Hideaki Anno might be best known for Neon Genesis Evangelion, the mech franchise that was routinely in competition with Mobile Suit Gundam for the cream of the crop in the giant robot anime department. This fact made it all the more surprising when Anno was confirmed to forge the next big chapter of the long-running mech franchise, Gundam GQuuuuuuX. Recently, Anno had the opportunity to sit down and chat with Gundam director Yoshikazu Yasuhiko about the mech franchise, confirming that the Gundam franchise was the reason why the Eva creator returned to anime.
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The meeting of these two mech legends came about thanks to an exhibition honoring Yasuhiko’s work in the anime field titled “Yasuhiko Yoshikazu, The Artist.” Anno wasted little time in honoring the Gundam director who worked on the anime that kicked off the franchise, attributing his work to kicking off Hideaki’s animation career, “The reason I aspired to work in the animation industry was because I saw Yasuhiko’s original drawings in a book released when the movie version of Mobile Suit Gundam was released, and it made me think, ‘I want to be an animator.’ In that sense, to me, Yasuhiko is the person who got me into animation.”
Anno’s Anime Return
Hideaki Anno then went into more detail regarding how both Gundam and Space Battleship Yamato kept him in the anime game, “My childhood experiences were nothing special. At that time, most kids watched the same things, so I just liked it more than others. But if I hadn’t watched Space Battleship Yamato, I would have stopped watching anime, and I wouldn’t have been doing this job. Even after Yamato ended, it was a tough time in the countryside if you didn’t graduate from university and become a civil servant, so just when I was wondering if that would happen to me, Mobile Suit Gundam brought me back to anime. During my time as a ronin, I realized that anime was interesting, so I could stick to it. It was Yasuhiko’s original drawings (that brought me back to anime). So it’s Yasuhiko’s fault that it turned out like this (laughs). Please take responsibility.”
The GQuuuuuuX Story
While Gundam GQuuuuuuX doesn’t have many similarities to Evangelion, the latest Mobile Suit anime has been a big deal for the franchise in recent days. Rather than taking place in the original storyline, Anno’s brainchild focuses on an alternate reality that sees Char of the Principality of Zeon hopping into the Gundam. Thanks to the pilot claiming this weapon of War, Zeon handily won the conflict and the recent episodes focus on a universe that is very different from the original world that Gundam presented to mech fans. With the mech franchise flying high, it will be interesting to see what other surprises GQuuuuuuX has in store.
Want to stay in the loop when it comes to all things Gundam? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook.com for the latest updates on Mobile Suits and hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics and anime.
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