灰

“You need to accept the fact that you’re not the best and have all the will to strive to be better than anyone you face”
― Oda Eiichiro, One Piece 航海王 20: 决战阿鲁巴拿

“One cannot turn back the clock but one can move it forward.
(Gendo Ikari, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Ep. 22, 23:55)”
― Hideaki Anno, 新世紀エヴァンゲリオン　TVアニメーション設定資料集 2015edition [Neon Genesis Evangelion TV Animation settei shiryōshū 2015 edition]

“This is roughly the worldview for Neon Genesis Evangelion. This is a worldview drenched in a vision of pessimism. A worldview where the story starts only after any traces of optimism have been removed.
[...]
They say, "To live is to change." I started this production with the wish that once the production complete, the world, and the heroes would change. That was my "true" desire. I tried to include everything of myself in Neon Genesis Evangelion-myself, a broken man who could do nothing for four years. A man who ran away for four years, one who was simply not dead. Then one thought. "You can't run away," came to me, and I restarted this production. It is a production where my only thought was to burn my feelings into film. I know my behavior was thoughtless, troublesome, and arrogant. But I tried. I don't know what the result will be. That is because within me, the story is not yet finished. I don't know what will happen to Shinji, Misato or Rei. I don't know where life will take them. Because I don't know where life is taking the staff of the production. I feel that I am being irresponsible. But... But it's only natural that we should synchronize ourselves with the world within the production. I've taken on a risk: "It's just an imitation." And for now I can only write this explanation. But perhaps our "original" lies somewhere within there.”
― Hideaki Anno

“I promise, you will not find another person who is more sincere than me in this world.”
― Mò Xiāng Tóngxiù, 天官赐福 [Tiān Guān Cì Fú]