Actually, he had a nervous breakdown well before he started making the show. The Quintessential Anno Interview, in Newtype magazine (sorry I don't have the year) explains that he was suicidal when he started writing the series, which really makes sense, frankly. He decided to do Evangelion because he was searching for a reason to live.
I guess that's one reason I'm really fond of the end, actually: Anno's still alive.
Did you ever watch any of Kareshi Kanojo no Jijou (His and Her Circumstances)? The first half was directed by Anno, and is the narrative techniques from the last couple episodes of Evangelion made comprehensible and applied to a romantic comedy, which is fascinating. Mind you, I want the US translators taken out and shot even more than usual, and the show jumped the shark when Anno left. But it's worth a look.
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Re: Evangelion
Date: 2004-09-09 05:28 pm (UTC)I guess that's one reason I'm really fond of the end, actually: Anno's still alive.
Did you ever watch any of Kareshi Kanojo no Jijou (His and Her Circumstances)? The first half was directed by Anno, and is the narrative techniques from the last couple episodes of Evangelion made comprehensible and applied to a romantic comedy, which is fascinating. Mind you, I want the US translators taken out and shot even more than usual, and the show jumped the shark when Anno left. But it's worth a look.