Anno's Interview on Top Runner on YouTube (Not Anymore)

[NAveryW]

It was up in five parts on YouTube, and in two parts on NicoNico, but was removed in both instances. There used to be several websites that allowed one to view videos that had been removed from YouTube, but those sites are either gone now or no longer have that function. I'm still trying to hold out hope that it's still up somewhere in a secret recess of the internet.

Yes, this is the interview in which Anno stated that the religious imagery was there to make him look smart.

[Xard]

my favourite Anno comment on NGE has to be "just another cute girl and robot anime"

[Mr. Tines]

Anno comment on NGE

The man makes a career out of trolling...

[LiLi]

I think I can provide links to a transcript (in Japanese) of that interview. Would you be interested?

[Mr. Tines]

The default answer to such questions is "Yes, please!"

[Xard]

I think I can provide links to a transcript (in Japanese) of that interview. Would you be interested?

Anno comment on NGE

The man makes a career out of trolling...

haha, true.

One has to be careful with Anno's comments. Most of the time he is actually rather sincere: however in regards with eva the "mania" phase in media in end of 90s were clearly very frustrating to him: guy started to pretty much hate anime and that's all the were asking him about. "gaaahh"

For example in that Anno teaches kids vid he says he chose name "Evangelion" because it "sounded complicated" - he also said he had no idea what Rei likes. It's of course important to note that guy was talking to grade school kids, going about how Rei's biggest motivating thing is her thanatos/will to die would propably have been bit... out of place. In all honesty it utterly freaks me out to think some grade school kids propably have seen EoE)

yet elsewhere he has been rather detailed on Rei's character etc.

heck, in that program right after those questions had been asked Anno talks privately to camera how he does not like to go indepth/provide clear answers unless the other side shows strong will/whatever: in short you really have to milk "serious answers" out of him. Obviously kids didn't do that.

I think that's Anno's behaviour in general: ask something basic and he propably trolls. If you keep pushing him in the corner however he tends to become surprisingly serious. Or then he just adds moar levels to trolling.

[LiLi]

OK, add h before the ttp!

SPOILER: Show

Part.1

ttp://kanzaki.sub.jp/archives/000271.html

Part.2

ttp://kanzaki.sub.jp/archives/000272.html

Part.3

ttp://kanzaki.sub.jp/archives/000273.html

Part.4

ttp://kanzaki.sub.jp/archives/000274.html

Part.5

ttp://kanzaki.sub.jp/archives/000277.html

Part.6

ttp://kanzaki.sub.jp/archives/000279.html

Part 7

ttp://kanzaki.sub.jp/archives/000280.html

Part 8

ttp://kanzaki.sub.jp/archives/000282.html

Part 9
ttp://kanzaki.sub.jp/archives/000283.html

Looks genuine at a glance, however I don't remember seeing the video footage so...

BTW, do we have a compilatory post with Anno Interviews and/or could I make one eventually?

@Xard:

I have been hesitant to bring this up before, but I have to say I do get the impression Director Anno has been doing some trolling in his interviews... even though he seems a pretty straightforward guy when he speaks. So I'd take whatever he says with a bit of otaku!salt...

:EDIT: 9 Parts... That's one long interview...

[NAveryW]

Thank you very much for this. But... why do you always make us add our own "h" to the beginning of each link? Is it to remind us of how ecchi we all are?

[LiLi]

You're welcome! ;)

I do that so you guys have to do copypasta into your own browser, and we don't all come flooding in from this website - avoiding some potential complications?

I've seen it done on Japanese boards and decided to stick to it in case it's some sort of "netiquette".

(Did that make any sense? )

Of course the real reason is just to remind you all of how ecchi you are...

[NAveryW]

Yes, yes, perfect sense, yes.

If you wouldn't mind translating something, it would be nice to know exactly what Anno said about the symbolism being pedantry. I believe it's around this part (I can't tell from the Google translation exactly where):

庵野「当時は、そうじゃないですかね。僕自身、哲学を知らないんですよ。あまり哲学的なことはやっていない、今までも。エヴァはそういう風に云われてますけれど、あれは哲学じゃなく"衒学的(げんがくてき)"なんですね」

衒学についての解説テロップ「知識があることを自慢すること」

庵野「あの～"知ったかぶり"と云うのが一番近い表現だと思うんですけれど。衒学的・・・」

庵野「よく知らないけれど、こういう言葉を使っていれば賢そうに見えると云う・・・(観客の薄ら笑い)。それがエヴァですね。でもそれは、賢そうに見えるところが、何かパッと見た目"かっこいい"とかですね、"何か裏があるかも?"そう云うところに行くので、それはそれで、そういう方法論だと思うんですけれど・・・。何だろう、僕にとってフィルムは"サービス業"なんですよ。お客さんがお金を出して、映画だと1000幾ら出して見に来てくれる訳ですから、その1000幾らをお客さんが出したのと同価値の"面白さ"、"見てよかった"みたいなのをお客さんに返す仕事だと思うんですね。少なくとも、サービス業である以上、お客さんに何かしらそういう"良かった感"みたいなモノをあげなきゃいけない。それをフィルムに入れとかなきゃいけないと思うんですよ。そこで、あの～う、エヴァの場合は、ちょっと"利き過ぎた"感じがしてですね・・・」

武田「利き過ぎた?」

庵野「ええ。現実逃避の"よりしろ"とか、後は現実からそこに逃げ込む"装置"みたいなモノにされつつあるのが、見ていて嫌だったんです。映画になった時 (97年に劇場公開)は、元々そういう予定だったんですけれど、お客さんにはとりあえず水を被せて、何か目を覚まして帰って欲しい・・・そういうのがありました。僕にとっては、それも"サービス"なんですよ。お客さんにとっては良い事だと思うんで。あのまま、居心地の良い所にずっと居て、それも一つのサービスだと思うんですけれど、エヴァの場合はそれをもうやっちゃいけない気がしたんですよ。少なくとも目を覚ますキッカケみたいなモノを入れなきゃいけない・・・それがお客さんにも良い事なんだろうと云う事で、最後はそういう事をやっていましたけれど。僕にとっては、それも"サービス"なんですよ」

That whole part actually seems like it'd probably be really enlightening if I could actually understand it, but what do I know? I don't even know what Arka is.

[Xard]

pardon me but wasn't Arka the ancient kingdom/whatever buried underground in original NGE Proposal?

I'd love to see this whole thing translated as well... though it must be huge job

[NAveryW]

pardon me but wasn't Arka the ancient kingdom/whatever buried underground in original NGE Proposal?

Yesh.

I'd love to see this whole thing translated as well... though it must be huge job

Most of it isn't really relevant to Evangelion. A whole page seems to be dedicated to Anno's love for Ultraman.

[LiLi]

I could try summarizing/translating the relevant bits. Mind giving me the page, for context?

[NAveryW]

I can try. Mind giving me the page, for context?

The page I quoted? It's Part 3.

EDIT: Wow, Hikaru Utada's mentioned on page eight. Hmmm....

[LiLi]

Thanks.

It seems very interesting indeed, along the lines of certain elements in Eva not being philosophical but rather pedantic/a display of (non existing?) learning, but I'd better take a good look at the page to make sure I'm not imagining things...

[Xard]

Thanks.

It seems very interesting indeed, along the lines of certain elements in Eva not being philosophical but rather pedantic/a display of (non existing?) learning, but I'd better take a good look at the page to make sure I'm not imagining things...

"In the process of making 'Evangelion', I found out what kind of a person I am," he says candidly. "I acknowledged that I'm a fool."

That's another one of my favourites btw

[LiLi]

"In the process of making 'Evangelion', I found out what kind of a person I am," he says candidly. "I acknowledged that I'm a fool."

That's another one of my favourites btw

That one sounds familiar... Got Sauce?

[Xard]

"In the process of making 'Evangelion', I found out what kind of a person I am," he says candidly. "I acknowledged that I'm a fool."

That's another one of my favourites btw

That one sounds familiar... Got Sauce?

dug up from internet archive: http://web.archive.org/web/20060622202804/http://www.aoianime.hu/evangelion/index.php?page=interanno

That immeaditly popped to my mind and I guess Anno's reflecting the same thing - that Eva was "learning process" or whatever

and NGE was pedantic in its formality: I can't remember any other anime that's so,uhh, complex in its form. I guess this is what Anno referred in the "Anno teaches kids" film at the end by saying how the purity of children's drawings had awakened in him something he had forgotten, something pure that was being buried under techniques and aiming at "perfection". I think this propably was reflected in certain freewheeling "purity" of KK's form: it isn't even remotely as "tightly" constructed as NGE

[LiLi]

I'm still reading but, for reference, I think this whole part is relevant to our purposes:

Top Runner  SPOILER: Show

ナレーション「95年放映されたテレビアニメ"新世紀　エヴァンゲリオン"。この作品でアニメ監督　庵野秀明の名は不動のものとなりました。次々に襲来する謎の敵"使途"。それと戦う為に開発された人型兵器エヴァンゲリオン。ロボットアニメの王道を行くかと思えた作品ですが、次第に複雑な展開に。主人公の碇シンジをはじめ、様々なトラウマを抱えた登場人物達のドラマに、宗教や哲学の要素が絡み合います」

画面は、劇中の精神的な世界の表現シーン。

レイ「なぜ生きてるの?」
テロップ「わからない」
アスカ「それを知りたくて生きてるのかな?」
レイ「誰の為に生きてるの?」
アスカ「もちろん、私の為よ」
シンジ「多分、自分の為に・・・」
テロップ「本当に?」
レイ「生きていて嬉しい?」

突然画面は変わり、エヴァ初号機が使途を貪りついているシーン(第拾九話　男の戦い)。
ミサト「使途を喰ってる・・・」

ナレーション「テレビ版は、多くの謎を残したまま終了。しかしその謎が、かえってファンを熱狂させ、数々の解釈本が出版される等、社会現象にまで発展しました」

スタジオに戻ります。

本上「あのう・・・もの凄い熱狂だったと思うんですね。まさに社会現象という形になったと思うんですけれど・・・。今振り返ってみて、それは何がそうさせたんだろうって考えていらっしゃいますか?」

庵野「何か内面的なモノを見てみたいと云う雰囲気が、バーってあの頃、増えたと思うんですね」

本上「もの凄く心情を・・・こう・・・言葉にして出すって云う主人公だったりとか、そういうところが、ものすごく印象に残っているんですけれども。みんな、そういうモノを求めていたと云うことでしょうかねぇ」

庵野「当時は、そうじゃないですかね。僕自身、哲学を知らないんですよ。あまり哲学的なことはやっていない、今までも。エヴァはそういう風に云われてますけれど、あれは哲学じゃなく"衒学的(げんがくてき)"なんですね」

衒学についての解説テロップ「知識があることを自慢すること」

庵野「あの～"知ったかぶり"と云うのが一番近い表現だと思うんですけれど。衒学的・・・」

本上「"知ったかぶり"・・・」

庵野「よく知らないけれど、こういう言葉を使っていれば賢そうに見えると云う・・・(観客の薄ら笑い)。それがエヴァですね。でもそれは、賢そうに見えるところが、何かパッと見た目"かっこいい"とかですね、"何か裏があるかも?"そう云うところに行くので、それはそれで、そういう方法論だと思うんですけれど・・・。何だろう、僕にとってフィルムは"サービス業"なんですよ。お客さんがお金を出して、映画だと1000幾ら出して見に来てくれる訳ですから、その1000幾らをお客さんが出したのと同価値の"面白さ"、"見てよかった"みたいなのをお客さんに返す仕事だと思うんですね。少なくとも、サービス業である以上、お客さんに何かしらそういう"良かった感"みたいなモノをあげなきゃいけない。それをフィルムに入れとかなきゃいけないと思うんですよ。そこで、あの～う、エヴァの場合は、ちょっと"利き過ぎた"感じがしてですね・・・」

武田「利き過ぎた?」

庵野「ええ。現実逃避の"よりしろ"とか、後は現実からそこに逃げ込む"装置"みたいなモノにされつつあるのが、見ていて嫌だったんです。映画になった時(97年に劇場公開)は、元々そういう予定だったんですけれど、お客さんにはとりあえず水を被せて、何か目を覚まして帰って欲しい・・・そういうのがありました。僕にとっては、それも"サービス"なんですよ。お客さんにとっては良い事だと思うんで。あのまま、居心地の良い所にずっと居て、それも一つのサービスだと思うんですけれど、エヴァの場合はそれをもうやっちゃいけない気がしたんですよ。少なくとも目を覚ますキッカケみたいなモノを入れなきゃいけない・・・それがお客さんにも良い事なんだろうと云う事で、最後はそういう事をやっていましたけれど。僕にとっては、それも"サービス"なんですよ」

@Xard: Thanks. In my understanding, Anno uses the word 'pedantic' here to mean something like "pretending to know" (知ったかぶり).

[Xard]

@Xard: Thanks. In my understanding, Anno uses the word 'pedantic' here to mean something like "pretending to know" (知ったかぶり).

hehee, back to "it sounds complicated" bile are we?

oh Anno you silly you, you never change