Japanese Entertainment: From special effects actor to action superstar

Chapter 587 The Suppressed Mysterious Producer
Everyone goes through a unique stage in their life. During this stage, people believe they are omnipotent and are filled with all sorts of wonderful fantasies. They imagine themselves as kings who have reached the highest power, or heroes who save the world, or simply have unique fantasies about certain members of the opposite sex.

This age group is what is known as adolescence, which often occurs during junior high school, hence the term "chuunibyou" (a Japanese term for someone with delusions of grandeur).

Some people arrive earlier, some arrive later, and some stay there for a long time.

Some people are molded into a soft and submissive form by life early on, becoming slaves to happiness who can only say "received," like the author.

Some people, even after they have become adults, still maintain this kind of youthful spirit that seems somewhat ridiculous to others.

Hideaki Anno is that kind of person.

Hideaki Anno was born on May 22, 1960, in Ube City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. His works include the later-famous "EVA".

From Hideaki Anno's works, one can actually glimpse some of his personality: a traditional East Asian family with sexual repression, a father who is so harsh that he is almost ruthless, an older sister who is close yet always seems distant, and even when surrounded by all sorts of beautiful women, he is ultimately only called "Baka Anno" by others, and then, like the protagonist of a Chinese youth film, he vents his physiological instincts.

Even if one possesses the ability to change the world, in the end, one cannot escape the instinct of sexual repression.

Most importantly, it is Hideaki Anno's awe and reverence for the colossal object...

Interestingly, Hideaki Anno also collaborated with Hirohiko Araki. Araki's first long-running manga series, "Bao the Visitor," was adapted into an anime series with Anno's help.

Hideaki Anno, now 24, is already an adult, but he still retains some of the characteristics of his teenage years and firmly believes that he is different from others.

In the suburbs of Tokyo, Hideaki Anno watches television alone in his small house.

Not long ago, Hideaki Anno was expelled from his school in Osaka due to excessive absences and poor grades. However, Anno was indifferent to this. He soon stood out because of his talent and was noticed and cultivated by Hayao Miyazaki, who brought him to Tokyo to participate in animation production.

For many years afterward, Hideaki Anno insisted on referring to Hayao Miyazaki as his teacher, even though there wasn't actually much formal teacher-student interaction between them.

At this moment, the Taiga drama "Tokugawa Ieyasu" is playing on the television.

Hideaki Anno sat cross-legged in front of the television, with the thick curtains drawn, his eyes fixed on the screen, occasionally letting out a muttered complaint.

"Oh! Isn't this Akira Furuya?"

Hideaki Anno suddenly recognized Masakage Yamagata.

To others, Akira Furuya was the assassin who stormed the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, or Akechi Samanosuke Hidemitsu who roamed the Sengoku period.

But Hideaki Anno has a different identity in Hideaki Anno's eyes.

Cosmic Hero!

Motorbike rider!

Whatever it is, it's completely different from the image in the movie.

When the war broke out, Yamagata Masakage led his troops in a charge and was killed in battle. Only then did Anno Hideaki breathe a sigh of relief.

"After all, it's a Taiga drama. No matter how outstanding you are, when you return to a Taiga drama, you can only play a supporting role."

Just as he was about to turn off the TV, Hideaki Anno suddenly realized that this episode of Taiga Script was supposed to end, but there was a bonus scene.

Since this type of Easter egg appeared in Japan a few years ago and was called Daifuku, many works have made it a habit to add Easter eggs at the end.

Hideaki Anno, who had stood up, sat down again.

"This is a deleted scene. Although it was filmed, the director felt it didn't fit the essence of a Taiga drama and cut it. So, this scene is presented to the audience as an Easter egg."

The scene shifts to the same ancient battlefield.

He deftly deflected the oncoming rain of swords, broke through the barricades, and charged straight at Tokugawa Ieyasu, unleashing the Will of Fire and the Takeda clan's Wind, Forest, Fire, Mountain...

Hideaki Anno immediately stood up and paced back and forth in the room.

This is beautiful!

Damn it, why didn't they put this scene in the final cut!

Hideaki Anno felt something burning fiercely inside his body.

Of course, this does not quite fit the serious style of Taiga dramas, but Hideaki Anno quickly thought of another person, a fierce general who almost killed Tokugawa Ieyasu.

Sanada Yukimura! Even though it's just a rumor, many Japanese people still believe that Sanada Yukimura almost killed Tokugawa Ieyasu. They believe that if Tokugawa Ieyasu had died, Japan wouldn't have closed itself off from the world, and if Japan hadn't closed itself off from the world, the subsequent events wouldn't have happened, and the country would have been better off, perhaps by selling Tokyo and buying the United States.

"What a pity!"

Hideaki Anno muttered a couple of things, watched the end-of-view ad, and then got up to leave.

He wasn't particularly interested in food trucks or anything like that, but Hideaki Anno knew that people would definitely go to see them.

After all, if the advertisements are placed on NHK, they're bound to attract some viewers.

Hideaki Anno was heading to the nearest video store. 91 Video was flourishing in the Tokyo metropolitan area, like sesame seeds scattered everywhere. It looked small and inconspicuous, but its numbers were increasing.

There are events there every week where everyone shares the broadcasted works, discusses their feelings, and so on.

Hideaki Anno, with his unique appreciation of art, religious devotion, and unparalleled sexual repression, tops the list here and can be considered an opinion leader.

When Hideaki Anno arrived, many people in the video store were enthusiastically discussing something. Upon seeing him, some people immediately came forward.

"Anno-kun, why are you taking so long? We've been waiting for you for ages!"

“It’s just a small matter.” Hideaki Anno pushed up his large square glasses and looked at the video in front of him.

"What are you guys whispering about?"

"A masterpiece, an absolute masterpiece! Come and see this."

Several hands pulled Hideaki Anno into the dark screening room and replayed the videotape.

Hideaki Anno didn't really care; it was just a story about confessing his feelings.

But soon.

Hideaki Anno leaned forward slightly and looked at the screen, watching the figure crawling out of it.

"Ah... what a lucky bastard." Hideaki Anno muttered under his breath, watching the character in front of the screen crawl out and walk towards the protagonist who was watching the movie.

I can't believe it, a girl crawling out of the TV screen confesses her love to me.

Hideaki Anno rubbed his eyes.

If it were him, of course he would accept, accept, and accept... "Aww!!!"

The next moment, the camera shook, and Hideaki Anno couldn't help but scream.

The woman who leaned closer to the camera adjusted the lens and gave a strange smile.

Her alluring face was pressed tightly against the camera lens, so detailed that you could almost see her pores and every micro-expression.

The lines were uttered from a face splattered with blood.

"The troublesome fellow is finally dead."

"Na."

"Wait for me over there."

"They'll come looking for you soon."

Swish! !

Hideaki Anno stood up instantly.

It truly is a masterpiece!
So it turns out they weren't looking for the fake audience member, but rather the real audience member in front of the camera!
This is so beautiful.

"Special guidance from Akira Furuya... Akira Furuya, it's Akira Furuya again."

Hideaki Anno sighed.

Since that's the case, let's go see that movie, the "Wheels on Meals" thing. It sounds pretty decent, and maybe it'll be worth the price of a movie ticket. Otherwise, he'll exclaim that Akira Furuya still owes him 1,200 yen for a movie ticket!

(End of this chapter)