In any entertainment medium, there is always bound to be controversy, with the world of anime being no different. Recently, the president of the original studio for the legendary animated series, Maki Tomohiro of Gainax Productions, was charged with indecent assault charges. Having only recently been made President of Gainax, the franchise of Neon Genesis Evangelion cannot help but be found in the same story. Due to this fact, the studio behind the recent Evangelion offerings such as the Neon Genesis films of Evangelion 3.0 + 1.0, Studio Khara, offered a statement on the controversy.
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Crunchyroll shared the recent press release with Studio Khara noting that Maki Tomohiro did not participate in the making of Neon Genesis Evangelion, having only been made President of Gainax fairly recently, and had this to say from their press release:
“Recently, regarding the criminal case involving the representative of Gainax Co., Ltd. (Representative Director: Tomohiro Maki) as the suspect, there are some reports with the names of the works of the “Neon Genesis Evangelion” and “Evangelion” series.
There is no fact that the suspect was involved in “Evangelion” series works including “Neon Genesis Evangelion”, and the Company has nothing to do with the suspect. In addition, the Company’s representative director, Hideaki Kanno, the original and general director of the “Evangelion” series, and the director of the Company, Kazuya Tsurumaki, who served as the director / deputy director of the series, are all informed and involved with the suspect. There is none. Furthermore, the Company, Hideaki Kanno and Kazuya Tsurumaki do not currently have any business relationship with GAINAX Co., Ltd. and corporations with similar titles for video production. We do not have any rights to “Evangelion” series works including Neon Genesis Evangelion.
As announced in December 2016, the Company is seeking a return of the loan from Gainax Co., Ltd. and is still pending.”
Neon Genesis Evangelion is a psychological drama by way of giant monster versus mech anime. The franchise debuted as a television series in 1995-1996 with two films following in 1997. Neon Genesis Evangelion: Death & Rebirth is an one-part drastically abridged retelling of the first 24 episodes of the television series, and one part new animation. The End of Evangelion, the second film, would incorporate some of Death & Rebirth’s original animation and offer an alternate take on the original series’ controversial final two episodes.
The series follows Shinji Ikari, who is recruited by his father to pilot the giant mech Evangelion in the fight against giant monsters known as Angels in the futuristic city of Tokyo-3. But Shinji is unwilling to bear this huge responsibility and is often conflicted about taking part in a war he was dragged into. This conflict of emotions leads to many introspective episodes that cover the range of religious, philosophical, and existential concepts.
