You can’t help but compare it to Nadia and Gunbuster too…? Hideaki Anno’s “over-the-top homages”
Posted at Futabanet Manga Plus on February 21. See the original post here.
by Kairi Kouhei
After working for an animation production company, he became a freelance writer. He grew up watching manga and anime from Korokoro Comic and Shonen Jump. His motto is “broadly and shallowly, sometimes diving in.”
Director Hideaki Anno is known for his deep love for tokusatsu and anime, and his passion has been consistent since the beginning of his career. During his time at Daicon Film, which was active from 1981 to 1985, he independently produced Daicon Film’s Return of Ultraman: MAT Arrow No. 1 Launch Order. He served as general director and even starred in the film, showing his passion for Ultraman. (See it with English subtitles on Youtube here and see a Making Of documentary here.)
Because of his love for tokusatsu and anime, Anno’s subsequent directorial works incorporate many thorough homages. In this article, we will pick out some of Director Anno’s “over the top” homage scenes. Let’s look back on some of the famous scenes that are full of respect and attention to detail.
This article contains story spoilers
A perfect reproduction of Yamato‘s launch in Nadia, The Secret of Blue Water
It is widely known that Director Anno was greatly influenced by Space Battleship Yamato (1974). This influence is clearly evident in Episode 36 of Nadia, The Secret of Blue Water, titled, The All-Purpose Battleship N-Nautilus. The launch scene of the N-Nautilus in this episode faithfully reproduces the scene in Episode 2 of Space Battleship Yamato, a perfect homage scene.
With the arrival of the enemy aerial battleship putting them in a desperate situation, the plot remains the same, with the phantom battleship (buried underground) being activated to launch a counterattack. Furthermore, the main characters are led inside the ship using an elevator, the captain is waiting for them among the glowing equipment, and the dialogue, camera angles, and even the timing of the shots is almost identical to the Yamato launch sequence. You can feel the deep respect for the original Yamato.
The highlight is the scene where the N-Nautilus’ main guns fire. With the command “Restore the tilt, raise the hull!” the battleship activates while breaking through rubble and fires its main guns. The scene in which the spiral beam penetrates and annihilates the enemy aerial battleship directly above is pure Yamato.
The firing sound used was the shock cannon sound from Yamato, and permission was obtained to use it. Incidentally, this direction was also carried over to the aerial battleship AAA Wunder that later appeared in Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo.
Currently, Director Anno’s Studio Khara is producing a new anime based on Space Battleship Yamato with a working title of Shin Yamato. Anticipation is building to see what kind of work it will be.
Strongly aware of classic war movies: Aim for the Top! Gunbuster
Director Anno’s first anime directorial work, Aim for the Top! (1988), as the title suggests, combines elements of Top Gun and Aim for the Ace! But at its core is a deep respect for Kihachi Okamoto, a famous director of the Showa era.
In the January 1997 issue of Animage, Anno cited Okamoto’s Turbulent Showa History: Battle of Okinawa (1971) as “the movie I’ve watched the most in my life,” and he claims to have seen it more than 100 times.
Aim for the Top! was an homage to Okamoto’s direction. The sense of tension in the headquarters, the tempo of the battle, and the subtitles showing the number of damaged ships were all strongly influenced by Battle of Okinawa.
In particular, in Episode 5, Please!! Give Love Time!, an emergency call is made to the Space Force Intelligence Division saying, “There are so many enemies that space doesn’t look black. Seven parts enemy and three parts black!” This is an homage to the famous line from Battle of Okinawa, “Seven parts ships and three parts sea!”
The lines, which express the overwhelming fear of the US fleet approaching Okinawa, are perfectly superimposed on the desperate situation of the space monsters approaching Earth in Aim for the Top!
The use of famous background music in His and Her Circumstances
Director Anno has his own unique preferences when it comes to the music he chooses in his films.
His and Her Circumstances (1998), the TV anime he worked on after Neon Genesis Evangelion (1995), was based on a popular girls’ manga by Masami Tsuda, and it was Director Anno’s first work based on a manga, but the spirit of homage was still alive and well.
In the “plot introduction” at the beginning, background music from Tetsujin 28-Go is played. Furthermore, the background music from Return of Ultraman was used in Episode 25, and “March of the Crew” from Space Battleship Yamato was used in the finale, Episode 26. All of these songs are iconic pieces of music from classic anime and special effects, but the contrast with the high school drama woven in this film leaves a strong impression on viewers.
Also, in Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance and Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time, the background music from His and Her Circumstances is used as a self-homage, creating a sense of connection between Anno’s works. Looking at it this way, we can see that his works are peppered with homages to past masterpieces.
These many homages could be described as “over the top,” but they are by no means mere imitation. Rather, they convey respect for the works of his predecessors and, above all, love for them. This is probably why they are so deeply moving to the viewer.