Thursday, August 09, 2007

Anne of Green Gables..The story of the orphan girl from Prince Edward Island is more popular in Japan than in nearly any other place in the world.




One of the books from the anime series in Japan. It is amazing how popular Anne of Green Gables is in Japan.

From Wikipedia.....
Anne of Green Gables (Anne with the Red Hair (赤毛のアン, Akage no Anne?)) is an animated television series adapted from the novel Anne of Green Gables, produced by Nippon Animation in Japan in 1979. It was broadcast from January 7, 1979 to December 30. All 50 episodes. It has been exported to neighbouring Asian countries and also to Europe and Canada (Anna dai capelli rossi in Italian, Anne la maison aux pignons verts in French, Ana de las tejas verdes in Spanish and Anne mit den roten Haaren in German). As with the novels, the animated version of Anne is much beloved in Japan to this day.








These are figures from the anime series made in Japan. I really love these little figures and also the anime series that it comes from.




Anne of Green Gables is a book written by Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery; it was first published in 1908. It was written as fiction for readers of all ages, but in recent decades has been considered a children's book. Montgomery found her inspiration for the book in a newspaper article describing a couple that was mistakenly sent an orphan girl instead of a boy, yet decided to keep her. Montgomery also drew upon her own childhood experiences in rural Prince Edward Island. Montgomery used a photograph of Evelyn Nesbit, clipped from an American magazine and pasted on the wall above her writing desk, as the model for Anne Shirley, the book's protagonist. It has become one of the most popular series of books written.

So in Japan the book, story, characters, have near reached a cult. In this country it is liked but not so wildly. I have always been fond of it. It meant a great deal to me when a dear friend brought me the book and figures from Japan.

I have read the book and so recall the 1985 made for TV series of this for public television. I loved it so. I confess I needed tissues as I watched it as well. I so recall the amazing performance of Colleen Dewhurst. It was one of her last performances and in my opinion one of her best.

If you have never read the book...I truly recommend it.