Sometime in 1999, after Neon Genesis Evangelion finished and during the pre-production of KareKano, Evangelion’s directory Hideaki Anno appeared on a TV show on N.H.K. called “Welcome Back for an Extracurricular Lesson, Sempai!”, which features Japanese celebrities revisiting their old stomping grounds and teaches a class in their old primary school. In this episode, Anno returns to Ube, a factory town in Yamaguchi Prefecture, to teach kids about animation.
Along the way, he talks a bit about himself, about Evangelion, about art, and about the town he grew up in. This is particularly interesting when one considers that he has just come from a dark time in his life, especially right after the success/controversy caused by Evangelion. One of the first things he admits in the show is how he is deathly afraid of children, as he is about to walk into a classroom filled with them and meeting them for the first time. From time to time, it seems like Anno is being quick with his replies to questions, yet sometimes it’s clear that he’s enjoying himself.
