Takahata directed the 1981 film Jarinko Chie. It is based on Etsumi HARUKI's highly popular comic about ten-year-old Chie, "the most miserable girl in Japan," who maintains the family cafe while her jobless yakuza father and her mother are divorced. This may sound melancholy, but it is actually a pretty entertaining comedy. The narrative takes place in Osaka, which has a very different culture from Tokyo. Following the popularity of the film, Takahata served as the series' principal director.