Anne Shirley's novels will have a new anime

The official website for "Anne Shirley," a new animated adaptation of Lucy Maud Montgomery's iconic novel "Anne of Green Gables," opened Wednesday with exciting news. The television anime series will debut in April 2025 on NHK's E-Tele channel and will be run by animation studio The Answer Studio ("Tower of God 2nd Season").

The story, set in the 19th century in the fictional city of Avonlea, Canada, follows the life of Anne Shirley, an 11-year-old orphan who is mistakenly sent to live with the Cuthbert brothers. The new animated adaptation will explore Anne's growth from child to adulthood, deepening her bonds with Matthew and Marilla, her friendship with Diana, and her romance with Gilbert.

The first animated adaptation of "Anne of Green Gables" arrived in Japan in 1979, directed by Isao Takahata, one of the founders of Studio Ghibli. The team included Hayao Miyazaki, who worked on designs and layouts for the first 15 episodes, and Yoshifumi Kondo, responsible for character designs and animation supervision.

This original version became a benchmark in Japanese animation and has been re-released in various formats, including a compilation film supervised by Takahata and released in 2010 under the Mitaka no Mori Ghibli Museum Library label. In addition, in 2009 the prequel "Before Green Gables" was released, produced by Nippon Animation.

Synopsis of Anne Shirley

At the heart of the story is Anne Shirley, an orphaned girl who finds an unexpected home with the Cuthbert brothers in Avonlea. Although they initially sought to adopt a child to help out on the farm, the Cuthberts soon grow fond of Anne, whose boundless imagination and indomitable spirit transform the lives of everyone around her.

The new adaptation will encompass his personal evolution, his school antics, and his connection to the community, exploring not only the first novel, but also elements of Montgomery's sequels, including his relationships and his maturity over the years. Fans of the original work and the classic anime can expect an emotional reinvention of this literary classic.

Source: Comic Natalie

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