find out what the story of this beloved girl is.
Georgie: the plot
Who is Georgie?
We are Australia, in the nineteenth century and, therefore, when the country was still a penal colony of England. In a vast and beautiful prairie three brothers play happily: Abel, the eldest, Arthur, the second son, and the little girl Georgia. They are the protagonists of the story. The three grew up together as true brothers but the reality is that Georgie is not their blood sister. We will discover in the fourth episode that Mr. Eric Buttman, father of Abel and Arthur, found the baby in swaddling clothes in the middle of a forest next to a woman, her mother, who was dying after being hit by a tree during a storm. The woman asks the man to take the girl with him and, with her, a gold bracelet as the only reminder of its true origins. From that moment Georgie has been raised by Mr. Eric and his wife Mary as their daughter, even if the woman is unable to accept her fully, worried that the child may in the future create problems between the two brothers, her natural children. A hatred that worsens towards the child when, to save her, her husband is injured and eventually dies.
Abel and Arthur, rival brothers in love
After Mr. Eric's death, Mary raises the three children on her own, after promising her husband to continue to treat Georgie as if she were his daughter. On the other hand, to know the true origins of the child are Mary, the two brothers and uncle Kevin, the neighbor of the family that Georgie loves as a true uncle. The three brothers grow up, adolescence arrives and, indeed, Mary's worries come true why it is Abel that Arthur fall in love with Georgie. The girl, on the other hand, not knowing the truth, continues to see the two boys as older brothers. When Arthur confesses to his brother that he loves Georgie, Abel decides to leave and embark as a sailor. However, he will return about two years later, missing Georgie too much. Meanwhile, the girl made the acquaintance of Lowell, nephew of the Governor. The two fall in love of each other and he will be the one to steal her first kiss in front of the brothers.
The truth revealed and Georgie's escape
Everything plummets drastically when Mary discovers Georgie and Lowell together. The distraught woman abruptly reveals to the girl the whole truth about her origins, repeating several times that she is not her mother and chasing her away. Georgie escapes and nearly drowns but is saved by Arthur who takes her to Uncle Kevin. He is the one who explains the whole truth to the girl, telling her that her parents' identity has never been discovered. Meanwhile, Abel declares his love to her and says he is ready to marry her but Georgie has made up her mind: leave for London, find Lowell (meanwhile left for 6 months) and discover his true identity starting from the bracelet. But Abel follows her, boarding another ship. Mary, after what happened, dies of a broken heart. After the funeral, Arthur also sets out to find Georgie.
The true origins of Georgie
Arrived in London, Georgie finds Lowell who is delighted to see you again. Their story, however, is very troubled because in reality he has already been promised to another noble woman who, however, does not love. For this he runs away with Georgie but, when he falls ill with tuberculosis, the girl, not having the means to treat him, decides to give him up and bring him home to his girlfriend so that he can be treated. In the latest installments of the anime, Georgie also comes to discover that she is actually of noble origin because his real father is Count Fritz Gerald. The man was accused by Duke Dangering of attempting to assassinate Queen Victoria and, for this, he was sentenced to life imprisonment and then deported to an English colony, Australia precisely. This is why Georgie's real mother was there at the time of her death. The man, however, was unjustly accused because Duke Dangering attempted to assassinate the queen.
The end
To give Count Fritz Gerald the chance to prove his innocence will be Arthur. On the ship to London on which he finds himself, he discovers a gold smuggling carried out by Duke Dangering with the complicity of his son Arwin. Arthur, however, is discovered and imprisoned but it is in the cell that Arwin lets the truth about Georgie's father slip away: it was not he who tried to assassinate the queen, but her father. Finally, in the penultimate episode, Georgie hugs his father in tears again, then with the help of Abel and Maria - Duke Dangering's other daughter who has a crush on Arthur - they manage to free the boy and prove the innocence of Georgie's father. . Her family is thus rehabilitated but the protagonist decides not to stay in London. In fact, he leaves with Abel and Arthur for Australia, where they will live together.
Georgie: Manga Vs Anime
There are many differences between Georgie's manga, born in 1982 from the pen of Yumiko Igarashi, and the anime that arrived in Italy in 1984. Many 'inconvenient' scenes for Italian TV and an audience of minors have in fact been cut or completely modified. However, it is at the end of the story that substantial differences come to the surface that clearly modify the story. If, in fact, in the anime Georgie gives up on Lowell but returns to Australia happy with both his brothers Abel and Arthur, in the manga things take a highly dramatic turn.
Arthur's dramatic 'end'
Let's start with Arthur's captivity. The younger of the Buttman brothers, as we have seen, embarks on a ship for London to join Georgie as his brother Abel but runs into the shady dealings of Duke Dangering. He is thus imprisoned and constantly drugged by the Duke's son, Arwin, who has homosexual instincts and abuse him. When Abel takes his place and saves him with Georgie's help, Arthur, in the throes of a withdrawal crisis, makes a mad gesture and throws himself into the Thames. Georgie tries to save him but fails and sees Arthur's body drifting off into the waters.
Incest and Abel's sacrifice
Abel has taken over for Arthur and is in jail with Arwin. When the latter prepares to abuse him, believing he is a drug addict, Abel pushes him away and collides with him, eventually killing him. For this accidental gesture, however, he is condemned to be shot. Before the execution, Georgie manages to obtain permission to spend time with Abel in prison and this is where the two indulge in passion. From this act of love, Georgie will become pregnant. The day of the execution arrives and before Abel is shot, he screams in front of everyone present the crimes committed by the duke, later documented also thanks to Georgie and his father. The duke is then arrested but, before being transported away, he retaliates and shoots Abel, who dies in Georgie's arms. The girl, before he closes his eyes forever, tells him that she is expecting her child.
Georgie's true ending
Georgie has lost both Abel and Arthur, she is alone and expecting a child (remember that we are talking about a 15-year-old girl!). She experiences a moment of depression and also receives a visit from Lowell who is now happy with Elise and who invites her to take back her life. Years later, Georgie became the mother of a boy she named Abel Junior and decides to return to live in Australia. Once she arrives she sees Arthur who is alive and has managed to free himself from drug addiction thanks to his uncle Kevin. Georgie and Arthur then move in together and raise Abel Junior as their son.
Georgie: Curiosity
Censorship
As we mentioned, there are many censored scenes in the anime. In the 45 episodes that make up the story, there are often nude scenes that are then censored in Italy, upon the arrival of the anime, to meet an audience purely of minors. So the scene where Georgie undresses Lowell to dry his clothes and sees him naked is not there; just as there are not all the subsequent thoughts she has about that meeting and the scene in which, in retrospect, Georgie sticks out her tongue. There is not the scene where Abel hugs her under a tree or the one where Arthur warms her with his naked body. And this is only a small part of the complaints.
The abbreviation
Written by Alessandra Valeri Manera and arranged by the musician Augusto Martelli, the initials of the same name are sung by Cristina D'Avena.
The characters
Georgie Gerald - protagonist of the story. Foster daughter of the Buttmans, and therefore sister of Abel and Arthur. He then discovers that he has a very complicated history and his parents are somehow linked to the attack on Queen Victoria.
Abel Buttman - is Arthur's elder brother and Georgie's (adoptive) brother but he falls in love with her from a very young age.
Arthur Buttman - Georgie's other brother and, like Abel, he too falls in love with her.
Mary Buttman - Georgie's adoptive mother and Abel and Arthur's biological mother. With the protagonist she is often tough because she fears she will destroy the family and, when this happens, he chases her away, abruptly revealing her true identity. Finally, he will die of heartbreak.
Eric Buttman - husband of Mary and biological father of Abel and Arthur. He will die after a few episodes, after saving Georgie.
Uncle Kevin - Neighbor of the Buttmans. He knows the truth about Georgie and is like an uncle to her.
Lowell J. Gray - nephew of the Governor of Sydney, falls in love with Georgie who reciprocates his feelings. She will eventually give up on him for her own good.
Elisa Dangering - Lowell's girlfriend.
Duca Dangering - Father of Arwin and Maria, as well as Elisa's uncle, is the villain of the series.
Arwin Dangering - the evil son of Dangering who tortures Arthur during his captivity. He will die falling from his horse while chasing him on his escape.
Maria Dangering - daughter of the Duke and younger sister of Arwin.
Tell Fritz Gerald - Georgie's biological father, deported to Australia after the false accusation of having made an attempt on the life of Queen Victoria.
Sophie Gerald - the biological mother of Georgie, wife of Count Fritz Gerald.
Georgie - Complete Series (9 DVD)
- Shigetsugu Yoshida (Director) --Yamato Video (Producer)
- Audience Rating: Not rated
Ready to dive into other stories of 80s anime? We took a blast into space with Daltanious, then in pre-revolutionary France with The Seine Star, between Sorgenti Maledette with Ranma 1 / 2, on a desert island with little Flo. We went to a dystopian future with Conan and we are passionate about the sporting challenges of Jenny the tennis player, Lotti e Mila and Shiro. But also a lot, more!
TagsGeorgie manga Georgie: the search for one's identity and a love fought over by two brothers
