Hideaki Anno on Anime’s Overseas Expansion: Audiences Must Adapt to Us

Forbes Japan recently spoke with Neon Genesis Evangelion director Hideaki Anno and Godzilla Minus One director Takashi Yamazaki regarding the global expansion of Japanese entertainment and how creators view overseas audiences.

Despite the rapid growth of Japanese media abroad, the 65 year old director said his creative approach has not changed.  The global market for Japanese content has nearly tripled over the past decade, reaching approximately 5.8 trillion yen in 2023. Even so, Anno emphasized that he does not create his works with foreign markets in mind.

“The actual production process hasn’t changed that much, consciously speaking,” Anno said. “The environment might have changed, but I myself have never consciously made works with overseas audiences in mind. I can only make domestic works. Movie companies are quick to say ‘overseas,’ but I don’t aim for that myself.”

Anno explained that his primary focus remains on what resonates with audiences in Japan. If his works are embraced internationally, he considers that an unintended outcome rather than a goal.

“My basic stance is to focus first and foremost on what resonates domestically, on what people here find interesting,” he said. “If people overseas find it interesting, that’s a bonus.”

Discussing the nature of Japanese storytelling, Anno noted that his creative thinking is rooted in the Japanese language, making direct adaptation difficult.

“My thoughts are in Japanese,” Anno said. “Works created through Japanese thought are difficult to fully understand in any language other than Japanese. Visual media may reduce language barriers through imagery and music, but the dialogue is in Japanese, and the drama is driven by emotions formed through Japanese ways of thinking.”

As a result, Anno stated that he does not believe creators should modify their works to suit Western audiences.

“I believe it can be accepted overseas by those who understand that,” he said. “But we can’t adapt it for them. I’m sorry, but we ask the audience to adapt to us.”

Anno also referenced Studio Ghibli and its approach to filmmaking, noting that its works are similarly created with domestic audiences in mind.

“Studio Ghibli creates domestically, and I don’t think Miyazaki-san gives overseas audiences any thought,” Anno said. “That can be handled later. Let the people focused on business convert the work into a product and sell it.”