Hey, fellow pop culture fanatics! Ever had that surreal experience of bumping into a celebrity out in the wild? Stories of chance encounters with famous faces often go viral, leaving the rest of us green with envy.
Recently, a Japanese Twitter user shared her own unbelievable tale. While strolling with her family in Tokyo's Suginami Ward, she was approached by a "mysterious, weird-looking" man. Her guard was instantly up, but then her husband casually dropped the bombshell: the man was none other than Neon Genesis Evangelion director Hideaki Anno! Her shock levels went through the roof, causing her to literally "collapse to her knees" on the spot. The story quickly ignited a flurry of "Anno sighting" discussions across social media.
The whole buzz started when another netizen posted about seeing Director Anno on a train in Shinjuku after watching the Rebuild of Evangelion films, so stunned they couldn't move.
Inspired by this, the mom-blogger, known as "Meje," recounted her own experience. She, her husband, and their child were walking in Suginami when a tall, bearded man with a mysterious aura suddenly stepped forward and asked, "Excuse me, could you tell me how to get to the Suginami Animation Museum?" Feeling instinctively wary, she pulled her child protectively behind her. It was only afterward that her husband calmly remarked, "That was Director Hideaki Anno just now." The revelation sent her reeling, causing her to drop to her knees in disbelief.
Her post resonated with tons of netizens. Many joked, "Director Anno really does look like a suspicious old guy, haha!" and "He's tall, bearded, and often has a serious expression; anyone unfamiliar with him would totally be intimidated." Another user added, "I once brushed past Director Anno on the set of 'Shin Kamen Rider' as an extra. He's genuinely bigger and has more presence in person than you'd expect. It was actually a little scary."
But here's where it gets even funnier: Anno's own animation studio, Khara, chimed in with a statement! While acknowledging Director Anno's recognizable appearance, they noted a lot of "mistaken identity" reports on social media. They emphasized that Anno himself "almost never initiates conversation," cautioning fans, "If someone approaches you asking for directions, it's probably not him."
While we can't definitively say if Meje truly encountered Hideaki Anno, it's worth noting that Tokyo's Suginami Ward is a major hub for animation studios. Companies like Khara, CloverWorks, LIDENFILMS, Passione, SUNRISE, BONES, and MAPPA all have a presence there. So, running into someone from the anime industry in Suginami is actually pretty common!
This has led to the saying, "Walk around Suginami, and you might just run into a manga artist or an animator." This particular chance encounter, though initially startling, has left many anime fans exclaiming, "I'm so jealous!" If you ever found yourself face-to-face with Director Anno on the streets of Tokyo, you might just be too stunned to speak!
via： togetter