Line #70 Creator/HideakiAnno


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11	Hideaki Anno (庵野秀明[[labelnote:Romaji]]''anno hideaki''[[/labelnote]]) (born May 22, 1960) is a Japanese animator and actor who is one of the seven co-founders of Creator/StudioGainax. He is also the man behind the ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'' franchise, and he was rather famously involved in a dispute over the anime adaptation of ''Manga/HisAndHerCircumstances'' with the author of the manga, Masami Tsuda. Born in Ube, Anno made a name for himself working as an animator on ''Manga/NausicaaOfTheValleyOfTheWind'' -- thanks to recognition from since-then friend, {{mentor}}, and collaborator Creator/HayaoMiyazaki [[note]]In case you noticed anything in ''Nausicaa'' that could have possibly influenced ''Evangelion'', yes, he did animate the scene with the Giant Warrior[[/note]]. His most high-profile work prior to ''Evangelion'' was for ''Anime/NadiaTheSecretOfBlueWater'' as well as his directorial debut, ''Anime/{{Gunbuster}}''. Since the 1998 release of ''Love & Pop'', Anno has also directed several live-action films, including an adaptation of popular 1970s anime ''Anime/CuteyHoney'' and Toho's 2016 Franchise/{{Godzilla}} film, ''Film/ShinGodzilla ''. [[HeAlsoDid In addition]], he also designed the intro sequence for ''Anime/SpaceBattleshipYamato2199''.
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13	Anno once went back to his hometown to teach kids about working in animation. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFFrt1V9Cao Video here.]]
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15	Any physical or mental resemblance to a certain {{Jerkass}} Father (Gendo Ikari) is entirely coincidental, though the one to his son probably ''isn't''.[[note]]According to his friend Creator/KunihikoIkuhara, Shinji and Kaworu were most definitely based on Anno and him. Take that as you will, though Ikuni [[{{Troll}} being himself]], it is probably better to prepare a mountain of salt.[[/note]]
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17	He is also a master of the ShrugOfGod.
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19	Creator/SpikeSpencer [[HilariousOuttakes hates him immensely]] [[TroubledProduction for running out of ink]] [[GainaxEnding during the ending of]] ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion''.
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21	On March 26, 2002, Anno married manga artist Creator/MoyocoAnno, [[note]]No relation; her family name is written as 安野, not 庵野[[/note]] who began writing a short manga about him titled ''Manga/InsufficientDirection'' in 2009.
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23	Creator/KazuyaTsurumaki is his protege and successor, while Creator/HayaoMiyazaki is a friend and teacher.
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25	He starred in the 2013 Creator/StudioGhibli film ''Anime/TheWindRises'' as the voice of the male lead, a fictionalized version of Mitsubishi aircraft designer Jiro Horikoshi. Miyazaki even coached him through [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OrIJJILh4U how to act]].
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27	A fictionalized version of him in college serves as TheRival in Shimamoto Kazuhiko's semi-autobiographical manga ''Blue Blazes'' (''Aoi Honoo'') as well as its 2014 live-action television adaptation, where he is played by Ken Yasuda.
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29	For other Japanese creators with a penchant for [[DarkerAndEdgier dark]] and [[DownerEnding sobering]] plots, see Creator/GenUrobuchi and Creator/LynnOkamoto.
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31	[[folder:Filmography]]
32	[[AC:Television/OVA]]
33	* ''Anime/GunBuster'' (1988-1989)
34	* ''Anime/NadiaTheSecretOfBlueWater'' (1990-1991)
35	* ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'' (1995-1996)
36	* ''Manga/HisAndHerCircumstances'' (1998-1999)
37	* ''Anime/ReCutieHoney'' (2004)
38	\
39	[[AC:Animated Films]]
40	* ''Neon Genesis Evangelion: Death & Rebirth'' (1997)
41	* ''The End of Evangelion'' (1997)
42	* Anime/RebuildOfEvangelion
43	** ''Evangelion 1.0: You Are (Not) Alone'' (2007)
44	** ''Evangelion 2.0: You Can (Not) Advance'' (2009)
45	** ''Evangelion 3.0: You Can (Not) Redo'' (2012)
46	** ''Evangelion 3.0+1.0: Thrice Upon a Time'' (2021)
47	\
48	[[AC:Live Action Films]]
49	* ''Love & Pop'' (1998)
50	* ''Shiki-Jitsu'' (2000)
51	* ''Cutie Honey'' (2004)
52	* ''Film/ShinGodzilla'' (2016)
53	* ''Film/ShinUltraman'' (2022)
54	* ''[[Film/ShinKamenRider2023 Shin Kamen Rider]]'' (2023)
55	[[/folder]]
56
57	----
58	!!Anno's works provide examples of:
59
60	%%As with all Creator/ pages, trivia tropes about the creator specifically are to be posted here, not a Trivia/ page, as they technically are InUniverse in the case of the person's career.
61	%%However: As with all Creator/ pages, items that could go on a specific work's trivia page go there, not here.
62	* TheAntiNihilist: ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'', which was his struggle with depression and nihilism in anime form, led him to develop this philosophy. Previously, he was a depressed wreck who did not believe in any meaning or purpose in life, however now, he affirmed that "anywhere can be paradise as long as you have the will to live" and [[EarnYourHappyEnding is now Happily Married and wealthy]].
63	* AuthorAppeal:
64	** Anno is a self-admitted fan of the Creator/GerryAnderson series ''Series/{{Thunderbirds}}'' and ''Series/UFO1970'', which he has pointed to as the reason why he in particular likes {{Elaborate Underground Base}}s and the FighterLaunchingSequence. He has also stated that by extension he is in general fond of British action serials from the '60s and '70s, something which can be seen more subtly reflected in some character designs (particularly their taste in fashion) and vehicle designs in the projects he has worked on.
65	** He is also a huge fan of classic {{kaiju}} and {{toku}}satsu series such as ''Series/{{Ultraman}}'' and ''Franchise/KamenRider'' for their use of practical effects, costumes, and stunt work; indeed, one of his first ever film projects was an ''Ultraman'' fan-film made for school with himself playing the titular character.
66	** A clear influence from Creator/YoshiyukiTomino's {{Mecha Show}}s ''Anime/SpaceRunawayIdeon'' and ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam'' can also been seen in his works. Especially in ''Evangelion'' ([[spoiler:which even has a pretty brutal (seeming) EverybodyDiesEnding]]).
67	** Anno is also a big fan of UsefulNotes/WorldWarII history, considering most of the ''Evangelion'' characters are named after ships in the Imperial Japanese Navy or nautical terms ("Ikari" meaning "anchor" and so on). Again, this comes as no surprise as another of Anno's influences is Creator/LeijiMatsumoto (famous for ''Anime/SpaceBattleshipYamato'', another anime involving a World War II battleship, and [[spoiler:EverybodyDiesEnding]]).
68	* AuthorAvatar: Most notably in Shinji Ikari, who [[http://forum.evageeks.org/post/637739/Books-Shizo-Parano/#637739 Anno himself has said he resembles]]. However, there are also notable features present in other characters, such as Nadia and Rei's vegetarianism.
69	%%* AuthorTract[=/=]ContemplateOurNavels
70	* CreatorBreakdown: Perhaps one of the most famous examples ever.
71	** The stress from the infamously TroubledProduction of ''Anime/NadiaTheSecretOfBlueWater'' caused Anno to fall into a four-year deep depression, the experience which led him to create ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion''. While still struggling with some degree of depression for a couple of years afterwards, he underwent a slow CreatorRecovery throughout the late 90s and the 00s.
72	** He suffered a second one after the third ''Anime/RebuildOfEvangelion'', though he managed to quickly recover this time, thanks to support from his wife and Hayao Miyazaki. He was, however, frazzled enough by the experience that he postponed work on the fourth ''Rebuild'' film to make ''Film/ShinGodzilla'' and announced his intention of temporarily taking a break from Eva once ''Rebuild'' has concluded.
73	* CreatorCameo:
74	** He does the voice for the Black Space God in the AudioAdaptation SelfParody ''AudioPlay/EvangelionAfterTheEnd''.
75	** He also has an uncredited cameo voicing Miyu Miyu (the cat) in ''Anime/{{FLCL}}''.
76	* {{Deconstruction}}: A specialty of his. Not only was Eva obviously a deconstruction of the HumongousMecha, but his film ''Love & Pop'' is a deconstruction of Japanese teen-girl culture, ''Shiki Jutsu'' is a deconstruction of the ManicPixieDreamGirl[=/=]{{Cloudcuckoolander}} archetype(s), and ''Shin Godzilla'' deconstructs Godzilla and {{Kaiju}} films.
77	** A notorious persistent rumor claims Anno was the first deconstuctor of anime; he ''wasn't''. Anno actually just ''revived'' a lot of the mid-to-late 70s and very early 80s cynical tropes, as his own AuthorAppeal reveals.
78	* {{Fanservice}}: He frequently puts fanservice in his works. For example, ''Evangelion'' has Misato Katsuragi dress in shorts when she's in her apartment.
79	* HappilyMarried: To mangaka Moyoco Anno, for nearly a decade now. His marriage has drastically affected his work, disposition, and outlook on life. For a man whose previous works have dealt heavily with the inevitability of pain and the need to EarnYourHappyEnding, some would say this really is something special. In his own words:
80	--> This was his first experience with married life. Later on, people close to him would remark that Anno had changed, both physically and mentally (he lost weight and became less edgy).
81	* HeAlsoDid: How many anime fans who’ve heard of, let alone watched, his artsy live-action films ''Love & Pop'' and ''Shiki-Jitsu'' do you know?
82	** On the animation side of things, his earliest known project was ''Anime/SuperDimensionFortressMacross''. He also animated select scenes in ''Anime/Megazone23'', the ''Anime/GiantRobo'' OVA and the entire opening sequence to ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvQSl3Kske0 Madox 01]]''. He was also the lead animator of the Giant Warriors scene in [[Manga/NausicaaoftheValleyoftheWind Nausicaä]] (which were the inspiration for the Evas).
83	** It's a bit obscure, but he also worked with Creator/StudioFantasia to produce the ''Mugen Senshi VideoGame/{{Valis}}'' Famicom Trailer.
84	** He[[note]]or someone else who writes his name ''exactly'' the same as he does; given the multitude of ways of writing Japanese names, this is no small feat[[/note]] did key animation work on the fourth episode of the early adult anime {{OVA}} series ''Cream Lemon'', ''Pop Chaser''. Learning this fact makes classic {{hentai}} fans ecstatic, since ''Pop Chaser'' is widely considered the funniest, most memorable, and best-animated episode of the series.
85	* IntergenerationalFriendship: One of his closer friends is his {{mentor}} Creator/HayaoMiyazaki, who is good 20 years older.
86	* LighterAndSofter:
87	** For starters, he made a ''Anime/CuteyHoney'' live-action film, and an adaptation of ''Manga/HisAndHerCircumstances'' that was much DenserAndWackier than the original manga.
88	** If you look closely at the hometown video, he seems to get better ''on camera'' towards the end.
89	** After years of using Ominous Gratuitous Greek to create moods of creepiness and dread in his audience, he named his studio Studio Khara. In other words Studio Joy.[[note]]Amusingly, [[InMyLanguageThatSoundsLike it also means 'shit' in Hebrew]].[[/note]]
90	* MindScrew: He uses it quite a bit.
91	* OddFriendship: For a shy, melancholic man that he is, he has pretty assertive friends, like the straightforward, outspoken patriarch Creator/HayaoMiyazaki or the eccentric, flamboyant auteur Creator/KunihikoIkuhara.
92	* {{Postmodernism}}: He has been cited as one of the primary inspirations of the Superflat movement.
93	* ProductionPosse: He frequently works together with fellow animators Creator/KazuyaTsurumaki, Yoshiyuki Sadamoto and Masayuki. He's also worked with Shinji Higuchi and Shiro Sagisu on ''Evangelion'' and ''Film/ShinGodzilla''. Actors who have frequently worked with Anno include Creator/NorikoHidaka, Creator/MariaKawamura, Creator/MegumiOgata, Creator/KotonoMitsuishi, Creator/YukoMiyamura, Creator/MegumiHayashibara, Mayumi Shintani and Creator/KoichiYamadera.
94	* PromotedFanboy: He has always been a big fan of Tokusatsu and Kaiju films. Then he got to direct Toho's 2016 Godzilla movie, ''Film/ShinGodzilla''. He also wrote and produced ''Film/ShinUltraman'' and wrote and directed ''[[Film/ShinKamenRider2023 Shin Kamen Rider]]''. To add even more to it, one of his first film projects was an ''Ultraman'' fan film, ''Return of Ultraman'' where he himself played Ultraman, and in ''Shin Ultraman'', aside from being the director, Anno is also [[DescendedCreator the primary motion capture actor]] for Ultraman.
95	* RagsToRiches: Before helping to found Gainax, Anno was an out-of-work animator and college washout. Then he and some peers made [[Anime/DaiconIIIAndIV two opening videos]] for an Osaka sci-fi convention called DAICON, with [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KUsRbMUpEU the opening video for DAICON IV]] proving popular enough to get them noticed in the industry. Anno would go on to work with Topcraft on ''Manga/NausicaaOfTheValleyOfTheWind'' (whose staff included many future members of Creator/StudioGhibli, including none other than Hayao Miyazaki himself) before founding Gainax and becoming a household name among anime fans.
96	* SelfParody: The fact that he wrote ''AudioPlay/EvangelionAfterTheEnd'' proves that he is not above making light of his own works.
97	* ShoutOut: His works are typically packed with allusions or homages to anime, film, music, literature, philosophy, psychology, religion - anything he feels like.
98	* ShrugOfGod: Well, he's the guy to whom the "I have no bloody clue, FanWank something" caption is most frequently affixed.
99	* SignatureStyle: He has pretty clear stylistic choices in both his animated and live-action works, codified particularly after ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion''[[note]]This does not apply to his adaptation of ''Manga/CuteyHoney''.[[/note]]:
100	** A villain whose motivation and characterisation are not explored in detail, if at all (''Anime/{{Gunbuster}}'', ''Neon Genesis Evangelion'', ''Shin Godzilla ''), influenced by his favourite film ''Film/BattleOfOkinawa''.
101	** He usually collaborates with Shiro Sagisu (''Anime/NadiaTheSecretOfBlueWater'', ''Neon Genesis Evangelion'', ''Manga/HisAndHerCircumstances'', ''Film/ShinGodzilla'') or with artists who produce soundtracks with the same effect, with a lot of quiet piano music and existing Western art music for introspective dramatic scenes (''Love & Pop'', ''Shiki-Jitsu'').
102	** He likes using a black or white screen with writing on it, representing questions characters ask or tell themselves, narration, or parts of dialogue of some characters (''Neon Genesis Evangelion'', ''Kare Kano'', ''Love & Pop'', ''Shiki-Jitsu'').
103	** Frequently uses and designs EldritchAbomination characters, both as a director and an animator (''Gunbuster'', ''Anime/NausicaaOfTheValleyOfTheWind'', ''Neon Genesis Evangelion'', ''Film/ShinGodzilla'')
104	** Focus on industrial city views (electric wires, grey buildings, etc.), which Anno has said [[AuthorAppeal he is very fond of]] (''Neon Genesis Evangelion'', ''Kare Kano'', ''Love & Pop'', ''Shiki-Jitsu'', ''Film/ShinGodzilla'').
105	** Focus on sci-fi technology, using {{Technobabble}} and [[TechnologyPorn close-up shots]] (The opening sequence of ''Madox 01'', ''Gunbuster'', ''Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water'', ''Neon Genesis Evangelion''). This is grounded on close-to-life concepts, as well as making sure of minutely describing every step of the way as well as the wondrous logistics, collective effort, and the industry behind the task at hand. If it takes a country's worth of electricity to fire a giant rifle at the enemy, he'll damn well show you everything that got us to that point.
106	** Long, suspenseful scenes waiting for an enemy attack, accompanied by unnerving music, usually played on the piano (''Gunbuster'', ''Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water'', ''Neon Genesis Evangelion'', ''Shin Godzilla'' ).
107	** Cuts between scenes that feel ‘premature’, often to industrial urban views, creating suspenseful pacing (''Neon Genesis Evangelion'', ''Kare Kano'', ''Love & Pop'', ''Shiki-Jitsu'').
108	** [[MindScrew Surreal imagery]], usually containing rapid cuts, making the viewer stop focusing on external conditions and focus on a character’s (or characters’) state of mind, accompanied by unsettling music and often a spotlight turning on loudly to indicate something (''Neon Genesis Evangelion'', ''Kare Kano''[[note]]Used occasionally in the beginning as a form of SelfParody, later PlayedForDrama[[/note]], ''Love & Pop'', ''Shiki-Jitsu'').
109	** A general theme of a main character in a poor emotional state going through a crisis, or a series of crises, [[ComingOfAgeStory to grow as a person]] (''Gunbuster''[[note]]This series is different in this respect, as the main character was fairly well-functioning despite the trauma she experienced, and simply applied what she had already known to harder and harder challenges. The theme used in the way Anno is most famous for was codified only in ''Evangelion'', [[RealitySubtext inspired by Anno’s own struggle with depression]] after the TroubledProduction of ''Nadia'' [[CreatorBreakdown took a heavy emotional toll on him]].[[/note]], ''Neon Genesis Evangelion'', ''Kare Kano'', ''Love & Pop'', ''Shiki-Jitsu''[[note]]While the last three were originally written by different artists altogether--''Kare Kano'' was a manga by Masami Tsuda, ''Love & Pop'' was based on Ryū Murakami’s novel ''Topaz II'', and ''Shiki-Jitsu'' was based on Ayako Fujitani’s novella ''Touhimu'', Anno wrote the scripts for all three (except the [[NoEnding infamous last episode]] of ''Kare Kano''), implementing significant changes, and directing them in a style distinctly his own, to the point he had to resign around mid-series while working on ''Kare Kano'' because of CreativeDifferences with Tsuda.[[/note]]).
110	** Generally, producing works far on the character end of the SlidingScaleOfPlotVersusCharacters.
111	* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism: His works often occupy a unique position of being dark and uncompromising in their portrayal of human nature, yet ultimately (sometimes deceptively) idealistic in their emphasis on love, hope and the importance of interpersonal relationships.
112	* SpringtimeForHitler: It's theorised that Gainax attempted to use ''NGE'' as a means to avoid paying taxes by producing a flop. Even if this is true, it [[HoistByHisOwnPetard failed miserably]]. The truth itself is more mundane: Gainax hadn't seen any of the profits from ''Nadia'' because Creator/{{Toho}} were the guys who actually owned the rights to it, and they deliberately underreported their profits for ''NGE'' because they were unsure about what would happen (and if ''NGE'' would've actually flopped, Gainax would've just been bankrupt).
113	* StartMyOwn: In 2006, Anno formed Creator/StudioKhara, taking Creator/KazuyaTsurumaki and some of Gainax's staff with him, and resigned from Gainax the following year.
114	* TakeThatAudience:
115	** His bitterness towards the old {{Otaku}} lifestyle really shows, especially in ''NGE''. He was also majorly pissed about the death threats he received after ''NGE''[='=]s finale, to the point that ''[[Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion End Of Evangelion]]'' has sometimes been considered one 90-minute extended "fuck you" towards them. This interpretation has, however, [[http://web.archive.org/web/20080119140041/http://www.fansview.com/2001/otakon/081101d.htm been rejected by Kazuya Tsurumaki, Anno's co-director for the film]].
116	** Related to CreatorRecovery and LighterAndSofter above, he has since reconciled himself with {{Otaku}}. In [[http://forum.evageeks.org/thread/12024/2003-Kodansha-interviews-Hideaki-Anno/ one interview]], he goes so far as to lash out at those condemning the Otaku lifestyle.
117	** One interview from before his CreatorRecovery set in that was leaked revealed that he outright ''gave up'' on "Escapist" Otaku. It went about as well as you would expect.
118	* TrollingCreator: Rivals Creator/YoshiyukiTomino and Creator/JohnKricfalusi for "Biggest Troll in the Animation Industry". Considering how much of a cash cow Evangelion has become as a result of the fandom, they're basically paying him to screw with them. Though, that be said, he still has nothing on his friend Creator/KunihikoIkuhara.
119	* TroubledProduction: Gainax's shifty accounting practices combined with advertisers pulling out in droves gave him a lot of grief over the years, and is at least partly the reason why his works sometimes suffer from poor quality [[OffModel animation]] and {{Gainax Ending}}s.
120	* TrueCompanions: When Anno suffered another CreatorBreakdown during the filming of the third ''Anime/RebuildOfEvangelion'' movie, Creator/HayaoMiyazaki came in to help him get back on his feet. (Though according to Moyoco Anno's ''Yoiko no Rekishi Anime: Ookina Kabu'', it didn't work.)

Context Creator / HideakiAnno