Gainax
Gainax Co., Ltd. (stylized as GAINAX; Japanese: 株式会社ガイナックス, Hepburn: Kabushiki-gaisha Gainakkusu) is a Japanese anime studio famous for productions such as Neon Genesis Evangelion, Royal Space Force, Gunbuster, Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water, Kare Kano, FLCL, Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi, and Gurren Lagann, which have garnered critical acclaim and commercial success. Evangelion has reportedly grossed over ¥150 billion, or approximately US$1.2 billion. In a discussion at the 2006 Tekkoshocon, Matt Greenfield claimed that Evangelion had grossed over US$2 billion; Takeda reiterated in 2002 that "It sold record numbers of laserdiscs in Japan, and the DVD is still selling well today", as well as for their association with award-winning anime director and studio co-founder Hideaki Anno. The company is headquartered in Koganei, Tokyo.
Native name | 株式会社ガイナックス |
|---|---|
Romanized name | Kabushiki-gaisha Gainakkusu |
| Company type | Kabushiki-gaisha |
| Industry | Animation (anime) |
| Predecessor | Daicon Film |
| Founded | December 24, 1984 |
| Founders | Hideaki Anno Yoshiyuki Sadamoto Hiroyuki Yamaga Takami Akai Toshio Okada Yasuhiro Takeda Shinji Higuchi |
| Successors | Gaina Studio Trigger Studio Khara |
| Headquarters | Musashino, Tokyo , |
Key people | Yasuhiro Kamimura Yuko Takaishi Atsushi Moriyama Yoshiki Usa Nobuhiko Hayashi |
| Products | Royal Space Force Gunbuster Nadia Neon Genesis Evangelion FLCL Gurren Lagann |
Number of employees | 18 |
| Subsidiaries |
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| Website | gainax.co.jp |
Until Neon Genesis Evangelion, Gainax typically worked on stories created in-house, but the studio has increasingly developed anime adaptations of existing manga like Kareshi Kanojo no Jijou and Mahoromatic. Series produced by Gainax are often known for their controversial twist endings. The Animage Anime Grand Prix has been awarded to Gainax for Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water in 1991, Neon Genesis Evangelion in 1995 and 1996, and The End of Evangelion in 1997.