Gainax

Hideaki Anno, before working for Gainax, notably assisted as key animator for Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, with the short OVA Mugen Senshi Valis / Valis: The Fantasm Soldier being his first official directorial debut. He self produced Joubuna Tire! and Kotowa Jiten as his first two works. Hideaki Anno assisted in animation for Daicon IV: The Opening Animation under Gainax.

The entertaining yet forgettable Gunbuster (1989), which is Hideaki Anno’s first directorial project (Mugen Senshi Valis included as a technicality), created a resurface of popularity in the mecha genre; which continued to grow after the release of Neon Genesis Evangelion. The hand-drawn style presents great visual composition, however the dichotomy between (albeit not entirely) forgettable characters and numbingly similar mecha fights reminiscent of the Gundam Wing series unfortunately delves into the realm of mediocrity.

Hideaki Anno would assist in several anime projects for the next seven years, most notably as chief director of Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water and Sailor Moon R: The Movie.

Neon Genesis Evangelion (1996) arrived in 1996 as a high-brow cultural resurface of the still evolving high-school slice of life/comedy genre. Instead of just handling gags and characters, Neon Genesis Evangelion would deconstruct topics of philosophy and psychology using it’s mecha action scenes as a backdrop. The show notably transitions from a plot-driven drama to a Freudian deconstruction of its characters while dismembering itself by the seams within its final collection of episodes.

Neon Genesis Evangelion: The End of Evangelion (1997) was a re-interpretation of episodes 25 and 26 of Neon Genesis Evangelion - presumably depicting the reality that occurred under the two episode’s dream-like state. Shinji Ikari is analysed as incapable of handling the events around him. The movie continues to delve into Shinji’s psychology before briefly developing into a commentary on society. The movie ends with a symbolic portrayal of the awakening and rebirth of man-kind. The slightly fragmented End of Evangelion distances itself from its original TV show as its own distinct and separate work.

FLCL (2001) - a six episode OVA - is a potentially philosophical commentary. Elements and themes, however, don’t always work together and leave many incomprehensible messages re-assembled only through schizophrenic interpretation.

Gurren Lagann (2007) handles a stereotypical character-driven adventure with mecha elements; as well as a societal deconstruction depicting morality as interpreted by society. Gurren Lagann can’t always make up its mind on what it wants to do, which also adds to the appeal and enjoyment of the show.