July 26, 2021, 8:00 p.m.
Director Hideaki Anno to appear at San Diego Comic Convention!
Hideaki Anno, who wrote the original story, screenplay, and served as general director for the animated film "EVANGELION: 3.0+1.0 THRICE UPON A TIME," took the stage at a panel session at Comic-Con@Home held online on July 23. He talked about his thoughts on the work and future vision for Eva fans around the world.
"EVANGELION: 3.0+1.0 THRICE UPON A TIME," which was released in theaters on March 8, is the final film in the four-part Rebuild of Evangelion series, which was restarted in 2007 from an anime series that caused a social phenomenon in the 1990s. The story depicts the pilots on board the Android Evangelion, a general-purpose human-type decisive weapon, as they battle the mysterious enemy Angel. The film will end on July 21, and will be available for Prime members exclusively on Amazon Prime Video from August 13.
During the panel session with the host, General Director Anno said, "I was actually planning to complete the series in 8 years, but it took 16 years. Now that everything is finished, I am relieved," he said, looking back on the "Rebuild of Evangelion" series, which has now reached its end.
He expressed his views on the work, which was born as a TV series in 1995 and is loved as an everlasting masterpiece. "Thanks to the efforts of the staff and cast, the story, drama, and technical quality of the work itself is always maintained at the highest level possible. Apart from that, I believe that 'Evangelion' had something in common with people all over the world. Maybe it was because it was structured in such a way that you could see it as your own story. It's hard to make a general judgment, but I think it's the result of people from all over the world receiving what they think this is it."
As for the end of EVANGELION: 3.0+1.0 THRICE UPON A TIME, a series that has come to an end twice before, he reveals, "From the beginning, I had a general idea of the ending. The ending was vaguely in my mind, but I gradually changed the structure and ended up with this one. The details have changed, but not fundamentally."
He also talks about his future vision with a smile. "Since I turned 61 this year, I would like to make some live-action films instead of Eva. I would like to make a few live-action films, and then if there is a chance to do animation again, I would like to do it. Nothing has been decided yet, though. The production process for live-action films and animation films is completely different. I'm really looking forward to working on live-action films because I can do a lot of things that I can't do in animation."
Anno concluded the panel session by expressing his gratitude to his fans around the world. "My works, not only 'Evangelion,' are basically domestic, aimed at people living in Japan. I am very grateful and honored that such a work is loved by people around the world. Thank you all very much, and please continue to support 'Evangelion'."
In addition to "EVANGELION: 3.0+1.0 THRICE UPON A TIME," which will be available on Amazon Prime Video from August 13, the previous titles in the series, "1.0," "2.0," and "3.0," are also available.
(Editor: Keisuke Ouchi)
<Original JP site: https://www.cinematoday.jp/news/N0124985>