Jules Michelet was a 19th-century French historian and writer, not a direct creator of anime or manga, but his work became the source material for a landmark Japanese animated film. Born in Paris on August 21, 1798, Michelet came from a modest background as the son of a printer. He built a distinguished academic career, eventually being appointed to the chair of history at the Collège de France. He is best known for his monumental multi-volume works, including Histoire de France (History of France) and Histoire de la Révolution française (History of the French Revolution), which were noted for their literary style and their focus on the role of ordinary people and popular struggles in shaping history.

Michelet’s connection to anime originates from his 1862 non-fiction book La Sorcière, which translates to Satanism and Witchcraft. This book is a history of witchcraft that presents the witch as a figure of rebellion against the oppressive structures of medieval society, particularly the church and feudal lords. In this work, Michelet framed the witch as a healer and a symbol of protest, a perspective that reinterpreted traditional views on the subject.

In 1973, the Japanese animation studio Mushi Production adapted La Sorcière into the feature film Belladonna of Sadness (Kanashimi no Beradonna). Directed and co-written by Eiichi Yamamoto, the film was the third and final installment in the studio’s adult-oriented Animerama trilogy. While Osamu Tezuka, the famed manga artist, had been involved in the conceptual stages of the earlier films in the trilogy, he left the project early, and Belladonna of Sadness was the only film in the series that he neither wrote nor co-directed. The film is inspired by Michelet’s book, using its themes of witchcraft, feudal oppression, and rebellion against authority as the foundation for its story of a peasant woman, Jeanne, who makes a pact with a spirit after being brutalized by the local nobility. The film is noted for its experimental visual style, which incorporated still paintings and art nouveau influences, and its serious, erotic, and psychedelic tone. Although it was a commercial failure upon its initial release, contributing to the bankruptcy of Mushi Production, Belladonna of Sadness has since gained recognition as a cult classic and a significant work of animation.

Beyond this singular adaptation, Michelet’s identity is rooted in his extensive historical writing. He is credited with coining the term Renaissance in the sense of a distinct historical period, emphasizing a cultural rebirth following the Middle Ages. His historical works, including La Sorcière, often explored themes of anti-clericalism, the struggle for liberty, and the significance of women in history. Michelet died on February 9, 1874, leaving behind a body of work that influenced not only historical study but also, through its adaptation into Belladonna of Sadness, found a unique place in the history of Japanese animation.