Cinderella

Cinderella (シンデレラ物語) is an Italian-Japanese 1996 anime television series based on the fairytale of the same name by Charles Perrault and The Brothers Grimm. It was produced by Tatsunoko Productions and Mondo TV. The series originally aired from April 4 to October 3, 1996, comprising 26 episodes.

Plot
Cinderella is the only daughter of a rich, widowed duke. Her mother died when she was young, leaving behind only a few keepsakes for Cinderella to remember her by. The duke has remarried, giving Cinderella a new stepmother and two stepsisters.

The story begins when Cinderella’s father leaves on a long business trip. No sooner has he departed, however, than her stepfamily forces her to move to the attic and puts her to work doing all the household chores. Paulette, Cinderella’s fairy godmother, secretly observes this change in circumstances and uses her magic to make Cinderella’s life easier by giving four animals the power of speech: her dog, Patch, two mice, Chuchu and Bingo, and a bird, Pappy. These animals help Cinderella and keep an eye on her well-being for Paulette throughout the series.

One day, Cinderella sneaks into town and meets a pageboy who claims he serves the prince of the Emerald Castle. Cinderella quickly realizes he’s lying and dubs him a fibber. Unknown to her, however, the boy is Prince Charles himself in disguise; he sneaks into town using his page’s identity because he finds his lessons and princely duties boring. Cinderella’s stepmother tries to exploit Cinderella’s connection with the prince’s page in order to marry one of her own daughters to the prince. Though the ploy fails, thanks to her meddling Cinderella eventually forgives Charles for lying to her. The two form a friendship that slowly begins to deepen into romance. While Cinderella grows more used to life as a servant, Charles begins to appreciate the importance of his own duties after witnessing her struggles firsthand.

Meanwhile, Duke Zaral is also trying to marry his daughter off to Prince Charles. Isabel is initially infatuated with Charles, but eventually realizes he does not love her and instead chooses to elope with a childhood friend.

As Cinderella and Charles go on more adventures together, they stumble across a plot to overthrow the King and Queen. Charles eventually discovers that Zaral is responsible. He succeeds in stopping the coup with Cinderella’s help, but reveals his true identity to her in the process. Cinderella, heartbroken, ends their friendship, assuming that the prince would never marry a servant girl, especially after she repeatedly called him a liar.

In the aftermath of Zaral’s coup, Charles’s parents decide he is ready to take the throne and throw a ball in his honor, with every girl in the kingdom invited. Cinderella decides to go in order to properly say goodbye, choosing to wear her mother’s dress for the occasion. However, her stepfamily mocks the outfit for being out of style and destroy her invitation before leaving without her. Paulette appears and reveals herself as Cinderella’s fairy godmother. Using her magic, she fixes Cinderella’s dress and invitation, as well as conjuring a carriage for her. However, she warns that the magic will only last until midnight, so Cinderella needs to leave before then.

At the ball, no one recognizes Cinderella. Charles, attracted to Cinderella because he finds her familiar, spends the whole evening with her. Cinderella loses track of time and is forced to rush out just before midnight, losing a shoe in the process.

Soon after the ball, Charles’s page, Alex, begins taking the lost shoe house to house in search of the woman from the ball. Cinderella initially refuses to try the shoe on, but agrees after her animal friends reveal that she has the second shoe. She is brought back to the palace, and she and Charles become engaged.

On the day of the wedding, Zaral gives Charles poison and kidnaps Cinderella. He drags her to the top of the castle clock tower and attempts to bargain her life for the kingdom. He is interrupted by Charles, who faked his poisoning, and the two have a fierce battle which ends with Zaral falling from the tower to his death.

With peace restored, Cinderella and Charles finally marry and live happily ever after.