Hideaki Anno

Hideaki Anno is a Japanese animator, filmmaker, and actor. He is best known for creating the anime series "Neon Genesis Evangelion." His style is defined by his postmodernist approach and the extensive portrayal of characters' thoughts and emotions, often through unconventional scenes presenting the mental deconstruction of those characters. The Evangelion franchise has had a significant influence on the anime television industry and Japanese popular culture, with many deeming Anno as one of the medium's first auteurs.

Anno began his career while attending Osaka University of Arts as an animator for the anime series "The Super Dimension Fortress Macross." In 1984, Anno was a founding member of Gainax, a corporation that brought together friends and workmates from his Osaka days. He worked as an animation director for their first feature-length film, "Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honneamise," and ultimately became Gainax's premiere anime director, leading the majority of the studio's projects.

Anno's next project was the anime television series "Neon Genesis Evangelion." 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 as Angels. Anno's history of clinical depression was the main source for many of the psychological elements of the series and its characters, as he wrote down on paper several of the trials and tribulations of his condition.

In May of 2006, Anno established a new movie planning and production company, khara Co. Ltd. One year later, in September of 2007, its first production film, "Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone" was released in theaters.

In October of 2007, Anno resigned from Gainax Co., Ltd. Anno was unable to go home for over four months during the so-called “crunch period,” in which the successful completion of the film constantly hung in the balance. But in the end, the second film was completed and the first print was successfully screened.

Overcoming a harsh crunch mode yet again, the third film was completed. In November of 2012, "Evangelion 3.0: You Can (Not) Redo" was released in theaters. On March 8th, 2021, "Evangelion: 3.0 + 1.0 Thrice Upon A Time" was released in theaters.