Just calling Hideaki Anno "prolific" doesn't even begin to do his vast body of work justice. From reinventing mech anime with Gunbuster to shaping the whole anime industry with Neon Genesis Evangelion, Anno's loꦍng tenure in the industry is full of triumph and innovation.
So when he turned sixty this past week, it was easy to ge🌟t blindsided. Has he really been at this for so long? It's hard to remember꧑ a time in the '70s and '80s, when he was working as an in-betweener, or doing creator design for Studio Ghibli. In 60 years, Anno has left a massive body of work in his wake - work that's shaped the industry as we know it for the better.
But despite his bonafied auteur status, Anno is still very much a geek through and through. So this past week, he celebrated his birthday in the nerdiest style possible: by striking a sick Ultraman pose.
For those who don't know, Anno is a huge nerd for the classic tokusatsu series. In fact, one of the earliest works in his long career was a starring role in The Return of Ultraman - a fan film that paid homage to the iconic franchise. It only makes sense, then, that he'd done a custom Ultraman shirt and make this real lad-tier movie
So, what's next for Anno? For starters, Evangelion 3.0 + 1.0 is so close we can almost taste it, which will bring a close to the divisive Rebuild series of reimagined films. After that, Anno is working on his own Ultraman film, which is due out someti🔥me over the next few years.
Anno's done a lotဣ in the past sixty years - more than most of us will ever do in our brief, fleeting existences. Here's hoping he not only has more great work in store for us, but a continued happy and healthy existence.