MUSHI PRODUCTION PRESENTS
BELLADONNA OF SADNESS
Based on La Sorcière by Jules Michelet
Written by: Yoshiyuki FUKUDA, Eiichi YAMAMOTO
Designed by: Kuni FUKAI
Animation Director: Gisaburo SUGII
Key Animation: Tsuneo MAEDA, Shinichi TSUJI
Blue transparent skin
She sacrificed herself for the future, out of love
The tender blossom is shy in springtime
Her body is dyed red
Belladonna, beautiful woman
Belladonna, a woman in love
A sad melody...
That isn't yet finished
Director: Eiichi YAMAMOTO
Far away...
A long, long time ago...
There was a kindhearted man...
And a beautiful young woman
Love was all they knew
Jean and Jeanne
Happiness filled the air
God smiled upon them
These two happy lovers
Jean and Jeanne
They are united forever
God smiled upon them
Always, always together...
How wonderful.
However, the story has just begun.
Baron, I am your faithful servant.
The wedding of Jean and Jeanne was not delayed.
In fact, it has already happened.
According to ancient tradition,
the groom must pay you a marriage tax for the wedding.
Baron, this is money I raised by selling my cow.
Please accept it.
Please entrust me with Jeanne.
A cow? What is this?
I have only one cow.
Ten cows.
You must give the equivalent of ten cows.
What? Please help me!
I'm very poor. I can't do that!
My Lady, please have mercy!
Oh, isn't this woman's piousness impressive?
Ah, yes...
This Jeanne is graceful and noble.
Most deserving of marriage.
Surely there isn't anything lustful about her.
She's trustworthy and industrious. The villagers praise her highly.
Do you love that man?
Yes, my Lady.
- And you? - Yes!
Everybody, we've enjoyed a feast of cooked food.
Now let's all savor dessert together!
Jean...
Let's forget the past and start over.
In the blue mirror,
What is trembling?
Not tears
Not a sigh
It's just that aftertaste that fades with time
Or is it...
A woman's despondent body?
In the black dusk,
What is weeping?
Not the night wind
Not the crow
It's just that small peep of hope
Or is it...
A woman's painful moan?
Please don't stare at me.
Look at how tired he is.
Don't wake him up.
Who are you? Where are you from?
You have called me here.
Me?
I surely heard,
"I need power!"
"I need someone to help me!"
That is what your heart is shouting.
And it also said,
"If you help me, I'll give you anything. "
"Even my soul. "
You are a devil!
I am... you.
You're really a clown. What are you up to?
I shall serve you, Jeanne.
Your wish is my command.
You? But you're so small.
Well, that's because of you.
Me?
I can get much bigger,
and much, much stronger.
It all depends on you.
You really are an odd one.
See, I made you laugh.
You're happy at last.
I... really did...
... smile...
I don't think I will ever smile again.
I know, Jeanne.
I have always been at your side.
I know everything about you.
Like I said, I am you.
What are you doing?
What are you up to?
Hey, where are you going?
Jeanne...
If you go on like this, you'll die.
It is useless to pray to God.
Look at your husband, Jean.
He's a truly hardworking man...
who should follow God's will more than anyone.
He's already giving out.
He's going to get sick for sure.
Who knows if he'll even live to see the winter.
Stop it...
I don't want anything.
Nothing...
Except... I just want to save him.
Please...
Let's save him.
Yes, without fail...
Jeanne took her fabric to the city to sell.
That year, there was a famine in the village.
Even so, the people had to continue paying heavy taxes.
They were desperate and downhearted, without the strength to resist.
Among them, only Jeanne had the strength to keep working.
In the city...
Jeanne sold her fabric at a good price.
Nobody wanted to bargain.
Only Jeanne and Jean had enough money to pay the high taxes.
So people spread a rumor that she had made a deal with the Devil.
Since Jean had paid the tax and pleased the authorities,
he was appointed to be tax collector of the village.
Once a poor farmer, Jean was now an outstanding officer.
Looking at her husband in splendid attire, Jeanne felt her heart soar.
However, Jeanne began to notice the villagers' attitudes changing.
The villagers felt uneasy around the two and began to avoid them intentionally.
In the dark...
Burning...
In the dark, burning...
Invite me in...
In the dark, burning...
Burning hot...
In the dark, burning...
Go away!
What are you going to do with me?
This is just the beginning.
Yes, Jeanne's agony had just begun.
War had broken out.
War requires money.
If a war is won, it brings more wealth.
You say that I am Lord here,
yet you collect very little money from the people!
Yes... but... I can't give you any more.
Listen! A trickle of water can never move the mill!
If you don't deliver the money in three days, you're finished!
But Baron, the villagers have no money!
It seems that you've forgotten your place.
To remind you, I'll cut off your left hand.
You seem to be calling me.
You lie.
I'll help you.
Do you want strength?
You're heartless.
You are mine now.
Your body and your soul...
Lies!
My soul belongs to Jean.
It's devoted to God and my husband.
My dear, stupid girl...
How can you still argue with me?
Shall I reconnect his hand for you?
Your husband is already on the verge of ruin.
What can you do?
In any case, you are already mine.
But I want to give you a chance to agree to this with your own free will:
Give me your heart and soul.
If you don't, that man will become...
My body, I will give you my lowly body.
I will give it to you to save Jean...
But, my heart...
and my soul... never!
Good, now let me persuade you some more...
What is it, Jeanne?
Jeanne put on a green robe and went into town.
Green is the color of the world's rulers,
so people call it "the Devil's color. "
Ordinarily, tax collectors don't need to borrow from money-lenders.
Even the lender doesn't understand,
but he has accepted Jeanne's offer, and lent her a large sum of money.
The money-lenders murmur amongst themselves,
"That woman must be possessed by the Devil. "
In every era, men enjoy making war.
Hunters, soldiers, and farmers unite, and all march away together.
The women are left with sad memories.
The men were gone for a long time.
A few years passed...
Jeanne became a money-lender herself.
She eventually grew to control the economy of her small village.
Court ladies and peasants alike came to fear and respect Jeanne.
They were all too happy to please her.
The Baron would never allow it.
Who's supposed to be in charge around here?
Me or that woman?
Of course you, Mistress.
I didn't ask you.
Mistress, you're always getting angry.
The war will continue for some time.
Without that woman's strength,
we would be working in the castle's kitchen...
Shut up!
She's possessed by the Devil.
Just see for yourself.
However, even though they had money and power,
Jean was getting drunk every day.
Suddenly, the army returned in triumph.
Feelings of joy and sorrow mixed as the women ran to greet the men.
The sight of Jeanne made them uncomfortable,
as the army and women returned in triumph to the village square.
Of course, Jeanne showed up as well.
I've never seen that woman before...
Baron, while you were gone, this country was turned upside down.
What?
That woman is possessed by the Devil.
Devil? That woman?
Now, people fear her more than anything else.
Even more than you.
Is that true?
Indeed.
Devil, go to Hell!
Open the door! Save me! Husband!
Save me!
Nobody kill her.
Let her suffer just by living.
For a witch possessed by the Devil, that is best.
Actually, we should drive the Devil out as soon as possible.
However, the Devil will latch on to the soul he has possessed.
What can be done?
If that woman is placed atop a pile of burning tinder,
her soul will simply surrender.
The flame of suffering should triumph over her pride.
But it's also possible that even though her body dies,
the Devil himself could survive.
He could emerge from the flame and fly free.
What shall I do, then?
My Lady, put her into a prison cell.
Your husband has the key.
You must constantly inflict severe punishment on her,
until she tells you she has a kind and chaste heart.
All right, I accept.
Now, bring that woman before me.
In the black judgement,
What is burning?
Not a calm heart
Not repentance
It's just that leftover trace of will power
Or is it...
A woman's bitterness revealed?
In the white time,
What is waiting?
Not life's flame
Not the grave
It's just that mirage in the heart
Or is it...
A woman's red blood flowing?
You came at last.
My dear girl...
You're at your wit's end. Even your husband has abandoned you.
It's too late, too late!
Jeanne, I've been with you from the beginning.
You are my partner.
You and I, we are destined to be together.
There is evil hidden deep in your heart.
And like a devil, you are seductive.
It's you who made things like this!
Touch me, burn me...
since I am in Hell!
That's right.
The black hounds have bitten my flesh.
That was you!
Your shiny teeth.
Thistles and thorns have stabbed me.
That was also you!
The burn of those thorns.
That's right!
But, I also made you.
Made me?
I don't want an innocent, stupid soul...
that would sacrifice its own interests for the sake of others.
Unleash your desperate fury.
Hold a hateful grudge against God.
A soul that will take revenge...
That is what I want most of all.
You' re doing a good job.
Ah, you're very beautiful today.
The sight of your body, and your soul.
They arouse my desire, and make me become the god of vengeance!
Devil!
Yes, that's my name.
What is your wish?
I can give you anything you want.
What do you want to do?
I want to do bad things.
What?
I want to do anything evil!
Good answer! That's the real you.
Jeanne, give me...
the payment of your soul.
Give it to me freely as a gift!
In the lonely wilderness, time slipped by.
Springtime came.
Suddenly, Jeanne was no longer alone.
Because she was communing with nature.
You are very beautiful...
Jeanne.
You're lying.
I belong in Hell.
Or is this Hell?
I have sold myself to the Devil and I have no way out!
My hair should be the border of my hatred.
My skin like that of an ugly frog.
My hatred burning like a pitch-black flame.
But no, that's not how I am.
I have been deceived!
I want to be a woman with incredible strength.
A woman everyone is afraid of.
But not like this. I don't want to forget about anger and hatred.
Anger, hatred, regret...
These are not ugly things.
You've become beautiful, Jeanne.
Yes, just like falling in love.
Lovely woman.
You are more beautiful than God.
Nevertheless, a gloomy springtime arrived in the village.
Jean had returned to his old life as a peasant.
But even in this unchanging village,
a deadly, dark shadow was silently approaching.
Bubonic plague.
Deadly in almost every case.
I've already lit a fire.
Who are you?
I am Jeanne, possessed by the Devil.
Where... Where am I?
In another world.
Really?
I was carted off with the others while I was still alive.
I still remember wanting to climb out desperately.
You are the first person I've seen after dying.
What are you doing?
Giving you medicine.
Liar! That's a poisonous flower!
Sometimes poison is medicine too.
Thanks to this, you can continue your life.
You trying to kill me?
But you're already dead!
Has he been cured?
How did that happen?
Famine and plague are spreading!
The surviving villagers are all very hungry.
There's a cottage that belongs to a witch.
Every night, she causes an uproar.
She's a witch! She does the Devil's work!
Everyone knows for sure, they feast on food and wine!
A pig of a witch!
That woman... is still alive?
Such a colorful flower...
My wife was having a difficult, painful labor,
but after she drank juice from the flower, her fear was gone.
Oh yes, "Belladonna, " which means beautiful woman...
That's what Jeanne said the flower was called.
If we get another baby now, we won't be able to keep going!
But, it's obvious my husband is trying hard not to think about it.
It makes me feel so sorry for him.
So I'm trying to figure out a way to make love without getting pregnant.
Jeanne told me,
I should accept whatever hardships God gives to me.
That is my fate.
But, no matter how many hardships I'm faced with,
I still find it very painful.
But if I can have a little happiness afterwards,
I have no regrets, no matter what I must suffer.
I wanted to see my grandson, who died in the war.
People say that Jeanne can bring people back from the dead.
After listening to my story, Jeanne shed many tears.
Also, she lets me smoke tobacco.
She lets me drink all the red wine I want.
Have you seen your dead grandson yet?
No.
Have you heard his voice?
Not yet.
Isn't she swindling you?
I fell to my knees...
Praying and crying...
My body felt like fire.
Perhaps it was all a dream.
I built up my courage, raised my head to have a look...
What happened?
I saw Hell itself.
It was crying out loudly...
for my grandson.
Are you satisfied with this?
Yes... I am very happy.
Behold, it is betrayal against God.
It's rebellion against the Baron!
That woman... burn her to death!
But, that will be difficult. All the people support Jeanne.
She has already escaped from the army.
Don't you rule over this land?
The enemy will show a weakness soon. Then we can defeat her.
Let me handle this!
What is it, little cutie?
Do you want to sleep with me?
Jeanne, don't you recognize me?
My mistress hates you.
Therefore, I hate you.
One day, I will be the one who kills you.
Why?
Because... I...
I love my mistress deeply.
You came to kill me.
Jeanne, help me. Help me realize my dream.
I want to be embraced by my mistress.
But I am just a servant of humble origins.
She would never see someone of a lower class.
Different classes?
God has assigned everyone his place.
To go against this is a betrayal against God.
It's the Devil's work.
But I want to pursue my love, even if it means going to the Devil.
I get it.
Don't hurt me, witch!
All right.
I'll help you.
That woman...
The castle walls kept out the plague,
but they weren't able to keep out the curse of the witch.
Baron, we must do something quickly.
Go find her husband!
Husband!
Jeanne...
It's been a long time.
You're unhappy aren't you, Jean?
Jeanne...
Can we just start over?
Can you stop doing these things?
Become an ordinary peasant's wife?
Make a fresh start with me.
Jean...
I'm sorry for abandoning you.
- I was powerless to do anything then. - Don't say any more.
I've already forgotten it.
Jeanne, please come back with me.
- Back to the castle. - The castle?
The Baron has already forgiven your mistakes.
In fact, he admires your good deeds.
Your work helping the sick and miserable.
You've sacrificed yourself to solve the problems of others.
You are a very good person.
Do you really believe that, Jean?
The Baron wants to cooperate with you.
To cure the plague, relieve suffering.
With your knowledge and his power, many people could be saved.
The Baron could have sent the army to catch you, or have you killed.
But he doesn't want to do such a thing.
I think that you know he is honest.
He has promised me a piece of land and we can be happy.
And... if I refuse?
We'll be killed, Jeanne!
Both you and me!
Jeanne, listen to me!
Jeanne!
This is not a trade, Jeanne.
But it allows us to work together toward...
making as many people as possible happy.
This one hundred acres of fertile land is a sincere gift from me to you.
Just tell us how to use this stinking flower.
What's the matter?
Aren't you satisfied with one hundred acres?
Jeanne...
If that's the case, I'll let you rule over the village!
No wait, how about I make you the highest-ranked noble?
That should make you happy.
Jeanne, you're...
You'll have the highest ranking of all nobles!
What else can I offer you?
Nothing.
I don't need any of that.
What on earth do you want?
Everything.
What?
Everything in the world.
The whole world.
Burn her!
Burn this woman to death at once!
Time slips by...
On July 14, 1789, the Bastille prison was attacked.
Pioneering women played an important role in the French Revolution.
The Women's March on Versailles
Blue transparent skin
She sacrificed herself for the future, out of love
The tender blossom is shy in springtime
Her body is dyed red
Belladonna, beautiful woman
Belladonna, a woman in love
A sad melody...
That isn't yet finished
I always believed our love was forever
Even if we're torn apart, I'll still love you
The flowers are playing tricks
I can see our fate is about to change
Belladonna, beautiful woman
Belladonna, a woman in love
A sad melody...
We have already heard too much