When The Answer Studio first announced it was working on a new anime adaptation of Anne of Green Gables, longtime fans reacted with cautious intrigue. Could anyone build on the legacy of the iconic 1979 version—especially one touched by early Studio Ghibli brilliance from legends like Isao Takahata and Hayao Miyazaki?
Anne Shirley, which premiered in April 2025, joins a growing wave of new anime series debuting in 2025 and has accomplished something unexpected. It managed to honor both the Canadian source material and Japanese cultural sensibilities through anime's subtle beauty and emotional resonance, while creating something that feels fresh.
A Cultural Bridge Nearly 50 Years in the Making
Understanding how this adaptation came to be helps to rewind a bit. Anne of Green Gables was introduced to Japanese readers back in 1952, and the red-haired orphan’s vivid imagination, stubborn resilience, and deep love for nature struck a lasting chord with the population. These qualities echoed values cherished in Japanese culture, especially the quiet strength found in perseverance and beauty in the mundane.
It’s no surprise, then, that Japan has returned to Anne’s story again and again. It's one of several anticipated titles helping shape the anime landscape in 2025, a year already full of beloved series making their return.
Anne Shirley marks the third anime adaptation of Montgomery’s work in Japan, but this one has the widest scope yet. Rather than limiting itself to just the first novel, like the 1979 classic did, the new series boldly adapts Anne of Avonlea and Anne of the Island as well.
This expanded scope allows The Answer Studio to craft a more complete narrative arc that follows Anne from her arrival at Green Gables through her romantic development with Gilbert Blythe.
The Ghibli Connection That Changes Everything
What sets Anne Shirley apart isn't just its broader source material it’s drawn from but how The Answer Studio has applied distinctly Japanese storytelling techniques to a Western literary classic.
The first anime adaptation of Anne of Green Gables was released in the late '70s. Nearly 50 years later, the series is still considered a classic. Talent like Isao Takahata and Hayao Miyazaki, the eventual co-founders of Studio Ghibli, worked on the project.
There’s a quiet homage to the original anime throughout: the gentle pacing, the painterly landscapes, the focus on emotional nuance. It’s unmistakably Ghibli-esque, even if Miyazaki and Takahata are no longer involved.
Yet Anne Shirley is very much its own work. The new adaptation emphasizes the pastoral beauty of Prince Edward Island through a lens that feels both authentically Canadian and unmistakably anime. This makes the setting feel both familiar and dreamlike.
It's still Anne’s world, but now it's filtered through a different artistic tradition that somehow makes it feel even more intimate. The anime's positive reception mirrors other recent anime hits that found success on streaming platforms.
More Than Just Animation—a Feminist Statement
There’s another reason Anne Shirley stands out: it’s quietly radical.
The show goes beyond romanticizing Anne’s imagination and charm, both traits central to her character in the books. It also leans into her autonomy, frustrations, and refusal to conform.
This version of Anne isn’t always likable in the traditional sense but that’s the point. She’s complicated. She challenges authority. She makes mistakes. And she demands to be taken seriously.
In doing so, Anne Shirley reflects anime’s growing appetite for tackling complex themes around identity, growing up, and finding your place in a world that doesn’t always make space for you.
It’s not afraid to touch on the harsher parts of Anne’s backstory, such as her backstory as an orphan, the sting of feeling unwanted, and her razor-sharp intelligence that sets her apart. This reflective tone is similar to recent anime films like Look Back, which also explore themes of creativity, grief, and identity with quiet intensity.
The Cultural Experiment That Worked
Anne Shirley is perfect as an anime adaptation, not just because of the beauty of the Ghibli-esque style and Anne’s faithful characterization. It works well because it proves how cultural translation can enhance rather than diminish a story's impact.
Rather than smoothing over those differences, The Answer Studio leans into them, using Japanese storytelling traditions to illuminate new sides of a well-loved tale. It’s respectful of the original text, yes—but it’s also unafraid to ask: what else could this story be?
Because in the end, Anne’s journey—of longing, self-discovery, and growing into the person she dares to be—isn’t just Canadian or Japanese. It’s universal.
And maybe that’s the most surprising part: that a 117-year-old story could feel this alive again.
