Evangelion's Anno Teams Up with Industry Icons for New Social Media Platform

Hideaki Anno, the creator behind the legendary Neon Genesis Evangelion series, has announced an ambitious new project that extends far beyond anime. The acclaimed director is teaming up with an impressive lineup of Japanese entertainment and tech figures to develop a new social media platform.

The collaboration includes musician Gackt, known for his work in both J-rock and anime theme songs, alongside Makoto Tezuka, son of the "God of Manga" Osamu Tezuka. Also joining the project are the founders of 2channel and Niconico, two platforms that have been instrumental in shaping Japanese internet culture and anime fandom.

What makes this announcement particularly intriguing is the team's positioning of their platform as the "last social media service made by humans before the AI era." This suggests they're planning something that emphasizes human creativity and connection in response to the growing presence of artificial intelligence in digital spaces.

While details remain scarce, the combination of Anno's creative vision with the digital expertise of 2channel and Niconico's founders hints at a platform that could be specifically tailored to creative communities. Both 2channel and Niconico have played crucial roles in anime culture - Niconico in particular became famous for user-generated content and real-time comments on videos.

Anno's involvement is especially noteworthy given his recent completion of the Rebuild of Evangelion film series. This venture into social media represents a fascinating new direction for the filmmaker who has consistently pushed boundaries throughout his career.

No launch date or additional details have been revealed yet.