Summary
In an unfortunate but expected turn of events,Studio Gainaxhas announced that they will be filing for bankruptcy. Although the studio has been active for almost 40 years making incredible anime such asNeon Genesis Evangelionand asserting itself as one of Japan’s powerhouse anime studios, mismanagement and massive debt have brought the studio to its knees.
Gainax released a press statementinforming shareholders and fans of the studio’s works about the successful petition for bankruptcy and the reasons that led to this circumstance. The news was broken online by Manga Mogura and other anime news accounts.
Since 2012, Gainax has been riddled with poor management, lawsuits, controversies, and a lack of new anime in production. This unfortunate outcome has been a long time coming.Evangelion’s creator Hideaki Anno, who moved on to fund his own Studio Khara,has spoken openly about his issues with Gainaxand the poor management of the company.
Neon Genesis Evangelion Creator Teases a Sequel Series That Could be Radically Different
A recent interview with Hideaki Anno suggested that more Evangelion could come one day, but what that sequel might look like could be a real mystery.
Gainax Has Been a Sinking Ship For a Long Time
Gainax Wrote the History of Anime, Recent Years Have Seen Its Downfall
The cultural phenomenon,Neon Genesis Evangelion, is their best and most popular work, and the franchise is worth more than $1.2 billion. Gainax also produced other iconic anime such asGurren Lagann, a sci-fi masterpiece whose rights were then bought by Studio Trigger in 2021, another studio founded by former Gainax employees.Studio Gainax also produced memorable works, likeFLCL,Panty and Stocking,Mahoromatic,Gunbuster,Royal Space Force, and many others.
Gainax specialized in in-house original works but they did the occasional manga adaptation. Gainax’s downfall began in 2016, when Khara and Anno sued them for 100 million Yen in unpaid royalties. Repeated attempts at restructuring and rebranding the company evidently failed.Gainaxwill remain in the annals of animation as a trailblazing company that nurtured many talents, and while it’s unfortunate to see it gone forever, this conclusion was a long time coming.
