Thank you all for your recent comments to my post Last letter in Old CC Novel. As mentioned in the post, my friend Yue Chan would also publish her translation in Spanish of this letter. Even better, she showed the table of contents of the entire old novel, which, as she said, was not very different from that of Candy Candy Final Story. 😉 After reading Yue Chan’s post, some ideas have formed in my mind. Later, because of the comment from my other friend Fay, I thought perhaps I should start a new series comparing the old novel and CCFS. I know my friend Yue Chan is going to do that, so I try not to do the same. 😊 Instead, I’ll look from the perspectives of Candy’s happiness.
As many of you said, judging from the last letter in the old CC novel, there is no doubt Candy was in love with Albert. Not only she missed him very much, but she hid nothing about her feelings, even ending her letter with love from her heart. If anyone still insists Albert was merely a big brother to Candy or a father figure to her, that person is either in denial or has problem comprehending love stories. 😕
Therefore, in the old novel, it’s clear that Candy has found her happiness with Albert, and the novel ends right there.
Now Fay believes that even Candy’s first letter to Albert in the old novel conveys more about Candy’s feelings for Albert. Well, as a matter of fact, Fay listed several brilliant points, and I’m in total agreement with her. 😍 If you read the letter closely, it can only mean one thing, that by the time Albert revealed his last secret to Candy on Pony’s Hill, she had already fallen head over heels for him. Candy immediately accepted that Albert was her first crush, the handsome Prince on the Hill, without reserve or doubt. ❤️ If she still regarded him as her big brother, her reaction would have been entirely different (for example, she would have been embarrassed, if not nonplussed). Also, Albert would not have made that confession if he treated Candy as his sister.
Perhaps, based on these two letters alone, it does seem that the old novel is more clear and direct about Candy’s feelings for Albert than in Candy Candy Final Story. However, overall, I’d say each novel has its own merits. Remember, Mizuki (real name Keiko Nagita) meant to improve her old novel when she was writing Candy Candy Final Story (CCFS). The author also claimed that CCFS was not a sequel. It was the same story. In other words, she hadn’t changed her mind about Candy’s three loves in her life. 🏵️
For example, Candy’s letter to Captain Vincent Brown, Anthony’s father, was missing in the old novel. I have discussed in length in three earlier posts, Candy and Prince on the Hill (Part 9), Granduncle William (!) and Overwhelmed with emotions (Part 4). If you haven’t yet read any of my old analyses of this particular letter, I’d encourage you to read them. It seems insignificant at first glance but it’s actually full of undeniable hints to Candy’s new status in the Ardlays. The more I think about this letter, the more I’m inclined to believe that Candy was already married, living in the principal mansion with Albert in Chicago. 😙
What’s more, in CCFS Mizuki rewarded Candy and Albert a day trip to Lakewood, just the two of them. 💑 In the old novel, as far as I know, the only “trip” they went together after knowing that Albert was Prince on the Hill was to visit Dr. Leonard in the hospital when she came to Chicago for her birthday. Anyway, in CCFS Candy described this significant trip in detail in her letter to Albert, which she ended with love and gratitude. Some people claimed that this is backward when compared to the old novel, because Candy didn’t end with love but also with gratitude. I could hardly believe my eyes when I read such comments or theories. Seriously, there are many articles out there about how to sustain a marriage with gratitude for your spouse. Not to mention that Albert himself had expressed his deep gratitude to Candy too. In other words, they actually treasured and cherished each other. 💕
In fact, I’ve written quite a few posts about this special trip to Lakewood, and I will discuss some more in Part 2. Meanwhile, I’d like to point you to one of the old posts, Wildflowers on the way to Lakewood. One of the highlights of their trip was that Albert, for the first time, pulled Candy into his arms. ❤️❤️❤️ If I remember correctly, it was always Candy who ran to him, wrapping her arms around him to seek comfort in his tenderness. (Please correct me if I’m wrong.) But this time Candy tearfully blamed herself for Anthony’s fatal accident, and it was at this very moment Albert gently brought her body to his. While sharing an intimate embrace, she let herself sob on his broad chest, so much so she ruined his fine shirt (possibly an expensive silk shirt). 😢
Personally, this is my favorite scene in CCFS, which is not in the manga nor the old novel. First, it far outweighs the forced kiss Terry imposed upon Candy. Besides, it is the first romantic scene between Candy and Albert. I was told that Igarashi did draw an embrace to end the manga, but Mizuki decided to replace it with the classic scene, Candy’s first encounter of Prince on the Hill. This signifies a full circle because she was back to her first love.
Yet, Mizuki described an unforgettable embrace in CCFS epilogue. If you don’t find their hug romantic enough, Candy wrote that the grassland she visited together with Albert was filled with bluebells. I heard these flowers bloom in April and May in the shade, so you can easily imagine how the sun was shining down through the trees in the forest fenced with lots of wild roses 🌹. No wonder Candy wrote it was so beautiful that she couldn’t help crying, like they had stumbled upon the edge of Heaven (she wrote it was like the border between this life and eternity). ❤️
I took this picture today in my neighborhood. Note that it’s past mid May already, and the bluebells are blooming amidst the bushes. Believe me, they are all over the place, except where the sunlight can reach, and it is a breathtaking view. I could barely capture the beauty with a camera. This makes me wonder if Albert took Candy to Lakewood in May as well. Of course Albert was fully aware how special this month was to her. It was her birth month, and May festival was a memorable event in her life.
So, if indeed they went there in May, slightly more than a year had elapsed since his important confession to her on the hill, which had taken place on a fine spring day before her birthday. In the old novel, he was in Brazil when Candy wrote to him about how time had flown by that they had to use the fireplace already in the orphanage (early winter). In CCFS, I wonder how long Albert had stayed in Brazil for his business. Probably months or half a year or more? That explains why Candy had refused to write a long reply to him. She had rather talk to him in person. Actions speak louder than words; her yearning for him was indisputable. ❤️ Again, this letter of complaint wasn’t in the old novel, and it speaks volumes of Candy’s relationship with Albert. She acted like his girlfriend who demanded his return, don’t you think? 😛
Now, if you have felt that Mizuki has taken away something precious about Candy’s relationship with Albert in the old novel, think again. 🙂 In CCFS, some time in late spring, Candy and Albert hugged each other for who knows how long with an enchanting forest as the backdrop. I bet they wouldn’t look at each other the same way afterwards. 😉 I can easily envision how they blushed, thinking about what had just occurred between them. 🙂
To conclude, Candy was again upset about Anthony, but unlike Terry, who had forced her to ride a horse with him, Albert consoled her with his strength and heartwarming tenderness. Candy truly found her happiness with her prince. No doubt she felt his unconditional love for her. Because she herself later wrote in her letter that something inside her had been revived since this trip. I’ll talk more next time. Please stay tuned for Part 2.
My dear friend Yue Chan has translated this post to Spanish. “¿Candy encontró su felicidad? (Parte 1)”