Anne Shirley, a new anime adaptation of Lucy Maud Montgomery‘s classic Anne of Green Gables, will begin airing in Japan in April 2025.
The press release lists the first three titles in the book series — 1908’s Anne of Green Gables, 1909’s Anne of Avonlea, and 1915’s Anne of the Island — as the source material for the anime. The Answerstudio is the animation production studio.
The respective synopses of the three books (via Goodreads) that the anime is being based on are:
Anne of Green Gables
This heartwarming story has beckoned generations of readers into the special world of Green Gables, an old-fashioned farm outside a town called Avonlea. Anne Shirley, an eleven-year-old orphan, has arrived in this verdant corner of Prince Edward Island only to discover that the Cuthberts—elderly Matthew and his stern sister, Marilla—want to adopt a boy, not a feisty redheaded girl. But before they can send her back, Anne—who simply must have more scope for her imagination and a real home—wins them over completely. A much-loved classic that explores all the vulnerability, expectations, and dreams of a child growing up, Anne of Green Gables is also a wonderful portrait of a time, a place, a family… and, most of all, love.
Anne of Avonlea
When twelve-year-old Anne Shirley came to Avonlea, she quickly won everyone’s heart. Now, she’s five years older, almost a woman, and about to embark on a new adventure: becoming the teacher in her old Avonlea school. It’s an exciting year as Anne struggles to win over all her students, welcomes two new members to her family, and feels the first stirrings of love.
Anne of the Island
Anne of Green Gables previously inspired a 1979 anime series — directed by the late Isao Takahata (Grave of the Fireflies, The Tale of the Princess Kaguya) — and 2009’s Konnichiwa Anne: Before Green Gables, which are both World Masterpiece Theater titles.
Sources: NHK website, press release
