Binchou-tan
Binchou-tan is the story of a cute orphan girl who lives in the mountains and tries to support herself by getting jobs in town. She wears a piece of charcoal on her head (Binchotan is a kind of charcoal used for flavoring rice) and her size-changing abilies often come in handy when washing out the insides of shoes or being cooked in a rice cooker. Although she thinks she is not lonely in the mountains, as the show progresses she begins making connections with other charcoal-topped girls and realizes just how much more fun life can be with a few friends…
This short series makes no excuses: its whole appeal lies in feeling vaguely sorry for destitute big-headed children. At the same time, the detailed natural locations (and particularly the great care lavished on portraying the subtle shifts in light one finds in nature) demonstrate that this is not a callously commercial kids’ show; its heartfelt message about the joy of even a physically impoverished life will make you smile just as much as the antics of its ligeneously adorable cast.