Lucy Montgomery's classic 1908 novel Anne of Green Gables has been adapted into a variety of media, ranging from theater to an animated TV series. But the film Akage no Anne: Green Gables e no Michi (Anne of Green Gables: Road to Green Gables), which began screenings last week, is a long time coming, as it is now being screened for the first time although it was complied from episodes from the TV series about 20 years ago.

The film is based on the first six of the 50-episode animated series that began airing in 1979. The TV show was produced by Isao Takahata (Grave of the Fireflies and Pom Poko), who also directed this film, several years before becoming one of the founding members of Studio Ghibli. Ghibli's Hayao Miyazaki planned the film, while Ghibli director Yoshifumi Kondo designed the characters.

The film focuses on Anne's first two days on Prince Edward Island, after being brought there as "a boy" from an orphanage. The film elaborates on her anxiety and joy in her new environment, as well as how Matthew and Marilla came to the decision to adopt the imaginative girl.

Unlike many contemporary animated films, the visuals are not computer-generated. The hand-drawn movie eloquently portrays Anne's feelings--especially when she uses her imagination to fly away with a number of fairies only she can see, leaving the people around her behind and puzzled.

The film does not include such famous scenes as Anne accidentally getting her friend Diana drunk or angrily breaking her slate over the head of her classmate Gilbert for making fun of her red hair. While we know from the outset that Matthew and Marilla will welcome Anne into their home and Anne will lead an eventful, heartwarming life, the film lets viewers get to know Anne on their own terms.

When I first read the book when I was about 10, I naturally did so from the viewpoint of Anne. But strangely--or perhaps not so strangely--I watched the film from the viewpoint of an adult. It presented me with different questions, as I wondered as an adult how hard or how much fun it would be for a child like her to be put into her situation.