Yoko Taro, the renowned director of the Nier series, has revealed in a recent interview with Square Enix that his work has been heavily influenced by the iconic anime Neon Genesis Evangelion. Taro has reiterated that his acclaimed video game saga, composed of Nier and Nier: Automata, is “practically a reimagining” of the themes and narratives presented in Hideaki Anno’s work. This connection between the works highlights the lasting impact that Evangelion has had on entertainment culture and on the way developers create complex stories and affect players. Yoko […]
Yoko Taro, the renowned director of the Nier series, has revealed in a recent interview with Square Enix that his work has been heavily influenced by the iconic anime Neon Genesis Evangelion. Taro has reiterated that his acclaimed video game saga, consisting of Nier and Nier: Automata, is “practically a reimagining” of the themes and narratives presented in Hideaki Anno’s work. This connection between the works highlights the lasting impact that Evangelion has had on entertainment culture and on the way developers create complex stories that affect players.
Yoko Taro does not hide in everything that drinks from anime
In Nier, Taro set the narrative in a world where humans have disappeared, which led him to explore a plot that does not involve humanity, a creative decision that reflects his own insecurities and visions about existence. In his own words, although he feels satisfied with his work, he has also confessed that “perhaps I shouldn’t have annihilated humans so easily”. This reflection suggests a deep introspection about the direction of his stories and the emotional connection they can establish with players.
Additionally, Taro expressed his concern about the future of the video game industry in light of the advancement of artificial intelligence, suggesting that developers could lose their jobs and be considered “like bards” in the future. However, his comments were accompanied by a note of skepticism, as other creators, such as Kazutaka Kodaka from Danganronpa, argue that AI still cannot replicate the genuine creativity of a human being.
With his revelations, Taro not only sheds light on the creative process behind Nier, but also raises profound questions about the future direction of narrative in video games and the role of technology in art.
Mobile Suit Gundam has always been a gigantic franchise in Japan. Only in the last decade has it started to grow in the West. SEED was the first series to make its way into our territory, although Iron-Blooded Orphans was the one that really laid the foundation for its current success. From which The Witch from Mercury, the most successful series of the franchise, in Japan or the West, in decades, would reap its rewards. But at Sunshine, that’s not enough for them. They want to take the world by storm again. Of Gundams, gravitational forces, and elementary particles Because Mobile Suit Gundam will have a new series. Revealed […]
Mobile Suit Gundam has always been a gigantic franchise in Japan. It has only started to grow in the West in the last decade. SEED was the first series to make its way into our territory, although Iron-Blooded Orphans was the one that really laid the foundation for its current success. From which The Witch from Mercury would reap its rewards, the most successful series of the franchise, in Japan or the West, in decades. But at Sunshine, that’s not enough for them. They want to take the world by storm again.
Of Gundams, gravitational forces, and elementary particles
Because Mobile Suit Gundam will have a new series. Unveiled during the Gundam Conference Winter 2024, its name is Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX. And if you’re worried about never being able to pronounce its name correctly, we’ll let you in on a secret: it’s pronounced Mobile Suit Gundam G-Cuarks. G, like the unit of force and the Gundam, and cuark, like the elementary particle. This already tells us what to expect from the series and its titular mecha, named GQuuuuuuX.
But that’s not the most surprising thing of all. Even if we have a trailer that leaves us speechless due to the incredible work behind it. The most surprising thing is the dream team they have managed to gather for this new series. Because Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX is a collaboration between Sunrise and Khara, the studio of Hideaki Anno. The creator of Neon Genesis Evangelion.
In fact, the entire team is a who’s who of cult anime. The series director, Kazuya Tsurumaki, was the director of FLCL and The Rebuild of Evangelion. The screenwriters are Hideaki Anno and Yoji Enokido. Hideaki Anno is the creator of Neon Genesis Evangelion, but Yoji Enokido is the screenwriter of Revolutionary Girl Utena, Star Driver, and Sailor Moon. Take is the character designer, who has previously worked on Fate/Grand Order, Katanagatari, and Pokémon Sun and Moon. Ikuto Yamashita is in charge of mechanical design, being a living legend for his work on the mechas of Neon Genesis Evangelion, but more recently, also all the mechanical design of the excellent video game Metaphor: ReFantazio.
Everything we know so far
About the series, we have a handful of details. We know that its protagonist is a girl named Nyaan who is a war refugee from the Clan Battles. These clans fight in Gundam duels to establish their supremacy, with Nyaan participating in them under the name Machu. At least until she meets a mysterious pilot named Shuji, who is being pursued by the authorities. This marks the beginning of the story of GQuuuuuuX.
Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX is currently in production. Although it does not yet have a release date, a re-edited version of the first episodes will be available as a movie on January 17, 2025, under the name Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX – Beginning –. However, it will only be in Japan. So if we’ve left you wanting more, you’ll still have to wait to see what has the potential to be Gundam’s big game-changer.
Hideaki Anno has been focusing on live action for a few years. In live-action cinema, especially in tokusatsu, the genre of giant monster and Japanese superhero movies. He has particularly excelled in this field with wonderful films like Shin Godzilla, Shin Ultraman, and Shin Kamen Rider. However, that doesn’t mean we don’t miss him in anime. He is the creator of masterpieces like Neon Genesis Evangelion and Kare Kano. But it seems that, in fact, we might see him return to animation very soon. Last Sunday, October 6th, a screening of Space Battleship Yamato was held to celebrate […]
Hideaki Anno has been focusing on live action for a few years. In live-action cinema, especially in tokusatsu, the Japanese giant monster and superhero movies. Particularly excelling in that field, with wonderful films like Shin Godzilla, Shin Ultraman, and Shin Kamen Rider, that doesn’t mean we don’t miss him in anime. He is the creator of masterpieces like Neon Genesis Evangelion and Kare Kano. But it seems that, in fact, we might see him return to animation very soon.
Last Sunday, October 6, a screening of Space Battleship Yamato was held to celebrate the 50th anniversary of this legendary anime by Yoshinobu Nishizaki and Leiji Matsumoto. After the screening, Hideaki Anno announced that Studio Khara, the studio of which he is president, is producing a new anime based on Yamato. Having received official approval from the license holders.
Although Anno has confirmed that he cannot yet provide any details about the project, he wanted to emphasize that it is a different project from the remake of the anime Space Battleship Yamato 2199. Even so, the people involved in the remake are also part of this new project. Since Yutaka Izubuchi, along with other members of the project, are also working with Studio Khara on this new anime.
Space Battleship Yamato, better known in Spain as Acorazado Espacial Yamato, is an anime that aired between 1974 and 1975 and consisted of three seasons of 26 episodes, four movies, and a special. Serving as an inspiration for many subsequent animes, it is considered one of the pioneering series of militaristic science fiction and space opera.
According to Anno, unfortunately, this project will not begin production until 2025. Therefore, we should not expect to see it in theaters until at least 2026, if not later. Meanwhile, the original series is currently undergoing a remake, titled Yamato yo Towa ni: Rebel 3199, which consists of seven films, the first of which, Kuro no Shinryaku, premiered this past July in Japan and does not have a release date outside of the country yet.
