Hello everyone, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today seems like an ideal time to stop in at Green Gables, and so that’s precisely what we’re doing. When last we left off, Anne had made a royal mess of her first visit to Sunday School, with her unorthodox flower wreath swiftly making her the talk of the town. In my view all those busybodies should learn to shove it, but the experience was clearly deeply demoralizing to Anne herself. With no allies to speak of among the townsfolk, Anne trudged home with none of her usual pep or curiosity – fortunately, Marilla and Matthew are now both firmly in Anne’s corner, and thus were quick to comfort her with news of her neighbor Diana’s return.
The sequence of Marilla relaying this news to Anne, conveyed purely in silent mid-distance shots, was one of the aesthetic highlights of an episode altogether brimming with them. The episode felt more committed to storytelling through visual compositions than your average Anne, likely owing to the presence of Gundam creator and general animation legend Yoshiyuki Tomino as storyboarder. Tomino would soon depart this production to spearhead the original Mobile Suit Gundam, but he provided Anne with five storyboards first – episodes eight, twelve, fifteen, seventeen, and the one we’re just about to start. Let’s see what Takahata and Tomino have in store for us this time!
Episode 9
I’ll admit to often being a shameless OP-skipper, but to be honest, that’s because a great number of OPs simply don’t elevate or meaningfully set the tone for the drama to come. At their best, OPs establish a clear mood for the show ahead, serving as a visual and aural palette cleanser as they brush away your lingering preoccupations and get you in the right headspace for the show. This opening does that better than nearly any I’ve seen, and I doubt I’ll ever be skipping it
It certainly helps that the opening is so literal, visually illustrating our actual path to Green Gables. It calls to mind the comforting familiarity of a journey home, a feeling that only intensifies as we become more familiar with each bend in the road
“A Solemn Vow and Promise.” Did Anne write this episode title
As in the previous episode, Tomino’s storyboards embrace symmetry to provide a unique view of Anne’s room. His fondness for symmetry actually feels a little at odds with the show’s generally organic style of scene-setting, which tends to emphasize the hominess of Anne’s room through high-angle shots and visual clutter, but I’m always intrigued to see how different artists approach the same material
Lightly plucked string arpeggios accompany Anne gazing out across the fields, towards the light still wavering in Diana’s house. The music embodies her tentative but rising hopes regarding a friendship with Diana
The next day is sadly rainy. Another excellent composition as we hone in on Anne, with her face centered in her window in the bottom third of the screen, gazing up at the rain. The shot simultaneously illustrates her unhappy feelings through her low position in the frame, and also expresses how she’s almost daring the rain to stop, sending an accusing look up into the cloud
With the rain preventing much farm work, Matthew is enjoying a well-earned nap on the downstairs sofa
And gosh, I love this. The process of the rain letting up is afforded several beautiful transition shots, celebrating that distinct visual splendor of last raindrops glistening on leaves and berries. This team understands that Green Gables itself is one of the principal characters of this show, and have the confidence to let these moments breathe in order to better integrate us into the lived experience of residing here. Many modern shows feel frantic and lacking in any sort of attention span by comparison
Anne does the best she can to “construct an ensemble” out of her two dresses and two hats
“What if Diana doesn’t like me? It would be the most tragical disappointment of my life”
Oh my god, Marilla. She’s trying to be “helpful,” but her extended speech about the difficulty of pleasing Diana’s mother only sends Anne into a vibrating fit of nerves
So many excellent tiny flourishes of character acting here, like Anne’s procession of increasingly confident strides, or the brief smile of assurance she flashes at Marilla
The color design of their journey echoes Anne’s shifting feelings; the road through the woods is dark and lined with ominous barren trees, but the house at the end of the road is practically glowing in the sunlight, and lined with fertile green vegetation
A nice silent beat of mutual characterization here, as Marilla stops at the door and gives Anne a hard look for a solid three seconds, a look we can clearly translate as “now please don’t go on one of your strange ramblings this time”
Anne makes an exaggerated curtsy for her introduction, which of course sends Marilla’s eyebrows to the heavens. The two have established such a great rapport that you can feel them bounce off each other even without words
“How are you?” “I am well in body though considerably rumpled up in spirit, thank you ma’am.” Marilla really shouldn’t have bothered instructing Anne to turn off her Anne-ness, there’s just no helping it
The introduction of Diana leads Anne into another of her visual/literary reveries. Diana is initially framed between frontispiece embellishments, as if her face is a book illustration, and then come the flowers dancing across the screen. Takahata’s style of ornamented magical realism is such a delight to behold
“She reads entirely too much and I can’t prevent her, for her father aids and abets her.” Oh, this girl and Anne are going to get along swimmingly
It’s both amusing and a little sad to consider a time when “reading too many books” could in any way be considered a vice. With television and the internet to regale us, there’s no longer much “threat” of children becoming too literate
Diana’s flower garden is stunning, though it’s clear Anne is still uncertain of how exactly to talk to her
“Oh Diana, do you think you could like me a little, enough to be my bosom friend?” “Why, I guess so”
“Will you swear to be my friend forever and ever?” Trust Anne to come on way too strong. But it makes sense, of course – not only is she drawing all of her impressions of friendship from the legendary friendships of her books, she is also terrified of being abandoned due to her own history
Anne is strange, but she’s also full of fun ideas, so it’s easy for her to rally other children to her position
For this central shot panning back from the two as they agree to the pact, the production actually complicates its usual approach to shading, adding highlights on the edges of their dresses to emphasize the holy solemnity of the moment, as if God is shining a light on their sacrament
“You’re a queer girl, Anne. But I believe I’m going to like you real well.” Yep. Anne’s eccentricities might be troubling to the adults in her life, but they’re fascinating to children
Ooh, I love this cut of them running up a hill with the Lake of Shining Waters in the distance. The combination of the animation cycle applied to the hill itself and its gradual slide down the frame paint a convincing portrait of them slowly cresting it, cleverly faking a sense of movement through depth
That’s followed by another neat animation trick, as we see their shadows dancing over the bright grass as they share a swing
Diana’s room is delightful, with chipper pink walls, plenty of books, and all sorts of other toys and treasures scattered around
Anne is drawn to the books first, of course
“This is a story about a girl that has five lovers.” “Five lovers? I’d only want one. But it does sound interesting.” Oh no Anne, don’t go down that path!
“You’re really great! Someone who says those things to Mrs. Linde has to be.” Marilla may not approve, but Anne’s outbursts have clearly cemented her early rep among the cooler members of this community
Oh my god, Matthew. We stop in with him at the general store, where he’s currently trying and failing to gather enough courage to buy Anne a piece of candy. Matthew is the most adorable character in this entire production
On the way back, the forest that was previously draped in post-storm gloom is now beaming with the light of sunset, echoing Anne’s feelings once again
Extremely good followup to their visit, wherein Anne relates every single thought she has regarding Diana to Marilla over the course of a full evening’s worth of chores
Matthew did it! He got Anne some chocolates, I’m so proud of him
“It’s delightful to think I have something to give her.” Even Marilla can’t complain at Anne’s generous spirit. We see a rare glimpse of something approaching pride on her face
“I’ll say this for the child. She isn’t stingy.” C’mon Marilla, you know you’re proud of her!
And Done
Gosh, what a day for Anne! Her first friend at Green Gables, new books to read, and even some chocolates to top off her other victories. It’s delightful seeing Anne in her element, and was also quite rewarding to see Tomino handling an episode with very nearly the opposite tone of his previous one. This episode was rich in Anne’s signature embellishments of fantastical emotional displays, presenting Anne and Diana’s meeting as a vision of flowers in bloom, and using the shifting light of the day to neatly echo Anne’s variable feelings. The adults in her life are largely bewildered by her uncompromisingly Anne-like ways, so I’m eager to see how she flourishes with a true friend at her side!
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