Hideaki Anno Returns to Animation

Having spent his time working in live action cinema since departing the Kareshi Kanojo no Jijoo anime TV series mid way through its production in 1998, Hideaki Anno, best known as the creator and director of Evangelion, is reportedly returning to work on anime.

In response to trading card and character good Broccoli’s success with turning its mascot franchises Di-Gi-Charat and Galaxy Angel into anime, Animate, Japan’s largest chain of anime stores, now plans to follow suit with its own anime. Hideaki Anno will supervise the short animation of Gainax Studio’s adaptation of the Anime Tenchou (Anime Store Manager) comedy manga created by Samurai Spirits creator Kazuhiko Shimamoto. Storyboard and animation direction will be done by FLCL’s Hiroyuki Ishi.

Anime Tenchou will be used as the opening animation to the Animate sponsored anime convention Animate Expo 2002 and may expand into either an OAV series or TV series.

Source: Anime News Service