Of all the drawings of Prince on the Hill by Yumiko Igarashi, I like the one shown in my previous post the most because we can see the Pony’s Home down there (bottom right corner). Also, Albert looked like a boy in his mid-teens indeed. The other ones he looked a bit childlike (not even Anthony’s age but more like a thirteen-year-old).
You know how important Pony’s Home and Pony’s Hill were to Candy, and Prince on the Hill was always associated with this hill. Anthony had wanted to visit Pony’s Hill with Candy, but he had died soon after saying that. Terry had come on a snowy day all alone. Candy had attempted to find him, but he had already gone, leaving Candy by herself, indescribably disappointed and upset. However, Albert was the only male character to be there on the hill with Candy, and not only once! This was where he had first appeared to little Candy, and the story ended with Candy and Prince on the Hill reuniting on Pony’s Hill more than ten years later.
In other words, besides Candy, Prince on the Hill is the most crucial character in the story, and the main plot revolved around the change of their relationship. Not only that, nearly the entire epilogue of Candy Candy Final Story (CCFS) is devoted to Candy and her prince, with the only exception being Candy’s first mental letter to Anthony. Even in that letter, she talked about Albert a lot but avoided Terry’s name. Thus, Mizuki essentially told us that Candy’s future was about Candy and her prince, so it will be very odd if all of a sudden Anohito was Terry at the end of the epilogue. It’s almost like he came out of nowhere. 😆
In addition, in CCFS, Albert had visited Candy at Pony’s Home quite a few times. They probably went to Pony’s Hill every time for privacy (like the time when he was about to reveal his secret of being Prince on the Hill to Candy), not to mention that he had purchased the land and financed the reconstruction of the orphanage, which wasn’t Candy’s idea but was totally a generous gift from Albert. Reconstruction could take months and required much design and planning ahead of time, so it’s undeniable that Mizuki wanted to provide strong evidence that Albert was extremely familiar with the building of the Pony’s Home, both before and after the reconstruction. Unlike Terry, who had only come once (very briefly) on a winter day years ago when it had been snowing.
Now you see why it makes sense that Anohito (Candy’s husband) is Albert. In the beginning of CCFS (the prologue), Anohito could recognize the oil painting of old Pony’s Home in Spring time (pre-reconstruction) at a glance (from the spoilers below). Note that after breaking up in New York, Terry no longer appeared in Candy’s life, except the time when Candy ran into him in Rockstown, but Candy left without talking to him. Even if Terry would visit Candy after Susanna’s death (as many Terry fans believe), it was highly likely to be after the reconstruction. I’ll explain why in another post. 😉
An oil painting in a handmade frame…. It was HIM who found the oil painting at a flea market in London some years ago. HE recognised at a glance that it was the Pony’s Home. A panoramic view of the Pony’s Home looking down from the Pony’s Hill… The Pony’s Home in the painting is that of before reconstruction… Beautiful May. The Pony’s Home in lush green of the trees.
Besides, the bagpipe doesn’t look quite right because one of the reed pipes should be much longer than the other two, as shown in this picture of a cute Lego mini-figure. 😉
However, I must say that I truly admire the exquisite details Yumiko Igarashi had put in this illustration of Prince on the Hill and the surroundings. It’s too bad we can’t see Albert’s features, so that’s why I’m currently modifying this drawing, and I’m almost done. To draw Albert dressed like a highlander takes a lot of work and effort, and I can only do a bit every day. Hopefully, I can finish it soon. Please be patient. 🙂