Anne of Redhead

That's what "Akage no An" means when you translate it literally, but it's also the name of Isao Takahata and Hayao Miyazaki's early (1979) anime version of "Anne of Green Gables".

When I came across "Anne of Green Gables" sitting right next to giant robots and killer samurais, I was naturally fascinated. This kind of classic literary work rarely appears in anime. It has not been released in the US, but a serviceable fansub was available for free so I thought, why not. This was still when I didn't know the proper title or any other pertinent details. I was pleasantly surprised to find Takahata's (Grave of the Fireflies, My Neighbors the Yamadas) name on it. I watched a few episodes and got hooked. Mostly because of the beautiful backgrounds. I doubt Prince Edward Island has looked better. And what place wouldn't be improved by the occaisional Sakura (cherry blossom) tree. As I delved further I found Miyazaki's (My Neighbor Totoro, Spirited Away) name at the head of the background/layout department and Yoshifumi Kondo's (Whisper of the Heart) as animation director (according to IMDB anyway). This is basically Studio Ghibli before they were called Studio Ghibli.

It's tough to talk about this for long without bringing up the much loved 1985 version from America Jr. (Canada). I, like most everyone, have a great affinity for that version. Our family watched it quite a bit and I would go as far as to say I'm *very* familiar with that particular production. I was almost expecting to laugh off this anime effort as a curiosity, but I soon found out it offered something very different, and not necessarily inferior, to the old reliable.

What I like:

-A feeling of space:
"Anne of Green Gables" (1985) comprised 3 and a half hours from the orphanage to her decision to remain at Green Gables and turn down the Avery Scholarship. The anime series takes approximately 20 hours (it ran 50 episodes) to cover the same time frame. This way you don't miss anything and you have a chance to just sit back and enjoy the moments (the initial ride home from the station is about 20 solid minutes). This also gives the story a chance to firmly explore Anne during the events of her life. The live action has a tendency to fly around between events so quickly that you never get an idea of where exactly Anne is and what is really going on. As an example in the anime version you get 3 or 4 episodes exploring the impact of Anne attending Queens on her personality and those around her. I think Anne spent about 5 minutes at Queens in the live action version.

-A young Anne:
I have not read the books so I don't know for sure, but seeing this young Anne makes me less convinced of the "younged down" version. This Anne at 11 seems right on. Really hyper and flighty; a little less dreamy and serious than Megan Follows. Here we have a lack of maturity that is naturally expected but seems missing in live action.

-An Anne that ages:
Watching the television version you never get much of a feeling that Anne is aging that much. They do a tolerable job, but it's never quite right. A lot of that has to do with using one actress that doesn't age more than a year during production. With animation the ease of showing the transition is practically built in. You can start with an 11 year old and end with a 18 (or so) year old in a few simple strokes. They progress through 3 distinct character models for Anne and her friends, but the changes are gradual and natural. Except maybe that last one.

-Seasons and the passage of time:
Almost each episode is opened with a description of the season. Prince Edward Island during fall looks and feels different than Prince Edward Island during the spring. Getting a feeling for the cycle of seasons helps illuminate the everyday life changes that go on at Green Gables. It also makes it possible to track Anne through the years and watch her develop. In the live action version the storytelling is so episodic that I never really get a feel for when things are happening.

Things that aren't as good:

-Marilla and Matthew:
Not bad, but you'll never do better than Colleen Dewhurst and Richard Farnsworth. Their Marilla doesn't have the necessary warmth to go along with her stricktitude and their Matthew is a little too timid. Sure he's quiet and often takes a backseat to Marilla, but there's got to be a feeling of inner strength there that is sorely lacking in this version. If you just play him comically you never build the connection with Anne to any kind of meaningful level.

-Nature?
Again, I don't know about the books, but there seems to be quite an obsession over nature in this version. Anne spends a lot of time talking to the trees and flowers and even more time rapturing in daydreams about Idlewild, the White Way, etc. Is this cultural or faithful to the book? Either way, I noticed it. Not necessarily in a good way or a bad way.

-The animation:
Like I said, the backgrounds are beautiful. Absolutely no complaints there. The animation is pretty standard fare but looks quite simple by today's standards. There're a few nice touches and the emotions get through, but it all looks a bit...Belle and Sebastian-ey (which is Japanese (Meiken Jolie) , duh, why didn't I ever think of that when I was a kid). Not terrible, but in an ideal world you'd have more interesting character designs, smoother action, and a larger variety of "stuff" that could happen.

Exploring a little bit further I found out this was part of a larger series of literature based animes called "World Masterpiece Theater". I gather these were weekly shows that aired for a whole year (hence the ~50 episodes for each). Other titles included "Rascal the Raccoon" (I remember reading that one in like 6th grade or so) and "Heidi". Go figure, eh?

Anyway, I'm a little surprised this is not commercially available. I guess it is a bit old, but it's Miyazaki and Takahata for crying out loud. That, and it's really good. I thought I found a copy to buy at one point, but they were sold out and I've seen no efforts to restock. Well, until a later time, I have my fansubs that I may try to turn into my own DVDs.