Kon'nichiwa Anne: Before Green Gables

Konnichiwa Anne: Before Green Gables (こんにちは アン 〜Before Green Gables, Konnichiwa An 〜Bifō Guriin Gēburusu, lit. "Hello Anne: Before Green Gables"), is the 26th series in Nippon Animation's World Masterpiece Theater anime. The series is an adaptation of Canadian children's literature author Budge Wilson's 2008 prequel novel Before Green Gables, which was translated into Japanese as Konnichiwa Anne (こんにちは アン) by Akiko Usagawa. It chronicles the early years of main character Anne Shirley as she loses both her parents and is adopted by Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert.

Kon'nichiwa Anne: Before Green Gables
こんにちは アン 〜Before Green Gables
(Konnichiwa An 〜Bifō Guriin Gēburusu)
GenreAdventure, Slice of life story, Drama
Anime television series
Directed byKatsuyoshi Yatabe
Produced byKōichi Motohashi
Written byMichiru Shimada
Music byYasuharu Takanashi
Hiromi Mizutani
Kenji Fujisawa
StudioNippon Animation
Original networkBS Fuji, Animax
Original run April 5, 2009 – December 27, 2009
Episodes39

Production and development

Introduced in Lucy Maud Montgomery's 1908 novel Anne of Green Gables, the series marks the 100th anniversary of the original novel's release and the 30th anniversary of its highly popular anime adaptation, Akage no Anne, also produced by Nippon Animation and one of the first pioneering World Masterpiece Theater series. The series is narrated by Eiko Hisamura, who portrayed Anne in the original Akage no Anne.

While developing the series, Nippon Animation's staff undertook research by visiting a historical village in southeastern Canada which formed the inspiration for Avonlea in the novel, going to historical houses preserved from the era in which the novel is set and taking photographs, with core staff members and character designer and chief animation director Takayo Nishimura (previously chief animation director and character designer for 5 Centimeters Per Second), basing the characters, props and settings on them and also from historical books that he bought there.[1] Nippon Animation's staff have followed this format of contextual research while producing other World Masterpiece Theater series.[1]

The series premiered on April 5, 2009, and aired every Sunday from 19:30 to 20:00 JST on Fuji Television's broadcasting satellite network BS-Fuji. From May 2009, it was also aired on SKY PerfecTV!'s network Animax. Online streaming on Biglobe was announced, but was eventually suspended.[2]

Staff
  • Director: Katsuyoshi Yatabe
  • Series composition and screenplay: Michiru Shimada
  • Original character design: Yoshiharu Satō
  • Character designs and chief animation director: Takayo Nishimura
  • Music: Yasuharu Takanashi, Hiromi Mizutani, Kenji Fujisawa
  • Art director: Shigeru Morimoto
  • Colour design: Tomoko Komatsubara
  • Production: Nippon Animation

Characters
Anne Shirley
Voiced by: Rina Hidaka (日高里菜)
Joanna (Harrigan) Thomas
Voiced by: Seiko Tamura (田村聖子)
Anne's maternal aunt, wife to Bert and mother to Eliza, Horace, Edward, Harry and Noah. She is constantly trying the make ends meet, and as such is often in a bad mood.
Bert Thomas
Voiced by: Setsuji Satō
Joanna's husband and father to her children, he is unable to hold down a job due to his laziness and alcoholism, usually spending whatever money he earns from the oddjobs he does on cheap liquor.
Eliza Thomas
Voiced by: Rika Wakusawa (わくさわりか)
First born daughter of Thomas family and primary income of the household. She cares for Anne like her own child, but later marries Roger Emerson and leaves Anne behind.
Horace Thomas
Voiced by: Yumiko Kobayashi
First son of the Thomas family
Edward Thomas
Voiced by: Chiaki Shimogama
Second son of the Thomas family
Harry Thomas
Voiced by: Taeko Kawata
Third son of the Thomas family
Noah Thomas
Voiced by: Satomi Kōrogi
Fourth son of the Thomas family
Jessie (MacIntyre) Gleeson
Voiced by: Mitsuko Horie
An old widower with high standing
Lochinvar
Anne's companion cat. His name is taken from a line of the poem "Marmion" by Walter Scott.[3]
Narration
Voiced by: Masako Ikeda

References
  1. Tim (MC), Isabell, Bene, Sei (reporters/interviewers) (2009-01-13). "World Masterpiece Theater". imagine-nation. NHK World. Archived from the original on 2009-01-26. Retrieved 2009-01-18.
  2. 現在、この作品のパック販売はしていません。 Archived 2012-07-01 at Archive.today(Biglobe: meaning "This masterpiece is now not on sale")
  3. Marmion, by Sir Walter Scott (Project Gutenberg)
    O, young Lochinvar is come out of the west,
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