When Hideaki Anno Went Back to School: The Evangelion Creator's 1999 Lesson in Ube

In 1999, Hideaki Anno, the creator of Neon Genesis Evangelion, did something few fans would have expected. He went back to his old elementary school in Ube, a factory town in Yamaguchi Prefecture, 26 years after graduating. There, in front of a classroom of children who knew him mainly as the man behind Evangelion, he answered their questions about his life, let them interview his family and friends, and taught them how animation works.

It was not an easy day for him. Anno admitted he was terrified of children and had little confidence in himself. Yet the lesson, filmed for the NHK program Kagai Jugyō Yōkoso Senpai, revealed a warmer and far more vulnerable side of one of anime's most private creators.

Hideaki Anno's School Visit at a Glance

• Who: Hideaki Anno, director of Neon Genesis Evangelion
• When: Broadcast in 1999, reportedly in October
• Where: Unoshima Elementary School in Ube, Yamaguchi Prefecture, the school Anno attended as a boy
• Program: Kagai Jugyō Yōkoso Senpai ("Extracurricular Lesson: Welcome, Senpai") on NHK
• Episode theme: Deai o Anime de Kiroku Shiyō, or "Let's Record Our Encounter in Animation"
• What happened: The children interviewed Anno, his parents and his childhood friends, then learned animation basics and made an animated film about Anno as a sixth grader

What Was "Yōkoso Senpai"?

Kagai Jugyō Yōkoso Senpai was a long-running NHK series that aired from 1998 to 2016. In every episode, a well-known figure from the worlds of art, science, sports, music or business returned to the elementary school they had attended as a child. There they led a special hands-on lesson in their field and talked to the children about the road that led them to their career.

The word senpai refers to someone senior to you at school or work. In this case, the "senpai" was a famous former pupil coming home to teach the next generation.

Anno in 1999: Life After Evangelion

To understand why this episode feels so special, it helps to know where Anno was in his life in 1999.

Born on May 22, 1960, in Ube, Anno had become one of the most talked about creators in Japan. Neon Genesis Evangelion aired in 1995 and 1996 and became a cultural phenomenon, followed by the film The End of Evangelion in 1997. By 1999 he had moved on to new projects, including his first live-action film, Love & Pop (1998), and the anime series His and Her Circumstances (Kare Kano, 1998 to 1999).

Anno had also spoken publicly about the depression he went through in the years before Evangelion, and much of the series' emotional intensity is often linked to that period of his life. He was known as intense, private and reserved, not exactly the kind of person you would picture in front of a class of elementary school children.

Back to Ube, 26 Years Later

Ube is an industrial city on the coast of the Seto Inland Sea, shaped by chemical plants, factories and the infrastructure that powers them. Anno grew up here during Japan's period of rapid economic growth. He attended Unoshima Elementary School and graduated in the early 1970s, 26 years before the cameras followed him back through its doors.

For the program, the school became the setting for a special lesson, with Anno working closely with a single class of students from start to finish.

A Famous Creator Who Was Afraid of Children

What makes this episode so memorable is how honest Anno was about his nerves. According to reviews of the broadcast, the producers had to use some persuasion to get him to take part at all. Before walking into the classroom to meet the children for the first time, he admitted that he was deathly afraid of them.

As the lesson went on, he kept opening up. In lines translated from the broadcast, he told the children, "I don't have any confidence," and admitted, "I'm not crazy about myself." For a creator whose work had just changed the anime industry, it was a surprisingly frank confession, and one that mirrors many of the themes of Evangelion itself: self-doubt, fear of other people and the difficult work of connecting with them.

At times he answered questions quickly and bluntly. At other times he was clearly enjoying himself. By the end of the program, viewers could see a much more relaxed Anno, even playing around with the camera equipment while the children worked on their animations.

How the Children Imagined Anno

Before meeting him, the students were asked to draw and describe what they thought Anno would be like. Since most of them knew him only through Evangelion, the results varied wildly. Some pictured him as a character from a shōjo manga, while others imagined something closer to a 1950s robot.

It was a playful start, but also a clever one. The gap between the imagined creator and the real person became the thread running through the whole lesson.

Interviewing His Parents and Childhood Friends

Next, the children split into groups and set out to learn who Anno really was. One group traveled to interview his parents, while another met his childhood friends.

The stories they brought back painted a picture of a very human boy:

• He showed real talent for painting at a young age, but was once rejected from a painting contest.
• He was not athletic, according to his father.
• A childhood friend remembered how much he loved watching the stars.
• He went to see a Mobile Suit Gundam show on a rooftop, a classic childhood memory for his generation.
• His mother described him as stubborn.

Anno himself shared memories of his hometown and talked about one of his lifelong fascinations: utility poles, power lines and man-made structures in the landscape.

The Animation Lesson

The heart of the program was a real animation lesson. Anno introduced the children to the basics of hand-drawn animation using light boxes, starting with one of the first exercises every animator learns: the bouncing ball. By drawing a ball frame by frame, the children discovered how movement, timing and weight are created one drawing at a time.

Then came their final assignment. Using everything they had learned from the interviews, each child made a short animation about Anno as a sixth grader. The individual pieces were combined into one continuous film, a class portrait of the boy he had once been.

Anno was visibly delighted with the result. He also shared a piece of advice that goes far beyond animation. Real life, he explained, is not like a school test with one right answer. Instead, he told the children to "think about things on your own and express them in words or pictures. That's how you communicate with people."

He even took a moment to explain the name of his most famous work: Evangelion comes from a Christian word meaning "gospel."

Utility Poles and Factory Towns: Ube in Anno's Work

Watching the episode today, it is easy to see how deeply Ube shaped Anno's imagination. The power lines, utility poles and industrial landscapes that fill Evangelion echo the town where he grew up. Anno has long spoken about his fondness for these structures, and in the program he connected that love directly to his childhood surroundings.

Ube would return in his work more than two decades later. In the final scene of Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time (2021), the last film in the Rebuild of Evangelion series, Shinji and Mari run out of Ube-Shinkawa Station into a recognizable version of the city. After 26 years of Evangelion, the story ended in the town where its creator began.

What the Lesson Revealed About Hideaki Anno

For Evangelion fans, this episode is a rare glimpse behind the famously guarded public image. Anno did not arrive as a confident celebrity. He arrived nervous, doubtful and unsure whether he had anything to offer. Yet by listening to the children, seeing himself through their eyes and watching them create with pure enthusiasm, he seemed to leave with a little more appreciation for himself.

In many ways, the lesson went both ways. The children learned how animation works and discovered the real person behind a legendary series. Anno, in turn, was reminded of the simple joy of creating something from nothing, the same feeling that once led a boy from Ube to become one of anime's most influential directors.

Visiting Ube Today: Evangelion in Anno's Hometown

Ube has embraced its connection to Anno. In recent years, the city has hosted a series of Evangelion collaborations called Machijū Evangelion ("Evangelion All Over Town"). Highlights have included a seven meter Spear of Longinus embedded in the ground at Tokiwa Park in 2023 and, in 2025, a giant iron sculpture of Unit-01's hand at Ube-Shinkawa Station, the real-world setting of the final scene of Thrice Upon a Time.

For fans traveling in western Japan, a visit to Ube-Shinkawa Station offers a chance to stand where Evangelion's story came to an end, in the hometown of the man who created it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Hideaki Anno from?

Hideaki Anno was born on May 22, 1960, in Ube, an industrial city in Yamaguchi Prefecture in western Japan. He attended Unoshima Elementary School in Ube.

What was the NHK program Hideaki Anno appeared on in 1999?

Anno appeared on Kagai Jugyō Yōkoso Senpai ("Extracurricular Lesson: Welcome, Senpai"), an NHK series in which famous people return to their old elementary school to teach a special lesson. His episode was themed around recording an encounter through animation.

What did Hideaki Anno teach the children?

He taught the basics of hand-drawn animation, including the classic bouncing ball exercise on light boxes. The children then created animations about Anno as a sixth grader, which were combined into one film.

Was Hideaki Anno nervous about teaching?

Yes. Anno admitted he was deathly afraid of children and needed persuading to take part. During the lesson he also told the class that he did not have any confidence in himself.

Why are there so many utility poles in Evangelion?

Anno has long been fascinated by utility poles, power lines and industrial structures. Growing up in the factory town of Ube shaped this interest, and it became one of the most recognizable visual motifs in Evangelion.

Does Ube appear in Evangelion?

Yes. The final scene of Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time (2021) takes place at Ube-Shinkawa Station and in the city of Ube, Anno's hometown.

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