Kon'nichiwa Anne: Before Green Gables

Lore & Background

The series aired on BS Fuji from April to December 2009, and on Animax starting a month later. It marks the 100th anniversary of Lucy Maud Montgomery's 1908 novel Anne of Green Gables and the 30th anniversary of its anime adaptation Akage no Anne, also produced by Nippon Animation. The announcement trailer was narrated by Eiko Hisamura, who portrayed Anne in the original Akage no Anne. Development involved staff visiting a historical village in southeastern Canada that inspired Avonlea, taking photographs of preserved houses, and basing characters, props, and settings on those references and historical books purchased there.

Reader's Guide

Kon'nichiwa Anne: Before Green Gables holds significance as a prequel to the beloved Anne of Green Gables story, expanding the narrative of Anne Shirley's early life. Produced by Nippon Animation, it is part of the long-running World Masterpiece Theater franchise, which adapts classic children's literature. The series was developed with contextual research, including visits to historical sites in Canada, reflecting the studio's commitment to authenticity. Its legacy includes bridging the original 1908 novel and its 1979 anime adaptation, celebrating both anniversaries. The series introduced new characters, such as the Thomas family and Anne's cat Lochinvar, and featured a creative team including director Katsuyoshi Yatabe and character designer Takayo Nishimura.

Did You Know?

• The series is the 26th entry in Nippon Animation's World Masterpiece Theater franchise.
• Character designer Takayo Nishimura previously worked as chief animation director and character designer for 5 Centimeters Per Second.

Origins & Narrative Scope

Kon'nichiwa Anne: Before Green Gables (こんにちは アン 〜Before Green Gables) stands as the twenty-sixth installment in Nippon Animation's long-running World Masterpiece Theater anthology. Rather than adapting Lucy Maud Montgomery's beloved 1908 classic directly, the series draws on Canadian author Budge Wilson's 2008 prequel novel, Before Green Gables, which was rendered into Japanese by translator Akiko Usagawa under the title Konnichiwa Anne. The anime follows the young Anne Shirley through a deeply personal arc: the loss of both her parents and her subsequent adoption by Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert. By focusing on the period before the events of the original Green Gables story, the series gives viewers a window into the formative, often painful years that shaped the red-haired girl readers have known for over a century. The narrative is grounded in the Canadian Maritime setting that has captivated audiences since Montgomery first penned her words, while the Japanese adaptation brings its own cultural lens to the material.

Commemorative Production & Location Research

The production of this series carried significant commemorative weight. It marked both the centennial of Montgomery's original novel and the thirtieth anniversary of Akage no Anne, the pioneering 1979 anime that helped establish the World Masterpiece Theater brand. Eiko Hisamura, the voice actress who brought Anne to life in that landmark adaptation, lent her voice to narrate the announcement trailer, creating a poignant bridge between the two eras. On the research front, Nippon Animation's team traveled to a historical village in southeastern Canada—the real-world inspiration for the fictional town of Avonlea. There, they visited preserved period houses and photographed the architecture and surroundings. Core staff members, including character designer and chief animation director Takayo Nishimura (who had previously held similar roles on 5 Centimeters Per Second), used these photographs along with historical books purchased on-site to inform the show's character designs, props, and settings. This hands-on, location-based research methodology has become a hallmark of the World Masterpiece Theater production process.

Creative Team & Voice Ensemble

Behind the camera, the series was helmed by director Katsuyoshi Yatabe, with series composition and screenplay handled by Michiru Shimada. Yoshiharu Satō provided the original character designs, while Takayo Nishimura took charge of the final character designs and served as chief animation director. The musical score was a collaborative effort among Yasuharu Takanashi, Hiromi Mizutani, and Kenji Fujisawa, with Shigeru Morimoto as art director and Tomoko Komatsubara overseeing colour design. On the voice side, Rina Hidaka brought the young Anne Shirley to life, while Seiko Tamura voiced Joanna Thomas, Anne's struggling maternal aunt. The Thomas household is populated by a large family: Bert, the lazy and alcoholic father voiced by Setsuji Satō; Eliza, the eldest daughter who becomes the family's primary earner and cares for Anne like a sister, voiced by Rika Wakusawa; and four younger sons—Horace, Edward, Harry, and Noah—voiced by Yumiko Kobayashi, Chiaki Shimogama, Taeko Kawata, and Satomi Kōrogi respectively. Masako Ikeda provided the narration.

Broadcast Schedule & Availability

The series premiered on April 5, 2009, and ran on BS Fuji every Sunday from 7:30 to 8:00 PM Japan Standard Time, continuing through December of that year. Starting in May 2009, Animax picked up the broadcast, expanding the show's reach to a broader audience roughly one month after the initial premiere. An online streaming option through Biglobe was announced during the production period, but that service was ultimately suspended before it could fully materialize. The Sunday evening slot on BS Fuji placed the series in a prime family-viewing window, while the Animax simulcast gave anime enthusiasts on a different platform access to the show. As the twenty-sixth entry in the World Masterpiece Theater line, Kon'nichiwa Anne occupied a specific place in the franchise's ongoing commitment to adapting world literature for Japanese television audiences, following in the footsteps of earlier adaptations that had established the format over three decades of continuous production.

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