The Bush Baby (大草原の小さな天使 ブッシュベイビー; Daisōgen no Chiisana Tenshi Busshu Beibī) is a 1992 anime directed by Takayoshi Suzuki. It was based on the 1965 novel The Bushbabies by William Stevenson and is part of the World Masterpiece Theater series. The anime ran from January 12, 1992 to December 20, 1992, ending at 40 episodes.
Jackie Rhodes is a 12-year-old British girl living with her family in Kenya. She is eager, energetic, loves sports and plays rough for a living. Her father is a wildlife conservation officer, and her and her older brother Andrew assist him every day. One day, Jackie and Andrew discover an injured Bushbaby. Jackie names him "Murphy", takes him home, and raises him as her pet.
Unfortunately, Jackie and her family are then ordered to leave the country. It's 1963, and Kenya has finally achieved it's independence - and the first thing they want to do is get all of their colonialists out. Jackie tries to leave with Murphy, but doesn't have a permit to bring an animal on the ship. She's left behind, but this doesn't shake her. She's been raised in Kenya her whole life and considers it her home, and she's willing to do whatever it takes to keep Murphy safe.
The Bush Baby has examples of:
- The '60s: It takes place in 1960s Kenya, shortly after it announces itself an independent state. This was actually the first World Masterpiece Theater production to take place after World War II.
- Adaptation Deviation:
- In the original novel, the bushbaby was a Christmas present given to Jackie by her father. In the anime, Jackie and Andrew discover him after his mother is killed.
- In the original novel, Jackie was born and raised in Kenya. Here, she moved to the country at three years old.
- Adaptation Distillation: The original novel was too long to be adapted into a 40-episode long anime, so arcs were cut here and there and certain characters were given more importance.
- Adaptational Friendship: In the original The Bushbabies story by William Stevenson, Tembo was an African servant for the Rhodes Family. This anime rewrites this as Tembo being Mr. Rhodes' assistant, and main character Jackie's Cool Big Bro-like best friend.
- Adapted Out: Hadj and Major Bob are major characters in the novel, but do not appear in the anime.
- All Muslims Are Arab: Averted. There are explicitly Kenyan Muslims shown, as well as Kenyan Christians.
- Animals Respect Nature: Played straight for the most part, but averted with Murphy. He freely eats all sorts of plants and smaller animals, and is a menace around flowers and insects.
- Animated Adaptation: This anime is adapted from The Bushbabies by William Stevenson. It remains the most popular adaptation of the novel, surpassing the MGM film of the same name.
- Artistic License: A forest ranger, even one still in training, should know better than to pick up a wild animal with his bare hands... and none of the others who were with him told him off. Bushbabies aren't venomous, but they certainly carry diseases.
- Bad People Abuse Animals: Arthur, with Tembo and Andrew, crack down on poachers targeting ivory and rhinoceros horns, and protect injured animals for a living. One arc involves Jackie taking down a gang of poachers, with a few of them ending up deported as a consequence for their actions.
- Britain Is Only England: When the British characters are called on to be repatriated to where they come from, most go back to England.
- Coming of Age Story: It focuses on 12 year old Jackie trying to balance being a Child of Two Worlds after her family leaves her behind in the country she's been born and raised in her entire life. There's a lot of discussion about her status as a white girl in Kenya, and the effects of colonialism on the country.
- Cool Car: Henry, Arthur and the wildlife conservationists take Jackie & Co. out on their vehicles, that are built to endure Kenya's soil and heat.
- Cool Old Guy: Henry Rutherford, Kate's uncle, knows a lot about wilderlife (hence why he moved to Kenya) and is also skilled at running machines as he's a former airline engineer. He also owns a Cool Car that he drives Jackie and her friends around in.
- Culturally Sensitive Adaptation: In the original novel, Tembo was the Rhodes family's African servant. In the anime, this is changed to him being Arthur Rhodes' assistant professor.
- Culture Equals Costume: Atmani and Safai are from the Masai tribe and wear traditional Masai clothes. Safai even shaves her head like most traditional Masai women.
- Gratuitous Foreign Language: Quite a few Kenyan words are dropped here and there - for example, Tembo calls Arthur "bwana" (husband).
- Intimidating White Presence: Initially, Tembo (who's Kwamba) didn't feel safe around the British colonialists that came to his country, even once stating "I don't feel at ease in white people's houses''. However, he overcomes this and becomes Jackie's best friend.
- Edutainment Show: The series chronicles 1960s Kenya and Kenyan independence, alongside the wildlife of the country and conservation efforts.
- Evil Colonialist: This trope is discussed in-universe, as Kenyans like Bonda have mixed feelings about the fact that white people like Arthur protect animals in Kenya, and that some of the poachers are Kenyans.
- Human Traffickers: Animal traffickers, more like. They wish to kill and hunt various animals for their tusks and bones, that fetch a lot of value on the black market.
- Hunting Is Evil: And is often done by poachers looking to skin animals for a quick buck. That being said, Jackie herself also fishes for a living, so this trope is subverted.
- The Migration: Played straight and inverted. When Britain colonized Kenya, it sent many English families (like Jackie's) over to the country to take up important givernment jobs. After Kenya gained it's independence, they were ordered to go back.
- Missing White Woman Syndrome: When Jackie is left behind in Africa, people misunderstand the situation as Tembo kidnapping her, and as a result a bounty is out on his head. The news reports it as such, in spite of his innocence.
- Mucking in the Mud: A pastime of many Nairobi characters, including Jackie.
- Scenery Porn: Unlike most WMT entries that like to focus on fields and nature, The Bush Baby focuses excessively on skies, stars and clouds; any scene at nighttime is gorgeously animated.
- Shout-Out: Kate's hat is the exact same hat Lucy-May of Lucy-May of the Southern Rainbow wears, who's from a prior WMT work.
- Swamps Are Evil: Jackie falls into a ravine at one point and is mobbed by crocodiles and alligators. Luckily, Tembo rescues her.
- Token Good Teammate: Out of the poachers, Kendall is the only one who shows concern for his friends, such as asking if Mickey is alright when his leg is injured.
- Token White: The British Jackie Rhodes amongst an all-Kenyan cast. Though the Rhodes aren't the only British expats in Kenya, most of them move back to the UK at the start of the story.
- Token Trio: Jackie (white and female), Mickey (white and male) and Tembo (black and male). At the end of the series, after Jackie release Murphy into the forests, the three band together and explore the African wilds together.
- Phenotype Stereotype: Jackie, the only British character, has blonde hair and blue eyes, while most Kenyan characters have dark skin and black eyes.
- White Man's Burden: Discussed in-universe - Arthur believes that he should be doing the jobs that the Kenyans are doing, but can't fight the orders of the British government when they recall him back to the UK.
