Hideaki Anno, born on May 22, 1960, is a Japanese animator and filmmaker. He is exceptionally talented and has world-class directing skills which we all have witnessed in Neon Genesis Evanglion (8.5/10 IMDB rating). Likewise, Hideaki Anno’s directorial debut occurred in 1988 with the OVA series titled “Gunbuster”.
Later, Anno directed the worldwide famous psychological mecha series Neon Genesis Evangelion, one of the most iconic anime in the history of anime. As described from this point of view, I would say EVA (Evanglion) is undoubtedly one of the most brain-bash anime series, and to direct such an anime requires a huge amount of skills. Even though there several anime from the 90’s but Evanglion with such an exquisite vibe is just beyond belief!!
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Hideaki Anno’s Most Popular Works as a Director
Though, Hideaki Anno is known for his unique approach to storyboarding and eventually his creations has profoundly impacted the Japanese Fictional Industry, his prodigious career began with the project on Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind with the awe-inspiring director Hayao Miyazaki!!
Eventually! such an unique direction technique will result in some of the most iconic visuals. Here are some of his most refined and amazing works:
- Neon Genesis Evangelion (TV 1995–1996): This revolutionary mecha series explored psychological and existential issues. It reinvented the genre and still has an impact today.
- Shin Godzilla (2016) is a Japanese kaiju film directed by Hideaki Anno. It portrays chaos in Japan when a colossal monster emerges.
- The End of Evangelion (1997) is a film that serves as an alternate ending to the Neon Genesis Evangelion series, providing closure to its complex narrative. This film, we have much to say because it leaves us in the dark concerning some events depicted in any episode of the entire series. It is known for being one of the darkest and most ambiguous anime movies ever created within this genre—also one of my favorite anime movies.
- Evangelion rebuild(2007-2021), which goes to show that, in this case, the frightful ideas of Katsuichi Nakayama are more thrillingly lighted than the original ones by Hideaki Anno himself for nearly twenty years since he did it. It was originally divided into three sequential movies:
- Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone
- Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance
- Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo
- Evangelion 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time
Hideaki Anno’s Awards and Achievements!!
Hideaki Anno has received many awards for his amazing works throughout his career as a movie director and as always his philosophical and introspective theme has allured fans worldwide to an extent!! Here are some of his awards and achievements:
- Tokyo International Film Festival (2000):
- The Best Artistic Contribution Award for the film “Ritual.”
- Japanese Academy Awards (2017):
- Best Editing for “Shin Godzilla” (shared with Atsuki Satô).
- Best Director for “Shin Godzilla” (shared with Shinji Higuchi).
- Blue Ribbon Awards (2017):
- The Blue Ribbon Award for Best Film for “Shin Godzilla” (shared with Shinji Higuchi).
- Yokohama Film Festival (1999):
- Festival Prize for Best New Director for “Love & Pop.”
- Tokyo Anime Award (2022):
- Received the Achievement Award for Director and Original Work/Screenplay.
- International Cinephile Society Awards (2022):
- She was nominated for the ICS Award for Best Animated Film for “Evangelion: 3.0+1.01 Thrice Upon a Time” (shared with Kazuya Tsurumaki and Mahiro Maeda).
- Anime News Network (2022):
- He was honored with Japan’s Medal with Purple Ribbon for his significant contributions to the anime industry
In the meantime check out our Beyond Anime and Manga section to unravel more iconic figures like Hideaki Anno!!
