What is Idepon in Shirobako a reference to?


I think this might be a real life reference. Is there a real life counterpart
to the Idepon series that is being talked about in shirobako?




It's a reference to an Anime of the early Real Robot genre called _Space
Runaway Ideon_.

> _**Space Runaway Ideon**_ (伝説巨神イデオン _Densetsu Kyojin Ideon_ , lit.
> _Legendary Giant Ideon_ , also _The Ideon_ ) is a 1980 anime television
> series produced by Sunrise, created and directed by [Yoshiyuki
> Tomino](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoshiyuki_Tomino), produced immediately
> following his most famous work, [_Mobile Suit
> Gundam_](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_Suit_Gundam).
>
> [...] At one time it was rated #10 among the greatest anime series as
> compiled by famous anime magazine Animage (counting popularity, influence,
> and opinion). On the other hand, the series has never been very popular,
> even among Japanese mecha fans.
>
> Space Runaway Ideon is a predecessor-of-sorts to Hideaki Anno's _**Neon
> Genesis Evangelion**_ and deals with many of the same issues.
>
> [...] Space Runaway Ideon shares a number of similarities to Tomino's Mobile
> Suit Gundam series. As well as similar initial fates for both series
> (cancellation followed by films – though Ideon never became a long-running
> franchise as Gundam did), there are several broad similarities in the make-
> up of the characters and some reused plot devices. [...]
>
> Wikipedia: [Space Runaway
> Ideon](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Runaway_Ideon)

![enter image description here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/jxcpN.jpg)




It's a reference to an Anime of the early Real Robot genre called _Space
Runaway Ideon_.

> _**Space Runaway Ideon**_ (伝説巨神イデオン _Densetsu Kyojin Ideon_ , lit.
> _Legendary Giant Ideon_ , also _The Ideon_ ) is a 1980 anime television
> series produced by Sunrise, created and directed by [Yoshiyuki
> Tomino](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoshiyuki_Tomino), produced immediately
> following his most famous work, [_Mobile Suit
> Gundam_](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_Suit_Gundam).
>
> [...] At one time it was rated #10 among the greatest anime series as
> compiled by famous anime magazine Animage (counting popularity, influence,
> and opinion). On the other hand, the series has never been very popular,
> even among Japanese mecha fans.
>
> Space Runaway Ideon is a predecessor-of-sorts to Hideaki Anno's _**Neon
> Genesis Evangelion**_ and deals with many of the same issues.
>
> [...] Space Runaway Ideon shares a number of similarities to Tomino's Mobile
> Suit Gundam series. As well as similar initial fates for both series
> (cancellation followed by films – though Ideon never became a long-running
> franchise as Gundam did), there are several broad similarities in the make-
> up of the characters and some reused plot devices. [...]
>
> Wikipedia: [Space Runaway
> Ideon](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Runaway_Ideon)

![enter image description here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/jxcpN.jpg)

