is a Japanese animated television series and the fifth entry in

Nippon Animation is a Japanese animation studio. The company is headquartered in Tokyo, with chief offices in the Ginza district of Chūō and production facilities in Tama City. Nippon Animation is known for producing numerous anime series based on works of ...

's ''

World Masterpiece Theater was a Japanese TV anime staple that showcased an animated version of a different classical book or story each year from 19:30 to 20:00 on Sunday on Fuji TV. It originally aired from 1969 to 1997 and from 2007 to 2009. Commonly abbreviated to ...

'' (which has been known by several different names). It was adapted from the 1908 novel '' Anne of Green Gables'' by

Lucy Maud Montgomery Lucy Maud Montgomery (November 30, 1874 – April 24, 1942), published as L. M. Montgomery, was a Canadian author best known for a collection of novels, essays, short stories, and poetry beginning in 1908 with ''Anne of Green Gables''. She ...

. Produced by Nippon Animation in 1979, it was first broadcast on

Fuji TV JOCX-DTV (channel 8), branded as and colloquially known as CX, is a Japanese television station based in Odaiba, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Owned and operated by the it is the key station of the Fuji News Network (FNN) and the Fuji Network S ...

from January 7, 1979, to December 30, 1979. Fifty episodes were produced in total.河出書房新社編集部 (2005). 世界名作劇場「赤毛のアン」メモリアル・アルバム. 河出書房新社. The first six episodes were later edited into a compilation film released in 2010. The series has been exported to neighbouring Asian countries and also to Europe and French Canada ( it, Anna dai capelli rossi; french: Anne… la maison aux pignons verts; es, Ana de las Tejas Verdes; pt, Ana dos Cabelos Ruivos; german: Anne mit den roten Haaren). An English dub produced by Leephy Studios aired on

SABC The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) is the public broadcaster in South Africa, and provides 19 radio stations ( AM/ FM) as well as six television broadcasts to the general public. It is one of the largest of South Africa's stat ...

and Japan Entertainment Television. As with the novels, the animated version of ''Anne'' is beloved in Japan to this day. The "DVD Memorial BOX set" for Region 2 was released on August 22, 2008, and a Blu-Ray of the series was released in Japan on March 26, 2014. An anime series that serves as a prequel to the series, '' Kon'nichiwa Anne: Before Green Gables'', premiered on April 5, 2009, in Japan.

Story

Anne Shirley is a girl raised in an orphanage. Anne is accidentally sent to Miss Marilla Cuthbert and Mr. Matt Cuthbert, who had originally requested a boy. Miss Marilla is surprised at first. After Marilla learns of Anne's sad past, Anne gradually becomes an irreplaceable member of the Cuthbert family.

Summary

The

anime is hand-drawn and computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japanese, (a term derived from a shortening of ...

was directed by

Isao Takahata was a Japanese director, screenwriter and producer. A co-founder of Studio Ghibli, he earned international critical acclaim for his work as a director of Japanese animated feature films. Born in Ujiyamada, Mie Prefecture, Takahata joined Toe ...

. He chose to hold this version very true to the original source material, although his two previous works (''

Heidi, Girl of the Alps is an anime television series produced by Zuiyo Eizo and is based on the novel '' Heidi's Years of Wandering and Learning'' by Johanna Spyri (1880). It was directed by Isao Takahata and features contributions by numerous other anime fi ...

'' and ''

3000 Leagues in Search of Mother is a Japanese animated television series directed by Isao Takahata that aired in 1976. It is loosely based on a small part of the Italian novel ''Heart'' (') created by Edmondo De Amicis, i.e., a monthly tale (''racconto mensile'') ''From t ...

'') had been adapted and altered.

Hayao Miyazaki is a Japanese animator, director, producer, screenwriter, author, and manga artist. A co-founder of Studio Ghibli, he has attained international acclaim as a masterful storyteller and creator of Japanese animated feature films, and is widel ...

did the scene setting and layout. Previously, he had worked on ''3000 Leagues in Search of Mother'', although he left the production and Nippon Animation after the first 15 episodes. Miyazaki noticed a difference in Takahata's philosophy of animation; Takahata stuck to controlled, realistic acting at the time, similar to his former work. Miyazaki had not intended to do other work with Takahata, but he had also not planned on becoming independent at this stage of his career.

Yoshifumi Kondō was a Japanese animator who worked for Studio Ghibli in his last years. He was born in Gosen, Niigata Prefecture, Japan. He worked as an animation director on ''Anne of Green Gables'', '' Sherlock Hound'', ''Kiki's Delivery Service'', '' Only Yes ...

(近藤喜文) was selected for character design and animation director over

Yoichi Kotabe Yoichi may refer to: *Yōichi, Japanese given name *, district in Shiribeshi, Hokkaidō Prefecture, Japan *, town in Yoichi District *, a Japanese whisky distillery in the town *, train station in Yoichi District * also Yoichi is a masculine Japane ...

(小田部羊一), who had stopped work with Takahata after ''3000 Leagues in Search of Mother'' of the previous work. Kondo went on to work with Takahata on the films ''

Grave of the Fireflies is a 1988 Japanese animated war tragedy film based on a 1967 short story by Akiyuki Nosaka. It was written and directed by Isao Takahata, and animated by Studio Ghibli for Shinchosha Publishing. The film stars , , and . Set in the city ...

'' and '' Only Yesterday''. The voice of Anne was provided by

Eiko Yamada is a Japanese actress and voice actress from Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. Hisamura worked under her maiden name before her marriage and for a long time afterward, so that name is still often used, even among fans. She is currently affilia ...

, who would become a staple of ''World Masterpiece Theatre'' anime, going on to play Lavinia in ''

Princess Sarah , also spelled as ''Princess Sarah'', is a Japanese anime series produced by Nippon Animation, based on Frances Hodgson Burnett's 1905 novel, ''A Little Princess''. Spanning 46 episodes, it originally premiered in 1985 across Japan on Fuji Te ...

'' and Jo March in '' Little Women'' (the latter of which also featured character designs by Kondo). The first six episodes were edited together by Takahata into a 100-minute theatrical movie in 1989. A theatrical release was scheduled, but it received instead a very limited release in selected cities between July and August 1990. A VHS of the movie was also released in 1992. On July 17, 2010, it was screened at the

Ghibli Museum The is a museum showcasing the work of the Japanese animation studio Studio Ghibli. It is located in Inokashira Park in Mitaka, a western city of Tokyo, Japan. The museum combines features of a children's museum, technology museum, and a fine a ...

as . Both the theatrical release and the entire original series are available on Blu-ray.

Characters

Anne Shirley Anne Shirley is a fictional character introduced in the 1908 novel '' Anne of Green Gables'' by L. M. Montgomery. Shirley is featured throughout the classic book series, which revolve around her life and family in 19th and 20th-century Prince Ed ...

*Marilla Cuthbert *Matthew Cuthbert *Mrs. Spencer *Mrs. Rachel Lynde *Diana Barry *Mr. Barry *Mrs. Barry *Minnie May Barry *

Gilbert Blythe Gilbert Blythe is a character in Lucy Maud Montgomery's '' Anne of Green Gables'' series of novels. Character description Gilbert is described in the books as being very handsome with brown, curly hair and hazel eyes. He is tall with a lean build ...

*Mr. Phillips *Reverend and Mrs. Allan *Josie Pye *Ruby Gillis *Jane Andrews *Josephine Barry

Episodes

Music

* Opening Theme: "Kikoeru Kashira (I wonder if you can hear it)", composed by Akira Miyoshi, sung by Ritsuko Ohwada * Ending Theme: "Samenai Yume", composed by Akira Miyoshi, sung by Ritsuko Ohwada

Reception

The show was well received upon its Japanese debut, helping lift the profile of the source material. It has subsequently appeared on best-anime lists conducted by TV Asahi's audience polls and those produced by outlets like Animage. Shigeto Mori has received two posthumous

JASRAC The , often referred to as JASRAC, is a Japanese copyright collection society. It was founded in 1939 as a nonprofit organization, and is the largest musical copyright administration society in Japan. Overview JASRAC's main business activity i ...

International Awards for his work on the series, first in 2003 and then in 2010.

References

External links

* * {{Anne of Green Gables 1979 anime television series debuts 1970s children's television series Adventure anime and manga Animated television series about orphans Anne of Green Gables television series Drama anime and manga Historical anime and manga Japanese children's animated adventure television series Nippon Animation Slice of life anime and manga South African Broadcasting Corporation television shows Studio Ghibli Television series set in the 1870s Television shows set in Canada Television shows set in Prince Edward Island World Masterpiece Theater series Children's manga