Hideaki Anno facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Hideaki Anno
庵野秀明
Anno at the premiere of Shin Godzilla in July 2016
Born	(1960-05-22) May 22, 1960 (age 65) Ube, Yamaguchi, Japan
Nationality	Japanese
Occupation	Animator film and television director screenwriter actor producer
Years active	1981–present
Notable work	Gunbuster (OVA 1988–1989) Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water (TV 1990–1991) Neon Genesis Evangelion (TV 1995–1996) The End of Evangelion (1997) Rebuild of Evangelion (2007–2021) Kare Kano (TV 1998–1999) Shin Godzilla (2016) Shin Ultraman (2022) Shin Kamen Rider (2023)
Spouse(s)	Moyoko Anno ​ (m. 2002)​
Signature

Hideaki Anno (Japanese: 庵野 秀明, Hepburn: Anno Hideaki, born May 22, 1960) is a famous Japanese animator, filmmaker, and actor. He is best known for creating the Evangelion series. This series has greatly changed the world of anime TV shows and Japanese popular culture.

Anno's unique style often explores characters' deep thoughts and feelings. He also uses a special way of storytelling called postmodernism, which mixes different styles and ideas.

Some of his other well-known works include Gunbuster (1988), Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water (1990), and Kare Kano (1998). He also directed live-action movies like Shin Godzilla (2016). This movie started a new series of films called the Shin trilogy, which includes Shin Ultraman (2022) and Shin Kamen Rider (2023). Many of Anno's anime have won important awards, like the Animage Anime Grand Prix.

About Hideaki Anno

His Early Life and School

Hideaki Anno was born on May 22, 1960, in Ube, Yamaguchi, Japan. His parents are Fumiko and Takuya Anno. As a child, he went to Wakō Kindergarten and later to Unoshima Municipal Elementary School.

He then attended Fujiyama Municipal Junior High School and Yamaguchi Prefectural Ube High School. During his school years, he was very interested in art. He also enjoyed making short films for Japanese cultural festivals.

How He Started in Animation

The God Warrior from Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, which Anno animated.

Anno began his career as an animator while studying at Osaka University of Arts. He worked on the anime series The Super Dimension Fortress Macross (1982–1983). He was very busy making films with his friends and stopped paying for his classes. Because of this, he was eventually asked to leave the university.

He became well-known after working on Hayao Miyazaki's 1984 film, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. The film studio needed more animators and placed an ad. Anno, who was in his early twenties, saw the ad and went to the studio. He showed Miyazaki his drawings. Miyazaki was impressed and hired him to animate some of the most difficult scenes in the movie.

In December 1984, Anno helped start a new animation studio called Gainax. He worked as an animation director for their first big movie, Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honneamise (1987). He soon became Gainax's main anime director. He led many of their projects, including Gunbuster (1988) and Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water (1990–1991).

After Nadia, Anno went through a difficult period for four years. In 1994, a small planet was named after him by his friend Akimasa Nakamura. It is called 9081 Hideakianno.

Creating Neon Genesis Evangelion

Anno's next big project was the anime TV series Neon Genesis Evangelion (1995–1996). The story takes place in a future Tokyo after a big disaster. Humanity fights against huge monsters called Angels.

Anno used his own experiences with sadness to create the characters' deep feelings. He wanted to show how people deal with difficult emotions. As the series went on, it focused more on the characters' inner thoughts. Anno believed that young people should learn about life's challenges early on. The last two episodes of the series take place inside the main character's mind.

At first, the show didn't get high ratings in Japan. But when it was moved to a later time slot for older viewers, it became very popular. Due to time limits, Anno had to change the original ending of Evangelion. In 1997, Gainax decided to make a movie to finish the story. This led to The End of Evangelion, a film that served as the true ending to the series.

Later Projects

Anno with Ryūsuke Hikawa (October 30, 2014)

After Evangelion, Anno directed the 1998 anime series Kareshi Kanojo no Jijō (also known as His and Her Circumstances). This was the first Gainax TV series based on an existing story. Anno also started making live-action films. His first was Love & Pop (1998), for which he won an award for Best New Director.

His second live-action film was Shiki-Jitsu (2000), which means "Ritual Day". This movie is about a tired animation director who meets a woman who seems disconnected from reality. This film also received positive reviews and an award.

In 2004, Anno directed Cutie Honey, a fun superhero film based on a manga. He also oversaw the three-part anime series Re: Cutie Honey.

On August 1, 2006, Hideaki Anno started his own company, Studio Khara. In September 2006, it was announced that Anno had left Gainax. Studio Khara then began working on Rebuild of Evangelion. These movies are a new version of the TV series, with new scenes and characters. The first movie came out in 2007, and the final one, Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time, was released in 2021.

In 2012, Anno helped create an exhibit called Tokusatsu - Special Effects Museum. It showed props from many Japanese special effects films. He also produced a short live-action film for the exhibit. Anno even voiced the main character in Miyazaki's 2013 film The Wind Rises.

In 2015, Anno teamed up with his friend Shinji Higuchi to write and direct Shin Godzilla. This movie was a new take on the classic Godzilla series. He also wrote and produced Shin Ultraman (2022) and directed Shin Kamen Rider (2023).

How Anno is Shown in Stories

Anno has been shown in manga comics twice. His wife, Moyoko Anno, wrote a manga called Insufficient Direction. It tells the story of their relationship and shows Anno's personality. In 2007, a younger version of Anno appeared in the manga Aoi Honō by Kazuhiko Shimamoto. This manga was made into a TV show in 2014, where actor Ken Yasuda played Anno.

Personal Life

Hideaki Anno married manga artist Moyoco Anno on March 26, 2002. He is an agnostic, meaning he is not sure if God exists. He feels that Japanese spiritualism is closest to his personal beliefs. Anno is also a vegetarian.

Filmography

Anno participated in "The World of Hideaki Anno", Tokyo International Film Festival on October 30, 2014.

Films

Short films

Television

Animation and Art Work

Storyboards

• Mahoromatic: Automatic Maiden (2001)
• Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi (2002)
• Aim for the Top 2! Diebuster (2004–2006)
• Sugar Sugar Rune (2005–2006)
• Rebuild of Evangelion (2007–2021)
• Space Battleship Yamato 2199 (2012–2013)
• Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX (2025)

Animator

• Daicon III and IV Opening Animations (1981, 1983)
• The Super Dimension Fortress Macross (1982–1983)
• Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984)
• The Super Dimension Fortress Macross: Do You Remember Love? (1984)
• Birth (1984)
• Cream Lemon (Episode 4) (1985–1987)
• Urusei Yatsura (Episode 133) (1984–1986)
• Urusei Yatsura 3: Remember My Love (1985)
• Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honnêamise (1987)
• Crystal Triangle (1987)
• Dangaioh (1987–1989)
• Battle Royal High School (1987)
• Metal Skin Panic MADOX-01 (1987)
• Grave of the Fireflies (1988)
• Baoh the Visitor (1989)
• Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water (1990–1991)
• Crimson Wolf (1993)
• Macross Plus (1994–1995)
• Giant Robo: The Day the Earth Stood Still (1994–1998)
• Macross Plus Movie Edition (1995)
• FLCL (2000–2001)
• Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi (2002)
• Aim for the Top 2! Diebuster (2004–2006)

Mechanical Designer

• Daicon III and IV Opening Animations (1981, 1983) (Mecha designer and mechanical animator)
• Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack (1988) (Mecha designer)
• Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi (2002) (Mechanical animator)

Acting Roles

Other Credits

• Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honnêamise (1987) (Special effects & production designer)
• Strings (2004) (Japanese version director)
• Ando-Roid (2013) (Story concept)
• The Dragon Dentist (2017) (Executive producer and sound director)
• Virtual-san Looking (2019) (Creative supervisor)

Awards and Honours

See also

In Spanish: Hideaki Anno para niños