Hideaki Anno, father of EVA: Japan's animation industry has collapsed in five years and it's time to see China's animation industry

How long can Japanese animation last? Maybe 5 years will be enough. The father of EVA gave his own conclusion.

How long can Japanese animation last? Maybe 5 years will be enough. The father of EVA gave his own conclusion.

Hideaki Anno is one of Japan's most famous animation directors. His masterpiece "EVA" is praised as a masterpiece by Japanese animation houses. After 20 years of enduring success, the new theater version has achieved many good results.

Hideaki Anno is famous for his dislike of being interviewed, but when he was interviewed on his 55th birthday (May 22, 1960), as a box office guarantee for Japanese animation, he said that he was not optimistic about the future of Japanese animation, and even made unbelievable shocking remarks: Hideaki

Anno said: "The Japanese animation industry is in a trough. Its peak has passed and is declining. It can be said that it is in a state of sunset. There will probably be a revival after hitting the lowest point. The question is how many people will wait until the moment of revival. The animation production system can still be maintained, but it is already at its limit. I think it's just a matter of time before it collapses. Let alone another 20 years, I think it will be good for about 5 years. There will be no works like these today in the future. The shrinking audience (fewer children in Japan) leads to a decrease in funding and a loss of talent to other industries. The overall environment in Japan does not allow for carefree animation creation."

However, Anno believes that this does not mean that animation will disappear from the art of film: "Perhaps, the center of animation creation will shift to other regions in Asia (China?), Because cultural life there is improving and a good environment has been created." "Animation itself will definitely continue to exist in the world, but Japan will no longer be the center of the world's animation industry," he said.

In addition, during the interview, Hideaki Anno refused to allow reporters to ask him two questions: one was about when the sequel to "EVA" would be released, and the other was about the widely believed view that he was the successor of Hayao Miyazaki. Japanese animation giant Hayao Miyazaki once again announced his retirement after releasing his new film "The Wind Rises". Hideaki Anno is willing to talk about the fate of Studio Ghibli after that. Last summer, news emerged that Studio Ghibli had been disbanded, but studio officials denied this. But Anno said this was a fait accompli.

He explained: "What matters is not the name of the studio, but the people working in the studio, and the team of animators is the most important. Genius does not lie in the studio itself. If Studio Ghibli animators start creating independently, they can also produce interesting works. After the dissolution of 'Ghibli' studio, animators who had worked there moved to other parts of the industry. No one will particularly regret this."

Not long ago, Mizuho Bank of Japan released a survey report on Japan's cultural content industry. The report stated that the once world-renowned Japanese game industry is facing three major problems: shrinking market size, loss of employees, and insufficient output of original brands, and has entered a vicious cycle. The animation industry, which complements it, is also not optimistic. Even GAINAX, the animation company owned by the master figure Hideaki Anno, is now in name only.

Editor: queenie