ACAD 309 - Studio Trigger

Describe the origins of Gainax

• What was its first commercial work?

• founded in the early 1980s by Osaka University of Arts students

  • Hideaki Anno

  • Yoshiyuki Sadamoto

  • Shinji Higuchi

• started as “Daicon Film” but rebranded to Gainax (combines a local term for "giant" and the internationalizing "-x" suffix)

• first commercial work: Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honnêamise

  • sci-fi epic influenced by Nausicaä's success

  • poor marketing choice and post-production troubles; mixed critical response

  • strongly championed by Mamoru Oshii despite box office failure

What is said to have led to the creation of Neon Genesis Evangelion?

the failure of Royal Space Force

How exactly was NGE created?

• What went down during its production?

• greenlit after Hideaki Anno pitched the idea to King Records (Kodansha)

• production was chaotic and iterative:

  • scope changed drastically during development

  • tight schedule caused compromises and last-minute changes

  • resulted in a show constantly reworked and reinterpreted over decades

How did NGE backfire on Gainax?

a tax fraud investigation led to the conviction of the studio’s president and accountant

What is Gurren Lagann?

• directed by Hiroyuki Imaishi

• defined early Studio Trigger aesthetics:

  • bold lines, frantic and exaggerated animation

  • anarchic tone and postmodern play with anime tropes

  • grapples with post-history and the limits of mecha anime tradition

• although it was critically acclaimed, backlash on 2chan led to Takami Akai’s (co-founder of Gainax) resignation

What is Studio Trigger?

• What is it well-known for?

• co-founded as a spiritual successor to Gainax, emphasizing full creative freedom after the success of GL

• first TV anime was Kill la Kill

• known for:

  • explosive animation, stylized visuals

  • narrative experimentation and genre mashups

  • emphasis on international outreach and new funding models

What is Studio Trigger’s current standing on working conditions?

• initially plagued by common industry labor issues

• post-COVID, Trigger has taken steps to improve working conditions

• Imaishi has become a vocal advocate for better industry standards—though concrete results are still unclear

What is Kill la Kill?

• Why was it important?

• What were its themes?

• directed by Hiroyuki Imaishi

• importance:

  • played a major role in the rise of Crunchyroll and streaming-based anime fandom in the U.S.

  • helped define Trigger’s brand

• themes:

  • tonal shift from the 90s, from self-serious realism to→ exaggerated maximalism

  • fast, bold, and colorful

  • blends multiple genres such as magical girl, delinquent heroine, battle shonen, etc.

  • self-reflexive

  • radicalizes Go Nagai by politicizing sex, violence, and rebellion