WTakami Akai is an illustrator, game creator, character designer and animator born on November 21, 1961 in Yonago, Tottori Prefecture, Japan.
WAlisia Dragoon is a 1992 platform game developed by Game Arts for the Sega Genesis. The player controls Alisia, a young woman who is on a quest to avenge her father and save the world. She can fire lightning from her hands and summon four faithful beasts to aid her. The game was published outside of Japan by Sega. Despite the acclaim the game received, it was not a commercial success. The game was also included on the Sega Genesis Mini, released in September 2019.
WAni*Kuri15 (アニ＊クリ15) is a series of fifteen 1-minute shorts broadcast by NHK between May 2007 and 2008. Intended as companion pieces to the Ani*Kuri program and as filler between regularly scheduled programs, the shorts were broadcast in three seasons of 5 episodes. Each short was directed by a different director and the episodes were collected and uploaded to the official Ani*Kuri15 website in 2008.
WHideaki Anno is a Japanese animator, filmmaker and actor. He is best known for creating the anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion (1995). His style is defined by his postmodernist approach and the extensive portrayal of characters' thoughts and emotions, often through unconventional scenes presenting the mental deconstruction of those characters. The Evangelion franchise has had a significant influence on the anime television industry and Japanese popular culture, with many deeming Anno as one of the medium's first auteurs.
WAppleseed is a Japanese cyberpunk-style OVA adaptation of the manga of the same name created by Masamune Shirow. The anime takes place in a non-determined future. The anime, produced by Gainax, departs greatly from the manga's storyline, sharing only the characters and setting.
WThe Circuit Wolf is a shōnen adventure and racing manga. It was serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump from January 1975 to June 1979 issues.
WThe Daicon III and IV Opening Animations are two short, anime, 8 mm films that were produced for the 1981 Daicon III and 1983 Daicon IV Nihon SF Taikai conventions. They were produced by a group of amateur animators known as Daicon Film, who would later go on to form the animation studio Gainax. The films are known for their unusually high production values for amateur works and for including numerous references to otaku culture, as well as its unauthorized appropriations of the Playboy Bunny costume. Usage of the songs “Runaway” by Bill Conti as well as "Twilight" and "Hold on Tight" by English rock band Electric Light Orchestra were also unauthorized.
WDiebuster, also known as Aim for the Top 2! and Gunbuster 2, is a six-episode original video animation series directed by Kazuya Tsurumaki, written by Yōji Enokido and animated by Gainax. It was created to commemorate the studio's 20th anniversary in 2004, and it is a sequel to their 1988 OVA Gunbuster.
WThe End of Evangelion is a 1997 Japanese animated science fiction psychological drama film written and co-directed by Hideaki Anno and animated by Gainax and Production I.G. The film serves as a parallel ending to the anime television series Neon Genesis Evangelion, aired until 1996, which ended with two episodes that became a source of controversy. Shortly before its release, Hideaki Anno and the Gainax studio produced a feature film called Neon Genesis Evangelion: Death & Rebirth, consisting of a summary of the first twenty-four episodes of the series and a short preview of the work. Like Death & Rebirth, The End of Evangelion was conceived by the creators to be divided into two parts, called "Episode 25': Love Is Destructive" and "Episode 26': I Need You," remakes of the last two episodes of the original television series. In 1998 the two feature films, partially overlapping, were linked by eliminating the part in common and reissued under the name of Revival of Evangelion.
WFLCL is an original video animation (OVA) anime series created and directed by Kazuya Tsurumaki, written by Yōji Enokido, and produced by the FLCL Production Committee, which consisted of Gainax, Production I.G, and King Records. FLCL is a story following Naota Nandaba, a twelve-year-old boy whose suburban life is disturbed by the arrival of the mysterious Haruko Haruhara.
WGunbuster, known in Japan as Aim for the Top! , is a Japanese OVA anime series produced by Gainax released from 1988 to 1989. It was the directorial debut of Hideaki Anno, best known as the creator and director of Neon Genesis Evangelion. The title is a combination of the titles of classic tennis manga and anime Aim for the Ace! and hit action drama film Top Gun, whose plot inspired Gunbuster's. To celebrate Gainax's 20th anniversary in 2004, an official sequel to Gunbuster, Diebuster, was released as an OVA. The sequel features new characters and mecha, but retains the format and many of the concepts of the original series.
WGurren Lagann, known in Japan as Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann , is a Japanese mecha anime television series animated by Gainax and co-produced by Aniplex and Konami. It ran for 27 episodes on TV Tokyo between April and September 2007. It was directed by Hiroyuki Imaishi and written by veteran playwright Kazuki Nakashima. Gurren Lagann takes place in a fictional future where Earth is ruled by the Spiral King, Lordgenome, who forces mankind to live in isolated subterranean villages. The plot focuses on two teenagers, Simon and Kamina, who live in a subterranean village and wish to go to the surface. Using a mecha known as Lagann, Simon and Kamina reach the surface and start fighting alongside other humans against Lordgenome's forces, before fighting the forces of their true enemy.
WHanamaru Kindergarten is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yuto and published by Square Enix. The series follows Anzu, a kindergarten girl who is in love with her teacher and tries to win his affection but always fails. It has been adapted into an anime television series animated by Gainax and broadcast in Japan from January to March 2010.
WHe Is My Master is a Japanese manga series written by Mattsuu and illustrated by Asu Tsubaki, a formerly married couple. It originally ran in Monthly Shōnen Gangan from February 2002 to February 2007. It was adapted into an anime television series by Gainax and Shaft in 2005.
WShinji Higuchi is a Japanese filmmaker and anime storyboard artist, and one of the top special effects supervisors in Japan, best known in the west for his work on Shusuke Kaneko's Gamera trilogy in the 1990s. He works on both anime and tokusatsu projects.
WHonō no Tenkōsei is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kazuhiko Shimamoto. It was serialized in the Shogakukan manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Sunday from 1983 to 1985. Honō no Tenkōsei was adapted into a two-episode original video animation (OVA) anime series in 1991 by Gainax. A live-action series, titled Blazing Transfer Students, premiered on Netflix in 2017.
WK.O. Beast, known in Japan as K.O. Century Beast Warriors , is an anime series.
WKare Kano is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masami Tsuda. It was serialized in LaLa from 1996 to 2005 and collected in 21 tankōbon volumes by Hakusensha. It depicts the romance between "perfect" student Yukino Miyazawa and her academic rival Soichiro Arima, and the relationships of several of their friends.
WMagica Wars is a media franchise created by the internet television variety show 2.5 Jigen Terebi. It consists of an iOS game titled Magica Wars Lock-On which was released on December 20, 2013; a free-to-play smartphone browser game by DMM Games titled Magica Wars Tactics, released in January 2014; a PlayStation Vita game was released on March 27, 2014; and an anime television series by Gainax that aired on April 8, 2014.
WMagical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi is a Japanese anime television series created by Gainax, with animation produced by Gainax and Madhouse, and directed by Hiroyuki Yamaga. It was broadcast for thirteen episodes on Kids Station from April to June 2002. The series was licensed for English release in North America by ADV Films.
WMahjong Hishō-den: Naki no Ryū is a Japanese mahjong-themed manga series written and illustrated by Junichi Nojo. It was serialized in Takeshobo's Bessatsu Kindai Mahjong between 1985 and 1990. It was adapted into a three-episode original video animation (OVA) between 1988 and 1990.
WMahoromatic is a Japanese manga series written by Bunjūrō Nakayama and illustrated by Bow Ditama. The series follows Mahoro, a female android former soldier who, driven by guilt from her actions during her combat days, decides to dedicate the rest of her life to serving the son of her late commander as a maid. Originally serialized by Wani Books in Comic Gum magazine between 1998 and 2004, it was also compiled into eight tankōbon volumes.
WMedaka Box is a Japanese manga series written by Nisio Isin and illustrated by Akira Akatsuki. The series follows Medaka Kurokami, Zenkichi Hitoyoshi, Kouki Akune and Mogana Kikaijima, who are the members of the student council, during their various adventures to honor suggestions presented by academy members in order to better the academy. Medaka Box was serialized in Shueisha's shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump between May 2009 and April 2013, with its chapters collected in twenty-two tankōbon volumes.
WThe Melody of Oblivion is a 2004 Japanese anime television series planned by Gainax and animated by J.C.Staff. The series originally aired between April 7, 2004 and September 21, 2004 on TBS.
WThe Mystic Archives of Dantalian is a Japanese light novel series written by Gakuto Mikumo and illustrated by G-Yuusuke. The series started serialization in Kadokawa Shoten's light novel magazine The Sneaker on February 29, 2008. A manga adaptation by Chako Abeno started serialization in Kadokawa Shoten's shōnen manga magazine Shōnen Ace on March 26, 2010. Another manga adaptation by Monaco Sena started serialization in Kadokawa Shoten's seinen manga magazine Comp Ace on March 26, 2010. A 12-episode anime adaptation by Gainax aired between July and October, 2011.
WNadia: The Secret of Blue Water is a Japanese anime television series inspired by the works of Jules Verne, particularly Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea and the exploits of Captain Nemo. The series was created by NHK, Toho and Korad, from a concept of Hayao Miyazaki, and directed by Hideaki Anno of Gainax.
WNadia: The Secret of Blue Water is a Japan-exclusive multiplatform video game released from 1991 to 1993. It is based on the anime series Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water.
WNeon Genesis Evangelion is a Japanese mecha anime television series produced by Gainax and animated by Tatsunoko, directed by Hideaki Anno and broadcast on TV Tokyo from October 1995 to March 1996. The cast included Megumi Ogata as Shinji Ikari, Kotono Mitsuishi as Misato Katsuragi, Megumi Hayashibara as Rei Ayanami, and Yūko Miyamura as Asuka Langley Soryu. Music for the series was composed by Shirō Sagisu.
WNeon Genesis Evangelion: Girlfriend of Steel , also known as Neon Genesis Evangelion: Iron Maiden, is a video game based on the Gainax anime/manga series Neon Genesis Evangelion, released officially only in Japan for the PlayStation, Sega Saturn, PlayStation 2, PSP, Windows (PC), and Macintosh. On January 20, 2005, a legacy game titled Neon Genesis Evangelion: Girlfriend of Steel 2nd was released for the PlayStation 2. While it does feature much of the cast of the original game, the story is unrelated to the original's.
WNeon Genesis Evangelion: Girlfriend of Steel 2nd , subtitled in English Neon Genesis Evangelion: Iron Maiden 2nd, is a Gainax-produced adventure anime-style video game, and manga based on that game, set in the alternate universe seen in episode 26 of Neon Genesis Evangelion. The player controls Shinji Ikari, the hero of the original Evangelion series, as he navigates his home, school, and social life in a now-peaceful "Tokyo-3".
WOruchuban Ebichu (おるちゅばんエビちゅ) is a Japanese manga series by Risa Itō. that was published by Futabasha Publishers. It first ran through Shufutoseikatsusha magazine Giga&chan, beginning in the 1990 and next moving to Action Pizazz, publication by Futabasha.
WOtaku no Video is a 1991 anime spoofing the life and culture of otaku, individuals with obsessive interests in media, particularly anime and manga, as well as the history of Gainax, its creators. It is noted for its mix of conventional documentary film styles, with a more traditional anime storytelling fashion. It is licensed in the United States by AnimEigo. The DAICON III and IV Opening Animations from the early eighties are also featured in this OVA.
WPanty & Stocking with Garterbelt is a Japanese anime television series produced by Gainax, as well as a series of tie-in media developed around it. The series ran from October to December 2010 on BS Nittele. In English-speaking areas, the series has been licensed by Funimation for distribution in North America, and Manga Entertainment for the United Kingdom.
WPetite Princess Yucie is an anime series, which was produced by Gainax, aired from 2002 to 2003, and ran for 26 episodes. The story centers on Yucie, a 17-year-old who is trapped in a 10-year-old's body, and follows her and her friends, all of whom are designated as Platinum Princess candidates. A Platinum Princess receives the Eternal Tiara, which grants any wish, but only to the one it judges worthy and only one wish. The anime was licensed by ADV Films in North America. As of September 1, 2009, the series is now licensed by ADV's successor, AEsir Holdings; with distribution from Section23 Films.
WPrincess Maker (プリンセスメーカー) is a series of social simulation bishōjo games where the player must act as a parental figure and raise a young girl. The series was produced by the video game and anime production company Gainax. The first Princess Maker, while popular enough to be translated into Chinese, was never released in the United States. Princess Maker 2 was translated by SoftEgg for a North American release, but this release was cancelled because publisher Intracorp went bankrupt. Princess Maker 3, Princess Maker 4, and Princess Maker 5 have subsequently been released, as did several spin-off games. The series has been translated and released in Korea (Fujitsu) and Taiwan (Kingformation). An English release of Princess Maker 2 was attempted in mid-90s, but it resulted in failure, and no games in this series were released in English until Princess Maker 2 Refine in 2016. Petite Princess Yucie, an anime series loosely based on the third game but with characters from all previous games, ran for 26 episodes in 2002–2003.
WPrincess Maker 5 is the fifth game from the main Princess Maker series originally released for Microsoft Windows in 2007. A PlayStation 2 versions of the game followed in 2008. That version includes various Gainax references, such as the use of Neon Genesis Evangelion and Gurren Lagann costumes. A PlayStation Portable version was also released in 2008.
WRe: Cutie Honey is a three-episode OVA series based on the 2004 tokusatsu (live-action) film Cutie Honey, both being adaptations of the 1970s manga written and illustrated by Go Nagai. The series was co-produced with Gainax and Toei Animation, directed by Hideaki Anno, and shown on the Animax satellite television network in 2004. The first episode aired on July 24, two months after the live-action film was released. DVD releases for each episode followed, with the first released on September 21. The series tells the same story as the film, but contains nudity and additional character development.
WRoyal Space Force: The Wings of Honnêamise is a 1987 Japanese animated science fiction film written and directed by Hiroyuki Yamaga, co-produced by Hiroaki Inoue and Hiroyuki Sueyoshi, and planned by Toshio Okada and Shigeru Watanabe. Ryuichi Sakamoto, later to share the Academy Award for the soundtrack to The Last Emperor, served as music director. The film's story takes place on an alternate world where a disengaged young man, Shirotsugh, inspired by an idealistic woman named Riquinni, volunteers to become the first astronaut, a decision that draws them into both public and personal conflict. The film was the debut work of anime studio Gainax, whose later television and movie series Neon Genesis Evangelion would achieve international recognition, and was the first anime produced by toy and game manufacturer Bandai, eventually to become one of Japan's top anime video companies.
WYoshiyuki Sadamoto is a Japanese character designer, manga artist, and one of the founding members of the Gainax anime studio.
WStella Women's Academy, High School Division Class C3 (Japanese: 特例措置団体ステラ女学院高等科Ｃ3部, Hepburn: Tokurei Sochi Dantai Sutera Jo-Gakuin Kōtō-ka Shīkyūbu, lit. "Preferential Measure Organization Stella Women's Academy, High School Division Class C3"), also known by the abbreviation C3-Bu (C3部, Shīkyūbu), is a manga series written by Ikoma and illustrated by Tomomoka Midori. The manga, which is a follow-up to the 2010 web manga series Tokurei Sochi Dantai Stella Jo-Gakuin Chūtō-ka C3-Bu, was published in Kodansha's Monthly Young Magazine from May 2012 to December 2013. An anime television adaptation by Gainax aired in Japan between July and September 2013.
WThis Ugly yet Beautiful World is a Japanese anime television series created by Shouji Saeki and Hiroyuki Yamaga. It was animated by Gainax and Shaft.
WUru in Blue , also known as Blue Uru, is an unproduced Japanese animated science fiction film project by Gainax intended as a sequel to their 1987 film Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honnêamise. Aoki Uru was originally planned to be directed by Hideaki Anno and scripted by Hiroyuki Yamaga, with Yoshiyuki Sadamoto serving as its chief animation director and character designer. During 1992–93, the Aoki Uru creative team produced a complete storyboard, a partial script, and a large collection of designs and pre-production art for the film; however, the project had been initiated without a secured budget, and its development occurred within a period of personal, financial, and managerial crises at Gainax that contributed to the indefinite suspension of work on Aoki Uru in July 1993.
WWish Upon the Pleiades is an original net animation series produced by Gainax in collaboration with Japanese automaker Subaru. The series was released on YouTube in four parts on February 1, 2011, with the English-subtitled version appearing six days later. An anime television series aired in Japan between April and June 2015.
WHiroyuki Yamaga is a Japanese anime director and producer, and a founding member of the animation studio Gainax. He is best known for directing the film Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honnêamise (1987) at age 24, directing Mahoromatic (2001), Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi (2002), and an episode of Gurren Lagann (2007). Yamaga also wrote the screenplay for Gundam 0080 (1989).