Anime News Network Hiroyuki Yamaga Fanime Interview

[Sailor Star Dust]

http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interview/2010-06-03/interview-gainax-hiroyuki-yamaga

(The interview is referenced briefly in this thread.)

This answer in particular strike me as good to keep in mind:

What do you think is the biggest fan misconception about Gainax-- one thing people might assume about Gainax and its employees that just isn't true?

That we have lots of money. That's so not true. I remember some fans from overseas came to see our office, and since Gainax is such a well-known name they thought they'd see some impressive building, a big high-rise or something...but it's just a regular small building, they were quite shocked.

Personally, I think this means that just because Gainax will make money from their products or Eva Store, that money won't be completely distributed to them or is going to go to particular places.

[Carl Horn]

http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interview/2010-06-03/interview-gainax-hiroyuki-yamaga

(The interview is referenced briefly in this thread.)

This answer in particular strike me as good to keep in mind:



Personally, I think this means that just because Gainax will make money from their products or Eva Store, that money won't be completely distributed to them or is going to go to particular places.

Gainax actually is fairly sizable for an anime studio, but even a Ghibli or TMS is small compared to the offices of, say, Pixar. In part it's simply because land is so much more expensive in urban Tokyo. I've seen studios where five people worked in a 10-by-10 foot room, and that's not at all unusual. That's why Yamaga once asked an American fan who wanted to work at Gainax if she had ever seen the movie Das Boot, because he said that did a good job suggesting the work space :)

But it is also not in the interest of Gainax to play up the money they make , considering their past tax troubles. Yamaga said there were literally weeks in the late 90s where one day they'd be having a meeting with government prosecutors, and the next day they'd be having a meeting with government trade representatives, wanting Gainax's advice on how Japan could better develop anime. He said he wished the government would make up their minds

[Action_Bastard]

That small building is a cover. The bulk of the establishment is underneath it, underground, in the Geofront.

[Defectron]

I don't think it's just Gainax that's trying to push boundaries…the companies that are still around are the ones that are doing it right. But with so much moe anime out there…I think that only one or two of those titles really sold well, and anyone can see that, but they keep producing it…which is why I don't want to do it! But if moe was really selling that well, we'd probably do it too.

Holy crap! Even Yamaga is tired of moe! YOU ARE SHOCK!

[Carl Horn]

Holy crap! Even Yamaga is tired of moe! YOU ARE SHOCK!

Seeing as he directed Gainax's only work without moe or fan service, it's not quite so shocking. We still fight, fighting in the eighties (eighties, eighties).