Hideaki Anno, the creator of one of the most iconic and influential anime of all time, Neon Genesis Evangelion, finally has a gap in his schedule - for the first time in thirty years! He has been working on projects steadily ever since Evangelion's unprecedented success in the early 90s. After all, everyone wants to work with someone who is able to achieve that kind of success, and success on the level of Anno is certainly uncommon.
The announcement came from Anno himself during a press conference for his newest tokusatsu film, Shin Kamen Rider. In the press event, Anno stated that for the first time in thirty years, he has found himself without any upcoming projects scheduled. Though he said he would be willing to work on a sequel for Shin Kamen Rider if asked, he otherwise does not have any foreseeable plans.
Evangelion originally ran from 1995 to 1996 with a 26 episode anime that took the world by storm, and it was Anno's first big work. It is still one of the most influential and well-known anime in Japan even today, with movies, stage shows, and collaborations frequently happening. Even the characters themselves are famous, and the main ones are recognized by even non-otaku in Japan purely because of their prevalence in the culture.
Evangelion was only the beginning for Hideaki Anno, too. The other works he has directed since then are Kare Kano (1998), Love & Pop (1998), Shiki-Jitsu (2000), Cutie Honey (2004), Re: Cutie Honey (2004), Rebuild of Evangelion (2007–2021), and Shin Godzilla (2016). He also curated exhibitions, produced other films, and worked on animation and storyboards for a lot of anime - not to mention wrote several live-action films in huge franchises like Godzilla and Kamen Rider.
Anno actually got his start in the industry doing animation for Hayao Miyazaki's film Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind back in 1985, and his career has been basically non-stop ever since. He worked on a few projects before his smash-hit Evangelion was born, but everything took off the most after it aired. The work he has done on Neon Genesis Evangelion alone is more that some people's entire careers, and that is just a fraction of what Anno has done so far.
The 62-year-old admitted himself that he was ready to have a break and a vacation, and he has more than earned it. While we will always be looking for more works from the creative mind of Hideaki Anno, we also wish him a really restful break. Plus, a much-needed rest may mean he comes back refreshed, and with all new ideas. No one else quite has the same touch with wild allusions to religion and commentaries against the Japanese government as Anno does.
Source: Kotaku