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Tag: Hideaki Anno

  • ‘Evangelion’ Will Briefly Return Again for a New 30th Anniversary Short Film

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    If you can believe it, Neon Genesis Evangelion is nearing its 30th anniversary. To celebrate, Studio Khara has announced a return of sorts for the seminal “get in the robot” series in the form of a short film that’ll be folded into a three-day “mega fest” special event in Japan.

    The event, titled Evangelion:30+; 30th Anniversary of Evangelion, is slated to take place at Yokohama Arena starting on February 21. The big to-do about the event, however, is a new short animation made especially for the occasion. The animation, which will be approximately 13 minutes long, was written by Hideaki Anno and directed by Naoyuki Asano, who previously worked as an animator and animation director on the first and fourth Evangelion rebuild films. Unfortunately for the rest of us who didn’t spawn in Japan, the world premiere of the special anniversary animation will be exclusive to the venue, so we’ll have to wish upon a star for it to officially hit the interwebs so we can all join in on celebrating the series turning 30 without folks getting arrested for leaking it.

    While much of the pomp and circumstance the official event X/Twitter account has showcased is a huge polygonal stage dressed up with neon lights and giant LED screens evoking the show’s shadowy organization, Seele, and a cool key visual of its core cast beaming smiles as they wear event merch. The three-day event will feature a fashion show, a kabuki performance, live music performances by “A Cruel Angel’s Thesis” artist Yoko Tanahashi, and the Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra, a Battle Cats game presentation (home of multiple wonderful cat-based Evangelion collabs), and special talks by Anno.

    All of this comes in the wake of Gainax, the original Evangelion studio, officially shutting down after a series of financial troubles, leading the company to file for bankruptcy last year. There was also a string of legal issues, like indecent acts by its former CEO, Tomohiro Maki, unpaid debts, financial mismanagement, and the arrest of said former CEO, which only added further blemishes to the company as it was on the outs. Much of this was retreaded and detailed in a statement by Gainax’s co-founder, Hideaki Anno, in a bittersweet farewell to the studio, where he remarked on its “truly disappointing end.” Obviously, things are sunnier now, with Anno serving as head of Studio Khara, one of the two production houses spun off from Gainax (the other being Studio Trigger), which carried on Evangelion‘s legacy through the rebuild films.

    Having this serve as the chaser to the shot of Gainax going bye-bye is basically how it felt to move from The End of Evangelion to Khara’s more hopeful rebuild films. Here’s to more years of final goodbyes to Evangelion to come.

    Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.

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    Isaiah Colbert

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  • Kaiju No. 8 Anime Comes To Crunchyroll Spring 2024

    Kaiju No. 8 Anime Comes To Crunchyroll Spring 2024

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    Image: Production I.G / Studio Khara / Crunchyroll

    At New York Comic Con on October 13, Crunchyroll announced Kaiju No. 8, a popular Shonen Jump sci-fi monster fighter series, will come to the anime streaming service exclusively next spring.

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    Kaiju No. 8’s elevator pitch is basically what would happen if an adult Peter Parker was smack-dab in the middle of a Godzilla story. The series follows Kafka Hibino, a 32-year-old who let his dream of fighting on the front lines alongside his childhood friend Mina Ashiro pass him by. Kafka works a thankless blue-collar job as a sanitation worker tasked with cleaning the aftermath of cataclysmic metropolitan kaiju battles. Meanwhile, Mina serves her country as the fearless leader of Japan’s Kaiju Defense Force.

    Kafka’s life is one of missed opportunities. That is, until a freak encounter with a monster gives him the ability to transform into a humanoid kaiju. A Kaiju Man, if you will. Now, Kafka must keep his newfound alter ego under wraps while pursuing his childhood dream of becoming a kaiju fighting hero with Mina.

    You can check out the new trailer below:

    Crunchyroll Collection

    Read More: The Kaiju No. 8 Anime’s First Trailer Reveals a Team-Up of Epic Proportions

    Animation powerhouse Production I.G (Ghost in the Shell) will produce the anime alongside Studio Khara. Studio Khara’s involvement in Kaiju No. 8 is kind of a big deal (pun intended) in light of its previous work on director Hideaki Anno’s Neon Genesis Evangelion rebuild films and his tokusatsu films, Shin Godzilla, Shin Ultraman, and Shin Kamen Rider. Studio Khara will provide kaiju designs for the series as well. Safe to say Kaiju No. 8’s anime adaptation is in good hands with folk who are intimately familiar with the genre.

    During Crunchyroll’s NYCC industry panel, Kaiju No. 8’s creator Naoya Matsumoto shared a special note to fans, saying:

    [Kaiju No. 8 is] a story about someone struggling in a harsh world without ever giving up, in the hopes of leading people into an even slightly brighter future. To anyone dealing with the complexities of reality that reads this manga, I hope it can help make your future a little brighter, too.

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    Isaiah Colbert

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  • Final Fantasy XVI Has A Neat Neon Genesis Evangelion Anime Nod

    Final Fantasy XVI Has A Neat Neon Genesis Evangelion Anime Nod

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    Screenshot: Gainax / Netflix / Kotaku

    Final Fantasy XVI, a more action-focused take on the RPG franchise, clearly pulls inspiration from a lot of other popular media. As Game Informer reported back in May, Square Enix was inspired by blockbuster films and hit series like Game of Thrones, Godzilla, and Neon Genesis Evangelion during the game’s development. And it’s that last source of inspo that is garnering attention after players noticed a detailed homage to the mecha anime series.

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    Spoiler warning for Final Fantasy XVI.

    ResetEra forum user Lady Bow posted a video comparing a battle between anime protagonist Shinji Ikari and Sachiel in Neon Genesis Evangelion’s Tokyo-3 (a post-apocalyptic version of Tokyo) to a cataclysmic battle between Phoenix and Ifrit within the early hours of FFXVI. 

    Read More: All Of The Internet’s Urgent Final Fantasy XVI Questions, Answered

    The Ifrit fight (which is playable in the demo, btw!), takes place between two summons, which manifest in FFXVI by basically turning the player into a giant kaiju version of a deity. Early in the game, one of the outposts in the game’s fictional kingdom of Rosaria is ambushed. Phoenix does its damndest to protect it from the rampaging Ifrit. Unfortunately, the Phoenix getting torn from ass to appetite in the scene is Joshua, the younger brother of FFXVI protag, Clive. You can check out a GIF of the video below.

    Gif: Square Enix / Gainax / Netflix / Kotaku / Lady Bow

    And just like in NGE with Shinj and Eva Unit 01, this fight showcases a point-of-view-esque depiction of the gigantic kaiju mounting its adversary and dishing out wild strikes to their face before clubbing them with a double-arm hammer fist punch.

    The similarities between the fights also makes Clive begging the hulking titan to cease his onslaught all the more tragic. Clive’s desperate plea somewhat mirrors Shinji begging his father, Gendo Ikari, to stop his mecha from crushing his friend’s entry plug after his unit went AWOL. They’re like poetry because they rhyme, you see.

    And there you have it: not only is Final Fantasy XVI a video game with similar grit and political subterfuge as George R.R. Martin’s Game of Thrones series and bombastic Devil May Cry-esque action, but it’s also the latest video game to pay homage to NGE creator Hideaki Anno’s body of work. We love to see it.

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    Isaiah Colbert

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