Hideaki Anno | |
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庵野秀明 | |
.jpg) Anno at the premiere ofShin Godzilla in July 2016 | |
| Born | (1960-05-22)May 22, 1960 (age 65) Ube, Yamaguchi, Japan |
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| Years active | 1981–present |
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| Website | khara |
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| Part of a series on |
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 Anime and manga portal |
Hideaki Anno (Japanese:庵野 秀明,Hepburn:Anno Hideaki; born May 22, 1960)[1] is aJapanese animator,filmmaker,actor,producer, andvoice actor.[1] His most celebrated creation, theEvangelion franchise, has had a significant influence on the anime television industry andJapanese popular culture. Anno's style is defined by hispostmodernist approach and the extensive portrayal of characters' thoughts and emotions.
Anno's other directorial works includeDaicon Film's Return of Ultraman (1983),Gunbuster (1988),Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water (1990),Kare Kano (1998),Love & Pop (1998),Shiki-Jitsu (2000),Cutie Honey (2004),Re: Cutie Honey (2004),Rebuild of Evangelion (2007–2021), andShin Godzilla (2016),[2] with the latter film marking the beginning of theShin trilogy oftokusatsu franchisereboots, followed byShin Ultraman (2022) andShin Kamen Rider (2023).[3] Several of Anno's anime have won theAnimage Anime Grand Prix award, includingNadia: The Secret of Blue Water in 1990,Neon Genesis Evangelion in 1995 and 1996, andThe End of Evangelion in 1997.
The son of Fumiko and Takuya Anno, Anno was born inUbe, Yamaguchi; he attended Wakō Kindergarten, Unoshima Municipal Elementary School, Fujiyama Municipal Junior High School, and Yamaguchi Prefectural Ube High School where he was noted for his interest in artwork and making short films forJapanese Cultural Festivals.[1]
Anno began his career while attendingOsaka University of Arts as an animator for the anime seriesThe Super Dimension Fortress Macross (1982–1983).[4] Wrapped up in producing theDAICON III and IV Opening Animations with his fellow students, and busy making self-financed films, Anno stopped paying his tuition, eventually getting expelled from Osaka University of Arts.[1] He did not gain recognition until the release of his work onHayao Miyazaki's1984 filmNausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. Running short on animators, the film's production studio posted an ad in the famous Japanese animation magazineAnimage, announcing that they were in desperate need of more animators. Anno, in his early twenties at the time, read the ad and headed down to the film's studio, where he met with Miyazaki and showed him some of his drawings. Impressed with his ability, Miyazaki hired him to draw some of the most complicated scenes near the end of the movie,[5] and valued his work highly.[6]
Anno went on to become one of the co-founders ofGainax in December 1984.[4] He worked as ananimation director for their first feature-length film,Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honnêamise (1987), and ultimately became Gainax's premiere anime director, leading the majority of the studio's projects, includingGunbuster (1988) andNadia: The Secret of Blue Water (1990–1991).[7] However, Anno fell into a four-year depression followingNadia — the series was handed down to him fromNHK from an original concept by Hayao Miyazaki (of whichCastle in the Sky is also partly based upon) and he was given little creative control. In 1994, the minor planet9081 Hideakianno was named after him by his old friendAkimasa Nakamura.[8][9]
Anno's next project was the anime television seriesNeon Genesis Evangelion (1995–1996). The series is set in a post-apocalyptic futurist version of Tokyo and follows humanity's struggle to survive against an onslaught of giant monsters known asAngels. Anno's history ofclinical depression[10] was the main source for the emphasis on the psychological aspects of its characters, as he wrote down on paper several of the trials and tribulations of his condition. For this and other reasons (although perhaps by design as well),Evangelion's plot became more introspective as the series progressed, despite being broadcast in a children's television timeslot. Anno felt that people should be exposed to the realities of life at as young an age as possible, and by the end of the series all attempts at traditional narrative logic were abandoned, as the final two episodes use an abstract atmosphere to explore the human psyche.
The show did not garner high ratings in Japan at its initial time slot,[citation needed] but after being moved to a later, more adult-oriented venue, it gained considerable popularity. Timing constraints[citation needed] at Gainax also forced Anno to replace the planned ending ofEvangelion with two episodes set in the main characters' minds. In 1997, Gainax launched a project to re-adaptEvangelion's scrapped ending into a feature-length film. Budgeting issues left the film unfinished,[citation needed] and the completed 27 minutes of animation were included as the second act ofEvangelion: Death and Rebirth. Eventually, the project culminated inThe End of Evangelion, a three-act film that served as a finale toNeon Genesis Evangelion. In September 1999, Anno appeared on the NHK TV-documentary "Welcome Back for an Extracurricular Lesson, Senpai!", answering someEvangelion-related questions, including the origin of the nameEvangelion, and teaching children about animation production.[11]
AfterEvangelion, Anno directed the 1998 anime seriesKareshi Kanojo no Jijō (Kare Kano for short, also known in English asHis and Her Circumstances), the firstGainax television series to be directly adapted from previously written material. During the production ofKare Kano, Anno became frustrated with the restrictions placed on the show byTV Tokyo after thePokémon seizure incident[12] and has rarely directed television anime since then. The director has also made forays into live-action films, beginning withLove & Pop (1998), acinéma vérité-style film aboutenjo kosai ("compensated dating", a form of teenage prostitution) in Japan, of which a major portion was shot on miniature digital cameras with constantly shiftingaspect ratios. He won Best New Director Award at 1998Yokohama Film Festival for the film.Asumi Miwa who played the lead role won Best New Talent award. He and his friendMasayuki also directed the documentary "GAMERA1999" which documented the production ofGamera 3: Revenge of Iris. His second live-action film,Shiki-Jitsu (2000) ("Ritual Day" or"Ceremonial Day"), is the story of a burnt-out former animation director (played by popularindie directorShunji Iwai) who falls in love with a woman disconnected from reality. Though an experimental work likeLove & Pop, this film was shot using the more traditional2.35:1aspect ratio and has a generally more polished presentation, eschewing thecinéma vérité grittiness of Anno's first live-action film. This movie earned him Best Artistic Contribution Award atTokyo International Film Festival and very positive reviews.
Anno's thirdlive-action film wasCutie Honey, based onGo Nagai's1973 manga and anime series. Released in the summer of 2004, this lighthearted fantasy/superhero film was a stark contrast to his earlier, more realist live-action works. Later in 2004, Anno supervised but did not direct the three-part OVA,Re: Cutie Honey, which was respectively directed byHiroyuki Imaishi (part 1),Takamichi Itō (part 2), and Masayuki (part 3). Also released in 2004 was the movieFunky Forest (ナイスの森,Nice no Mori), in which Anno makes several acting cameos: as the student in the front row of the "Home Room!" skit sitting next to Hataru, in "Who's the Director?" as an animator who feels he is being overworked, and finally in "Singles Picnic" he is among the men awaiting females who never come.[13][failed verification]
On August 1, 2006, Hideaki Anno's official website was updated with job listings for key animators and production staff at a company he founded,Studio Khara.[14] In September 2006, Anno's departure from Gainax was reported in the October edition of the Japanese animation magazineNewtype.[15] On September 9, 2006, Gainax's official website confirmed thatRebuild of Evangelion was in the works. The first three movies would be an alternate retelling of the TV series (including many new scenes, settings, backgrounds, characters), and the fourth movie would be a completely new conclusion to the story. Kazuya Tsurumaki and Masayuki would direct the movies while Yoshiyuki Sadamoto would provide character designs and Ikuto Yamashita would provide mechanical designs. Shinji Higuchi would provide storyboards for the first movie. The first was launched in Summer 2007, and the second and third were planned to be launched in 2008, however, the second installment was released by itself on June 27, 2009. The third movie was to be released simultaneously with the fourth; instead, the third movie was released on November 17, 2012, and the release date for the fourth movie in Japan was announced to be June 27, 2020.[16] On February 17, 2007, Anno published an official statement[17] on the Japanese Yahoo Portal for the films regarding his personal involvement and goals in their production.[18] In October 2007, Hideaki Anno resigned from Gainax.[1] In 2011 Anno co-produced the Koinobori Pictures movieKantoku Shikkaku ("Failed Director"), directed byKatsuyuki Hirano featuringYumika Hayashi.[19][20][21][22][23]
In 2012, Anno was the curator of an exhibit entitledTokusatsu- Special Effects Museum-Craftsmanship of Showa and Heisei Eras Seen Through Miniatures, held at theMuseum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, featuring actual props and suits from many of Japan'stokusatsu films and TV shows. Anno also produced a short live-action film for the exhibit, entitledA Giant Warrior Descends on Tokyo, featuring the Giant Warrior-God from Studio Ghibli's animated filmNausicaä of the Valley of the Wind.[24][25] He has gone on to work withHayao Miyazaki andStudio Ghibli on several short films which have been shown at theGhibli Museum. He also voiced the main characterJiro Horikoshi in Miyazaki's 2013 feature filmThe Wind Rises. He also designed theSpace Battleship Yamato 2199 sci-fi anime television series opening sequence.[26] In 2014, Anno and Studio Khara launchedJapan Animator Expo, a series oforiginal net animations made by various directors.[27] In March 2015, it was announced that Anno would team up with close friend and Gainax cofounderShinji Higuchi to write and codirectShin Godzilla, the 2016 reboot ofToho'sGodzilla franchise.[28]
Anno wrote and directedEvangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time (2021), launched in March 2021, after being rescheduled twice due toCOVID-19 pandemic.[29] He stated that Shinji's story was completed, but mentioned that he had more ideas set inEvangelion's world.[30]
Anno has appeared inmanga twice, both created by personal acquaintances. His wife,Moyoko Anno, wroteInsufficient Direction, a chronicle of their courtship and marriage and depicting Anno's "true face" as "the founder of theotaku cult".[31] In 2007, a college-age version of him appeared alongside other Gainax foundersHiroyuki Yamaga,Takami Akai, andToshio Okada in theKazuhiko Shimamoto mangaAoi Honō. Anno attendedOsaka University of Arts with Shimamoto.Aoi Honō was adapted into a live-action television drama in 2014, where Anno was played by actorKen Yasuda.[32] The 2014 animated seriesShirobako has a cameo appearance by a character named "Mitsuaki Kanno", a caricature of Anno.
On March 26, 2002, Anno married his wife, manga artistMoyoco Anno.[33] He is an agnostic and has stated that he has foundJapanese spiritualism to be closest to his personal beliefs.[34] Anno is also a vegetarian.[35][36]
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer | Animator | Storyboard artist | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Neon Genesis Evangelion: Death & Rebirth | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Co-directed withMasayuki &Kazuya Tsurumaki |
| The End of Evangelion | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Co-directed with Kazuya Tsurumaki Also lyrics writer "Komm, Susser Todd" | |
| 1998 | Love & Pop | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | |
| 1999 | GAMERA1999 [ja] | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | Documentary Co-directed with Masayuki |
| 2000 | Shiki-Jitsu | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | |
| 2004 | Cutie Honey | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | |
| 2007 | Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Co-directed with Masayuki & Kazuya Tsurumaki Also production designer |
| 2009 | Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance | Yes | Yes | Executive | Yes | Yes | |
| 2011 | Kantoku Shikkaku | No | No | Yes | No | No | Documentary |
| 2012 | Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo | Yes | Yes | Executive | Yes | Yes | Co-directed withMahiro Maeda, Kazuya Tsurumaki & Masayuki |
| 2016 | Shin Godzilla | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | Co-directed withShinji Higuchi Also co-editor[37] |
| 2021 | Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time | Yes | Yes | Executive | Yes | Yes | Co-directed with Kazuya Tsurumaki, Katsuchi Nakayama & Mahiro Maeda |
| 2022 | Shin Ultraman | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | Also supervisor, co-editor, co-cinematographer, concept designer and logo designer |
| 2023 | Shin Kamen Rider | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | Also co-editor and costume designer |
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Animator | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | NAKAMUREDIER | Yes | No | No | Student film |
| 1979 | Proverb Dictionary: He Who Shots Often, Hits at Last! | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 1980 | At the Bus Stop | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Tough Tire! SHADO Tire! | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
| 1983 | Daicon Film's Return of Ultraman | Yes | No | No | |
| 1995 | Neon Genesis Evangelion: Genesis 0:0 – In the Beginning | Yes | Yes | Yes | Promotional short |
| 2001 | Ryusei-Kacho | Yes | Yes | No | |
| 2002 | Anime Tencho | Yes | No | Yes | |
| The Invention of Destruction in the Imaginary Machines | Yes | Yes | No | ||
| 2003 | The Girl and the Railway | Yes | Yes | No | Full Short film within his filmShiki-Jitsu |
| Evangelion-Episode 26'Live Action Cut | Yes | Yes | No | Deleted live action scene from his filmThe End of Evangelion | |
| 2012 | Giant God Warrior Appears in Tokyo | No | Yes | No | Also producer |
| 2013 | Peaceful Times (F02) Petit Film | Yes | No | Yes | |
| 2019 | Evangelion the Movie AVANT: 0706 Version | Yes | Yes | Yes | First 15 minutes of his filmEvangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time Also executive producer and storyboard artist |
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | The Dragon Dentist | Executive producer |
| Hill Climb Girl | ||
| Carnage | ||
| 20min Walk from Nishi-Ogikubo Station, 2 Bedrooms, Living Room, Dining Room, Kitchen, 2mos Deposit, No Pets Allowed | ||
| 2015 | Yamadeloid | Producer |
| Evangelion:Another Impact | Executive producer | |
| Sex and Violence with Machspeed | ||
| Tsukikage no Tokio | Producer | |
| Neon Genesis: Impacts | Executive producer | |
| Cassette Girl | ||
| 2016 | Mobile Police Patlabor Reboot | |
| A Good Child's History Anime | Executive Producer Also co-editor and photography |
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Animator | Storyboard | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988–1989 | Gunbuster | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 1990–1991 | Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 1995–1996 | Neon Genesis Evangelion | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Also mechanical designer |
| 1998–1999 | Kare Kano (His and Her Circumstances) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 1999 | Koume-chan ga Iku [jp] | Yes | Yes | No | No | TV Short Mini-series |
| 2004 | Re: Cutie Honey | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | TV movie |
| 2025 | Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX | No | Yes | No | Yes |
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Daicon Film's Return of Ultraman | Ultraman |
| 1985 | Yamata no Orochi no Gyakushū | TV reporter |
| 1991 | Otaku no Video | A Portrait of an Otaku interview (uncredited) |
| 1998 | Abunai deka forever the movie | – |
| 2000–2001 | FLCL | Voice of Miyu-Miyu (credited as "?") |
| 2002 | Frog River | Bar owner |
| 2002 | Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi | Cameo role in Episode 12 (uncredited) |
| 2004 | Cutie Honey | Office worker |
| 2004 | The Taste of Tea | Cameo, anime director |
| 2004 | Koi no Mon (Otakus in Love) | Cameo |
| 2004 | Funky Forest | Actor |
| 2006 | Nihon Chinbotsu | Yamashiro's Son-in-law |
| 2006 | The Catch Man | Actor |
| 2007 | Welcome to the Quiet Room (Quiet room ni yôkoso) | Doctor |
| 2010 | Death Kappa | Actor[38] |
| 2013 | The Wind Rises | Voice of Jiro Horikoshi, main character[39] |
| 2013 | The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness | Self (Documentary film) |
| 2016 | Shin Godzilla | Passerby (uncredited) |
| 2020 | Last Letter | Sojiro Kishibeno |
| 2022 | Shin Ultraman | Ultraman (motion capture; with Bin Furuya)[40] |
| 2023 | Ichikei's Crow | Cameo[41] |
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | The 18thNihon SF Taisho Award | Neon Genesis Evangelion | Won | |
| 1999 | The20th Yokohama Film Festival | Best New Director | Love & Pop | Won |
| 2008 | The 6thTokyo Anime Award | Animation of the Year | Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone | Won |
| Best director | Won | |||
| 2016 | The 41stHochi Film Award | Best Director | Shin Godzilla | Nominated |
| 2017 | The 71stMainichi Film Awards | Best Director | Nominated | |
| Best Screenplay | Nominated | |||
| The 90thKinema Junpo Awards | Best Screenplay | Won | ||
| The38th Yokohama Film Festival | Special Grand Prize | Won | ||
| The40th Japan Academy Prize | Director of the Year | Won | ||
| The 26thTokyo Sports Film Award | Best Director | Won | ||
| Year | Honor | Ref |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Medal with Purple Ribbon | [44] |
On his religious beliefs: ANNO: "I don't belong to any kind of organized religion, so I guess I could be considered agnostic. Japanese spiritualism holds that there is kami (spirit) in everything, and that's closer to my own beliefs."
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