"Akage no An" is an 1979 anime adaption of Lucy Maud Montgomery's novel "Anne of Green Gables". This anime series was directed by Isao Takahata and produced by Nippon Animation, and consists of 50 episodes.
Basic plot: This anime focuses on Anne Shirley, an orphan girl who gets sent to Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert. The problem is, Marilla and Matthew originally requested a boy to be the new member of the family, leading to one problem after another in the beginning...
I normally don't read books, but I have heard people telling about this anime being just so true to the book, compared to many other movie/series adaptions of the same novel. Having watched this series a few years ago, I can say this anime altogether is realistic made, dramatic, beautiful, and sometimes moving. I was even about to almost cry in at least one of the episodes. I could have go on telling you about scenes having been pretty well made, some of them including Anne's relationship with Gilbert Blythe and her great friendship with Diana.
As I have said earlier, I normally don't read books. But if you have read the book and wanna watch a good movie/series adaption, I highly recommend you find this animated series. Sadly, this anime doesn't seem to exist in Norway at all. Believe me, you won't regret one second of this.
It is also interesting to know that, not only the anime itself, but the novel it is based on is pretty much beloved in Japan.
Some of the other notable works from Isao Takahata to be mentioned include: "Horus: Prince of the Sun" (1968), "Only Yesterday" (1991) and "My Neighbors the Yamadas" (1999).