Neon Genesis Evangelion creator Hideaki Anno's studio, Khara, has released an official statement regarding Gainax filing for bankruptcy. The statement provides some extra context to the recent news, including Khara's perspective on previously-ignored but deep-rooted Gainax issues.

Following Gainax's bankruptcy, Khara released its statement on June 7 documenting the events from its own perspective. Anno had shared several concerns about Gainax's debt and poor management that were ignored for years, with Khara even propping up the studio with loans. The statement goes on to read, "However, Gainax's situation did not change, and the situation continued to worsen, culminating in the arrest of the then-presidential director in 2019 on a criminal offense unrelated to the operation of the company."

Evangelion Creator Hideaki Anno Asked for Help From Studio Trigger, Kadokawa and More

To remedy this, Anno sought cooperation from Kadokawa, King Records Co., Ltd. and Trigger Inc. "to prevent reputational damage to works like Evangelion and others." The statement suggests that by this point, Gainax was an empty shell rocked with debts but still held onto important IP. Anno's assembled group "at the very least" sought to "resolve unpaid payments to studios, writers, and creators within the animation industry, and prevent the loss of intellectual property and documents." This work continues even after Gainax's bankruptcy, with the management team working on transferring the rights to the most suitable parties. "Finally, we are very sad that an animation studio with a history of nearly 40 years has come to an end like this," the statement concludes.

Anime Studio Khara Previously Sued Gainax & Threatened Other Legal Action

Despite Khara's support, propping up Gainax for several years, things were far from rosy between Anno and his former studio. Khara had successfully sued Gainax over unpaid royalties. Following the Gainax president's arrest, several media outlets immediately attempted to connect him to Evangelion, prompting a rapid statement from Khara. Khara denied any link with the then-president and threatened legal action against media outlets who persisted in associating them, as it would "damage the brand value of our company and our works, and infringe on the honor and reputation of the creators involved in the production of our works."

Gainax has been among the most influential studios in anime, producing major historically and culturally impactful works like Evangelion, Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water, Gurren Lagann and many more. Its successors include Khara and Studio Trigger, following Anno and Hiroyuki Imaishi's exits, respectively.

Source: Khara