The new anime adaptation of Anne of Green Gables just got a major update. Titled Anne Shirley, the new series was announced last November, with Answer Studio (The Garden of Words) overseeing the project. We now know when the series will be released, and how long the beloved literary character, Anne Shirley, will be on our screens for.
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Anne Shirley is based on the classic Anne of Green Gables series of books by Lucy Maud Montgomery. The books are set in the late 19th century in Canada, and follow the11-year-old orphaned girl, who is mistakenly adopted by two wealthy men, who were looking for a boy to work as a hand on their farm.
Anne Shirley Anime Series Releases This April
The new Anne Shirley anime adaptation will premiere this April, initially releasing on NHK Educational in Japan. The first season will run for a total of 24 episodes. As well as the release date and episode count, the show’s cast has also been revealed. Honoka Inoue (Edens Zero) will voice the titular Anne Shirley, alongside Aya Nakamura (One Piece) as Marilla Cuthbert, Yasunoei Matsumoto (Ultraman X) as Matthew Cuthbert, Naoya Miyase (Beyblade X) as Gilbert Blythe, and Yume Miyamoto (Mononogatari) as Diana Barry.
The new series is being directed by Hiroshi Kawamata (Hal’s Fute), with Kenichi Tsuchiya (The Garden of Words) on character design. An official plot synopsis for the show has yet to be revealed. However, it has been confirmed the anime will mix story lines from the first book in the series, with some of its sequels.
There are a total of eight books in Lucy Maud Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables series. The new anime series is partly based on Montgomery’s books, and partly on a new manga adaptation by Akane Hoshikubo which premiered on January 5th, 2025, and was published by Kadokawa.
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Anne of Green Gables Has a Long Anime History
Anne Shirley is far from the first anime adaptation of Lucy Maud Montgomery’s novels. In fact, the most popular version had some massive names attached. In 1979, Studio Ghibli co-founder, Isao Takahata directed a television anime adaptation. The legendary Hayao Miyazaki even oversaw layout and designs for the show’s first 15 episodes.
The new Anne Shirley anime adaptation premieres in Japan this April, with an exact date to be announced. However, there is currently no word of where the series will stream outside of Japan. Expect more updates to follow closer to the April release window.
