La danseuse

"The Dancing Girl" (舞姫, Maihime) was the first published short story by the Japanese writer Mori Ōgai. The story first appeared in Kokumin no Tomo (People's Friend, 国民之友) in 1890, and is based on Mori's own experiences as a medical student in Germany. In some ways, this tale foreshadows Puccini's Madama Butterfly, which deals with a similar theme but with a slight role reversal: in Madama Butterfly, a Western man abandons a Japanese woman, while in The Dancing Girl a Japanese man leaves a Western woman. The short story was adapted into an episode of Animated Classics of Japanese Literature, which was released in North America by Central Park Media.