Gainax
Studio Khara | |
Headquarters | , |
---|---|
Key people | Yasuhiro Kamimura Yuko Takaishi Atsushi Moriyama Yoshiki Usa Nobuhiko Hayashi |
Products | Royal Space Force Gunbuster Nadia Neon Genesis Evangelion FLCL Gurren Lagann |
Number of employees | 18 |
Subsidiaries |
|
Website | gainax.co.jp |
Gainax Co., Ltd. (stylized as GAINAX;
Until Neon Genesis Evangelion, Gainax typically worked on stories created in-house, but the studio has increasingly developed anime adaptations of existing manga like
History
Beginnings
The studio was formed in the early 1980s as Daicon Film by university students
The group made a much bigger splash with the short they produced for the 22nd Annual Japan National SF Convention,
Gainax's first work as a commercial entity was
Evangelion
In 1995, Gainax produced perhaps their best known series, the commercially successful and critically lauded Neon Genesis Evangelion. In the wake of Evangelion's success, however, Gainax was audited by the National Tax Agency at the urging of the Tokyo Regional Taxation Bureau on suspicion of committing tax evasion on the massive profits accruing from various Evangelion properties. It was later revealed that Gainax had concealed ¥1.56 billion worth of income (thereby failing to pay ¥560 million due in corporate taxes) which it had earned between the release of Evangelion and July 1997 by paying closely related companies various large fees, ostensibly to pay for animation expenses, but then immediately withdrawing 90% of the sums from the other company's accounts as cash and storing it in safe deposit boxes (leaving 10% as a reward for the other company's assistance).[6]
Gainax president Takeshi Sawamura and tax accountant Yoshikatsu Iwasaki were arrested on July 13, 1999, and later jailed for accounting fraud.[11][12][13] Yasuhiro Takeda later defended Sawamura's actions as being a reaction to Gainax's perpetually precarious finances and the shaky accounting procedures internally:
Sawamura understood our financial situation better than anyone, so when Evangelion took off and the money really started rolling in, he saw it as possibly our one and only opportunity to set something aside for the future. I guess he was vulnerable to temptation at that point, because no one knew how long the Evangelion goose would keep laying golden eggs. I don't think he purposely set out with the goal of evading taxes. It was more that our level of accounting knowledge wasn't up to the task of dealing with revenues on such a large scale.[14]
21st century
In 2004, Gainax marked their 20th anniversary with the production of Diebuster, the sequel to Gunbuster. Gainax's most recent successes on television have been the popular anime series Gurren Lagann (2007) and Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt (2010). In August 2011, Gainax was sued by A.D. Vision, which claimed Gainax's refusal to accept an option payment for the perpetual live-action rights to Evangelion was a breach of contract and had resulted in losing an opportunity to produce the film with a major studio.[15] A.D. Vision asked to be awarded the live-action rights to Evangelion and any accruing legal fees.
In 2012, Gainax announced it would be producing its first live-action television series, EA's Rock, with director
In 2016, Gainax was sued by
In August 2018, it was announced that Fukushima Gainax had been acquired by Kinoshita Group Holdings on July 26, making it Kinoshita's new subsidiary. Fukushima Gainax changed its studio name to Gaina and relocated to Koganei, Tokyo on August 9.[26] In December 2019, representative director Tomohiro Maki was arrested on allegations of quasi-forcible indecency on an aspiring voice actress. Maki had been appointed representative director in October, but had been a board director of the company since 2015 and previously served as head of Gainax International, a separate company that trained voice actors and other talents, at the time of the alleged incidents.[27]
In February 2020, Groundworks representative director Yasuhiro Kamimura was appointed the company's new representative director and a new board of directors was hired on to the company with Yuko Takaishi (Kadokawa Anime Business Department Anime Production Division head), Atsushi Moriyama (King Records Rights Division senior operating officer), and Yoshiki Usa (Trigger representative director vice president) being the ones chosen to be at the board.[28] In December 2020, it was reported that Tomohiro Maki has been sentenced to 2.5 years in prison for committing indecent acts.[29]
Filmography
TV series
Title | Year(s) | Director(s) | Co-production companies |
---|---|---|---|
Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water | 1990–1991 | Hideaki Anno | Group TAC |
Neon Genesis Evangelion | 1995–1996 | Hideaki Anno | Tatsunoko
|
His and Her Circumstances
|
1998–1999 | Hideaki Anno Hiroki Sato (16–26) |
J.C.Staff |
Modern Love's Silliness | 1999 | Issei Kume | Group TAC |
Oruchuban Ebichu | 1999 | Makoto Moriwaki | Group TAC |
Mahoromatic | 2001–2003, 2009 | Hiroyuki Yamaga Shouji Saeki (Specials) |
Shaft |
Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi | 2002 | Hiroyuki Yamaga | Madhouse
|
Petite Princess Yucie | 2002–2003 | Masahiko Otsuka | AIC |
This Ugly yet Beautiful World | 2004 | Shouji Saeki | Shaft |
He Is My Master | 2005 | Shouji Saeki | Shaft |
Gurren Lagann | 2007 | Hiroyuki Imaishi | |
Corpse Princess | 2008 | Masahiko Murata | Feel
|
Hanamaru Kindergarten | 2010 | Seiji Mizushima | |
Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt | 2010 | Hiroyuki Imaishi | |
The Mystic Archives of Dantalian | 2011 | Yutaka Uemura | |
Medaka Box / Medaka Box Abnormal | 2012 | Shouji Saeki | |
Stella Women’s Academy, High School Division Class C³
|
2013 | Masayoshi Kawajiri | |
Magica Wars | 2014 | Ayano Ohnoki | |
Wish Upon the Pleiades | 2015 | Shouji Saeki | |
Beyblade X | 2023-2024 | Hiroyuki Imaishi |
Films
Title | Year(s) | Director(s) | Co-production companies | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honnêamise | 1987 | Hiroyuki Yamaga | ||
Nadia: The Movie | 1991 | Sho Aono | Sei Young
|
|
Evangelion: Death and Rebirth
|
1997 | Hideaki Anno Masayuki Kazuya Tsurumaki |
(Rebirth) | |
The End of Evangelion | 1997 | Hideaki Anno Kazuya Tsurumaki |
Production I.G | |
Revival of Evangelion | 1999 | Hideaki Anno | Production I.G | |
Cutie Honey | 2004 | Hideaki Anno | Opening animation | |
Gunbuster vs. Diebuster | 2006 | Hideaki Anno Kazuya Tsurumaki |
||
Gekijōban Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann (Two-part movie series) |
2008–2009 | Hiroyuki Imaishi | ||
Zero Century (Three-part movie series) |
TBA | Hiroyuki Yamaga | Production Good Book | A film trilogy based on Leiji Matsumoto's works Gainax Kyoto |
OVAs and ONAs
Title | Year | Director | Co-production | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Appleseed |
1988 | Kazuyoshi Katayama | ||
Mahjong Hishō-den: Naki no Ryū | 1988-1990 | Satoshi Dezaki | Magic Bus | |
Gunbuster | 1988–1989 | Hideaki Anno | ||
Beat Shot | 1989 | Takashi Akimoto | ||
Circuit no Ohkami 2 Modena no Tsurugi
|
1990 | Yoshihide Kuriyama | ||
Honō no Tenkōsei | 1991 | Katsuhiko Nishijima | ||
Money Wars | 1991 | Yusaku Saotome | ||
Otaku no Video | 1991 | Takeshi Mori | ||
FLCL | 2000 | Kazuya Tsurumaki | Production I.G | |
Anime Tenchou | 2002 | Hiroyuki Imaishi | ||
Re: Cutie Honey | 2004 | Hideaki Anno | Toei Animation | |
Diebuster | 2004 | Kazuya Tsurumaki | ||
Wish Upon the Pleiades | 2011 | Shouji Saeki | ||
Masamune Datenicle | 2016–2018 | Yoshinori Asao (Chief) Satoru Kiyomaru |
Gaina |
Daicon tokusatsu fan films
Title | Year | Synopsis |
---|---|---|
Patriotic Squadron Dai-Nippon (愛国戦隊大日本, Aikoku Sentai Dai-Nippon) | 1982 | Parody of the popular Tenpura) fighting the evil plan of the Red Bear Empire (led by "Death Kremlin ") to brainwash the children of Japan by replacing the pages of their textbooks with red paper in this "episode".
|
Swift Hero Noutenki (快傑のーてんき, Kaiketsu Nōtenki) | 1982 | Parody of Shotaro Ishinomori's Kaiketsu Zubat |
Return of Ultraman (帰ってきたウルトラマン, Kaettekita Urutoraman) | 1983 | Parody of a title of the same name, with New Ultraman/Ultraman Jack portrayed by Hideaki Anno wearing a jacket with Ultraman's signature red and silver pattern.[30] |
Kaiketsu Nōtenki 2 - Pure Love in Minato City (快傑の-てんき2 純愛港町篇, Kaiketsu Nōtenki 2 - Junai Minato-cho Hen) | 1984 | Parody of Shotaro Ishinomori's Kaiketsu Zubat, in which the titular hero faces off against Mecha Noutenki, a mechanical clone of himself. |
Kaiketsu Nōtenki in USA (快傑の-てんき in USA) | 1984 | Parody of San Francisco, California (while in costume)
|
The Eight-Headed Giant Serpent Strikes Back (八岐之大蛇の逆襲, Yamata no Orochi no Gyakushū) | 1985 | A 72-minute sendup of daikaiju (giant monster) movies and the most heavily promoted of the Daicon tokusatsu short films.[31] |
Roleplaying Nōtenki in Seoul (ロールプレイングの-てんき in ソウル) | 1988 | Role-playing parody of San Francisco, California (while in costume)
|
Other works
Gainax had some involvement with K.O. Beast directed by Hiroshi Negishi. It teamed with other groups to create various works, such as a 1987 promotional video for the song "Marionette" by Boøwy[31] and the 2006 Momoko-based "Gainax Girls" fashion dolls created in collaboration with a Japanese fashion doll.[32] Gainax also collaborated with Game Arts in 1992, resulting in the video game Alisia Dragoon. In 2004, Gainax penned Melody of Oblivion for J.C.Staff. Gainax has also produced a number of computer games, including a strip mahjong game featuring Evangelion characters[33] and its most famous, the Princess Maker series (later adapted as Puchi Puri Yūshi). It collaborated with Saudi Arabian media content company ARiNAT on a three-minute anime trailer titled "Desert Knight" (Sabaku no Kishi), which debuted at the "ANI:ME" Japanese pop culture festival in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.[34] Gainax also created the Mahoromatic Digital Maiden 1 - 3 PC game series in 1998 which allowed Konami to publish the PS2 game exclusive Mahoromatic in Japan that is lesser known to the public.[35][36]
See also
- Gaina—previous Gainax subsidiary, formerly known as Fukushima Gainax.
- Gonzo—studio founded by Gainax co-founder Shinji Higuchi and other ex-Gainax staff
- Khara—studio founded by Gainax co-founder Hideaki Anno
- Shaft—Gainax worked closely with Shaft in the early-to-mid 2000s; ex-Gainax director Shouji Saeki currently works exclusively with Shaft
- Trigger—studio founded by ex-Gainax staff
References
- ^ "Considered one of the top 10 films of 1987 by Japanese film critics, The Wings of Honneamise is..." "Heads Up, Mickey: Anime may be Japan's first really big cultural export" Archived 2012-11-02 at the Wayback Machine, Issue 3.04 - Apr 1995, Wired
- ^ The studio's works have garnered them Animage's coveted Anime Grand Prix award over ten times since 1990.
- ^ "スポニチ Sponichi Annex ニュース 芸能". sponichi.co.jp. Archived from the original on 14 February 2007. Retrieved 7 May 2015.
- Tekkoshocon2006. Pittsbugh.
- ^ Gainax Internet Section. "GAINAX NET|会社案内|会社概要". Gainax.co.jp. Archived from the original on 2014-02-09. Retrieved 2015-04-30.
- ^ Asahi Shimbun/ASAHI EVENING NEWS. November 13, 1998. "JAPAN- Animator hit for tax evasion" Pg. News.
- ^ Takami Akai is from Tottori and suggested it.
- ^ "Bienvenue sur le site internet de Sekai Project". Gainax.fr. Archived from the original on 2015-06-03. Retrieved 2015-04-30.
- ^ " "The first commercial success of the fan-turned-pro studio Gainax, "Gunbuster" ("Aim for the Top!") was the first anime OVA (original video animation) made by and for the "otaku generation" — a series for those who love anime. Not tied to any pre-existing manga or toy campaign, "Gunbuster" was a declaration that anime could be made for its own sake." Business Wire. October 24, 2006 Tuesday 1:00 PM GMT "Image Entertainment and Bandai Visual USA to Release Classic Anime Series Gunbuster"
- ^ The first Dennou Gakuen (電脳学園) game(released July 1989) was banned in July 1992 in Miyazaki Prefecture, the first to be so banned in Japan; Gainax sued, charging the ban was unconstitutional, but lost. See Japan Economic Newswire JANUARY 24, 1994, MONDAY. "Court backs ban on sale, lease of porno computer game". By Miyazaki, Jan. 24 Kyodo
- ^ "7-13-99—- President Of Gainax Arrested - July 1999 Anime News". Anime News Service. Yomiuri Shimbun. 13 July 1999. Archived from the original on 7 January 2017. Retrieved 23 April 2019.
- ^ "Gainax, company president admit tax evasion - News". Anime News Network. 12 November 1998. Archived from the original on 2 April 2019. Retrieved 23 April 2019.
- ^ "7-14-99—- President Of Gainax Arrested (More) - July 1999 Anime News". Anime News Service. Yomiuri Shimbun. 14 July 1999. Archived from the original on 7 January 2017. Retrieved 23 April 2019.
- ^ Takeda 2002, p. 170.
- ^ "A.D. Vision, Inc. sues Gainax Co., Ltd. over live-action Evangelion movie agreement". Crunchyroll. August 12, 2011. Archived from the original on September 20, 2011. Retrieved August 13, 2011.
- ^ "Gainax, Nobuhiro Yamashita Create Live-Action TV Show EA's Rock". Anime News Network. February 23, 2012. Archived from the original on March 2, 2012. Retrieved February 27, 2012.
- ^ "Gainax Makes Blue Uru Film with Honneamise Yamaga, Sadamoto". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on 23 March 2013. Retrieved 21 March 2013.
- ^ "Gainax Sets Up Studio, Museum in Fukushima". Anime News Network. January 16, 2015. Archived from the original on February 1, 2018. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
- ^ Makita, Masanori (2 December 2016). "経営の「カラー」が古巣「ガイナックス」を提訴". The Mainichi Shimbun. Archived from the original on 30 December 2019. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
- ^ Pineda, Rafael Antonio (1 December 2016). "Evangelion Studio Khara Sues Gainax for 100 Million Yen in Royalties". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on 30 December 2019. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
- ^ Sherman, Jennifer (23 June 2017). "Gainax Ordered to Pay Studio Khara 100 Million Yen". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on 30 December 2019. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
- ^ "アニメ制作会社「ガイナックス」に1億円支払い命令 庵野秀明監督の経営会社が古巣訴えた訴訟". The Sankei Shimbun. 23 June 2017. Archived from the original on 30 December 2019. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
- ^ Ressler, Karen (6 December 2016). "Gainax Posts Apology After Khara's Lawsuit". Archived from the original on 30 December 2019. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
- ^ Morissy, Kim (30 December 2019). "Hideaki Anno Details His Falling Out With Gainax". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on 30 December 2019. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
- ^ "【庵野監督・特別寄稿】『エヴァ』の名を悪用したガイナックスと報道に強く憤る理由". Diamond Online. 30 December 2019. Archived from the original on 30 December 2019. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
- ^ "Kinoshita Acquires Fukushima Gainax, Moves Studio to Tokyo Under New Name". Anime News Network. August 20, 2018. Archived from the original on August 21, 2018. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
- ^ Pineda, Rafael Antonio (4 December 2019). "Gainax Representative Director Tomohiro Maki Arrested for Alleged Indecent Acts". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on 30 December 2019. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
- ^ Sherman, Jennifer (21 February 2020). "Yasuhiro Kamimura Becomes New Representative Director of Gainax". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on 21 February 2020.
- ^ "Former Gainax Representative Director Tomohiro Maki Sentenced to 2.5 Years in Prison".
- ^ Takeda 2002.
- ^ a b Takeda 2002
- ^ "momokoDOLL.com". Archived from the original on 20 December 2006. Retrieved 7 May 2015.
- ^ "警告:アダルトコンテンツ". Amazon.co.jp. Archived from the original on 2016-02-25. Retrieved 2015-04-30.
- ^ "Gainax, Saudi Arabia's Arinat Make 3-Minute 'Desert Knight' Trailer". Archived from the original on 5 September 2018. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
- ^ "Mahoromatic 3 Digital Maiden Reg". suruga-ya.com. Retrieved 2020-04-15.
- ^ "Mahoromatic: Moetto ≠ Kirakira Maid-san". mobygames.com. Retrieved 2020-04-15.
Further reading
- ISSN 1096-0228.
- Howell, Shon. "The Fabulous Dog and Pony Show: An Interview with Shon Howell". By Ben Dunn. Mangazine, vol. 2, no. 23 (May 1993): 11–18. Shon Howell was the second vice president of Gainax in charge of United States operations (General Products) after Lea Hernandez (the first) quit.
- Howell, Shon. "The Fabulous Dog and Pony Show". Mangazine, vol. 2, nos. 24 (June 1993), 25 (July 1993), 27 (September 1993), 30 (December 1993), 31 (January 1994), 32 (February 1994). A column further detailing Shon Howell's experiences with Gainax.
- Leonard, Andrew (April 1995). "Heads Up, Mickey". Wired, issue 3.04. An article on anime, focusing on the history of Gainax.
- ISBN 1-4139-0234-0.
External links
- Official website (in Japanese)
- Gainax at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
- Gainax Kyoto at Anime News Network's encyclopedia