Life is not easy for Anne Shirley, an 11-year-old orphan with a vast imagination and a short temper. In a twist of fate, she gets taken into the Cuthbert house in Avonlea. The elderly occupants Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert were looking for a young boy to help in the fields, but they're in for quite a shock when they realize Anne is a girl.
Adapted from the acclaimed classic by L. M. Montgomery, Akage no Anne portrays Anne's upbringing from 11 to 17 years of age and her encounters and separations with various people. Only time will tell what major decision Anne has to make that will change her life forever.
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
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NotDolphy
Akage no Anne doesn’t seem to be a particularly grand story if one was to simply read the blurb - there are no dramatic plot twists, no tyrants to defeat, no epic quest spanning galaxies - it is just a very simple tale of a young orphaned girl coming to terms with herself and others. Akage no Anne takes place in the late nineteenth century, in the fictional town of Avonlea on Prince Edwards Island, Canada. Here siblings Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert, both reaching into their 50's and 60's, are looking to adopt a boy of around 10 to help them with the farm work.The story begins with the very shy and soft-spoken Matthew heading towards the train station to pick up their new adopted boy, averting his eyes from every women he passes along the way. However, when Matthew arrives at the train station there is no boy to be found. Instead there is a freckled 11 year old girl with red hair, named Anne Shirley.
It is through this deceptively simple premise that Akage no Anne explores the many complex issues that arise during everyday life, with remarkable results. The broad scope in which it paints these complex themes is rather unassuming at first, but through the slow, naturalistic building of its large cast of characters and nuanced examination of the whys and wherefores of everyday life, Akage no Anne manages to achieve a magic that absolutely deserves to be experienced.
Anne, like many 11 year-olds, is a very flawed individual. She is obstinate, talks incessantly, and is very easily distracted. Her mood swings wildly from one moment to the next and she frequently prioritizes her latest whim over what really needs to be done. For years she carries an obdurate hatred of a certain character simply because he teased her once. Yet these are hardly the deplorable characteristics they may seem at first; rather, they are what makes her such a human character and, in turn, such a relatable one as well. Humans are naturally flawed beings and Anne is no exception. Nevertheless, these imperfections are hardly the unidimensional character traits one may have become accustomed to in anime. Her wild mood swings denotes her uniquely passionate temperament for the dramatic and the romantic. Distractions are often for the sake of more creative endeavors. Her whimsy is a large part of what makes her such an endearing character, both to those around her and the audience. Whenever Anne is given the chance to learn or experience something new, she always takes to the task with a great sense of purpose. All of these points considered, Anne is an incredibly realistic and human character, and you can't help but relate to her because of that.
And true to real life, Anne's depth of characterization, and rationalization of this characterization, takes root in the detailings of her past. Both of her parents died of typhoid fever when she was only three months of age. She was then placed into the care of the very poor Thomas family, only to be sent to live with the Hammond family and subsequently sent to an orphanage at an even later date. Throughout these early years of her life, she was often unfairly berated and forced to toil away at household chores day in and day out, never permitted to attend school or make any friends. It is through these harsh formative years that Anne's personality had already begun taking shape. She sought refuge from her unfavorable living conditions by escaping into stories, poems, books and her characteristic vivid imagination. The books and poems she had read established her penchant for theatrics and her lyrical soliloquies early on. She was never given the chance to experience many of the things the world has to offer, so she had to fill in the blanks of life with her imagination. Her imagination could also be seen as her only tool of contending with these tribulations by way of envisioning her standings in life as a much more extravagant, romantic one.
Most of this, however, isn't disclosed quite this explicitly in the actual show. Yes, Anne does go into her history briefly, but not in such great detail, and she certainly doesn’t dissect her past crucibles and their innate effect on her psyche; all of that is merely implicit. The writing at play here omits any superfluous details or things that can be easily ascertained by the attentive viewer/reader in favor of a more realistic approach of characterization. Things aren't learned by means of awkward expository dialogue, nor are they dictated via haphazard, unwieldy info-dumps - everything is simply conveyed to the audience in a very candid and natural manner, as if we were only peeking in on a small slice of their lives never intended for such a large audience. For instance, Anne’s compendious and slightly hesitant admission that her former caretakers “meant to be good to her” effortlessly says so much more about Anne than a more typical and unnaturally overt explanation of the same thing could ever accomplish. This graceful method of storytelling feels refreshingly alien in today’s modern anime landscape; the narrative is there for our exploring and Akage no Anne’s narrative is a very, very gratifying place to explore, start to finish.
Furthermore, the show wastes little time in establishing some of its interesting character dynamics. Matthew is almost instantly charmed by Anne upon meeting her and doesn't have the heart to tell her that they had asked for a boy. He’d rather leave that for Marilla to sort out. On the way to Green Gables, Anne recites these sprawling, melodramatic, nearly poetic speeches while Matthew just listens, enraptured. Anne's fanciful monologues serve as a perfect introduction to her unique world view: She details how much she hates her red hair, her love of romanticism, and how lovely it is to finally have a place she can call home, all the while frequently and impulsively changing the topic to whatever else catches her fancy at that exact fleeting moment. Although Matthew doesn't speak much during this carriage ride, his expressive face says more than words could ever say. It's an absolute delight to see how rapt he hangs on Anne’s every word and how quickly he becomes attached to this unusual little girl during their relatively short carriage ride home together when only moments earlier he was averting his eyes in fear in the passing of a few harmless women alongside the road. The effect is very understated but pulled off remarkably well. Thankfully, one can expect many more moments like this throughout the show.
On the other hand, Marilla, a much more pragmatic person than Matthew, isn't as keen on the idea of keeping Anne, initially. After all, the reason they wanted to adopt a kid in the first place was for help tending the farm, and the skinny Anne hardly seems fit for the job. Furthermore, Anne’s loud, dramatic, fanciful character is the polar opposite of the more subdued and sensible Marilla, so her idiosyncrasies are met with reproach at first. Still, after some careful deliberation following Anne and Marilla having shared a few bonding opportunities, it is decided that Marilla and Matthew will allow Anne to stay at Green Gables and Marilla would raise Anne as her daughter. Akage no Anne remains very much about Anne's coming of age, but the way the story accomplishes this is through a series of vignettes portraying the ups and downs of her everyday life. For the first time in her life, she is allowed to truly experience life and all that entails: going to school, making friends, and experiencing all the exciting little things in life that we might have come to consider mundane, making all the mistakes that children tend to make along the way. The way Anne grows from these experiences, though, is so natural, gradual, and nuanced that it can be easy to miss entirely until its climax creeps up on the viewer. The final moments of this series are so rewarding, so moving, so poignant in its magnificently understated beauty; all of these seemingly disparate and insignificant moments in Anne's life coalesce and culminate in ways that make each and every one of said vignettes at once meaningful, evoking a palpable warmth that could only have been achieved in this slow, naturalistic method of storytelling that Akage no Anne pulls off so well.
Still, this wealth of narrative excellence would all be for naught if just one of the nuts and bolts working behind the scenes were to fall out of place. A story can and will go to pieces if the pacing is just slightly off, so good storyboarding is vital. Scenes that were emotionally gripping or heartrending in the novel can be met with blasé dispassion if it that particular scene isn’t interpreted properly by the screenwriter and director. Skillful voice acting is absolutely integral in conveying the vast breadth of emotion present in this character driven story. Even the smallest oversight in the consistency in the setting can completely take a viewer out of the immersive quality. Storyboarding, screenwriting, direction, voice acting, music, art direction, and, especially in the case of Akage no Anne, a well researched setting are all integral apportioned components of a larger whole. If just one of those cogs isn’t working in perfect accordance with the rest, then the narrative, no matter how excellent, can falter irreparably into an inefficacious mess. It is fortunate, then, that Akage no Anne is every bit as exemplary technically as it is narratively.
As I see it, the reason that the novel upon which Akage no Anne is based on, 'Anne of Green Gables' by Lucy Maud Montgomery, has resonated with so many people around the world for over a hundred years now is in no small part due to its decidedly realistic approach of depicting the magic of everyday life. Isao Takahata, the director of Akage no Anne, is able to capture this magic brilliantly. The direction on display here is nothing short of awe-inspiring. While it would have been incredibly easy for Takahata to indulge in schmaltz or cheap melodramatics, the anime in adaptation never falls into emotional trickery or manipulation of the audience, despite Anne's habitually melodramatic disposition. Emotional moments are felt because they are genuinely emotional. Through the show’s slow and realistic pacing, we, the audience, grow to love the characters, cherish their bonds, and partake vicariously through their hardships and triumphs just as Anne and her new family do, very naturally. The way Takahata brings Anne's tribulations to life are easy to relate to precisely by the virtue of how inherently human every single aspect of them is and how informally they all play out. It doesn't matter where you are from, nor which era you are a part of, because everyone has felt the things Anne feels, and, in one way or another, experienced the same things Anne has. That kind of timeless, all-encompassing humanity has to be admired, and to that effect, so does Isao Takahata for capturing it.
It is, however, when the predominantly realistic tone gives way to the expressionistic reverie of Anne's imagination that Takahata’s artistry undoubtedly shines brightest. A brief carriage ride through a wooded path seamlessly metamorphosizes into a magical scene in which Anne is in an instant wearing a long, white dress, being lifted up into the sky by a geyser of flowers while this wondrous, fanciful orchestral tune plays; it's an absolutely stunning way of putting us directly into Anne's otherworldly fantasies. Anne's imagination is so fundamental to who she is that it only makes sense for Takahata to bring her thoughts to life existentially just as Anne envisions them. This extraordinary contrast between realism and expressionism is something that Takahata really excels at, and this motif of his has never had more suitable home to lay its proverbial hat than the in world of Akage no Anne.
The accuracy with which Montgomery's text is transformed into this dazzling piece of animation is without comparison. Takahata's flourishes aside, Akage no Anne is an almost word for word, gesture for gesture, scene for scene adaptation. The setting is well researched and just as described in the novel, with its scenic background art done in a lovely picturesque painterly effect. Hayao Miyazaki handles the scene setting and layout. Yoshifumi Kondo, who would later go on to direct the classic Whisper of the Heart, handles the simple yet serviceable character design that, as with just about everything else, is very accurate to the source material. Animation direction is handled by Kondo and if there is any weak link in Akage no Anne, animation is probably it. The show was made in 1979 and it shows, especially in some of the later episodes. It’s largely to be expected and never becomes too distracting, but it bore mentioning. Music is another area where it would have been incredibly easy for it to succumb to the pitfalls of cloying melodrama, but it’s fairly restrained, yet coolly affecting and melancholy when need be. Anne is a near inimitable character so Eiko Yamada’s spectacular interpretation of her is especially praiseworthy.
Still, there are several minor dis-similarities between the novel and anime, but outside of a few conspicuous omissions, I’m pleased to report that most of the changes were for the better. Akage no Anne makes incredible use of all fifty of its episodes, so some important character relationships are better fleshed out and a key part of Anne's life is given more care and attention than in the novel thanks to the anime’s lengthy run time. It’s such a rarity for an adaptation to even come close to equaling the quality of it’s source material, so the fact that Akage no Anne manages to by and large improve upon it’s source without losing an ounce of its magic merits special praise indeed, especially considering the prestigious stature of the Anne of Green Gables novel.
And everything comes together splendidly; each one of the aforementioned formal cogs amalgamate flawlessly with each other and with Montgomery’s already outstanding writing to form something truly timeless and deserving of being called a masterpiece. I've stressed humanity so much in this review because, ultimately, I think that’s what has made Akage no Anne resonate with such a large number of people around the world for so many years now. Its lasting popularity in modern day Japan - a place and time that couldn’t be further from nineteenth century Prince Edward Island, Canada - is a testament to this. Just as Anne had a profound effect upon the lives of those around her, she has truly had a similarly profound effect upon the lives of people around the world for generations upon generations now, and I imagine she will continue to do so for many more; and just that is Anne's greatest magic.
ariapal
The year is 1876 and the Second Industrial Revolution is at its dawn. The world was only a few years away from witnessing the wonders of electricity. Countless technological innovations in the industry, in an ever-growing scheme, are slowly shaping a whole new spectrum of efficient and flexible methods of production. In order to satiate a ravenous hunger for power and resources, Europe's Imperialistic giants once again turn their eyes towards the vast lands of Africa and Asia. Meanwhile, in Prince Edward Island, Canada; life follows its course as if unaware of the changes around the globe. Rural lifestyles without much commotion characterize thepeople of Avonlea, a fictional town that the characters of this story call home. Somewhere in town, Matthew Cuthbert is heading out in his carriage for a rare appearance outdoors. It turns out a male orphan was adopted, and the grizzled man was on his way to pick up the boy at the train station. In the days of old, the idea of raising an unknown child was frowned upon by many on account of the risks that came along with it. But Matthew's younger sister, Marilla Cuthbert, understands that change is necessary. As years went by, the ceaseless march of time began to slowly take its toll on the elder's body, which is with each passing day having more and more difficulties in dealing with the heavy workload of the farm. But now, with an easier lifestyle guaranteed, the closing stages of Matthew's journey seem certain to follow a calm final course. However, as he approaches the station, some sort of grave mistake seems to have occurred. Why, for what sort of reason is there a red-haired girl instead of a boy waiting for his arrival…?
And thus begins the coming of age story of Anne Shirley of Green Gables. An orphan since her infancy, Anne wandered from place to place for most of her life without the care of a true family. Due to this precarious lifestyle, an intense longing for a place to call home grew with the passing of time. With almost no one to rely on or receive a proper upbringing from, she would often find solace in the world of books and her imagination as means to keep herself in high spirits. As a form of escapism, Anne's love for literature and the imaginary would slowly begin to mold her dynamic and radiant persona.
The child who arrived at Green Gables, though only eleven years old, was more mature than her age would suggest. Anne's early childhood, while truly difficult, contributed to developing a certain degree of self-dependence. Often under emotional pressure and dealing with heavy workloads, she was forced to adapt to the conditions imposed by the unfavorable environment. But beyond that, they also created a deep sense of humility and inner strength within her—rather than becoming downhearted, Anne learned to find happiness amidst pain. As someone able to enjoy the littlest things in life, even an ordinary day feels splendid to her. Despite showing slight signs of vanity, this immense gratitude towards the world is what keeps Anne from being a spoilt and selfish child. In face of this, Marilla, even if entirely against the idea of adoption at first, slowly develops a profound appreciation for the girl's sincerity and gumption.
Anne's subsequent endeavors, through honest mistakes and awkward scrapes, are both genuine and amusing, playing an essential role in her growth as a person. Intertwined with her coming of age, various branches explore the cracks and corners of childhood. Be it with the little girl who longs for life-long friendships, or the diligent student who strives for excellence in every undertaken task, or the matured teenager who is conflicted due to the bigger responsibilities that come with age; there's always aspects one can easily relate to. With each passing episode, the viewer gradually gets to know more about the apprehensions, aspirations and fancies that inhabit the young protagonist's mind. And in similar pace, the audience witnesses the flow of time that so pervades human life.
Time: an ever-changing and constant stream of events that shapes and changes everything around civilization, from the world's landscapes and oceans to a person's personality and appearance. In the same manner that it brings good things, it also takes away. In Akage no Anne, this concept is conveyed through Anne's growth and the changes within the environment after her arrival. Conceptually, the very premise of the story is rooted deep in the notion that life is subject to time and chance. Matthew, who's in his sixties, is with each passing day showing more symptoms of age, and he is no longer is able to keep up with the tiring farm work as he once did. Marilla, although still not short of vigor, is already past the midpoint of her life's journey, and her eyes no longer work as well as in the past. Ever since the siblings' parents died, only the two of them have been living in the house, and as they grew older and older, the place took on a silent and solemn atmosphere. The orphan's arrival at their abode, however, marks the beginning of a new era. Anne's grateful and vivacious nature brings a vitality and color long lost in the house, acting as a catalyst for mutual growth between the residents that gradually starts resembling that of a unified family.
However, witnessing the heartfelt relationship between Anne, Matthew and Marilla as they grow together as a family and deal with the tribulations of life is only part of the journey. Beyond the basic premise, Akage no Anne is a subtle yet insightful look into the etiquettes, norms and principles that form the foundation for the identity of the inhabitants of Avonlea. Similarly to the home environment, institutions like school play a critical role in shaping the mindsets of people. Understated in nature, this theme is explored simply through the daily doings and interactions of the cast—something easily discerned by an attentive viewing.
Under Marilla's supervision, Anne is taught important societal norms and values. Being a woman whose entire life was built around a set of principles, her main objective is to thoroughly instill these values into Anne. The child's constant lack of concentration and understanding of social norms is seen by Marilla as a big problem that needs fixing. However, contrary to her stern image, the 52-year-old doesn't adopt a needlessly stringent method of teaching, instead allowing Anne to experience a joyful childhood free of unnecessary restrictions.
Considering the importance of education in the story's context, school is seen as an integral part of the community's culture and one's development. Fairly unfamiliar to Anne prior to coming to Green Gables, school becomes a pivotal environment in her growth as a young girl. A nurturing place of learning, it is in there where Anne's mind flourishes intellectually. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that Anne's teacher, Mrs. Stacy, was a godsend to her. Being one of the very few adults to ever encourage the girl's creative mind and intense use of imagination, she becomes an invaluable role model for the impressionable Anne. Of immense importance over time, school opens a multitude of doors for the diligent student. But among everything, the greatest thing it awarded was an important goal in life: the possibility of attending college and graduating.
Anne's process of maturation—subtly perceptible in its early stage, and immense in the long run—is slow and nuanced. As life unfolds, Anne gains size, becomes more self-dependent and responsible, prioritizes more 'grown-up' activities, and develops more lady-like manners. She starts becoming more of a socially respectable person, blossoming into a teenager with a number of aspirations...
And so the little Anne grows up. The talkative redhead who used to constantly indulge in her flights of fancy and get into the most unusual situations, experiences a new stage in life where ambitions and life goals reside. However, her worldview, albeit more seasoned, remains fundamentally the same. Anne's gratitude for the smallest of things in life and her explosive imagination are inherent qualities, and will remain ingrained in her psyche for as long as she lives. As the protagonist herself says later in the story, even if grown up physically and mentally, the vivid and imaginative little Anne will always be there. And this, indeed, is what makes Anne Shirley such an extraordinary personality.
Subtle too, is the way how Marilla, through the daily contact with Anne, begins to cultivate a maternal sense dormant within her dutiful shell. The rigid and stern house-owner gradually gives way to a more lenient and mellow person. However, Anne has also changed. When the once hard-hearted woman is confronted with the matured teenager, reality hits like a rock. The overemotional and talkative Anne she once learned to love vanishes, and gives place to a self-composed youngster. Despite still loving the girl as much as when she was just a little child, Marilla finds herself unable to shrug off this queer, sorrowful sense of loss. Life never stops moving forward, and sooner or later, everyone stands at the crossroads of life, and what is loved won't be around anymore. Seemingly simple at first glance, it is quotidian situations like this in Akage no Anne that most richly convey the nuances of human life. The more grown-up Anne embodies the transition between childhood and adolescence, and all the small joys and little mistakes that molded her into a stronger person for the first time demonstrate their true significance. Marilla's conflicting, bittersweet emotions illustrate not only the reluctance of a parent seeing their child moving into a new life stage, losing some of the innocent charm in the process, but one who wholeheartedly embraces the blossoming youth. Here, it is displayed the natural method through which Akage no Anne's narrative conveys introspection and character development. In this case, the build-up started back in the very moment when Anne made her way into Green Gables, culminating with substantial personal and interpersonal developments within the family.
The resplendent mosaic of Akage no Anne—solid in its individual pieces, brilliant in its entirety—is proof that even the simplest concepts can be assembled together in order to create something truly masterful. All serving a common purpose, both the small and big pieces of Anne's life story mean something in the grand scheme of things, coalescing into a cohesive whole that is undoubtedly far greater than the sum of the parts. The laid-back storytelling, as if inviting the audience to experience the lives of the characters, is slow and meticulous in exploring the trivialities and intricacies of daily life—it is a casual, and above everything, sincere method of characterization and development of themes that go beyond time and place. The unfolding of the cast's lives and routines is the form by which Akage no Anne's storytelling so naturally conveys its messages. Through the slow build-up of routine, the audience truly gets to know Anne, those closely related to her, their individual worlds, and how they change and mold each other through the passing of time. They are dynamic personalities, and more importantly, something more than mere narrative devices. And this, consequently, is what makes Akage no Anne's cast so believably human through their joys and struggles, and its themes so universal. People grow, people live, and people change. And so does Green Gables and its residents.
Vienna
The "World Masterpiece Theater" version of "Anne of Green Gables" turns the book into a comprehensive fifty-episode series, absolutely the best adaptation ever made. Anne Shirley is a red-headed orphan girl who talks too much, has a big imagination, and gets herself into all sorts of trouble. When a mistake places her in the care of elderly siblings Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert at Green Gables in the the town of Avonlea, she inspires a lot of headaches, but also becomes a vital piece of their family. Directed by Isao Takahata in his pre-Ghibli days, and staffed by plenty of other familiar names(Miyazaki boarded the first fifteen episodes, Kondo designed the characters), the production is incredibly lavish. I've never seen this amount of well-researched historical detail in any other anime series - the crew actually went to Prince Edward Island to study the architecture and natural scenery - and the resulting visuals are breathtaking. Though it has its bumps, dull stretches, and odd quirks, this is a classic in every sense of the word.
A long series like this is the best format for literary classics, because they're often slow paced and episodic. In the case of "Anne," this means there's plenty of room for all of her adventures, not just the famous ones. Anne still walks a ridgepole, renames half the town's landmarks, and mistakenly dyes her hair green, but we also get to watch her grow up from a scatterbrained eleven-year-old to a formidable young woman, who has to face some very tough decisions. The creators were absolutely faithful to the book, to the point of using chapter titles for many episodes, and even fleshed out the ending a bit more than the original. Best of all, despite its age, "Anne" is easily as watchable and wonderful as it was a generation ago.
Nothing-Nowhere
I can't recommend this show enough especially to slice of life fans. This anime is wholesome, sweet, cute, charming, endearing and something that I hold more dear to me than almost every other anime I've seen. To watch how well they portrayed Anne grow as a character through out the show was simply a delight. To watch the relationships that anne makes with other characters through out the show (particularly mathew) also grow was just pure pleasure. Not to mention that the background art is beautiful and the soundtrack makes you feel light and happy enough that you could be whisked away. My only gripewith the show (other than a few slight animation errors here and there) was that they didn't continue animating more of the books. I recommend watching this an hour a night until the last 6 eps which you should watch all at once.
cthulhuhuhu
Anime producers should just take classic literature and make a show for every story, because this rendition of the classic book by L.M. Montgomery was spot on. It is by far the best adaptation of the book that I've seen, and I only wish they had continued to make a series for the next couple of books about the beloved red-haired orphan girl. While the artwork is kind of plain compared to a lot of shows today, everything is neat, friendly to the eyes, colorful and seemingly accurate historically wise. This is a period piece, so that is important. And what can I say aboutthe characters? They are beloved figures from a beloved classic children's tale. Anne is unique and lovable, Marilla is stern but wise and tender-hearted, Matthew is precious, Mrs. Lynde is her typical gossiping but kind self, and Anne's friend Diana is completely adorable.
For any fan of Anne of Green Gables, this is totally worth a sit through, and honestly, it should be shown in schools if teachers are teaching this book to their kids. Hey, they can do a little subtitle reading. They'll be fine.
AnimeTopScholar
Akage no Anne otherwise known as Anne of Green Gables is a 50 episode slice of life directed by both Isao Takahata (Tale of Princess Kaguya) and Koshi Shigeo. Hayao Miyazaki also worked on this show. He did the layout for it. Akage no Anne is an adaptation of the novel Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery. It was aired on something called Sekai Meisaku Gekijō (World Masterpiece Theater) which is a Japanese TV anime staple that showcased an animated version of a different classical book or story. Akage no Anne is the story of an 11-year-old orphan girl with a vast imagination and short temper.She ends up being taken into the Cuthbert house in Avonlea. Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert originally wanted to adopt a boy to help Matthew out on the farm, but they got sent Anne Shirley by a mistake, but they decided to keep her anyway, even though they do not officially adopt her. The show follows Anne from when she is 11 years old, until she is 17 years old.
I am a big fan of coming of age stories. It is why Aria is my favorite anime. This show is yet another coming of age story that I really enjoyed. Seeing Anne grow up and having to face everything life could throw at her was quite the ride. It was nice and relaxing when it wanted to, but the show could also really hit you like a brick. The music was good and really fit the show, and the animation was ok for the most part. It was not incredible, but it never really needed to. It did have a few moments where the animation was not at its best, but this is also a 50 episode long show, so it is not a huge surprise. I do however have to give a huge shoutout to the backgrounds. The backgrounds were completely painted with watercolor, and they looked absolutely fantastic. I just wanna frame them and put them on my wall.
Akage no Anne was the second best show I have watched from the 70s. The way the show portrayed how bonds were forming between Anne, Marilla and Matthew was just fantastic. It also did a really good job showcasing how Anne grew, not just physically, but also mentally. She became more independent and mature. Akage no Anne is honestly one of the best coming of age stories I have seen.
rattacko123
Akage no Anne, probably the best anime for kids - it has a pretty good english dub readily available on youtube (minus one episode). I would say it's probably the best slice-of-life tv show ever. If you are a person who likes reading books, you are in for a treat with this show. I haven't read the book but apparently this show is a near perfect adaptation. And the writing and the pacing of the show very much feels like a good quality fiction book. The animation is serviceable. In terms of technicalities the animation (character animation more specifically) doesn't hold up to shows like Future BoyConan or Neon Genesis Evangelion, but that is not to say that it looks bad - it actually looks good most of the time (definitely better than most other shows in the same era like Lupin III) but there is a bit of an uncanny valley effect that happens every now and then.
However, where the show truly shines is in its static artwork, the background art is phenomenal and is just beautiful to look at.
Music is good. It has a classical feel which suits not only the location and time of the story but also the 1970s animation this show uses. If you've seen Grave of the Fireflies it sounds very similar to that. My only complaint about the music is that it sounds quite sentimental which sometimes doesn't quite fit with some of the scenes.
There are a two main problems with Akage no Anne (Anne of the Green Gables):
1. The show peaks in the first 2 thirds. This is to be expected because, as with any coming of age story, you'd expect the ending to be a bit slow and sombre. Some people may dislike this change in tone. As Anne becomes less energetic and more adult-like the show becomes less entertaining but, again, this is to be expected.
2. Animation quality is significantly worse in the last third of the show. It's not that bad but it is low frame-rate and a bit less detailed - thankfully the art style of the show is the same and the lower animation quality is only really noticeable with character movement. It feels slightly rushed, and the pacing is noticeably quicker but some of that may have been a stylistic writing choice rather than a budget issue.
Despite this however, the ending (last 5 episodes) is pretty good and is comparable to the quality in the middle third of the show.
So, with that out of the way, why should you watch Anne of the Green Gables? Aside from its good artwork, world building, and good story, what is it that makes this show shine? Well, Anne of the Green Gables really has fantastic characters and most of the episodes are quite a lot of fun. From childhood antics to very relateable slice of life moments this show has a little bit of something for everyone. And it has a decent bit of tragedy baked in as well. Take the best bits from Only Yesterday and maybe a few elements from My Neighbours the Yamadas and put it into a sprawling 50 episode detailed story, and you have a really good slice of life series. That's basically what Anne of the Green Gables is.
How did I find out that this anime, and such a niche one at that, exists and actually end up watching it?
1. Gigguk / Garnt mentioned it in one of his videos in passing.
2. I looked up the anime and found it was made by my two favourite anime creators of all time, Isao Takahata and Hayao Miyazaki.
3. It turns out Anne of Green Gables has a pretty passionate community so it's easy to find.
If you are looking for anime classics, Akage no Anne is a great one. If you're looking for more classics from the 70s, check out Future Boy Conan, another critically acclaimed TV shows made by the two Studio Ghibli directors, Isao Takahata and Hayao Miyazaki.
Firechick12012
I've already mentioned my history with Anne of Green Gables in my previous reviews of both the books and the Before Green Gables anime, so I won't repeat myself here. But I will gladly go on and on about how much I love the World Masterpiece Theater and their adaptations of various Western children's literature every chance I get. Several of my favorite anime come from there, and sure enough, Anne of Green Gables was one of many books that Japan decided to adapt into an anime in the year 1979. Anne as a series actually has quite the history when it came to beingbrought to Japan, which this article here (anneofgreengables. com/blog-posts/how-anne-became-popular-in-japan ) goes into great detail about. Not only that, famous anime director Isao Takahata was head director of the series, with Hayao Miyazaki doing layouts and scene designs for a good chunk of episodes and animated the opening sequence. If you're interested in a deep-dive history behind the anime's production, I highly recommend you read this article about Anne on AnimeTudes (animetudes. com/2022/05/08/anne-of-green-gables). There's a lot of interesting things in there, such as why anime Anne looks the way she does, behind the scenes woes, and additional history on why Anne as a character was so fascinating to a Japanese audience. Anne of Green Gables has had many adaptations across its lifetime, from the earliest movies, the 1979 anime, the famous 1985 Ken Sullivan mini series starring Megan Follows, Netflix's Anne With an E, and a new trilogy of films from 2016-2017 (Which from I've heard, that film trilogy is...not very good).
The story centers on two adult siblings, Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert, who live in a farm on the beautiful Prince Edward Island in the late 1800s. Matthew is getting on in years, so they decide to adopt a boy from an orphanage to have him help around the farm. Yeah, this was apparently a common practice in late 19th century Canada. But a miscommunication has them wind up with a girl, instead, and this girl—Anne Shirley—isn't any ordinary child. She's an outgoing, talkative, energetic red haired kid who loves to imagine things and is a romantic idealist despite the bad life she had up to this point. Although Marilla and Matthew do their best to bring her up, they can't contain her wild energy, and Anne finds herself in a variety of situations, like making friends, dealing with boys, learning things in school, wishing she could follow current fashion trends despite Marilla's distaste for anything extravagant and fashionable, and so on. One thing's for sure: Avonlea won't be the same with her around, and maybe this will prove to be a good thing for everyone involved.
For an anime that was made in 1979, Anne of Green Gables looks absolutely amazing. The hand-painted backgrounds are a feast for the eyes, using earthy tones and soft colors that really make Avonlea come right to life. You could take a single screenshot and put it in a frame, they're that good. It helps that the team that worked on this anime took care to do all the research they could to depict everything from the house architecture, the rolling prairies, to life in 19th century Canada as accurately as possible, even visiting Canada itself to really get the details right. On that front, they succeeded with flying colors. Of course, the actual animation is no slouch either, with equally down-to-earth, realistic motion that favors naturalism over exaggeration (With the exception of scenes where we get to see Anne's imagination go into overdrive), with the character designs also reflecting this. I've heard some reviewers complain that Anne looks weird here, but that's the point. She's described that way in the book as well, so it makes sense that the character designers would make Anne look gangly and not pretty like her peers. Then again, there were plans to make Anne look more like a shoujo anime protagonist, in line with translator Hanako Muraoka's interpretation of the character, as detailed in that AnimeTudes article I linked, but that idea got scrapped because Takahata wanted her to look more realistic, a decision I feel was the right one.
Speaking of realism, Anne of Green Gables is a series that lacks much in the way of conflict and is mainly a slice-of-life series. The characters actually behave and feel like real human beings, whose problems and daily lives feel real and down-to-earth rather than exaggerated just for the sake of milking drama like in a soap opera, and engage in all sorts of situations that people can relate to. I mean, what kid hasn't experienced dealing with the antics of rambunctious boys, trying to convince your parents to let you go to a late night event like a concert, dying your hair for the first time, or playing games involving daring people to do ridiculous things? Takahata and his team did an amazing job in developing the characters and showing them changing and growing as the series goes on, like with Anne going from an energetic, talkative kid to a more mature, restrained 16-year-old at the end of the series. Though because the series is 50 episodes long, and what few conflicts it shows are very far apart from each other, it can be very easy to dismiss the show as being boring and dull. You really need to be able to enjoy slice-of-life if you want to enjoy this series. But overall, the character development and writing here is master class.
Even the soundtrack is quite lovely. Both opening and ending songs by Ritsuko Ohwada are all beautiful, swelling orchestral numbers that manage to both encapsulate the series' tone and Anne's moments of whimsy. The insert songs and background tracks are nice and have their own unique, rustic charm, whether it be soft oboes, bouncy violins, or even Japanese renditions of actual Victorian era songs like Nelly In The Hazel Dell. Every piece of music fits like a glove, and there were never any points where it felt out of place. The voice acting is also stellar and wonderfully down-to-earth when it needs to be, with Anne's voice actress, Eiko Yamada, making her voice acting debut here, which would cement her career for years to come. Don't expect Anne to sound like a high pitched cutesy moe girl here, because this isn't the series for that. I admit I still find it hard to believe that Kazuhiko Inoue plays Gilbert here, as you would not be able to recognize him whether you're familiar with his work or not.
If you're interested in watching this adaptation specifically, the series has received complete fansubs twice, so it's not hard to watch in its original form. But one interesting thing about this series is that back in the eighties or nineties, it actually received a complete English dub which was produced in, of all places, South Africa, using an all-British voice cast. You can read more about its history here. It was posted on YouTube a few years back, and later someone spliced the English audio with higher quality footage from the Japanese blu-ray. I've been watching it quite a bit, and...surprisingly, it's a LOT better than I initially thought it'd be. Considering how dubbing was still a new concept, especially in other countries, most dubs from that era tend to...not be very good, especially ones not specialized in their native language, and I was honestly worried that this dub was going to be terrible. While I do question why the dub decided to hire British voice actors for a series that's clearly set in Canada, the dub itself is really good. All the actors put on fine, down-to-earth performances fitting their assigned characters. Even the narrator sounds like he wouldn't be out of place doing stuff for National Geographic. The only noticeable problems it has are the lip sync being slightly off at times and getting some names wrong (Anne's imaginary friend Katie Maurice is referred to as Kathy Morris, and the song Nelly In The Hazel Dell is referred to as Nelly In The Hazelnut Bush, though those got rectified in later episodes), though I've heard the latter is because the English dub used the German dub as its basis and not the Japanese version.
Overall, I really love this series, flaws and all. The only real complaint I have with it is that when Anne is 15 years old, she comes off as a little too perfect, but that doesn't last for very long. The 1979 Anne of Green Gables anime isn't just a fantastic adaptation of Lucy Maud Montgomery's novel, but an amazing series that truly understands what it is and isn't afraid to be what it is, a quiet, wholesome, down-to-earth coming of age tale about a girl's life on a Canadian island. I know most people generally prefer the 1985 Kevin Sullivan movie, and I like that one too, but I find myself gravitating towards this series for its willingness to expand on the source material and truly make the most of it. Plus, Anne is becoming relevant again in light of the fact that there's going to be a new Anne of Green Gables anime adaptation due to air in spring of 2025. On one hand, I'm really interested in seeing how that adaptation tells the story, as there have been multiple anime adaptations of Western kids books before (Little Women and Dog of Flanders being two examples), but on the other hand, I really hope the staff on that series don't screw it up somehow, and there's already debate on whether it'll even live up to the legacy that the 1979 series established, or even respect the original book. I'm going to watch it regardless and see what it's like on its own merits. But whether you're an Anne of Green Gables fan, a World Masterpiece Theater fan, or somebody who is just sick and tired of all the isekai anime that get churned out every season and want something to watch that has more meat and substance to it, check this series out if you ever get the chance.
Starriedd
I never thought that a slice of life would enchant me so much! and I must admit that Akage no Anne is one of those productions that should be considered as immortals!! Each episode is an audiovisual delight for all those who love slice of life and vintage animation. If you know how to appreciate the little everyday things in life, along with beautiful landscape backgrounds full of details and pastel colors, this is undoubtedly an excellent anime for you. In this production, the development of characters matters more, seeing them grow gives pure satisfaction and you will feel comfortable with at least some of the experiences ofthe protagonist.
Vintage animation, beautiful landscapes full of details, endearing characters and a beautiful Soundtrack
__en español___
Jamás creí que un slice of life iba a encantarme tanto! y debo admitir que Akage no Anne es de esas producciones que deberían ser consideradas como immortales!!
Cada episodio es un deleite audiovisual para todos aquellos amantes al Slice of life y la animación vintage.
Si sabes apreciar las pequeñas cosas cotidianas de la vida, junto a hermosos fondos de paisajes llenos de detalles y colores apastelados, este sin duda es un excelente anime para ti.
En ésta producción importa mas el desarrollo de personajes, verlos crecer da pura satisfacción y te sentirás a gusto al menos con alguna de las vivencias de la protagonista.
Animación vintage, paisajes hermosos llenos de detalles, personajes entrañables y un hermoso OST
