Nobody's Boy: Remi (Japanese: 家なき子, Hepburn: Ie Naki Ko, lit.'Homeless Child') is a 1977–1978 Japanese anime series by Tokyo Movie Shinsha and Madhouse. The story is based upon French author Hector Malot's 1878 novel Sans Famille. It follows a young boy who works for a travelling group of players in the hope of earning money and seeing his foster family again. The anime is well known in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Latin America, Canada (in French), France, the Netherlands, Italy, the Arab world, Indonesia, Russia and the Philippines.
A film version by the same studio and director was released in 1980.
In the Philippines, the anime was originally shown between 1979 and 1980 on RPN. However, like the other contemporary anime broadcast in the same period (Candy Candy, Heidi, etc.), the full story was not shown. It was only after nearly twenty years that it was shown in full, under the title "Remi" on ABS-CBN, this time in Tagalog. ImaginAsian attempted to make the show available in America through on-demand DVD, but with no success.
In the Netherlands, it was broadcast between 1979 and 1980 by AVRO and in 1996 by the EO. The AVRO version was released on DVD.
With the story being set in 19th century France, Remi lives with his mother in a French village called Chavanon. His father Jerome Barberin works in Paris. When he is injured, he decides to return to his village, though he is a changed man and is much hard-hearted. Remi discovers that he is actually a foundling. Barberin sells Remi to a traveling artist named Vitalis and his animal group. Remi, who has lost the love of his father and his familiar environment accepts his fate. He leaves the house and confronts the harshness of a traveling artist's life. Along the way, he meets a lovely rich lady named Mrs. Milligan and her sick child named Arthur, who is actually turned out to be his real mother and younger brother. Life with them is great, but Remi didn't know the truth and he decided to leave to go with Vitalis. Tragedies strike one after another to leave Remi alone with only but the faithful dog, Capi. Between staying with a gardening family, where he becomes attached to the youngest mute girl Lise, and traveling with his rowdy best friend Mattia. Making a living playing the harp, Remi searches for a place in life, a place where he can belong. This is until he discovers his real parents may be alive, and undertakes a perilous journey to London, a city in England in search of his family. Remi and Mattia moved in with a man named Driscoll and his family, until after living there for a while, Remi and Mattia realized that the family are a criminal group for money. Later, the police arrest Driscoll and his family for larceny. Unfortunately, Remi is mistaken for being one of them. Mattia and a circus troupe by the names of Bob, Max and Peter rescue Remi, and Remi and Mattia travel back to France to finally found Remi's real family. Lise finally spoke, Arthur is able to walk and Mattia is adopted by the Milligan family and became Remi's adoptive brother. Remi's real name is revealed to be Richard since he was born. Then, 10 years later, Remi became a lawyer and marries Lise, and Mattia became a violinist.[1]
