Nobody makes fairy tales like this anymore. Each episode strips the story down to what actually matters, a kid in the snow, a mermaid who can't speak, a tin soldier left behind, and lets you sit with the loneliness of it. The animation moves slowly. The colors are muted. There's no rush to make you feel better. By the time the episode ends, you understand why Andersen wrote about broken things that love anyway, because he knew that's what real life looks like.

Many of Hans Christian Andersen's stories come to life in this 1971 fantasy television anime, which runs for 52 episodes. Instead of telling a single ongoing plot, the series gathers a wide range of his tales and adapts them for the screen, offering viewers a varied selection of the author's work told through animation.