After juggling multiple TV series and movies including his own Neon Genesis Evangelion for over three decades, Hideaki Anno announced he was taking a break.
As Anime News Network reports, Anno told audiences at a recent promotional event for his latest film Shin Kamen Rider that “nothing about my next work has been decided yet.” He went on to say, “For the first time in more than 30 years, my future is a whiteboard. I’ve been working too much so I want to rest.”
However, he thinks the holiday may not be long. When asked about a potential Shin Kamen Rider sequel, Anno said, “Actually, I’m wiped out now, but I still have my ideas. That’s if people say they want a sequel.” Also, Anno shared some of his ideas for the hypothetical movie. They are related to the Japanese government and the evil ‘Sustainable Happiness Organization with Computational Knowledge Embedded Remodeling’ (SHOCKER) from the first movie. The writer/director even suggested a title: Shin Kamen Rider: Masker World.
Hideaki Anno’s Legacy
Anno is best known as the creator of the animated series Neon Genesis Evangelion, which began airing as a television series in 1995 and became a worldwide hit regardless troubled production history and a controversial ending. Since then, it has been expanded by a number of TV specials and movies. The most recent, Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time, is due out in 2021. It wraps up the story of the Rebuild of Evangelion fourth installment. All four films were co-directed and written by Anno.
In addition to Neon Genesis Evangelion and Shin Kamen Rider, Anno was also the driving force behind the relaunch of the Godzilla and Ultraman series in cinematic form. He wrote and directed 2016’s Shin Godzilla, which became the highest-grossing Japanese-produced film in the series. He served as screenwriter and producer on Shin Ultraman (2022), which also became the highest-grossing film in the studio’s franchise, although it still fell short of studio expectations.
The original Neon Genesis Evangelion TV anime is currently streaming on Netflix. Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time and its predecessors are available on Prime Video.
Source: Anime News Network
