GAINAX Evangelion Production Company
GAINAX is a Japanese anime production company co-founded by Hideaki Anno and successful in the release of anime works such as Neon Genesis
Evangelion, Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water, Gunbuster, FLCL, Gurren Lagann and more. Most widely-known as the anime studio that started the global Evangelion franchise and craze.
History
The studio was first formed in a different name ‘Daicon Film’ by Hideaki Anno during university with his fellow university students, Yoshiyuki Sadamoto, Hiroyuki Yamaga, Takami Akai, Toshio Okada, Yasuhiro Takeda and Shinji Higuchi.
The group started creating anime shorts and taking them to competition conventions. The very first project was Daicon III (1981) at the 22nd Annual Japan National SF Convention. Daicon III was a rough designed movie about a girl with a radish that turns into a spaceship. Their first breakthrough into the industry was Daicon IV (1983), with a story of a young woman in a bunny suit fighting a variety of space creatures.
This Daicon IV film established them in the anime studio industry. In 1985, Daicon Film changed its name to GAINAX, taking a dialect phrase of Tottori Prefecture ‘Gaina’ which means ‘giant’ or ‘big’ and adding an ‘x’ it.
Evangelion Success
Out of all the series, live action and films released by GAINAX, the Evangelion franchise is without a doubt the most successful. In total, Evangelion has reportedly grossed over 150 billion yen, or approximately US$1.2 billion to date. However with the original co-founder Hideaki Anno, leaving the studio in 2007 for his own company Studio Khara, and a line of legal battles, GAINAX now has no part in the new releases of the Evangelion franchise. Including the new 2020 Evangelion Rebuild movie Rebuild of Evangelion: 3.0+1.0.
Awards
In 1991, GAINAX’s creation Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water was awarded a top prize at the
Animage Anime Grand Prix. Also GAINAX’s most famous series Neon Genesis Evangelion was awarded in 1995 and in 1996. The End of Evangelion movie received the same award in 1997.
Controversy
In the midst of the Evangelion success, GAINAX was approached by the Tokyo Regional Taxation Bureau in suspicion of tax evasion on profits accrued by the Evangelion franchise. The Taxation Bureau later revealed that GAINAX had hid approximately 1.56 billion yen of taxable income. The president of GAINAX at the time, Takeshi Sawamura and tax accountant Yoshikatsu Iwasaki were arrested in 1999, on account of tax fraud, hiding sums of money in other company accounts and safe deposit boxes.
In August 2011, an American anime counterpart A.D. Vision sued GAINAX over the live-action rights to Evangelion due to GAINAX’s refusal to accept an option payment resulting in losing an opportunity to produce a live-action film with a major production company. GAINAX stated that the live-action film was a breach of contract.
In December 2019, Tomohiro Maki, the representative director of GAINAX was arrested on allegations of sexual assault and indeceny on an aspiring voice actress. Maki was only newly appointed to the director of GAINAX in October of that year.
Filmography
GAINAX has produced and created a number of popular and famous anime series, films and OVAs. Here is a glimpse of their work.
Anime Series
- Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water (1990–1991)
- Neon Genesis Evangelion (1995–1996)
- His and Her Circumstances (1998–1999)
- Hiroki Sato (16-26) (J.C.Staff)
- Modern Love's Silliness (1999)
- Oruchuban Ebichu (1999)
- Mahoromatic (2001–2003, 2009)
- Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi (2002)
- Petite Princess Yucie (2002–2003)
- Melody of Oblivion (2004)
- This Ugly yet Beautiful World (2004)
- He Is My Master (2005)
- Gurren Lagann (2007)
- Corpse Princess (2008)
- Hanamaru Kindergarten (2010)
- Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt (2010)
- The Mystic Archives of Dantalian (2011)
- Medaka Box (2012)
- Medaka Box Abnormal (2012)
- Stella Women’s Academy, High School Division Class C³ (2013)
- Magica Wars (2014)
- Wish Upon the Pleiades (2015)
Films
- Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honnêamise (1987)
- Nadia: The Movie (1991)
- Evangelion: Death and Rebirth (1997)
- The End of Evangelion (1997)
- Revival of Evangelion (1999)
- Cutie Honey (2004)
- Gunbuster vs. Diebuster (2006)
- "Rebuild of Evangelion (Four-part movie series)" (2007–2020)
- "Gekijōban Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann (Two-part movie series)" (2008–2009)
- "Zero Century (Three-part movie series)" (2020–2026)
OVA
- The Chocolate Panic Picture Show (1985)
- Appleseed (1988)
- Mahjong Hishō-den: Naki no Ryū (1988-1990)
- Gunbuster (1988–1989)
- Beat Shot (1989)
- Circuit no Ohkami 2 Modena no Tsurugi (1990)
- Honō no Tenkōsei (1991)
- Money Wars (1991)
- Otaku no Video (1991)
- K.O. Beast (1992-1993)
- Casshan: Robot Hunter (1993)
- Debutante Detective Corps (1996)
- FLCL (2000)
- Anime Tenchou (2002)
- Submarine 707R (2003)
- Re: Cutie Honey (2004)
- Diebuster (2004)
- Wish Upon the Pleiades (2011)