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Hideaki Anno is a brilliant Japanese animator and director who worked on a wide variety of projects over the past decades and animated and directed unforgettable action, sci-fi, and fantasy animes as well as some of the best slice-of-life anime shows. His anime movies and series inspired viewers and other anime artists and became some of the most iconic and successful anime of all time.
7 Sugar Sugar Rune
Sugar Sugar Rune is a charming and feel-good magical girl anime show that provides fun for the whole family. Hideaki Anno directed many episodes of this colorful and charming fantasy anime that takes its viewers on a magic and mysteries-filled ride.
Sugar Sugar Rune has a cute art style and hilarious characters and entertaining stories with heartwarming slice-of-life anime moments. The series also has great character development and its story follows two best friends, Chocola and Vanilla, who compete against each other until one of them becomes the next queen. So, the two young witches are sent to earth where they’ll have tocapture the hearts of boys.
6 Re: Cutie Honey
Re: Cutie Honey is one of Hideaki Anno’s most underrated sci-fi anime that’s actually a thoroughly entertaining and hilarious anime with a powerful superheroine. It’s a cheeky comedy sci-fi anime with a unique and fun art style and laugh-out-loud funny characters. It’s short but memorable and provides its viewers with a unique experience.
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Re: Cutie Honey is also one of Hideaki Anno’s least-known anime that has a live-action version too, titled Cutie Honey. This short anime follows the adventures of Honey a superheroine who can transform into a powerful warrior thanks to her necklace. She uses her supernatural abilities to fight evil in Tokyo.
5 Petite Princess Yucie
Petite Princess Yucie is another charming and entertaining anime by Hideaki Anno that’s perfect for the whole family. This fun fantasy anime has wholesome slice-of-life moments as well as one of the greatest anime princesses and many of the episodes were directed by Hideaki Anno.
It’s one of the cutest magical girl anime shows with great character development and a unique story. Petite Princess Yucie’s story follows a teen girl who is stuck in a ten-year-old girl’s body. She decides to enter a princess competition and try to defeat all other princesses from different realms including hell, heavens, spirit, and the fairy world while representing the human world.
4 Nadia: The Secret of Blue Waters
Nadia: The Secret of Blue Waters is one of the most epic and mythical adventure anime shows by Hideaki Anno that was inspired by Jules Verne’s famous novel, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. It’s a fun anime that takes its viewers on fantastical and mysteries-filled adventures.
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Nadia: The Secret of Blue Waters has a classically charming art style, emotional stories, brilliant action scenes, and well-crafted world-building, as well as interesting characters. The story follows the adventures of Jean, a young inventor, and Nadia a mysterious acrobat. Together they embark on a journey to uncover dark mysteries and save the world.
3 Gunbuster
Gunbuster is one of Hideaki Anno’s most beloved giant robot anime shows with an adrenalin-boosting story and epic action scenes. It’s perfect for those who love bing-worthy mecha and space anime shows with unforgettable space battles.
While Gunbuster is an older anime it has beautiful animation as well as relatable and motivational characters. Its story follows the adventures of Noriko, a young pilot and the daughter of a respected space captain. Despite her low school performance Noriko is selected to pilot a gigantic robot and protect Earth in a space war, so she embarks on a dangerous journey to improve and prove herself.
2 His and Her Circumstances
His and Her Circumstances is one of the most moving romance anime shows with some hilarious scenes. It’s one of the best school anime series with relatable characters and a fairly unique romance story. It’s perfect for those anime lovers who want to enjoy a feel-good slice-of-life anime with romance, comedy, and a lovely animation style.
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Most of His and Her Circumstances episodes were directed by Hideaki Anno and its story follows a group of teenagers and their daily life in a high school. While most of the stories focus on romance the episodes also deal with friendship issues and other personal problems in a wholesome and inspiring way.
1 Neon Genesis Evangelion: The End of Evangelion
The Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise is without a doubt Hideaki Anno’s most popular and beloved animes. Neon Genesis Evangelion: The End of Evangelion is one of the greatest cyberpunk anime that’s praised by fans and critics alike as an anime masterpiece. This iconic anime has stunning visuals, brilliantly crafted characters, and enchanting music.
Neon Genesis Evangelion: The End of Evangelion’s story follows the adventures of a group of teenagers called Shinji, Rei, and Asuka. They all pilot a gigantic robot called Evangelion and have to deal with all sorts of difficult issues including the Human Instrumentality Project that merges human souls into a single divine entity. Neon Genesis Evangelion is a must-watch mecha anime for anime fans who love thought-provoking stories and breathtaking visuals.
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