The Return of the "Dog of Flanders" on TV

Dog of Flanders, a tearjerker Tagalog-dubbed anime series that was broadcast by ABS-CBN during the 1990s, will start its re-run on the same television network starting today at 9:30 in the morning from Monday to Friday.

Photo Credit: Anime News Network / Tokyo Movie Shinsha

The original series is the 1992 Tokyo Movie Shinsha (TMS) production My Patrasche. Two years later, ABS-CBN started airing the Tagalog-dubbed version as part of a children's programming block that also included Bananas in Pyjamas and A.T.B.P. (Awit, Titik at Bilang na Pambata).

Dog of Flanders has literary roots: It is an adaptation of A Dog of Flanders, a novel by Maria Louise Rame. Set in 19th-century Belgium, the novel is about an orphan boy named Nello, his grandfather Jehann and the titular canine Patrasche.

In the early part of the story, Patrasche was a beaten dog who was found and taken care of by Nello and Jehann. Following recovery to health, Patrasche helped Nello and Jehann in selling milk by pulling their cart into town. Moreover, the dog became Nello's best friend.

I will not discuss the story further to prevent myself from revealing some spoilers. All I can suggest is to view the series once more and relive some childhood memories associated with it. Following is a composite YouTube video featuring the opening and closing themes of the series' 1994 airing:

Video Credit: YouTube / theblueskiesofromeo's channel