- Born
- Height5′ 11″ (1.80 m)
- Hideaki Anno is a highly influential Japanese animator, screenwriter, and director renowned for his avant-garde style, deep psychological themes, and deconstructive approach to storytelling. He developed a passionate interest in drawing and Japanese special effects (tokusatsu) from a young age. He began his professional career as an animator while attending the Osaka University of Arts, making his first major industry impact by animating the complex climax scene in Hayao Miyazaki’s legendary masterpiece Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984).
He achieved massive global recognition as a co-founder of the seminal animation studio Gainax, where he directed acclaimed projects like Gunbuster (1988) and Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water (1990). In 1995, he directed his most celebrated creation, Neon Genesis Evangelion, a profound deconstruction of the mecha subgenre that explored heavy themes of existentialism and mental health. The franchise became an unprecedented cultural phenomenon, which Anno later expanded through his own independent venture, Studio Khara, with the highly successful four-part Rebuild of Evangelion film series running from 2007 to 2021.
In recent years, Anno has masterfully bridged the worlds of animation and live-action cinema by spearheading the Shin anthology series, reimagining classic fixtures of Japanese pop culture. This creative streak began with the critically acclaimed, award-winning live-action blockbuster Shin Godzilla (2016) and continued with his work writing and producing Shin Ultraman (2022) and directing Shin Kamen Rider (2023). Celebrated as a versatile auteur, Anno continues to push boundaries across mediums, leading major creative endeavors like the Space Battleship Yamato 50th-anniversary project and writing a new Evangelion short film for its 30th anniversary.
- IMDb mini biography by: Nizam Miah
- SpouseMoyoco Anno(March 26, 2002 - present)
- Surreal Imagery
- Deconstruction of genres
- Frequently collaborates with composer Shiro Sagisu.
- The protagonists of his works are often in poor emotional state going through difficult times and later improve themselves and their own life.
- His works often show industrial cities.
- Japanese animator, director & businessperson.
- Attended Osaka University of Arts.
- Graduated from Ube High School.
- God Warrior climax: While working as a young animator on Hayao Miyazaki's Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984), he was personally selected by Miyazaki to animate the highly complex, melting God Warrior climax scene.
- Accidental voice actor: Miyazaki later cast him as the lead voice actor (Jiro Horikoshi) for Studio Ghibli's The Wind Rises (2013), despite Anno having zero professional voice acting experience at the time.
- [on getting into the anime industry] If you want to get into anime, my best advice to you as a creator is to please have diverse interests in things besides animation. Look outward, first of all. Most anime makers are basically autistic. They have to try and reach out, and truly communicate with others. I would guess that the greatest thing anime has ever achieved is the fact that we're holding a dialogue right here and now.
- [on his beliefs] Japanese spiritualism holds that there is kami (spirit) in everything, and that's closer to my own beliefs.
- Once you hold the prejudice that you can't use anything but cels to represent characters, you've finally become a fetishist...
- About Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water (1990): Actually, I felt sad when I watched Nadia, which I directed. I felt Nadia was too childish.
- About Shinji Ikari, the Neon Genesis Evangelion (1995) protagonist: The reason why the main character is fourteen years is that he is no longer a child but not yet an adult. He lives alone, but is attached to others. In past centuries, he would soon celebrate his coming of age. Back then, life expectancy was fifty years, so people had to grow up in fourteen years. Considering 'age fourteen' as that in which an independence of mind starts manifesting, I found it proper to include this in my work.
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