From his roots to "Shin Eva," "Shin Ultraman," and his latest work "Shin Kamen Rider," everything about Hideaki Anno is here! A report on the "Hideaki Anno Exhibition," a must-see for fans!

On September 29, 2021, a joint press conference titled "Shin Masked Rider vs. Hideaki Anno Exhibition" was held at the National Art Center in Roppongi, Tokyo. Following the press conference for "Shin Masked Rider" that was posted earlier, here is a report on the preview of the "Hideaki Anno Exhibition.

This exhibition brought together more than 1,500 pieces of material, including valuable works that were exhibited for the first time in Japan.
According to Hiroshi Miyoshi, curator in charge of cultural activities at Color Corporation and secretary general of the non-profit organization Anime Special Effects Archive Corporation (ATAC), the "Special Effects Museum" was held at the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo in 2012, with Hideaki Anno serving as director, and the "Evangelion Exhibition" was held at Matsuya Ginza in 2001, which is still touring. The following year, in 2013, the "Evangelion Exhibition" ("Evangelion Exhibition: VISUAL WORKS"), which started at Matsuya Ginza and is still touring, was the catalyst for these two exhibitions.
The former was sponsored by NTV and the latter by the Asahi Shimbun, both of which approached Hideaki Anno with the idea of an exhibition, and the decision was made to hold the exhibition at the National Art Center, Tokyo.

With the catchphrases "What made Hideaki Anno," "What he made," and "What he will make," the exhibition consists of five chapters: Chapter 1 "Origin or Curse," Chapter 2 "Enthusiasm or Egoism," Chapter 3 "Challenge or Escape," Chapter 4 "Longing and Rebirth," and Chapter 5 "Appreciation and Gratitude. Chapter 5, "Gratitude and Reward. Without further ado, I would like to introduce the exhibition.

A life-size panel of a young Mr. Hideaki Anno dressed as a Masked Rider (the former No. 1) awaits visitors at the entrance. This cosplay photo was the subject of an advertisement in the Asahi Shimbun newspaper on September 30, the day of the preview. The source of the photo was a project carried out in the October 1985 issue of "Model Information," an information booklet focusing on plastic models released by Bandai.

Chapter 1: Origin, or Spellbound

The first exhibit was an overwhelming number of miniatures of special effects works.

The majority of the miniatures on display are unmistakably the real ones that shaped Anno as a boy. Originally, these miniatures are transient items that are discarded once filming is complete, but in recent years, the non-profit organization "Animation Special Effects Archive Corporation (ATAC)" has been focusing on preservation activities as a resource, and one can get a glimpse of the fruits of their efforts. Normally, only those involved in the filming of these miniatures would be able to see them, but this is a rare opportunity to actually see them up close and personal.

In the foreground is the "Todoroten" from the 1963 Toho film "Kaizoku Gunkan" (Undersea Warship). In the back is the Todoroten from "The Great War of the Planets" (1977). It is a delight to see the "two great Todoroten" in a lineup that transcends the works of art. Note the body of the Todoroten-go, which was probably made by sheet metal working, and the stained paint job on the Todoroten that gives it a realistic appearance.

Mechagodzilla II from the Toho film "Mechagodzilla Strikes Back" (1975); although the body has deteriorated considerably, its power remains strong.

Mecha from Tsuburaya Productions' "Mighty Jack" (1968), for which Anno often expresses his love. The two machines on the left are vibriders. The one on the right is a baby carriage. It is a miracle that both types of Biblidar, with different wingtips, are still in existence!　Both miniatures are quite large in size, and the baby carriage is probably 1/6 scale, judging from the size of the doll in the cockpit.

Although it is easy to get caught up in the miniatures on display, there is also this to look out for. The photo shows a "box horse," a wooden box used at photo shoots for a variety of purposes, such as carrying a subject or as a scaffold. Each company's branding is stamped on the box. "Tokusatsu Kenkyusho" is a company established by the late Nobuo Yajima, a special effects director, and is well known for its special effects work on Toei's "Masked Rider" and "Super Sentai" series. Toho Bilt" was the production base for the Ultraman series, and "Ultra Q" (1966) and "Ultraman" (1966) were shot there, as well as "Ultraman Tiga" (1996) after the Heisei era (closed in 2008).

From P-Production's "Spectral Man" (1971), a mask of Spectral Man and a miniature made for the filming of the revolving scene. The latter, viewed purely as an exhibit, is a simple creation, but it shows how efficiently it was established in the time-constrained schedule and limited budget of the TV broadcast.

From "Ultraman 80" (1980), Skyhire. This is a miniature of a different size from the one shown in the "Special Effects DNA-Ultraman Genealogy" exhibition (this one is smaller). You may be surprised to see a screw boldly sticking into the nose of the plane. but it is thought to be a "suspension point" for manipulation.

Denji Tiger from the fourth Super Sentai series, "Denshi Sentai Denji Man" (1980). The lines on the fuselage are not molded in a concave mold, but are simply represented as black lines. The important thing is not the pursuit of realism as a miniature, but the pursuit of realism as an image.

Miniatures of Battle Fever Robo from "Battle Fever J" (1979) are also exhibited. Miniatures of Toei special effects are very rare, so visitors are encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity to see them for themselves.

From the anime "Space Battleship Yamato" (1974), which influenced Mr. Anno. Episode 7 "Yamato Sinking! The doomed attack on the fortress

The "Mobile Suit Gundam" (1979) corner, also an anime that influenced Anno. In the showcase below, Yoshikazu Yasuhiko's original drawing of the first episode is on display.

Chapter 2, "Enthusiasm or Selfishness

In the second section, visitors can trace the path of the artist from his amateur days to the production of "Neon Genesis Evangelion" (1995). The photo shows Anno's oil paintings from his junior high school days, which are being exhibited for the first time in Japan. Mr. Miyoshi explains, "These paintings were made in the early days of his career as an oil painter, but they have a certain elegance to them, and are very tasteful.

The MAT team uniform from "The Return of Ultraman: Matt Arrow #1 Launch Order" (1983), an independent special effects film produced by DAICON FILM and directed by Mr. Iori. The uniform is strongly influenced by the Ultra Guard uniform designed by Toru Narita for "Ultra Seven" (1967).

A photo of the making of the film. This photo also shows the dense and detailed artwork reminiscent of the later "Eva" series. The film was screened on a large screen at the venue, and the audience was able to appreciate the meticulous attention to detail that went into the making of this independent 8mm film. The telephone box in the foreground of the photo is a piggy bank that existed at the time (*on display).

On the left is Matt Arrow No. 1 and on the right is Matt Gyro. These were remanufactured in later years, but they were made of paper, which must have been a shock to many fans at the time.

The design drawings of Matte Arrow No. 1 and Matte Gyro introduced above. Both machines that appeared in "The Return of Ultraman" (1971) have been refined with the most advanced (at that time) images.

Speaking of DAICON FILM's work, the opening animation shown at the 20th and 22nd Japan Science Fiction Conventions in Osaka (known as "DAICON3" and "DAICON4") was also indispensable. The mixture of various characters, both animated and live-action, in the name of "science fiction" is simply delightful and a must-see (*Screening at the venue). The photo shows the original drawing and design of the powered suit that chases after the schoolbag girls. Originally designed by Kazutaka Miyatake of Studio Nue for illustrations in Bert A. Heinlein's science fiction novel "Space Warriors" (original title: Starship Troopers), they are deformed here, and are the germ of "chibi-chara" or "SD (super deformed)" that would later become a genre. The design here is deformed, and gives a sense of the budding "Chibi-Chara" or "SD (Super Deformed)" that would later become a genre.

This is an original drawing of the famous parody of the transformation from Gundam to Ideon (also a parody of the Ultra Seven transformation scene) from the opening animation of "DAICON3. (* The parody of the famous Ultra Seven transformation scene.) Incidentally, in the exhibit, the transformation is from Ideon to Gundam, but in the actual video, the transformation is from Gundam to Ideon.

This is from the opening animation of "DAICON4. A bunny-girl girl who has grown up to be a school bag girl plays an active role. There are some theories, but it is also known as the "originator of the tit-shaking" (?). It is also known as "the originator of tit-shaking" (?), although there are some theories.

Continuing from the opening animation of "DAICON4", this is the Dinarobo from "Kagaku Sentai Dinaman" (1983). In the movie, it tries to stomp a bunny girl, but is thrown backwards. It is also famous for the "private use" painted on its feet.

In addition, design drawings of DAICON FILM's version of "Masked Rider," which was planned in the 1983s during the DAICON FILM era, are also on display. Aside from the direct relationship between the two, the contents of the exhibit are very moving now that "Shin Masked Rider" has come to fruition.

In his early professional work, "Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind" (1984), Hayao Miyazaki entrusted him with the drawing of the Giant God Warrior scene. The series of drawings on display are drafts of the layout. The gradual decomposition of the entire body is beautifully depicted, but even for an amateur, the difficulty level of the work is evident. The handwriting is probably that of Anno himself: "Don't forget this face! Don't forget it! is written on some of the pictures.

(1988), "Aim for the Top" (1988), and "Fushigi-no-Tsumari" (1988), which he directed (as general director). (1988) and "Nadia of the Mysterious Sea" (1990), for which he was the director (general director). This display may remind many people of those days. Minami Hamabe, who plays the heroine in "Shin Kamen Rider," saw "Nadia of the Secret Garden" as a child and said excitedly at the press conference, "Nadia was so cute! She said excitedly at the press conference.

The AR script of "Nadia of the Secret Garden" and her creative notes. A sketch of the Nautilus can also be seen.

Neon Genesis Evangelion" (1995) needs no further explanation. Here we have picked up some of the materials related to Evangelion up to the final design.

The design of the Jet Alone that appeared in the seventh episode, "The Creation of Man. The name is a combination of the Jet Jaguar that appeared in the Toho film "Godzilla vs. Megalo" (1973) and the Red Alone design that was publicly solicited for the Jet Jaguar. Did it contribute to the revival of the Jet Jaguar today?