Hideaki Anno‘s Evangelion has finally come to an end after 25 years and now audiences can revisit the magic with the new documentary Hideaki Anno: The Final Challenge of Evangelion, which began streaming on Amazon Prime Video this weekend. In addition to The Final Challenge of Evangelion, Anno can also be found on Hideaki Anno and Hitoshi Matsumoto Fireside Chat, which is also available on the streamer.
With Evangelion coming to an end, NHK spent four years with exclusive access to the series’ director, documenting the creative process behind the final film. For the first time ever, Anno allowed a camera inside his studio to give audiences a glimpse into the magic. As the documentary’s synopsis explains, the two-part documentary seeks to unveil why Studio Ghibli’s Hayao Miyazaki describes Anno as “one who sheds blood for his films.” Both parts of The Final Challenge of Evangelion are fifty minutes long.
Join two of Japan’s top creators, Hideaki Anno and Hitoshi Matsumoto, in this special fireside chat, as they discuss their creative philosophies and approaches, how their work has spread abroad, and tease their future creative endeavors. This isn’t the first time the duo has sat down together for a special. Over twenty years ago they explored the Sahara Desert while they discussed their creative endeavors in the Japanese travel program World Journey of My Memory. Their journey was also detailed in Hayao Miyazaki and Hideaki Anno Animage Roman Album, which was released around the same time.
Hitoshi Matsumoto is best known for his work as a TV host, he is also one of Japan’s most popular comedians and one-half of a comedy duo with Masatoshi Hamada. You can expect that humor to shine through in the two-part docuseries.
Both documentaries are available on Amazon Prime Video, worldwide, with English subtitles. Go here for Hideaki Anno: The Final Challenge of Evangelion, and here for Hideaki ANNO and Hitoshi MATSUMOTO fireside chat.
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