Oniisanbomber's Blog

Anne Shirley
—The Anime You Didn't Watch, But 100% Should

8th of June, 2025

Today I want to talk about an anime that seems to have flown under the radar for most of the anime community, but which has really enchanted me.

That anime is Anne Shirley.

Anne Shirley is an anime adaptation of the 1908 novel “Anne of Green Gables,” by Lucy Maud Montgomery. A classic novel written and set in Canada.

Right away, this kind of background can turn off a lot of anime viewers, who are more used to rom coms, isekais, fantasy, etc. And I can’t blame you. At first I was turned off by it as well. But looking at the poster, there was just something about it that gave me a feeling that said that this is a masterpiece.

It turns out that Anne Shirley, along with the German/Austrian Heidi, is one of those classic Western children’s tales that Japan is absolutely obsessed with. Anne is reportedly to have inspired the modern blueprint for current day shojo manga heroines.

Anna is a little orphan, who one day gets adopted by Marilla and Matthew of Green Gables by mistake because they wanted a boy who could help with the farm and not a girl. Marilla demanded that Anne be taken back, while Matthew suggested that it is better for Anne to stay.

This scene is heartbreaking, as Anne has nowhere to go back to.

But this is where one of the central themes of this story is revealed.

Marilla says, “What use will she be to us?”

Matthew replies, “Maybe we can be of use to her.”

Selflessness. True selflessness and kindness.

It is a deeply moving moment.

For some viewers this might be too idealistic. But to me, it shows a scene from a bygone age where people were more selfless and kinder to each other. A time when people existed in smaller communities and there was a purpose in belonging to a community. A time when you couldn’t go to a hospital whenever you wanted, but you needed to rely on neighbors and members of your community to get through sickness.

Despite her initial resistance, Marilla learns to love Anne, who is a bright young girl who can never stop talking and holds a fascination for the world around her.

She has a talent for storytelling and is an excellent student at school.

And once Anne goes to school, we are shown the second theme of the story.

Friendship.

Anne becomes “bosom buddies” with Diane Barry.

Those two girls barely know each other and they are able to become best friends just like that. Again, extremely idealistic, but I think the story pulls it off.

It shows us a time in our world that was simpler than our present. A time when children could be friends within the blink of an eye.

We witness as Anne attends school, gradually grows up, and observe her everyday life at Green Gables.

My theory is that Anne Shirley did not just lay the groundwork for modern day shoujo manga heroines. I believe that this style of storytelling laid the groundwork for modern day slice of life.

What happens to Anne at Green Gables is a very ordinary life. She goes to school, learns new things, makes new friends, makes an enemy (more on that later), gets teased for her red hair, worries about fashion, feels insecure, goes to a picnic, helps a friend who is sick, exchanges letters with Diana.

In a sense, this is the classic slice of life tale before the slice of life genre even existed.

Eventually, we see Anne grow up, go to university, become a teacher and marry a childhood friend, with whom she has 7 children.

Also, the progression of seeing a character growing up from a small child to an adult is something we sometimes see in anime now, most notably Mushoku Tensei.

The author of Mushoku Tensei was probably not directly inspired by Anne Shirley, but maybe he has read it in his childhood, as Heidi and Anne Shirley seem to be staples in Japanese children’s libraries.

Anne also makes something of an enemy as she grows up.

Gilbert Blythe makes fun of her red hair and calls her a carrot. In return, she smashes her black board on his head and they end up enemies throughout their entire childhood. Gilbert is sorry for what he has said to her, but Anne is stubborn and refuses to forgive him, even when she regrets not forgiving him.

Finally, they make up when they are 16 years old.

Matthew has died and Anne wants to stay by Marilla’s side. However, there is no teaching position for her at the local school. So Gilbert decides to withdraw from his teaching position at the local school, give it to Anne and take up a teaching position a little further away.

Here is the thing.

Even though Anne and Gilbert will get married later in life, but at this point, Anne and Gilbert are not friends.

Gilbert asks for nothing in return. He doesn’t except gratitude, he doesn’t expect anything. He doesn’t even tell her. He simply asks the Board of Trustees to give his position to Anne because he knows that staying is more important for her than it is for him.

Despite their lifelong animosity, he helps her in her hour of need.

When they meet and have a conversation, Anne thanks him and tells him that it was incredibly kind to do what he did. He said he did nothing worthy of praise – and then asks if she has finally forgiven him for calling her carrots almost a decade ago. She says she has forgiven him a long time ago, but she was too much of a “stubborn goose” to tell him. He asks her if they can be friends. She says of course. They shake hands and that is the beginning of their courtship.

True selflessness and kindness.

Perhaps it is idealistic and old fashioned, but it is incredibly moving.

—Oniisanbomber