Evangelion Creator Hideaki Anno Earns A Prestigious Award In Japan

April 28, 2022, 4:30pm

Hideaki Anno is one of the anime industry’s most cherished talents, and he is about to be duly rewarded for his many years of work. The creator of Neon Genesis Evangelion is set to be one of three recipients who’ve earned an accolade from the Japanese government. Anno will be given the nation’s Medal with Purple Ribbon soon in acknowledgement of the artistic contributions he’s made on behalf of Japan.

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Anno is slated to get this award in the spring, and he will be joined by some other familiar names. Yasushi Akimoto, the founder of AKB48, will also receive the merit award alongside the novelist behind One Missed Call.

In the past, a slew of anime legends have been given this award, so Anno is joining a very exclusive club. Shigeru Miyuki, Isao Takahata, Tetsuya Chiba, Ryohei Saigan, Katsuhiro Otomo, Keiichi Hara, Rumiko Takahashi, and Masaaki Yuasa are just some of the anime creators in Japan who have been gifted the Medal with Purple Ribbon.

Of course, it is hardly surprising to hear Anno has been selected for this award. The director-artist held co-found studio Gainax with six others decades ago. Anno was involved with every department of the studio from layout design to production and animation direction. He is known best for creating Neon Genesis Evangelion, one of the world’s top-regarded anime series. After years at Gainax, Anno went on to found Studio Khara in 2006 and assumed control of his hit anime with the End of Evangelion film tetralogy. The series released its final film last March after the director’s work on Shin Godzilla prompted the final Evangelion film to delay its release.

What do you make of this latest anime award? Where does Anno rank on your list of favorite creators? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB.

HT – ANN