Hideaki Anno also reinvigorated himself on Shinji and Ling Polly, who had regained peace of mind through their farming life, thus giving the work the hope that Khara would inherit Miyazaki's ideal of "reducing the benefits to the animators and raising new people" when he founded Ghibli.
< h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="2" > the instructor of the animation "demonstration"</h1>
On the evening of March 22, 2021, NHK's documentary "Genre of Professional Work" was broadcast on The Hideaki Anno Special Program. The film's official website quotes Miyazaki as saying:
Anno made films while bleeding.
"Genre of Professional Work Hideaki Anno Special Program". Photo: NHK official website
Hideaki Anno repeatedly referred to Miyazaki as one of his "masters" in his remarks. In Japan, this has long been the talk of the animation industry. However, he did not study much of Miyazaki's work. The reason why their relationship has such an important impact on the Japanese animation industry, then, is that the closeness of this relationship has gone beyond pure teaching and learning—but a relationship of both mentoring and apprenticeship and imaginary opponents.
The Invention of Destruction in the Utopian Machines. Image: Twitter
Among the few works in which Anno studied with Hayao Miyazaki' feature-length animations, the Valley of the Wind (Where Anno served as the original painting of the Giant God Soldier) and "The Wind Rises" (with Anno as the protagonist voice actor); the short works include: Hayao Miyazaki's project, Anno's Ghibli animation "The Invention of Destruction in the Utopian Machines", which Anno was in charge of, the script, and director, and the film "The Giant God Soldier Appears in Tokyo" in which Anno introduced Miyazaki's image of the giant god soldier.
"The Giant God Soldier Appears in Tokyo". Image: eiga
Among the above works, Anno studied with Hayao Miyazaki as an animator, but the only work is "Valley of the Wind". When invited to produce an OP video for Totoro, Anno also refused because he wanted to participate in Takahata's Tomb of the Fireflies, which was produced at the same time.
Because Miyazaki was the one who showed me how to do animation and how to make movies, I regarded him as a teacher. Even if he doesn't admit it, the facts can't be changed.
Anno expressed his respect and admiration for Miyazaki at the completion report of "The Wind Rises". Miyazaki also expressed his trust in Anno at the briefing: he was willing to hand over the sequel to his masterpiece "Valley of the Wind" to Anno to produce.
From an onlooker's point of view, Studio Ghibli producer Toshio Suzuki describes the relationship this way in his book:
Miyazaki always knew by feeling that even if he hadn't met at all, he would tell me, 'Anno should be in this state now.' And he's always able to say yes. This kind of relationship with a sharp mind is completely a bond between master and disciple, which is too enviable.
Toshio Suzuki, Hideaki Anno, and Hayao Miyazaki. Image: Twitter
Suzuki, a veteran producer who has been in the industry for many years, can sigh like this, which shows the close relationship between Hideaki Anno and Hayao Miyazaki. Then you can imagine what kind of state Anno, who was said by Miyazaki to be "making while bleeding", was in when he made "New EVA". At the same time, we can't ignore the fact that it was Miyazaki himself who forced Hideaki Anno to make a movie while bleeding.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="17" > a phone call, Miyazaki saved Anno</h1>
After the broadcast of the TV anime "Evangelion" from 1995 to 1996, due to the psychological description of the content of the work is too real and touches the depths of people's hearts, the stream of consciousness performance that seems to "cut corners" in the final two sentences is really controversial, and Hideaki Anno's mental state is very bad.
Too heavy a psychological theme. Image: Screenshot of Evangelion episode 25
In a conversation with Hideaki Anno, a major special at the 2014 Tokyo International Film Festival, Anno recalled the situation this way:
Whether physically or mentally, every time "EVA" is made, it is very hard. It always feels like there's a process of making and destroying it over and over again in my life. After the TV animation was over, I almost died.... It's really a step closer to stepping into the state of Hades.
In the interview collection Hideyoshi Anno EVA (スキゾ・エヴァンゲリオン) a month later, Anno also recalled that he had the impulse to jump off the roof of the GAINAX building where he was working at the time. His "almost died" in the conversation refers to this. In this collection of interviews, he unreservedly describes his mood at the time:
As if surrounded by the feeling of terror itself, there is an indescribable feeling that even one's own existence will disappear.
At that time, a phone call to Miyazaki after learning of Anno's mental state became his savior - hearing that Anno was mentally haggard, Miyazaki personally called GAINAX. On the phone, he comforted Anno:
You just have to rest until you want to animate again. You've created such great work, and when you want to do it, people and money will naturally have it.
Inspired by these words, the revived Anno began the production of the old theatrical version of EVA, led by Evangelion Apostles, which began. In the original plan, the series was scheduled to produce two theatrical versions, the first remake of the TV version of the last 25-26 episodes, and the second to produce a completely new plot. However, the plan didn't change quickly—the series eventually turned into "Death," a remake of the first 24 episodes of the TV version, "Rebirth", which remakes the first half of episode 25, and "Evangelion Theater Edition air/True Heart for You", which was remade from the second half and 26 episodes of the TV version.
EVA Old Theatrical Edition Series. Image: Miruhaco
Released in Japan at the same time as Evangelion Theater Air/True Heart for You, it was Miyazaki's Princess Mononoke. The world-weary former muttered, "So it's better if everyone is dead...", while the latter, who is extremely vigorous, shouts "To live." The strong contrast between the slogans of the two works also shows that Hideaki Anno at that time had regarded Princess Mononoke and its creator Hayao Miyazaki as his "imaginary opponents".
The Evangelion Theater Air/True For You and Princess Mononoke are in contrast. Image: Chiebukuro
This "confrontation" between Hayao Miyazaki and his work, which he respected as his mentor, seemed a bit rebellious at first glance, but for Hideaki Anno, this "imaginary opponent" was also one of his own goals at that time. He explained this sentiment in a radio show with Toshio Suzuki: Although he did not think of defeating Miyazaki at the box office, at least he wanted to beat him in terms of content. However, when asked about victory or defeat, he also said that he would be angry with Miyazaki on the grounds that he was "angry with Miyazaki"—Ando's mixed feelings of awe and rebellion towards Miyazaki are evident here.
In a 1996 magazine interview, asked about his thoughts on Evangelion, Miyazaki replied, "I haven't seen it." In a 1998 conversation with Anno, perhaps feeling a kind of "toxicity" to the excessive self-excavation of this work, Miyazaki commented: "Making such an unreserved EVA, Anno only proved his empty self. As a result, compared to "Air/True For You", which grossed 2.4 billion yen, "Princess Mononoke" set a new box office record for Japanese films at that time with 19.3 billion yen.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="32" > "Miyazaki's request cannot be rejected."</h1>
In 2013, Anno was named by Hayao Miyazaki to be the voice actor of Horikoshi Jiro, the protagonist of "The Wind Rises". Miyazaki explained his reasons for choosing Anno as a voice actor: "It may lead to misunderstandings, but I think Anno is a portrayal of a contemporary person who is injured and tries to survive at the same time. He felt it in his voice. ”
Anno is the voice actor of Horikoshi Jiro, the protagonist of "The Wind Rises". Image: hachi8
Anno also admitted on his Khara website that he was in a state of depression due to being too involved in the production of EVA:Q in 2012, which led to a loss of physical and mental balance. That same year, because of the depression that came with the production process, he couldn't even get close to the Khara studio he ran. In this state, he accepted Miyazaki's name because "Miyazaki's request could not be refused".
Miyazaki praised Anno's voice actor performance. Image: Twitter
Anno's favorite scene in "The Wind Rises" is the final scene of the work, where jiro, the designer of the Zero fighter, is praised by Caproni, who is also the designer of the aircraft, and then sighs because none of the aircraft he had tried so hard to design could fly back from the battlefield. Later, thanks to his wife's words "live", Jiro finally cheered up from his frustration and expressed his gratitude to his wife.
In the original script, Naehoko's "live" was originally "come to me". Knowing that the aircraft he designed was used in war, Jiro did not know for a moment what the significance of the half of his life of designing aircraft was. Thus, this scene, which is similar to the psychological depiction of "EVA", can be said to be Jiro's purgatory, and the "come to me" in the mouth of Theohoko, who has died in this dream-like scene, becomes a voice that induces him to die. Before dubbing, Miyazaki changed the phrase "Come to Me" (來て) to "Live" (生きて), which differs from one kana in Japanese, but this change is a change from death to life in meaning. For this change, Anno praised:
At first, I thought how this movie was so gray, and I personally felt that after the protagonist and Miyazaki were reunited, this change was a big improvement over the film.
However, Miyazaki probably made this change here because of the coincidence of Jiro and Hideaki Anno. Just as he once comforted Anno on the phone and asked him to choose to rest when he didn't want to make, through The Line of Naehoko, didn't Miyazaki also send a message to Anno, who was unable to get close to his animation studio due to depression, "Don't go on to the abyss of death, but live"?
"Yoshiko no Rekiehon Big Turnip Co., Ltd.". kata:youtube
If Anno could start making the New EVA Theater Edition through this experience, it would be another beautiful talk in the animation world. However, reality is not so simple and idealistic. In The History Picture Book of the Good Boy (よぃなぇ子とのれきししえほんおおきなカブ (Plant)) after Anno's appearance in "The Wind Rises", The state of The State of The "Grandpa (Anno)" who came to help because of the "Super Grandpa (Miyazaki Jun)" who came from the west did not change much when he returned.
The 'Super Grandpa (Hayao Miyazaki)' from the west asked "Grandpa (Anno)" for help. Image: Twitter
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="44" > ideal in the New EVA Theater Edition</h1>
When the finale of EVA's new theatrical version of the series, "New EVA Theater Edition", was released in Japan in March 2021, 9 years had passed since the previous work "Q" and 8 years had passed since "The Wind Rises". During this time, Anno planned a short anime collection "Japan Animators Exhibition" (日本アニメ(ーター) see Ichira) broadcast through the website at khara Studios, and served as the general director of "New Godzilla".
"Nihon Artist Exhibition (Japanese Anime (Ter) Trade Fair)". Pieces: natalie
In the comments on Khara's official website, it can be seen from Anno's sentence "The voice actor work given to me by Miyazaki made me unable to give up animation in the end", which became an opportunity to help Anno recover from depression. So although his physical and mental state did not improve after the production of EVA:Q, in the long run, the work of dubbing Jiro was helpful to Anno.
Ling Boli in farming. Photo: New EVA Theater Edition
On March 18, Khara Co., Ltd. announced that studio Ghibli's screen production cooperation was also in the "New EVA Theater Edition". In the movie, in the third village scene where the protagonist Shinji Tsurugi heals his wounded soul, a small prop depicting Ghibli representing the character Totoro appears. Fifteen years after Anno's Air/True Heart for You, which saw Princess Mononoke as an imaginary rival, it's hard not to be moved by the sights of Miyazaki's latest work, New EVA Theater Edition.
Perhaps Hideaki Anno also reinvigorated himself on Shinji and Ling Polly, who had regained inner peace through farming, thus giving the work the hope that Khara would inherit Miyazaki's ideal of "reducing benefits to animators and raising new people" when he founded Ghibli.
Two animation giants in a feud between both mentor and apprentice and imaginary opponent. Image: Youtube
Now, Miyazaki has withdrawn his declaration that he will retire after "The Wind Rises" and is devoting himself to "What kind of life do you want to live?" (Junたちはどう生きるか) was produced; and Hideaki Anno also entered his next stage as an animator and filmmaker after finishing the "EVA New Theatrical Edition"—what kind of legend will these two people in the feud between both master and apprentice and imaginary opponents be composed in the future, and what kind of scenery will be brought to the Japanese animation industry?