A little girl, red pigtails braided sedately, and a spindly woman dressed in Edwardian fashion hurry to catch the train. A new life is about to begin for the girl, an orphan, who is being delivered to an elderly brother and sister duo who live at Green Gables in Prince Edward Island, Canada. To say she is excited would be an understatement! But she’s not just bubbly—this girl is surprisingly erudite and thoughtful as well, as an endless stream of keen observations and flights of fancy pour from her lips, startling the quiet Matthew while also sparking a twinkle in eyes that one suspects has been absent a very long time. He’s a quiet man, and no match for his sister Marilla and her displeasure upon seeing that the orphanage has sent a girl instead of the boy that she requested. It looks like the girl’s dream of having a home and being wanted may well be over before it begins. The next day, Anne, as she reveals her name to be, sets off with Marilla on her dolorous journey back to the orphan asylum. But then the scowly Mrs. Blewett steps in, saying that another hard-working youngster is exactly what she’s been looking for. Mrs. Blewett is the kind of woman you wouldn’t give a dog you liked to, though (as Matthew would say), so what will Marilla do?

stardf29

The Anne of Green Gables book series is one of my favorites and is a large part of my current love for slice-of-life stories. I also have to note that this series is also extremely influential in Japan, with a previous anime adaptation and overall a very recognizable story among Japanese people. With all this in mind, I have to say that I really like this adaptation so far. Honoka Inoue voices Anne perfectly, showing off her energetic, imaginative, and chatterbox nature, while also bringing out her emotion when she thinks he has to go back to the orphanage. The visuals are also nice, with storybook-like backgrounds, expressive character animations, and other great moments like the “White Way of Delight” (Ed: pictured below). As in the original story, Anne Shirley really encourages viewers to find the romance in everyday life, a theme that slice-of-life anime continues to explore to this day. Meanwhile, the drama over her adoption plants the seed of a story about family, where a child is adopted not out of usefulness but rather out of love. All of this makes Anne Shirley fit in surprisingly well with its modern anime contemporaries, despite being based on a novel over 100 years old. But then again, maybe modern anime has been influenced by Anne of Green Gables all this time. One thing is for sure: I will be following this adaptation in all of its new animated glory.

claire

I need a moment of silence and a Kleenex before I can write this up. Ah, it was so good! But first, some context. I grew up reading, listening to, and watching L. M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables series and all her other works, as did my Mum before me, and my Gramma before her. For much of my life, I had two books on my bedside table, the Bible and whichever of L. M. Montgomery’s novels or short story collections I was reading at the time. Her characters and the world of Avonlea were a continual source of joy and inspiration to me. But it’s been a while—probably since I emigrated over fifteen years ago and had to leave my books behind. This episode felt like coming home. I could hear Montgomery’s wise, whip-smart, yet incredibly kind voice so clearly in the dialogue and in the visual storytelling too—especially those oil pastel-like backgrounds. This is the Anne I recognize and the one I grew up with! She is the embodiment of wonder—and the voice acting and animation beautifully convey that sense of wonder not only to the other characters in the frame, who can’t help but be charmed by this strange little girl with the expansive imagination, but to viewers as well. The character designs are simple and clean, but also very carefully wrought, matching the original novel’s descriptions to a T. The subtitling retains that hint of turn-of-the-century poetry and captures Anne’s striking style and love of “big words”. I’ll admit it, I teared up several times, particularly when Matthew points out to Marilla that although Anne may not be of any earthly good to them, they will be good for her. There have been many adaptations over the years, and each has its charms. But so far, although it’s only been one episode, I’ll admit that this one is well on its way to winning my heart. If it keeps on engaging with the original work and Montgomery’s heart like this, rather than seeking to “modernize” this classic tale, it may very well take first place by the end of the season. We shall see! 

Michel

Personally, I’d say that out of all the works of legendary director Isao Takahata, his 1979 Akage no An (Anne of Green Gables) is the very best. The first six episodes of that anime are so good that they make a great standalone movie, which is exactly why they were compiled into a 100-minute movie called Road to Green Gables in 2010. This new anime adaptation of Anne just went through that entire arc in a single 24-minute episode, which means many key scenes were rushed or skipped. It was a very polished and pleasant first episode, but because of that, it loses some of the magic. Compared to the 1979 adaptation, Marilla is not as intimidating, Matthew doesn’t come off as reclusive, and Anne is not as idiosyncratic and daydreamy. It seems like they’re not trying to compete with Takahata’s adaptation by going for a more modern take. As far as that goes, and if I ignore how much of the content they’re rushing, I think they’re doing a decent job. The soundtrack is enjoyable, and the backgrounds look very beautiful. I had to press pause a few times throughout to appreciate them a little longer. Also, it looks like they’re staying faithful to the source material. Overall, I think it’s well made enough for me to keep watching, but the old adaptation will remain the best way to experience Anne’s story for me.

Jeskai

Aww! That was charming. It’s pretty much what I’d expect for an anime adaptation of Anne of Green Gables, following the original novel pretty closely (at least from what I recall from reading it some years ago). Anne’s whimsy, theatricality, and imagination really shine through here, not only in her dialogue but in her highly expressive face. Matthew is a man of few words, but you can sense his kindness. And of course there’s serious Marilla, who isn’t quite as stern and stolid as she tries to act. She gets the biggest arc of the episode, culminating in the delightful moment where she decides to adopt Anne and glares down the sketchy Mrs. Blewett. The environment is also a star here, with gorgeous scenery popping up frequently. Also, it’s just kind of cool having an anime set in Canada. I definitely recommend this one.

Anne Shirley is streaming on Crunchyroll.