Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I’m eager to return to Anne of Green Gables, wherein our young heroine is still embroiled in a brave battle against public education and its attendant indignities. With both the peabrained Mr. Phillips and intolerable Gilbert Blythe arrayed against her, it is no wonder Anne simply cannot countenance the thought of returning to her public studies. Fortunately, Marilla has been largely accommodating of this moral crusade, clinging to the perhaps unwise hope that Anne will at some point get over herself.
Sadly for Marilla, Anne is nothing if not stubborn, and I doubt even the shame of having served their guests a dead mouse for tea will have convinced her that some time out of the house might be for the best. Still, between Diana’s pleading and Gilbert’s continued demonstrations that he’s not actually the tyrant she has made of him, a hope remains that she might return to the world of socialization and scholastic achievement. With tempers flared and stakes high, we return to the delightful Anne of Green Gables!
Episode 16
Recently I’ve been munching through Nadia – The Secret of Blue Water in my own time, and it feels inescapably clear that Gainax were harkening back to the days of Takahata and Miyazaki’s television series, alongside Space Battleship Yamato. The greatness of Gainax’s golden age is in part a tribute to the greatness of the generation preceding them; I can only hope the directors and animators of today are similarly discerning in their influences, even if there’s no clear guideline for greatness like the World Masterpiece Theater apparent in ‘00s anime
I try not to get all doom and gloom about the artistic future of the industry, but it’s hard not to note the gulf in source material between Anne and most modern productions. At least we still got the Heike Story! But like, Anne and Gundam 0079 came out the same year; it’s impossible to imagine two similarly distinguished long-running series simultaneously airing these days
“Diana is Invited to Tea With Tragic Results.” Oh no
We open with a pan across the Lake of Shining Waters, offering a sumptuous glimpse of Green Gables dressed in autumn finery, the leaves just beginning to turn. There is a distinctive sense of lightness to this show’s background art; pastel colors lightly splashed, forms suggested without being pinned within harsh black outlines. The background art feels inherently gentle and continuous, evoking without any overt speech the idea that this wilderness is a living organism, and a friendly one at that
Further pastoral shots lead us slowly back to the estate itself. Takahata’s film career is a testament to his absorption with the beauty of nature, a fondness that comes through more intimately than Miyazaki’s strident environmentalism. Miyazaki is the warrior, Takahata is the poet; he can’t necessarily save this beauty, but he will gently venerate it with his every project
Colors meld in the creek below as Anne returns home. Each season has its own rainbow, a rich spread of colors all its own
“Oh Marilla, I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.” An extremely Anne comment as she returns from her walk
Marilla, of course, ignores the provocation of this ridiculous statement. Bless these two
Marilla chastises her for constantly bringing junk from the woods into her room, to which Anne counters that it is much easier to dream in a room filled with pretty things. I can’t imagine either of them seeing the other’s perspective on this one
With an evening meeting ahead of her, Marilla assigns Anne the crucial task of warming up Matthew and Jerry’s dinner
“It may make you more addlepated than ever, but you have permission to invite Diana over for tea.” Really gonna have to start incorporating “addlepated” into my daily vocabulary, it is a delightful word
“No indeed, the Rosebud tea set. What is next!?” That’s the way, Marilla. You start compromising on the Rosebud tea set and there’s no telling what chaos might ensue
“The sitting room will do for your company. But there’s a bottle of raspberry cordial that was left over from the church social the other night.” Their back-and-forth is exceedingly charming. You can see Marilla doing her best not to spoil Anne, but her allowances are basically chosen at random, and she compliments every denial with another gift to Anne. Like Matthew, she has been pretty thoroughly won over at this point
A jubilant violin melody accompanies Anne’s rush to tell Diana the good news. The period-appropriate instrumentation and generally light implementation make for an ideal soundtrack to Anne’s adventures
“Diana came over to Green Gables dressed in her second-best dress.” The narrator’s petty commentary continues to delight me
Their exaggerated performance of adults having tea is also quite charming. They’re not entirely sure of the details, and often get too caught up in formal calls and responses, resulting in goofy moments like the two shaking hands upon agreeing that Diana is indeed here for tea
However, their mature poise cannot hold up to the prospect of apple picking, and off they run
More gorgeous backgrounds as they head to the apple grove. These backgrounds possess just the right degree of detail, defining and outlining the nearest apples while gesturing towards form with evocative splashes of red and green paint for the further trees
Anne can’t find the raspberry cordial in its intended space, but spies a bottle that she believes must be the cordial on a high shelf. Oh god, is it wine or something?
Amazing that Anne of Green Gables has so effectively constructed a world in which “Anne serves her friend the wrong pre-tea beverage” is a cause for such anxiety. This visit is stressing me out!
“I didn’t know raspberry cordial was so nice.” What have you fed her, Anne!? What have you done to Diana!?!
“There is so little room for imagination in cookery.” I suppose when your “cookery” experience is limited to baking and serving tea, it would appear so. Baking is a science, but cooking is an art form
Anne excitedly relays a fantasy of Diana falling deathly ill with smallpox, and Anne being the only one willing to nurse her back to health (after which she of course fell victim to the smallpox and died herself). Anne is a true lover of stories; the tales she imagines need not be flattering or uplifting, she’s just as fascinated with terrible tales of woe and defeat. The mark of a genuine storyteller
All through this encounter, Diana just keeps pouring herself more generous glasses of that “raspberry cordial.” I have never seen an instance of Chekhov’s Cordial before
Yep, Diana’s drunk as a skunk, bawling at Anne’s story and claiming that she simply must go home, for she is terribly sick. Two-thirds a bottle of wine as a tiny person with no alcohol tolerance will absolutely do that to you
Red wine, too! She is going to have a truly monstrous hangover
“I’ll never forsake you!” A dramatic declaration only somewhat undercut by Diana’s drunken squeak-hiccups
Wonderful animation of Diana just sort of drunkenly wandering this way and that, locked in a contented stupor while Anne tries to keep her moving forward. “Youths having an ill-advised first brush with inebriation” is a perennially effective dramatic beat, great for either humor or drama
Ahahah, love this beat of Anne stoically setting herself back at the table and then breaking into sobs. Her teatime is ruined!
After a day of rain, Marilla sends Anne down to Mrs. Lynde’s on an errand in order to clear the air. But what’s this!? Anne returns in despair!
Fortunately, Marilla swiftly discovers that Anne liquored Diana up with currant wine, and swiftly admits her own fault in placing the bottle where she did. It’s been a delight to see Marilla laughing more and more as the series continues; it’s clear to see Anne’s influence on her personality, making her more forgiving and prone to seeing the humor in things
“And poor Diana had a fearful headache all yesterday.” Yep, no avoiding that
“The stars in their courses fight against me. Diana and I are parted forever.” My god is Anne good at being in despair. What poetic misfortune she always finds herself in
Marilla attempts to set things right, but Mrs. Barry does not believe her explanation. Thus Anne sets out to speak with Diana herself, racing into the night
“Just imagine if you were a poor little orphan girl that kind people had adopted and you had just one bosom friend in all the world.” For once, Anne’s sad-sack editorializing might actually come in handy
“You will cover my life with a dark cloud of woe.” Could you take that on your conscience, Mrs. Barry!?
But Mrs. Barry is unrelenting! “My last hope is gone.”
Still, a small light in the darkness, as Marilla gently brushes her daughter’s cheek while Anne passes into sleep
And Done
Oh, what a tragedy! What a terrible misfortune has befallen our long-suffering heroine! Who would have guessed the great catastrophe that Marilla’s currant tea would incite, and who could have imagined that Mrs. Barry would be so cruel as to forever bar Anne from playing with her one and only bosom friend!? Well, as terrible as that episode must have felt for Anne itself, it was certainly very charming from my perspective; Anne in Absolute Despair is one of her most entertaining modes, and I can’t imagine Mrs. Barry’s decree will actually outlast Anne’s determination. It’s also wonderful seeing Marilla grow ever more affectionate towards her unexpected daughter, and the rich fall colors of Green Gables present another new source of delight. I’ll be sure to return soon!
This article was made possible by reader support. Thank you all for all that you do.
