July 31, 2003
Akage-no-An (Red-haired Anne)
Now, I'm a self-confessed "Anne of Green Gables" devotee. I've made the pilgrimage to Green Gables House in Prince Edward Island. I bought the soundtrack to the mini-series. Damit, I even rented "Anne of Green Gables - The Continuing Story" (although that may have had more to do with watching Cameron Daddo and Jonathan Crombie than anything else).
So I do understand the Japanese obsession with everything Anne. Apparently Anne became a symbol of hope for post-war stricken Japanese (the books were released in Japan in 1952) who had become orphaned in the 1940s.
Every year, thousands of Japanese take charter flights to PEI and dozens proclaim, "I do!" (or the Japanese equivalent) in the parlour of Cavendish House where Lucy Maud Montgomery got married almost a hundred years ago.
In 1979, Hayao Miyazaki (of "Spirited Away" fame) created the anime version of Akage no An. In 2001, the Japan-based Maple Leaf Theatre staged Anne of Green Gables in Tokyo. In a country that fiercely promotes it's own culture (and rightly so) whilst traditionally placing foreign literature and film at an arm's length, "Anne of Green Gables" is a bit of an anomaly, particularly considering that the books were an overnight sensation in 1952, not 8 years after WWII ended.
What cracks me up, then, is how far the Japanese take the mythology of this red-haired Canadian, even now. In Fukuoka for example, is the "Anne Academy" which teaches Japanese how to speak English with a PEI accent (which, much like the idiosyncratic Newfie dialect, can be difficult to understand, even for native English speakers).
In Okayama is the "School of Green Gables" where young Japanese women are taught to "behave" as Anne would. I guess this means they are instructed how to smash a writing tablet over a boy's head, get their best friends drunk on "raspberry cordial", talk back to poker-arsed adults and dye their hair blonde so it turns out green.
Come to think of it, I would really like to see all this in the modern Japanese woman!
i also LOVE anne of green gables.. i read an article in the new york times a couple of months ago about the japanese that go to PEI to get married in the lucy maud montgomery house. i'm very jealous that you've been there! PEI looks gorgeous in all the films i have seen.. and jonathan crombie is such a hotie.. hhmmm, i may have to go home and watch those movies again.
hi there ... two things, first i came across your blog a while ago and found it very interesting. i also think the layout is well-organised and professional; the photos are gorgeous.
since the last time i visited, i noticed a few changes: congrats on your nuptials!
i have just come back to it today because of your akage no an entry. we have just got the thumbs up for our documentary about the japanese love of all things anne. i am now trying to find japanese who are planning a trip to PEI this summer/fall and who would be willing to appear on television talking about their passion for the red-haired heroine. as a canadian living in japan, i was suprised by the interest in anne. can you make any suggestions as to whom or what website or publication i might approach in my search for participants? any ideas would be so helpful. by chance, have you ever heard of "cosplay" and people donning akage no an costumes?
thanks so much and keep up the great website!
I was doing a bit of research on the Ann of Green Gables cartoon and came upon this site.
A friend of mine who grew up in Korea asked if I knew of the cartoon because she thought I looked like the character of Anne.
I had no idea what an impact that book has had upon post WWII Japan. I would imagine it had an effect upon other cultures too, although I have no idea what those effects might be.
Greatings from portugal everybody.
Ralphie (alias Mr. Phillips), check your spelling: ann without the final "e"???
I'm just now watching the sullivan entertainments' tv series one more time, and decided to leave this message to all kindred spirits visiting this site. I'm also trying to find the japanese anime in dvd with portuguese or english subtitles, but no luck so far. I'll keep on, though...
What? Miyazki did an Anne of Green Gables movie? The hell? That's like chocolate meeting peanut butter and I'll be in Reese'
s PB Cup heaven if I can find this movie you speak of! Help meimdb.com...
Oh, and love your site! I've often wondered how teaching english in Japan might be like, and checking your blog has given me a little window into that experience. I wonder how weird it would be for me, being an asian-american who looks chinese and only knows her japanese from anime. Oh what a strange hell that could be...