Around the World in 80 Years

Cuore (Heart, 1886), a children’s novel by popular and respected Italian author Edmondo De Amicis (1846–1908), was the first bestseller in its home country. Arriving in Japan in the late Meiji period, Cuore has appeared in partial translation and adaptation many times since then. The most famous version is the fifty-two episode anime series, Haha wo tazunete sanzenri (3000 Leagues in Search of Mother, 1976), directed by Takahata Isao. Using a translation studies approach, this paper explores how the series functioned as a transnational narrative, influencing how new audiences both in Japan and abroad reconnected with this late nineteenth century Italian children’s classic.