Hideaki Anno, the creator of the critically acclaimed anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion, will be receiving one of Japanese government's highest honors to celebrate his contributions to the country's entertainment industry.
As announced on the official website of Khara, Anno's production company, and translated by Crunchyroll, the director/producer is slated to be awarded the Medal with Purple Ribbon, which the Japanese government grants to individuals who have achieved greatness in academics, sports, culture and the arts. "Until I was contacted by the Agency for Cultural Affairs, the distinction between the Order of Merit and the Medal of Honor was unclear," Anno said in a statement. "I am a hopeless otaku that the first thing that comes to mind when I think of the Medal of Honor is the Robotan's Song and Robotan's March in 1966, and I was puzzled as to whether I should accept such an honor, but I thought my parents and grandmother, who already passed away, would be pleased, so I gratefully accepted it."
"I would like to thank my wife and friends, the film crew and cast, and all the fans who support animation and special effects for this honor. Thank you very much," Anno continued. "I will continue to be involved in the creation of interesting anime and tokusatsu works and promote the archive business so that we can return the favor to the anime and tokusatsu culture. Thank you for your continuous support."
Anno is not the only notable figure who will be receiving the award this year. Yasushi Akimoto, the founder of the popular Japanese idol girl group AKB4B will also be given the medal not only for his success in the music industry, but also his work on One Missed Call. Anno will be joining a legion of anime/manga legends as well, such as Grave of the Fireflies' Isao Takahata, Masaaki Yuasa (Devilman Crybaby), Shigeru Mizuki (GeGeGe no Kitaro), Katsuhiro Otomo of Akira fame and Rumiko Takahashi (Inuyasha) who have all been honored with the Medal with Purple Ribbon previously.
Following the completion of the Evangelion series with the release of Evangelion 3.0 + 1.01: Thrice Upon a Time in 2021, Anno announced that he was taking a break from anime to concentrate on live-action productions. He is now directing Shin Kamen Rider, a reboot of Toei's classic tokusatsu series. The movie will be released in Japan in 2023.
The original 1995 TV anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion is available to stream now on Netflix. The Rebuild of Evangelion movie series is available for streaming on Prime Video.
Source: Khara, Crunchyroll