The creator of “Neon Genesis Evangelion“, Hideaki Ano, highlighted the possibility of a sequel to the iconic franchisealthough he stated that it could even be executed by someone other than him.

Anno sat down to talk about his career and his new exhibition in Nagoya, Japan. When asked if he wanted to make Evangelion sequels or if he wanted someone else to do them, he replied: “Hmm, there might be something to that. The prospect of an Evangelion sequel made by someone other than me could exist. I haven't decided yet, or rather, it's better for the work that there be a high degree of freedom. Whether it's commercially viable or interesting will depend on the content. It's not that I'm saying I won't do another one again or anything like that.».

While an Evangelion sequel would undoubtedly spark great interest among fans, other responses from Anno in the same interview suggest that he would not be the one to direct it. Anno is currently working on a special project for the anniversary of “Space Battleship Yamato” and says it represents a break from filmmaking. He added that he was “mentally and physically devastated” by releasing back-to-back films, after having made “Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time” in 2021, “Shin Ultraman” in 2022 and “Shin Kamen Rider” in 2023. Anno is known in the industry for his high standards and for being involved in every aspect of a title.

“Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time” is the final chapter in the franchise, marking the end of the “Rebuild of Evangelion” tetralogy. A 2021 interview suggested that any sequel would not be a sequel to 3.0+1.0, with Anno saying: “At this point, I don't feel like I'm going to continue the story where I left off.».

While the news of an eventual return of “Neon Genesis Evangelion” should have been unanimously taken as positive, In reality, there were negative reactions because fans considered that there was nothing more to tell.:

• «Shouldn't this be over by now?».
• «No matter how much time passes, it seems that Evangelion always returns».
• «Given that Rebuild of Evangelion messed up a lot of things from the original, is it trying to redeem itself?».
• «Studio Khara employees need to eat, it is much more prolific to continue releasing Evangelion installments than new projects that do not know if they will be well received or not, as is the case with Kaiju No. 8».
• «A sequel to Rebuild of Evangelion is impossible, isn't it? Are we going to start over with Shinji's arrival in Tokyo?».
• «This is amazing. It's like betraying the fans' expectations.».
• «I think it still has popularity among pachinko users.».
• «I think they want to create generations like Mobile Suit Gundam».
• «We all think the same, they definitely only do it for the money, not for the love of the franchise.».

Source: Yaraon!

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