With the release of "Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time," the "Neon Genesis Evangelion" (EVA) series, which includes one TV anime, six films, manga, games, pachinko machines, and countless merchandise, and has been released for 26 years, is finally drawing to a close (or perhaps just another comma). Hideaki Anno, the creator and director who turns 60 this year, has once again become the focus of media attention. What is this renowned director, who made EVA one of Japan's most important anime works, like in private? Let's take a look at Anno's other side, beyond EVA: Below are a few small secrets about Hideaki Anno's private life that will help you better understand this director, known as one of the "Four Heavenly Kings of Japanese Otaku."
Image credit:コミックナタリー
庵野秀明與他的妻子、漫畫家安野夢洋子 (安野モヨコ) Image credit:エンタメRBB
"Kantoku Fuyuki Todoki" (Insufficient Director) is a manga work by Anno's wife, Moyoco Anno. Anno is a manga artist who debuted in high school. Popular works like "Sakuran" or "Hataraki Man" have been adapted into films or TV dramas. This woman, who has loved anime and manga since childhood, was already considered an otaku in the eyes of the world. However, it was only after she married Anno and lived with him that she experienced the terror of an otaku god. Anno wrote in "Kantoku Fuyuki Todoki": "(My husband) is a man known as one of the 'Four Heavenly Kings of Japanese Otaku'." But in reality, there is no such title as "Four Heavenly Kings." What Anno wanted to express was that, from her perspective as his spouse, Hideaki Anno's otaku level was enough to rank among the top in Japan, a nation of otaku.
"Kantoku Fuyuki Todoki" was also made into a Flash animation version Image credit:ナタリー
Otaku is a Way of Life
Most manga works in the world use onomatopoeia corresponding to the native language of the manga—just like "hualahuala" or "xilixili" in Chinese. Onomatopoeia is originally a part of language and is used in daily life. However, Japanese manga uses a greater number of onomatopoeia than manga from other countries. Almost every human action or emotional state has its corresponding onomatopoeia. For example, "shiiin" for silence, "wakuwaku" for excitement, "gaaan" (gaaaan~) for shock, and countless others.
"JoJo" uses a large number of unimaginable, newly created onomatopoeia Image credit:アメブロ
In ancient Japanese culture, there was an extreme sensitivity to sound. Lafcadio Hearn, a Greek novelist who moved to Japan during the Meiji era, once said: "Japanese people are a nation who perceive the chirping of insects as an orchestral performance." Therefore, it's not surprising that the Japanese language has such a vast amount of onomatopoeia. Onomatopoeia has become an important element in Japanese manga for enhancing dramatic effect, allowing readers to experience not only visual sensations but also an auditory "phantom sound effect." However, while many onomatopoeic words are common in manga, they are not actually used by people in daily life—no one would self-narrate "shikushiku" while crying. But Hideaki Anno does.
Various Japanese manga onomatopoeia Image credit:小樽総合デザイン事務局
There's hardly a Japanese manga that doesn't use onomatopoeia, and for the anime-loving Anno, life itself is like a work of anime. When shocked, he'll shout "GAGA~N!"; when the sunlight is too dazzling, he'll exclaim "PIKIIN!". To the average "normal" Japanese person, such behavior is completely beyond understanding. However, this is merely the use of familiar manga onomatopoeia. Anno, a passionate fan of tokusatsu productions, will strike Ultraman's transformation pose while exiting a department store fitting room, complete with a shout of "Dyuwa!". When putting on a raincoat, he imitates a Jedi Knight, providing his own lightsaber sound effects. And that's not to mention his constant referencing of famous manga scenes, iconic lines, or signature poses in the countless small moments of everyday life...
As a student, Anno directed and starred in his own Ultraman film Image credit:pinterest
Anno's self-made film, "Return of Ultraman," has been merchandised several times by the toy company MEDICOM TOY Image credit:MEDICOM TOY
A fan of tokusatsu, Anno once cosplayed as Kamen Rider for a magazine column. Image credit:アッチョンブリケ@telesantanpan
For Hideaki Anno, who famously wore a Kamen Rider battle suit to his wedding instead of a tuxedo, this isn't a deliberate attempt to be "otaku"—it's simply the natural state of his life.
Completely Clueless About Things That Don't Interest Him
Most of Anno's works belong to the wildly imaginative science fiction genre. However, within these works depicting giant robots, deep-sea submarines, and alien creatures, there is an incredibly detailed portrayal of a common, everyday object: the telephone pole. Even in EVA, there are numerous close-up shots of telephone poles. And because of EVA's popularity, telephone poles started appearing in some late-night anime productions. Anno commented on this very bluntly: "Although they drew the shape of a telephone pole, there's absolutely no soul in it."
Anno's special exhibitions even use telephone poles on their posters Image credit:みんなのエヴァンゲリオン
So what exactly is the "soul" of a telephone pole? The average person might find it hard to imagine what Anno is so insistent about—and this is Anno's special "love for telephone poles." He once said, "As Tokyo gradually removes its telephone poles, it also gradually loses its charm."
"Telephone poles are, without a doubt, a cultural heritage!" Anno, who proudly stands by this personal assertion, is clearly at odds with the urban planning of major developed countries around the world.
Top-rated actress Ryoko Yonekura Image credit:女性自身
While we may not be able to comprehend the beauty of telephone poles that he considers comparable to a cultural heritage, many people should recognize the beautiful Ryoko Yonekura. Yonekura not only has a stunning figure and appearance, but she is also the lead actress in many high-rated drama series; the name "Doctor X" is practically a household name. However, Anno doesn't know who she is. Anno is almost completely ignorant of the entertainment industry. Even if he does recognize a celebrity, it's most likely because they appeared in one of his favorite old films or tokusatsu productions (so he should at least know the popular Takeru Satoh or Masaki Suda). He didn't know the nationally acclaimed singer Shinji Tanimura, a fact that his wife, Moyoco Anno, found unbelievable.
Japanese music legend Shinji Tanimura is actually a huge fan of EVA Image credit:spice
Conversely, Japanese films, manga, and anime from the 60s to the 80s are Anno's area of expertise. Beyond that, he also has a keen interest in pottery—a hobby said to have developed after participating in a pottery-making tourist program. Since then, he often makes his own ceramic bowls and plates. However, according to his wife, they are, after all, the works of an amateur, so most of her husband's creations are shelved and forgotten... Even so, Anno continues to diligently press forward on his path of ceramic arts... Perhaps we can call the director a pottery otaku?
Appallingly Bad Eating Habits
Once, due to a pressing deadline, Moyoco Anno didn't return home for over a week. When she came back, she found the refrigerator, which was empty when she left, was still empty. She curiously asked her husband what on earth he had been eating these past few days. Amidst Anno's mumbled replies, she only clearly heard one part: "Last night, I rewatched the entire series of 'Space Runaway Ideon'... so I forgot to eat."
"Space Runaway Ideon" Image credit:d Anime Store
Many people once believed Hideaki Anno was a long-time vegetarian, a stark contrast to his mentor Hayao Miyazaki, who enjoys hearty meat dishes to replenish his energy (the food portions in Ghibli films are also quite large). But in reality, not only does Anno completely avoid meat and fish, he also dislikes almost all vegetables. The only things he can accept are dairy products and eggs. Rather than calling Anno a "lacto-ovo vegetarian," it would be more accurate to say his staple diet consists of large amounts of carbohydrates and various junk foods, including pizza, cookies, and candy. His office drawers are stuffed with snacks, and when ordering food for the company, he only ever gets pizza, which can be eaten quickly with one hand—he is, in fact, a genuine "picky eater."
One of Anno's favorite snacks. Despite not eating meat, he loves BBQ-flavored potato chips... Image credit:Amazon
Even when sick, he only eats bananas and snacks... it's hard to imagine Anno as a father. His body fat percentage once exceeded 40%; he has almost no control over his drinking, downing beer, red wine, and Japanese sake without hesitation. Even when not drinking, he will pick up sake lees and chew on them (and believes that sake lees never expire or go bad). He barely drinks water, consuming only juice, coffee, and sports drinks (despite a lack of exercise). Based on Mr. Anno's eating habits alone, it's almost unbelievable that he isn't a Type 2 diabetic.
He even eats spoiled sake lees Image credit:twitter
The thing is, Anno hails from Yamaguchi Prefecture, at the westernmost tip of Honshu, which is rich in seafood. It's hard to imagine a child from a fishing port city not eating fish. According to Anno's mother, her son actually did eat fish as a child, but... because of a certain anime, he never touched fish again. One day, Anno watched an anime on TV with a fish as the protagonist. He loved the show, but after days of laughing and crying with the main character, Anno's love for the anime affected his view of fish in real life. You rarely hear of someone becoming a vegetarian because they're an otaku, right? Anno truly is the god of otaku.
A rare childhood photo of Anno Image credit:twitter
"I also feel that my (picky eating) habits need to be corrected, and if they could be fixed, I'd want to try," Anno said of his eating habits. "But because these habits have been going on for a very, very long time, it's impossible to correct them now." Anno very willfully evades the issue.
Extreme Pursuit of Realism
Fine dining is probably not one of Anno's hobbies, but when it comes to filmmaking, his focus is terrifyingly powerful. In his pursuit of realism in film, even when producing an animated movie, Anno insists on being pragmatic and personally researches any allusions that will appear in the film. During the production of "Royal Space Force," for the final rocket launch sequence, he personally went to the United States to observe a rocket launch and also participated in an experience program with the Japan Self-Defense Forces. While making the live-action film "Love & Pop," which depicts the story of high school girls involved in compensated dating, he interviewed the AV director he respected, Bakクシーシ山下 (who produced a banned AV film), and even went to a telephone dating club to experience it for himself.
"Royal Space Force": During production, Anno was considered "gross" by the team Image credit:ひたすら映画を観まくるブログ
This extreme pursuit of authenticity is less about Hideaki Anno's love for cinema and more about his passion for tokusatsu films. Anno, who has always aimed to "create interesting works," looks back at his first amateur film from when he was 18 or 19, "The Return of Ultraman: MAT ARROW No. 1 Take-off Order." Although the content was identical to the Tsuburaya Productions film "The Return of Ultraman," Anno, without any corporate sponsorship, personally created a vast number of cardboard city models, costumes, monster designs, and more.
"Being serious and charging forward like a fool is the privilege of youth. It's only by channeling scorching emotions and talent to go full throttle in a useless direction that you can create a work that transcends all standards." Years later, Anno reflected on this film, his "origin point," "The Return of Ultraman: MAT ARROW No. 1 Take-off Order." The hands-on, do-it-yourself spirit born from necessity at that time truly influenced the future Hideaki Anno. Even in his non-tokusatsu works, Anno still infused them with the tokusatsu spirit of pursuing realism.
"The Return of Ultraman: MAT ARROW No. 1 Take-off Order":
Anno, who claims to embody all the elements of an otaku, has difficulty communicating with strangers, suffers from social anxiety, dislikes unfamiliar places (unless it's for filmmaking), sees his vast otaku knowledge as his sole identity, has an exclusionary personality, is dismissive of things that don't interest him, is narcissistic, has a low tolerance for psychological stress, wants to completely imitate his idols (like Hayao Miyazaki and the anime works he quotes in daily life), and escapes from reality, among other traits. Today, many self-proclaimed otaku no longer possess these personality traits that were critically viewed with a discriminatory eye by Japanese society in the 90s. However, Anno, who lived through that era and created works that turned many people into otaku, remains an otaku to this day.
The live-action film version of "Cutie Honey," directed by Anno in 2004, starred the then-popular and sexy actress Eriko Sato. Image credit:mantan-web
Ironically, after EVA became a massive hit, Anno himself wanted to escape the otaku lifestyle and become a "normal person." This was largely due to the immense psychological pressure he endured during the production of EVA, his disappointment with the insular atmosphere of the industry, and the barrage of irrational criticism from fans (which led him to contemplate suicide several times). For such a quintessential otaku to want to "de-otaku," Anno was filled with a profound sense of self-loathing. And thanks to his married life, his wife, who has a more proactive and pragmatic personality than him, has changed him to some extent. And while his wife seems to have become more of an otaku herself, Hideaki Anno has clearly undergone a noticeable transformation—the "Rebuild of Evangelion" films are distinctly different from the original EVA series.
Image credit:Kaigai Hannou Kikimimi
Today, the definition of "otaku" is vastly different from what it was 20 years ago. The veteran otaku god Anno now exists in a new equilibrium he describes as "a little bit otaku and a little bit not." What remains unchanged is his love for anime and tokusatsu. Perhaps one day, even the word "otaku" will become obsolete, and we will find new terms or new definitions. However, "passion" will always be the constant descriptor within these definitions. And in Anno's final EVA work, that same passion can still be felt by the audience, burning brightly from the screen.