Peace Out , homeslice
If memory serves correctly, when the plan arose they made up to Ep6 (despite Anno apparently saying in Quick Japan magazine that they had "made up to Ep7 in advance") and sent out feelers in all directions, but were given the cold shoulder by every company. (laugh) Even Bandai snubbed them based on the past results of the huge failure of "Wings of Honneamise (Royal Space Force)". (laugh) They had connections with a TV Tokyo producer, but if you can't get sponsors it doesn't matter. So after wandering lost by the wayside for a bit, Kadokawa Shoten finally picked them up. But the truth is that even Kadokawa just barely picked them up, and flatly rejected their budget requests, saying that they only intended to budget the same level and not a yen more than other anime Kadokawa had sponsored in the past (Tenchi Muyo, etc.). This is a long-standing custom in the anime industry, and even now there are no sponsors that will increase the budget or take other measures even if that anime becomes a huge hit. In the first place, when making an anime you not only have to raise funds, but you also have to make preparations such as acquiring personnel from subcontracting anime studios at least 6 months to a year or more in advance, so it is difficult to quickly increase the number of staff even if you want to. Most subcontracting companies are involved with multiple anime and have packed schedules. About the best you can do on short notice is to get subcontracted South Korean staff. Indirectly, these circumstances would later become a noose tightening around Anno and Gainax's necks.
