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Evangelion
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Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon A Time (シン・エヴァンゲリオン劇場版:||, Shin Evangerion Gekijōban:||?) is the fourth and final film in the Rebuild of Evangelion film series. The musical symbol title could either mean "End Repeat", or simply "End" if the colon is part of the title. The film was written by Hideaki Anno and directed by Hideaki Anno, Katsuichi Nakayama, Kazuya Tsurumaki, and Mahiro Maeda. The film was theatrically released in Japan on March 08, 2021.

Plot

The film begins with WILLE stopping in Paris, France which, much like the outskirts of the former Tokyo-3, has been converted into core material. A team descends from the Wunder - comprised of Ritsuko, Maya, three of Maya's male underlings, and Mari in Unit-08 β-ICC - and lands on top of a mysterious black pillar. Ritsuko acts as a look-out while Maya and her men connect to the black pillar via laptop in order to resume the activation of an "Anti-L System" - something a team of Europeans had previously died while attempting. Large numbers of a never-before-seen Eva type, Evangelion Mark.44A, appears in two waves, and Mari holds them off, assisted by helmsman Sumire Nagara utilizing the Wunder's intricate "cable flight" capabilities. Once the first wave have been defeated, two more new enemy Eva types appear from a camouflaged cocoon: a Evangelion Mark.4444C appears with a positron cannon and the small army of generator-equipped Evangelion Mark.44B that supply power to it. Cable-suspended warships equipped with multiples Enchanted Shields of Virtue are used to block the first shot, but Mari must take drastic measures to prevent the cannon from going off a second time. With Nagara's assist, Unit-08 β-ICC] charges the Mark.4444C with the part of the fallen Eiffel Tower and, at the cost of Unit-08's legs, is able to twist the tower down the Mark.4444C's gun barrel, resulting in the destruction of both it and the rest of Mark.44B.

Maya and the others successfully activate the pillar, which is a massive sealing pillar that creates a protective effect that restores central Paris to its original state. A large collection of Euro NERV storage lockers emerges from underground, filled with Evangelion spare parts, munitions, and components of JA-02. Two more teams come down in warships, and we are told that Unit-02 will be repaired and Unit-08 will be modified for "Overlap" compatibility. Mari promises to come back for Shinji. [1]

The opening credits play over a montage of the red Earth, showing locations that have been turned to core. Failures of Infinity litter the landscape with an anti-gravity effect causing objects around them to float. Shinji, Rei Ayanami and Asuka walk together across its surface, with Asuka using the device in her hand as a compass to find their way.[2]

They eventually arrive at a living settlement that is being kept free of the coreification process. Shinji is catatonic and is starting to feel physically sick. At Village 3, they encounter Tōji Suzuhara, Kensuke Aida and Hikari Horaki, along with Hikari's father Bunzaemon Horaki. Toji and Hikari are married and have a child named Tsubame Suzuhara,[3] with Toji as the settlement's doctor and Kensuke as a self-described "jack-of-all-trades" handyman who has become close with Asuka, who stays with him and away from the villagers.[4][5][6][7][8][9] Neither Toji nor Kensuke show Shinji any hatred over the Third Impact, and instead gently try to help him recover from his trauma by letting him live a normal life in the village.

Leaving the shower naked, Shinji sees Asuka, and she expresses irritation at Shinji's inaction.[10] Shinji realizes Asuka has a DSS Choker fitted on her as well, the sight of it causing Shinji to vomit from the trauma of Kaworu's death. Asuka eventually loses her patience, and force-feeds Shinji. Despite being distressed, this causes Shinji to slowly begin to try and recover, while Asuka starts using a scarf around her neck to avoid triggering Shinji again. She keeps playing with her game console during those times, but leaves it behind when she goes to watch him. Toji and Hikari realize that the "Rei Ayanami" is not the Rei Ayanami they are familiar with, and call her "lookalike".

Rei begins to learn more about her world, expressing confusion over the existence of a pregnant cat, baby Tsubame, and greetings such as "Good morning" and "Good night". She eventually settles down into village life by going to school and learning to farm alongside the older ladies of the village. The village is being supported by an organization named Kredit, which works together with WILLE to provide supplies. "Lookalike" begins to experience degradation, as her body requires regular exposure to LCL to maintain cohesion.

Rei asks Shinji to help give her a proper name rather than "lookalike", but Shinji cannot decide for one. Kensuke takes a slowly recovering Shinji out on an infrastructure check and introduces him to "Ryoji Kaji", who is Misato's son with the original Ryoji Kaji. The younger Kaji works at repairing the WILLE-built machines as part of the organization KREDIT, keeping the village free from being coreized like the rest of the Earth. Toji and Kensuke later talk to Shinji and explain the situation with the elder Kaji's death and Misato's current state. Meanwhile Shinji finally decides to call Rei "Ayanami", only for her to reveal that her condition is fully deteriorating, and thanks Shinji for helping her find happiness before dissolving into LCL. Shinji breaks down in tears, but later becomes motivated to start properly recovering from his trauma.

The Wunder arrives to unload non-essential personnel and to pick up Asuka before the start of the final battle. Though Kensuke and Toji ask Shinji to stay in the village, Shinji decides to go aboard the Wunder with Asuka. Asuka allows it, but not before tasing him unconscious due to WILLE's rules. When Shinji wakes up on board, Sakura slaps him, infuriated at him for escaping WILLE onto Evangelion 13 in the previous film, before crying in relief that he is okay. Shinji is placed in isolation and under surveillance again, and both Asuka and Sakura express puzzlement at his return after discovering Kaworu's demise from the DSS Choker operational records. The bridge crew discusses the ongoing situation. Mari greets Asuka, who expresses the sentiment that Shinji "needs a mother, not a girlfriend". Ritsuko and Misato discuss their intentions at the Wunder's Seed Vault, which contains viable samples for all Earth life. The Wunder's original purpose was to protect and preserve biodiversity from the ravages of the various Impacts. Ritsuko implies that, although Misato has a stoic face, in truth she is happy to see Shinji again, and that hiding those feelings will only cause heartbreak. Elsewhere, Fuyutsuki monologues about the Black Moon and the Fourth Impact as well as Shinji and the inevitable death of "Ayanami-Type 6". He wonders if Gendo deliberately made Shinji experience the same loss as him.

Gendo and Fuyutsuki steer the Black Moon towards the epicenter of the Second Impact, at NERV's former Calvary Base in Antarctica, intending to restart Evangelion 13. Misato and Ritsuko discover this and have completed a "signal suspension plug" to stop this event. Misato and the bridge crew reminisce about Kaji's death and their determination to fight NERV and restore the world to its original state. Mari and Asuka get their new plugsuits, and Mari reintroduces herself to Shinji. Asuka and Shinji talk, with Shinji apologizing to her showing that he understands and validates Asuka's anger at his inaction during the Ninth Angel incident, and that he chooses inaction in order to avoid responsibility. Asuka in turn accepts his apology, and tells him that she liked his bento box, while admitting to Shinji that she had a crush on him but has since grown older before him. Mari and Asuka, satisfied, get into their Evangelions. A vision of Kaworu appears to Shinji to say they will meet again. AAA Wunder launches from its orbital position to Antarctica to begin the neutralization of Evangelion 13, in what Misato calls "Operation Yamato".

Near Antarctica, the Wunder is attacked by three NERV ships: NHG Erlösung, NHG Erbsünde and NHG Gebet, all apparently under Fuyutsuki's control. The Wunder is also approached by a swarm of Evangelion Mark.07. During the battle, the Wunder resorts to using the guided-missile destroyers in its support fleet as giant guided missiles. Asuka and Mari sortie and battle their way through the swarm of NERV Evangelions. Asuka attacks Evangelion 13 with an anti-core weapon, but is stopped by her own Evangelion's AT-Field in an automatic fear response. The NERV ships project wings of light in a manner much like the Second Impact, indicating an attempted Impact that is not in SEELE's scenario. Asuka removes her eyepatch and removes a restraint within her eye that keeps the Ninth Angel under control, transforming into a new Ninth Angel and converting Unit-02 into a giant of radiant AT-Fields, using her own AT-Field to neutralize her Evas and allow her the shot. However, she plays into Gendo's plan in the process as Evangelion 13 animates and destroys Unit-02 in much the same manner as Unit-01 destroyed Unit-03. Asuka realises that Unit-13 has a dual plug system, and that without Kaworu a new Angel pilot was needed: her. During the process, Asuka is approached by "her original" from the Shikinami series, which prevents her DSS Choker from destroying her. With its angel pilot, Unit-13 awakens again. The Wunder is taken over by a new Evangelion Mark.09-A, causing it to project wings of light. The four vessels together transmogrify the Black Moon into two new Spears.

Gendo is revealed to be in the uppermost NERV vessel restraining the Wunder, and Misato and Ritsuko confront him. Ritsuko shoots Gendo; however, her bullets are entirely ineffective. It is revealed that Gendo has used Nebuchadnezzar's Key and has thrown away his humanity by adding "information that surpassed the logic of the world" to his body. Gendo explains that humans, who have the fruit of knowledge, were always destined to either be destroyed by the Angels, or to destroy and supplant the Angels, losing their humanity in the form of Instrumentality, a theory posited and proven by Misato's father. Misato rejects her father's insanity, and chooses to believe that humanity can forge its own way forward without the gods. Gendo enters Unit-13, after being briefly confronted by Shinji, and enters the gateway with both Spears and Unit-01, removed from Wunders core. This triggers a cascading tide of Failures of Infinity, which flood over the planet. Village-3 is briefly shown still intact, the tide of Infinities held back by the sealing pillars temporarily.

Shinji turns to Misato and asks to enter Unit-01 to stop Gendo. Midori and Sakura are appalled at the prospect of Shinji entering the Evangelion again and shoot at him, but Misato blocks Sakura's bullet with her own body. Misato apologizes to Shinji, thanks him for saving them all from destruction using Unit-01 14 years previously and explains that, as his superior, the responsibility for his actions was ultimately hers and, since Shinji is still her subordinate, she will take responsibility for his actions as a legal guardian. Mari arrives to ferry Shinji through the portal after Gendo, Unit-08 now being capable of traversing that space from the Evangelions it has consumed. Through the portal, Shinji and Mari enter "Minus Space", a world that lacks physical laws, and which humans can only percieve through surreal realms shaped within their LCL. Shinji bids goodbye to Mari and opens a door to the plug of Unit-01, and Mari tells Shinji to wait for her, as she will come to get him no matter what. Within Unit-01's plug, the original Rei Ayanami appears as a pale phantom with her hair grown long. She apologizes to him for not being able to prevent him from having to pilot again, but Shinji thanks her, and tells her that he will take over for now, to which she happily agrees. In the real universe, Ritsuko and Maya are shocked to discover that Shinji has attained an infinite synchronization with Unit-01. Shinji regrows his Eva's limbs and claims one of the Spears from Gendo, turning it into the Spear of Cassius, the spear of hope that opposes his own spear of despair.

Misato, realising that the Wunder and its sibling ships were able to create new Spears, and that a new Spear will be needed to foil Gendo's rite, instructs the crew to prepare the Wunder's Spinal Column and create their own human-made miracle. Misato has the crew evacuate and escape away from the battle, while she sacrifices herself and her ship to create the "Lance of Gaius", which would give Shinji the power to rewrite the world. Mari, returning from Minus Space, uses her empowered Eva to destroy the remaining enemy ships, while commenting that the Lilin had no further need for the Vessels of the Adams, and wishes that the Adams rest in peace.

Shinji and Gendo duel in Minus Space, which takes the form of increasingly surreal vistas across space and time and across multiple continuities. Gendo tells Shinji that their Evangelions are perfectly matched, causing Shinji to realise that simply fighting will not resolve anything. Gendo then shows Shinji Evangelion Imaginary, a theorized Evangelion that is purely fictional, and only exists in Minus Space. Only humans can percieve it, as humans have the ability to believe in fantasies. Gendo gives both Spears to Imaginary, causing it to animate and emerge from the portal to Minus Space as a giant photorealistic Rei, precipitating Gendo's Additional Impact, in which he intends to use Evangelion Imaginary's emergence into the universe to rewrite reality and finally grant his wish.

Mari confronts Fuyutsuki in the bridge of one of the enemy ships as the Additional Impact commences, commenting that the density of the L-suppression field was dangerously high for a human. Fuyutsuki admits he is being reckless, and is helping and humoring Gendo out of a shared and delusional hope. He tells Mari that everything she needs is already prepared, and that she can do what she wishes, before dissolving into LCL moments after Mari leaves for her Eva. Mari takes Unit-08 into an "overlapping" state where it merges with Evangelion Mark.09-A, Evangelion Mark.10, Evangelion Mark.11, and Evangelion Mark.12, claiming the power of the Vessels of the Adams before rejoining the Wunder's final assault. Mari, watching Evangelion Imaginary spreading its wings, notes that Gendo is attempting the instrumentality of human physical and mental beings simultaneously, and wonders what his next move will be.

Shinji asks what Gendo wishes for, who explains that he chooses the world Shinji once rejected, one where AT-fields do not exist and all humans exist as one without the possibility of pain or loss. Gendo becomes distressed, however, as everyone in this place is Rei, and Yui is nowhere to be found, and he demands to know what Shinji is doing there. Shinji explains that he is choosing to learn more about his father, as he stayed away previously to avoid finding out if his father hated him or not. Shinji then shares in memories of his father's past, and how they both had a tendency to isolate and hide from the world around them, how Yui opened him up to the world - only for her loss to deeply traumatize him. Gendo admits to Shinji that he believed that abandoning Shinji was a just punishment for his actions, much in the same way Shinji attempts to avoid responsibility. Gendo turns back, embracing a child Shinji and apologising for what he had done, before he steps out of the scene entirely.

Shinji reaches out to Asuka in a version of the ruined beach from The End of Evangelion, tells her that he reciprocated her crush on him from when she was younger, and helps her to remember that people, such as Kensuke, care for her before saying goodbye. Asuka's plug launches from Unit-13, sending her back to reality.[11][12][13][14][15] Kaoru appears to Shinji, offering to take over things for him[16]; Shinji instead, with the help of Kaji, helps Kaworu realise that he misconstrued Shinji's happiness as his own, due to the loneliness of a cyclical existence that will only end with vacuum decay. Kaworu, whom the elder Kaji calls "Commander Nagisa",[17] agrees to go with Kaji to work the land, and like Gendo before, seemingly leaves the space. Shinji finally turns to a waiting Rei, who is reluctant to leave. Shinji tells her that another Rei found fufillment in life in Village 3, and that she could do the same. Shinji decides not to reset the world, other than erasing Evangelions, which Rei calls "Neon Genesis". Satisfied, Rei leaves the space like all the others. Shinji prepares to use the Spear on himself within Unit-01, but is stopped by his mother, who together with Gendo in Unit 13 impale themselves with the Spear, causing all Evangelions that have ever existed to vanish with them. The Wunder's escape pods, along with Asuka's ejected plug, are shown safe in Village 3, with footprints leading off and away.

In the film's final sequence, Asuka, Rei and Kaworu, as adults, are seen on the platform of a train station, and an older Shinji is approached by Mari from behind. Mari is surprised by Shinji's confidence when he takes out her glasses,[18] and an adult Shinji and Mari head out into the world. As Shinji lets go of Mari's hand, the sequence transitions into a live action sequence of Anno's hometown, implying that all the children have found closure of their reality.[19][20][21][22][23] [24][25][26][27][28][29][30] Alternate interpretations include the possibility that all of the events before the live action sequence are the product of Shinji's imagination. [31]

Characters

Evangelions

Mechanics

Delays and Eventual Release

The film was originally to be released alongside Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo as a double feature, but later it was decided to be released separately.

It was previously slated for the fall or winter of 2015.[32] The film has been delayed most recently by the absence of Hideaki Anno while he was working on Toho's film Shin Godzilla.

In September 2014, the title card of the film was updated on the official film site; the new title was "Evangelion 3.0 + 1.0".

Evangelion 3.0+1

"After that, and THE END."
"NOT, and ANTI."
"EVANGELION:3.0+1.0 in production by studio khara"

「新2号機」 by Hideaki Anno

"New Unit-02" (新2号機, "Shin Nigōki"), as illustrated by Hideaki Anno

In an interview posted on YouTube from June 2017, Hideaki Anno stated that the film would be released between March and April of 2018.

At the end of July 2017 a new teaser poster (featured on the left) was posted on the Evangelion official website, saying that the film was in production by Studio Khara.

On August 6, 2017, pictures of a new Unit-02 form illustrated by Hideaki Anno from the annual lantern festival surfaced as a teaser for the film, much like for the previous one.

On July 24, 2018, a teaser was shown before the screening of Hosoda's new film Mirai no Mirai. This teaser revealed that 3.0+1.0 is to be released in 2020.[33]

On March 20, 2019, Studio Khara revealed on Twitter that dialogue recording had begun for the film, showing a picture of Hideaki Anno's script.[34]

On June 24, 2019, Toei announced that the first 10 minutes of the film would be shown at Japan Expo in Paris, Anime Expo in Los Angeles, in Shanghai, and in various locations across Japan on July 6. The showings will be screened simultaneously to Japan, Los Angeles, and Shanghai live from Paris.[35][36] In Paris, the showing will take place at Anime Expo's Yoko Takahashi x Evangelion Stage presentation. In Japan, the showings will take place in two Tokyo locations, Sapporo, Nagoya, Osaka, and Hakata. In Shanghai, the showing will take place in Jingán District after a screening of Evangelion 3.0. Similar to Shanghai, Anime Expo in Los Angeles will have their showing after a screening of Evangelion 3.0. Additional information, including specific venue locations for Japan, will be revealed on the EVA-EXTRA app as part of the "Operation 0706" project the screenings are tied into.[37][35]

On July 18, 2019, during showings of Makoto Shinkai's new film Weathering with You,[38] a new preview for 3.0 + 1.0 was revealed, announcing a June 2020 release. The preview was later posted officially online.[39]

On April 17, 2020, it was announced that, due to COVID-19, the film's release would be delayed. No new release date was revealed.

On October 16, 2020, it was revealed that the film would be released in Japanese theaters on January 23rd, 2021, alongside a new preview.[40]

On December 25, 2020, a new preview featuring more scenes from the film was released.

On January 14, 2021, it was announced that, due to COVID-19, the film's release would be delayed again, including the soundtrack by Shiro Sagisu. No new release date was revealed.[41]

On February 26, 2021, Khara announced a new release date on March 8, 2021.[42]

On June 07, 2021, Khara announced a new version of the film with corrected cuts titled Evangelion: 3.0 + 1.01 THRICE UPON A TIME was to be released on June 12, 2021.[43] It also accompanied a prequel manga to the events of Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo, titled EVANGELION 3.0 (-120 min.).[44]

On October 04, 2022, Khara announced that the home video release of the film was scheduled to be released on March 08, 2023 titled EVANGELION:3.0+1.11 THRICE UPON A TIME. A new bonus video will be included in the BD and DVD titled EVANGELION 3.0 (-46h) in a separate disc from the main film. This release will be distributed in the following formats: limited edition Blu-ray + 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray and regular edition Blu-ray/DVD. [45]

Staff

  • Planning/Original/Screenplay: Hideaki Anno
  • General Drawing Director: Atsushi Nishigori
  • Drawing Director: Shuichi Iseki, Sejoon Kim, Naoyuki Asano, Masayoshi Tanaka, Kouichi Arai
  • Deputy director: Touko Yatabe, Daizen Komatsuda
  • Design Works: Ikuto Yamashita, Shigeto Koyama, Moyoco Anno, Takeshi Takakura, Takashi Watabe
  • CGI Art Director: Hiroyasu Kobayashi
  • CGI Director: Daisuke Onizuka
  • 3D Animation Director: Yusuke Matsui
  • 3D Modeling Director: Manabu Kobayashi
  • 3D Technical Director: Takashi Suzuki
  • 3D Look Dev Director: Masanori Iwasato
  • 2DCG Director: Kayoko Zama
  • Video Inspection: Yasuhito Murata
  • Color Design: Kazuko Kikuchi (Wish)
  • Art Director: Tatsuya Kushida (director), Toru Fukushi (T2 Studio)
  • Special Director: Toyonori Yamada
  • Editing: Emi Tsujida
  • Music: Shiro Sagisu
  • Sound Effect: Toru Noguchi
  • Recording: Makoto Sumiya
  • Dialogue Director: Yo Yamada (sound team Don Juan)
  • General Director Assistant: Ikki Todoroki
  • Production Supervising Producer: Takatoshi Okajima
  • Animation Producer: 川島正規
  • Set Production: Hayato Tanaka
  • Previs Production: Seiki Kawashima
  • Production: Khara inc.
  • Distribution: Toho Co., Ltd., Toei Company, LTD., Khara inc.
  • Advertising: Khara inc.
  • Production: Khara inc.
  • Executive Producer: Tomoyuki Ogata
  • Concept Art Director: Mahiro Maeda
  • Director: Kazuya Tsurumaki, Katsuichi Nakayama, Mahiro Maeda
  • General Director: Hideaki Anno[46]

Evangelion 3.0 Preview

The preview at the end of Evangelion 3.0 shows the Evangelion Unit 8+2 (an Eva bearing half of the helmet of Unit-02 and half of the helmet of Unit-08) fighting against unknown enemies (looking like green versions of the Mark.06), near the fallen Black Moon. Eva-8+2 succeeds in cutting down several Evangelions with a weapon that resembles the Magorox Sword, as well as defeating some in hand-to-hand combat. The Evas appear to try to engage Eva 8+2, but do not attack in coordination or with much force for unknown reasons.

Evangelion 4

Unit 8+2 in the preview of Evangelion: Final

The Evas are equipped with large assault rifles that are similar to those used in the original TV series, although these rifles appear to have progressive knives attached to them as crude bayonets. The unknown Evas are not shown to use these firearms, which makes it easier for Eva 8+2 to defeat them. A much larger group of unknown Evas is seen surrounding the fallen Black Moon, projecting several enormous A.T. Fields of unprecedented size.

Production and Development

Early development and delays

The film was announced alongside Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo for release in 2008 as the final part of the Rebuild of Evangelion film series under the working title Evangelion: Final. After delays of the first three films, Evangelion: Final was expected for release in 2015. In 2014, director and producer Hideaki Anno announced that due to other commitments, the film would be further delayed to an unknown date. Following the troubled production of the third film, director and producer Hideaki Anno became depressed and stated publicly in 2015 that he could not work on another film. As part of his recovery, Anno had also worked on Studio Ghibli's film The Wind Rises under his mentor, Hayao Miyazaki. Toho (which co-distributed the film in Japan with Toei) also approached Anno with an offer to direct a reboot of its Godzilla film series titled Shin Godzilla, which also contributed to the delay on 3.0+1.0. Financial reasons also played a part. In 2014, Anno's Studio Khara loaned his former company Studio GAINAX 100 million yen ($916,400). In 2016, Anno filed a claim for debt collection, fearing not only for the return of the money but also because of GAINAX selling production materials to third parties, after a precedent of other sales of intellectual property without informing him. This was part of several legal issues surrounding Gainax and Evangelion.

Production on Evangelion resumed after the production of Shin Godzilla ended in late 2016. After a formal apology, animation director Takeshi Honda stated that the last film had resumed development. Studio Khara tweeted on April 05, 2017, that development was going smoothly. In May 2018, the studio put out a job listing for animation staff to work on 3DCG, VFX, and 2D animation starting on June 30, 2018. Animation was going through the final check by October 2, 2020. Dialogue recording wrapped on November 19, 2020. On December 16, 2020, Studio Khara announced that compositing and editing work had finished. In 2019 the film was scheduled for a June 27, 2020 release date but received two delays due to concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic, first scheduled for a January 23, 2021 release, before being released on March 08, 2021.

Development

Anno was very reluctant to return to work on the film in 2016. In 2018, Anno had asked for the opinion of voice actors like Megumi Ogata (Shinji) on how to move the plot forward after 3.0. Anno felt he could no longer understand Shinji and by now his current self was closer to Gendo than Shinji, and needed Ogata's input on how Shinji could recover after the events of 3.0. Anno felt that at that point the only people who could understand Shinji's feelings were Ogata herself and his personal assistant, Ikki Todoroki. Anno himself had intended to go to Paris for Japan Expo 2019, but the film's continuing delays in production prevented him. Anno had often visited the film's music composer Shirō Sagisu, who lives half the year in Paris, and wished to pay homage to the city in the opening 10 minutes of the film, entitled AVANT1 ("before" in French), seeking to surpass his earlier depiction in Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water. At the event, Ogata also recounted Anno had asked what ending she preferred "as Shinji". AVANT1+2, including a further two minutes of the opening sequence, was also streamed on Khara's YouTube channel and Japanese Amazon Prime Video's international streaming release for free for two weeks.

Dialogue for Parts A and B, set after AVANT, started recording in March 2019. As there were several changes to the plot, many voice actors had to come back and record lines again. In 2020, due to the pandemic restrictions, production slowed down further and recording was mostly done by the voice actors separately as many dozens of takes were necessary, and they organized themselves through a line group. This created a bond between the cast that was unprecedented in previous productions. At the end of recording, Anno thanked the cast for their contributions. Yūko Miyamura, who played Asuka, was instructed to treat her character as completely separate from the series' Asuka Langley Soryu, and the last thing asked of her was to write the character's full name in cursive herself to be used in the movie. She had lived in Australia for the past two decades, but was still unsure of how to write "Langley". Miyamura expressed her surprise at Anno's behavior near the end of production, in contrast to his behavior during the making of The End of Evangelion: "Anno-san is amazing. He has become an adult".

Anno sought to bring in new talent and people outside the usual Evangelion core crew, like Darling in the Franxx creator Atsushi Nishigori, a protégé of his, while other core staffers like chief editor Masayuki largely stepped down in order to allow new talents to gain more experience. In addition, the series' original character designer, Yoshiyuki Sadamoto, has had diminishing involvement since 3.0, and the new character designs are mostly done by Hidenori Matsubara. Anno had long stated his wish to revitalize the anime industry, and saw the sponsorship of new creators as a prime way of achieving this, as well as the promotions of events backed by Studio Khara like the Japan Animator Expo. Director Mahiro Maeda recounted Anno wanted him to figure out specific details of the plot on his own when asked. Similarly to production in the series, Anno would take ideas from staffers but have the final word in plot decisions. Anno had also been an advocate of employing new and innovative animation technologies, combined with extensive use of motion capture and computer-generated imagery (CGI), and employed them in the film. Maeda and others noted, nonetheless, that Anno seemed to be directing the film more like a live action film than animation, including in the way he directed the voice actors, taking cues from theatre techniques, after his previous experience outside Evangelion, despite the staff's own limited experience, something he had previously attempted in Cutie Honey. He thought Anno "wanted to get out of here the most", but expressed his feelings in the film sincerely.

Director Kazuya Tsurumaki details that Anno wanted to try a new process for the film. Instead of first creating storyboards and then developing the animation based on them as is traditional, Anno proposed to first draw the animation cels and then draw the scenes from them. This technique was generally referred to by staff as "pre-visualization". He was once more inspired from the usual process in live action, where scenes are first shot from multiple angles and then stories are created and then selected during editing. The latter half of the film, however, progressively returned to the traditional anime style. Tsurumaki noted the original intention was that "the first 80%" of the Rebuild series would be a "compilation" of the original TV series, and the changes would only start with the last film, in keeping with earlier comments in 2006 by producer Toshimichi Ohtsuki regarding the intention that only the ending would be a major departure from the series, as staff felt The End of Evangelion could not receive a sequel, and the Rebuild films were not going to be "metaphysical" like the original anime, but rather "oriented towards entertainment". This eventually changed, and major changes started happening as early as Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance. He also noted that the previously stated goal of "destroying Evangelion" through the character of Mari was entrusted to an external party. Anno would ask the opinion of many parts of staff, including those not involved in the actual film like office staff, for their opinions on several nuances. Anno's wife, Moyoco Anno, provided early designs for some characters. Studio Ghibli also provided assistance to scenes set in the survivor's village. For the village itself, Khara had a box model custom-built to orientate the artists, and Anno personally adjusted it to the smallest details like individual house layout, road with and utility posts to make it as realistic as possible. Staff consulted with multiple professionals and conducted research like sky-diving for maximum accuracy.

A making-of documentary directed by Aki Kubota aired on Japanese broadcaster NHK on March 22, 2021 titled Farewell, all Evangelion ~1214 Days of Hideaki Anno~ (localized as Hideaki Anno: The Final Challenge of Evangelion)[47] with the crew following production for 1,214 days. BS Japan also broadcast an extended version of the documentary on April 29, 2021, totaling 100 minutes of runtime, featuring unused footage. Japanese Amazon Prime Video included the extended version of the documentary in its international streaming release of the film in August. When production started in 2016, Anno initially intended to not involve himself much in the film, wishing to delegate most of it to his directors, particularly Tsurumaki, generally considered khara's second-in-command, but as the release date approached with mounting production problems he progressively took more control and took on more tasks directly, also driven by his perfectionism. Maeda was also not initially serving as a director, but was brought in the middle of production. Kim Morrisy of Anime News Network described it as tumultuous: "There were several occasions shown when he decided that the work he had done at the time was insufficient and would scrap it entirely. The [final] D part of the script was eventually completed in early 2019, at the latest possible stage it could have been done to meet the deadline."

In the documentary, Anno is depicted as frequently late or absent from the studio, or would often stay overnight adjusting individual scenes that he was unsatisfied with. Part A had been rewritten multiple times, and at one point Anno was so lost on how to resolve the story lines he considered restarting it from scratch after nine months of work. Anno believed he would not miss working on the franchise and had said everything he needed to, feeling finishing his work remained a priority, even at the expense of his well-being. Anno told Ogata later at post-production that he would indeed miss it. Hayao Miyazaki described Anno, as an apprentice of his, as "one who sheds blood for his films". GAINAX co-founder Toshio Okada criticized the documentary as "sloppy" and "propaganda" trying to make Anno look better, claiming Anno's live action approach in fact took inspiration from Hiroyuki Yamaga's work in the film Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honnêamise instead of being sui generis as the documentary implied, and Anno noted the crew was in fact not present during the highly intense production of Part D for several months, nor did it cover him thanking the staff at the end.

According to Kazumasa Narita, the final process of "shooting" for "Part A" began on February 20, 2020. At that point, it would br completed within four months before the initial release date of June 2020. According to him, Anno would switch to the plan B if it became difficult to complete the project in time. The plan B would be in the line of adjusting the necessary costs and time while keeping the fundamental content, structure, and intentions the same. However it was decided to postpone the release date, the film was actually completed in December 2020. The release date was decided to March 2021, at this time, but due to COVID-19 lockdown, the team had more time to restore and add new scenes. This was only possible due to the team possessing the know-how and sticking to the final deadline.[48]

On March 28, 2021 the cast was fully reunited for the first time in 14 years and held a stage greeting, commenting on the film and their bond to the characters. On April 12, 2021, directors Anno, Tsurumaki and Maeda, as well as Ogata, held another stage greeting. On June 26, 2021, Anno held a live stream on singer Hikaru Utada's Instagram page, and debated the film. On June 27, 2021, another cast greeting was held. Mari's voice actress Maaya Sakamoto explained she had been absent from the previous events because she felt apprehensive over the details she knew about Mari's character that Anno told her, but refused to share them: "I will take secrets to my grave". A last stage greeting was held on July 11, 2021. Anno felt he had now done everything he could with anime, and accordingly Khara denied reports that he was working on a reboot of a popular animation series. He also noted he initially attempted a shorter two-hour runtime, but had to extend it.

On June 17, 2022 it was revealed that GKIDS announced it has acquired North American theatrical, home video, and EST rights to the capstone finale film Evangelion:3.0+1.01 THRICE UPON A TIME. GKIDS plans to release the anticipated film in theaters in late 2022, marking the first time Evangelion:3.0+1.01 THRICE UPON A TIME will be available in theaters in North America since its domestic release. A release on home entertainment platforms will follow, with dates to be announced.[49]

On January 14, 2023 a limited poster made by artist Huang Hai comissioned by SCLA to promote the release of the film on China was accused of being plagiarized work by another artist (Nicolas Delort). Khara stated that it was not made by them and are investigating the issue. SCLA also are investigating and waiting for explanations from Huang Hai's studio.[50] On January 15, 2023, khara released the abridged translation of the explanation from the SCLA about the incident. They also stated that the image was removed from the announcement.[51]

Future of the franchise

Anno had originally intended on making a new Evangelion story since 2000[52] and has intended to open up the franchise in the future to new creators and turn Eva into a "new Gundam", using the Rebuilds as a foundation for this, but 3.0+1.0 is intended to be his final Evangelion work. The Animator Expo already featured two independent works based on the franchise: Evangelion – Another Impact and Neon Genesis IMPACTS, as well as Until You come to me., a short film intended to showcase the talent of younger khara animators, not as an official trailer. In an interview in August 2021, Anno stated other parts of the franchise and story might be revisited later. In Hikari Utada's live stream featuring Anno, he comments that "the New Eva isn't 100% what I want it to be." Additionally, the 3.0+1.01 re-release and the Evangelion 3.0 (-120 min.) prequel manga can already be seen as early examples of additions to the franchise with Anno's blessing and involvement, with the former started a mere month after the film's initial release at Anno's initiative.[53] Popular interest also remains extremely high, as can be seen NHK's making-of documentary, EVANGELION: 3.333 Breakdown (under Anno's supervision), the high number of interviews and articles done in the six months between the Japanese and international releases, with more on the way.

Staff has also commented on doubts over this being the end of the story; see Evangelion 3.0+1.0 Assorted Translations. Also, see List of Common Misconceptions#On the Rebuilds ending Evangelion and the future of the franchise for an extended explanation of this and Anno's other projects, such as the scenario for the events in between Evangelion 2.0 and Evangelion 3.0.[17]

Reception

American critical reception to Thrice Upon A Time has been positive. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a 100% with an average score of 8.7/10, based on 17 reviews. On Metacritic, the film has an aggregate score of 84 out of 100 based on seven reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[54]

Soundtrack

Main article: Music from "Shin Evangelion": Evangelion: 3.0+1.0
Main article: Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon A Time Original Soundtrack

The music of Shin Evangelion was composed by Shiro Sagisu and performed by the London Studio Orchestra.[55] A three-disc soundtrack was released on March 17, 2021, containing full arrangements of the songs used in the film.

A two-disc OST was announced to be bundled with the limited edition of EVANGELION: 3.0+1.11 THRICE UPON A TIME as an exclusive at Kinkurido/キンクリ堂 and other shops. [56][57]

For the film's theme song, Japanese artist Hikaru Utada sang "One Last Kiss", which plays at the end of the film. An EP of the theme song was released on March 10, 2021.[58]

Trivia

  • The title "Thrice Upon A Time" may be a reference to the book of the same name released in 1980. The main plot of the book revolves around sending messages to the past and/or receiving them from the future.
  • In the 2020 Lantern Festival, Hideaki Anno introduced a new Evangelion Unit that will be present in this film: the Evangelion Mark.101
  • In the new trailer for Evangelion 3.0+1.0, it was revealed that Evangelion Mark.09-A has the same colour scheme as Mark.09.
  • The English logo is handwritten by Hideaki Anno.[59]
  • The Suzuharas' house is modelled after the Tenryū Hamanako Railroad, along with several other enviroments from Village-3 based on it and the Tenryū-Futamata Station.
  • The rice fields are modelled on the Oyama Senmaida rice fields. During research, staff was often questioned by local workers, but the Oyama Senmaida Preservation Society told them they could not share the name of the film in question, as it had to stay under wraps.
  • The film's ending scene outside the train station is done entirely in live action, and only the characters are inserted as animation. Anno said that the reason he chose to depict it as a train station is "secret".
  • About half of the segment with Shinji and Rei being guided by Asuka through the ruins and later meeting their adult classmates would have been included in the eventually cut Part D of Evangelion 3.0; see EVANGELION: 3.333 Breakdown.
  • Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon A Time won three awards at the Tokyo Anime Film Festival 2021: it won the Animated Film Category, Original Work/Screenplay Category and Director Category. [60]
  • The film has a total number of 2321 cuts.[61]
  • A total of 1,127 staff members (khara, outsourced and freelancers) and 217 companies participated in the production if the film.[62]

See Also

External Links

References

  1. Evangelion: 3.0+1.0, Avant 1, Operation 0706 Ver. English subtitles Translated by Maryno_penguin, Reichu, sackboy71, et al.
  2. In earlier storyboards shown in Peaceful Times in 2015, Asuka was apparently supposed to caress Shinji in a manner similar to EoE. The video still matched Avant 2 almost perfectly, but this part was modified.
  3. The name literally means "swallow" and is a reference to the Tsubame service on the Kyushu Shinkansen [1], continuing the Shinkansen reference in Hikari's name.
  4. Let’s talk about Ken Ken. First, when I received the script, I noticed Kensuke was written into it. Even though he wasn't called Ken Ken, there wasn't that kind of connection in the previous film, Q. In the TV series, he was one of the “three idiots.”
    Asuka will give people nicknames like “baka Shinji” and the like.
    Asuka’s not a human and can’t live with the people in the third village so she freeloads off of Kensuke.
    Asuka was isolated, she couldn’t grow up, only her hair grew.
    Ken Ken is trying to take care of an isolated Asuka.
    Ken Ken took the place of Mr. Kaji.
    Try to think about this everyone. Ken Ken is such a good guy. Do you think such a good guy would try to advance a physical relation with a troubled 14-year-old girl?
    Asuka says to Shinji that she's already become an adult but that doesn't mean sexually.
    Asuka says “I am alone (in the film)”. Asuka was isolated.
    Ken Ken has been watching over Asuka.
    I think Ken Ken is like a father [to Asuka].
    Asuka and Kensuke’s relationship is not a romantic one but rather a parental one.
    When Shinji said “I think I liked Asuka,” it means that at the time he liked Asuka, even though he never came back 14 years ago.
    To be honest, at the time of recording the last scene, Director Anno and Assistant Director Tsurumaki explained it.
    Director Anno told me that Asuka’s ending scene correlates to the idea that Ken Ken is like a father to child Asuka.
    Asuka really wants the father and mother that she's never had and Kenken could see this so his intention was to foster something like that.

    Personally, I really think that “Ken Ken’s not a bastard.”
    I'm not a fan of the "Ken Ken" scene.
    I personally strongly think "no way Ken Ken is acceptable [as Asuka's partner]"
    I think the Original Asuka is not Asuka Soryu.
    My performance instructions were “Please do Soryu and Shikinami differently”
    Asuka Soryu was not a clone.
    When adult Asuka says, “Baka Shinji,” it has a special meaning.
    Ken Ken doesn’t make a move on Asuka.
    Ken Ken would never make a move on 14-year-old Asuka.
    Ken Ken whose affection is deeper than the sea, stands by Asuka's side without laying a finger on her. [Imitating Asuka's voice].
    Miyamura confirms Tsurumaki was in charge of everything Asuka-related, and asks fans to create new fanworks on pixiv for her to see.
    Yuko Miyamura, MIYAMURA YUKO Corp. - Fanicon March 20th 2021, around 37 minute mark.
  5. "That's what I was told during the recording, and I thought, "Why?" (laughs). But there are many kinds of love scenes. When a father takes a picture of his daughter in her furisode (a long-sleeved kimono), it's [parental] love. The daughter is like, "Hey, stop it, Dad!" I'm not trying to force to deny it, but Kensuke is a good guy... If he's a good guy, he won't touch her. If Asuka is lonely and wanted to be pampered, it ends only at "there, there". There's nothing more to it than that. In other words, Kensuke is a good guy." - Evangelion 3.0+1.0 Assorted Translations#Print version
  6. Asuka and Kenken's facial expressions, and their movements also seemed intimate. When I asked General Director Anno "Why are they intimate?", He said "No?" (Laughs). I remember having a conversation saying "It's not bad ..." I'm smiling. "
    "Kenken is a really good guy. He can watch over Shinji with the attitude of waiting” until he recovers, "and I felt that to Asuka he was like a father. I'm sure Kenken is like a father. I think he was patient and waited for Asuka to open her heart and accepted him. I also want to be told, "Miyamu (Miyamura) can stay as it is" (laughs). ). However, in my interpretation, Asuka and Kenken have a clean relationship! - "Evangelion 3.0+1.0 Assorted Translations#Miyamura: ''25 Years as Asuka''
  7. In the early 3.0 imageboards, Asuka wouldn't stay with Kensuke at all. Rather, she'd return to the Wunder and Kensuke would take care of both Shinji and Rei. She'd also rescue Shinji instead of Mari. See EVANGELION: 3.333 Breakdown.
  8. Character designer Hidenori Matsubara commenting on Asuka and Kensuke's relationship, translation by Richitzer: "I was just talking with Kazuya Tsurumaki, the director, about Eva... He said he loves Asuka. He was still annoyed over the Asuka and Kenken thing." This tweet is from April 12th, a day after they started work on the Evangelion 3.0 (-120 min.) prequel manga at Anno's suggestion.
  9. Shinji's still fourteen both inside and out, and I don't think he could have helped Asuka, a girl fourteen on the outside but twenty-eight on the inside. Kensuke's twenty-eight on the outside and on the inside, so wouldn't he be the person who could do it? In the group for all the EVA voice actors on the LINE messaging app, Miyamura Yuko posted, "If Kensuke's the one who can be there for her, then please be there her." - Tetsuya Iwanaga (Kensuke) 3.0+1.0 booklet interview
  10. Miyamura says this is because Asuka no longer sees herself as human, but rather as an Angel, and has grown indiferrent to being seen naked.
  11. Miyamura had also insisted on Shikinami and Sohryu being separate characters in earlier opportunities.
  12. "We weren't aware of the timeskip initially"
    I was told to completely forget about Sohryu's existance"
    "We're not yet done playing Asuka or Rei
    - Miyamura on Hayashibara's Tokyo Boogie Night, March 19 2023"
  13. "I think I felt sorry for Shinji because he’s depressed and there’s nothing he can do. The only thing Asuka can say is “Do the best you can." Asuka is doing her personal best, so she can tell other people to do their best. That's why I wanted Shinji to wake up and say, "I'll do my best," but I guess she felt like she couldn't reach Shinji no matter what she said. Asuka's effort is not rewarded. [When Asuka says,] “You are too mentally weak,” she blame’s Shinji. When I performed this line of Asuka’s, I really almost cried. In the 14 years of effort Asuka has accumulated, by saying this, I didn’t expect Shinji to do anything about it but she was unable to say what she wanted. But, in this way, thanks to saying what she wanted, I have a feeling that Asuka was able to progress.[...]
    -Finally, the way Asuka says "Baka Shinji". How did you come up with this?
    This was also a storyboard shot, so I think I was shown a picture of Asuka's appearance at that time and performed it with that impression. That "Baka Shinji" is just a love letter to the people who have supported Shinji x Asuka!" - Yuko Miyamura, 3.0+1.0 booklet interview
  14. "I think she wanted to see him one last time. She never said that she loved Shinji, not even once, looking back from the TV series. Well, past tense, I guess. Because we can't go back to 14 years ago. We can't go back to that time, but I (Asuka) loved you then. It doesn't mean that she loved him then but doesn't love him now, or that she loves someone else now, but that she genuinely wanted to tell him that. I think Asuka wanted to end to her childhood, to get some closure. But I think it was amazing that Asuka was able to say so clearly that she loved him. She's really an adult.
    "I was going to, but then we met again and he [Shinji] said "I" liked Asuka too. But it's the scene I like the most. I think it's very nice that they tell each other that they loved each other back then, even though they can't go back. And Asuka is so cute in that scene. Seeing that, my heart was filled with joy. I felt that she was being treated like a woman, that she was being cared for. Her plugsuit is tattered and plump, though. Also, as I said in the pamphlet, I think the line "Baka Shinji" is a love letter to everyone who supported Shinji and Asuka. - Evangelion 3.0+1.0 Assorted Translations (print version)
  15. Of course. When the recording of “Q” was finished, there was no explanation about what would happen in the future, and when I asked why [Asuka’s name was changed to] “Shikinami”, I was only told that "it’s a battleship ...". So I found out about Asuka in this movie for the first time when I read the script.
    I decided from the beginning to perform Shikinami and Soryu as two different people.
    "A little while ago you said something about Shikinami and Soryu are different people, were you aware of how you separated your performance?
    I separated my performance or should I say I made it different from the start so it’s completely different. For Soryu, Kaji was the one she was infatuated with, but in the case of Shikinami, the part of the story when she's interested in Kaji never happens and so she’s a completely different person from the start. - 25 Years as Asuka
  16. Ishida (Kaworu): "In order to make Shinji happy, Kaworu did this and that... but none of those things were things Shinji actually wanted. In the end Shinji ended up finding his own meaning of happiness by himself so Kaworu was finally relieved of his post. I'm glad Kaworu realized his misunderstanding. The last scene of the backshot with Kaji and Kaworu and the shutter sound implies it's the closing of their story." - March 28 cast greeting for 3.0+1.0
  17. 17.0 17.1 "When Director Anno spoke about the 14-year timeskip at the final stage greeting, he addressed why Kaworu was wearing a commander's uniform. Fuyutsuki and Gendo were removed from power at Nerv, following the end of Ha. Kaworu became commander, and Kaji became Vice-Commander. Anno said Q was originally supposed to be a film about how this happened.
    Q (Evangelion 3.0) was originally meant to be about the 14-year timeskip, and Anno planned to not have Shinji in the entire film. Shinji's voice actor, Ogata Megumi, was surprised at this. In the end, that idea was set aside, and Q became the film we got.
    There are no details for the lost 14 years but a scenario for them exists. Preview at the end of Ha is from that story. - July 11 stage greeting for 3.0+1.0
    Later, Anno detailed he might come back to the franchise to work on that scenario or others:
    'Evangelion' Creator Hideaki Anno Reveals 'Evangelion 3.0+1.0' Might Not be the End
  18. It seems unlikely she would have spent much time with him already or know him well if she was not used to him acting confidently.
  19. Sound director in a VTuber interview: In a recent interview with V-tuber Vivian, the sound director for Evangelion 3.0+1.0 says he did not instruct the seiyuus of Shinji and Mari to act as lovers, he interpreted their relationship to be that of friends. It is mentioned that the station scene was not instructed as romantic. Whether they're lovers, friends, or family is left up to the viewer. Even the seiyuu will have different opinions about it. I'm sure this is what Anno is intending, for Eva to be like a "mirror" and give back what the viewer sees in it. That is Eva's appeal.
  20. Moyoco Anno has commented on associating herself with Mari on her paid fan newsletter, from [https://note.com/anno_moyoco/n/n5d5c137b64ff April 2nd: Don't compare me with Mari. It's great that people are talking about "Shin Evangelion" and their thoughts on it, but... But please don't compare me to the work any more than you have to. Please don't make me feel uncomfortable about it.
    Khara [http://yaraon-blog.com/archives/198024 staff
    and official account had also commented also commented on on Gainax co-founder, Toshio Okada, talking about it on his Youtube channel: Another disgusting video came around. I've never had any contact with the director, and I've never met Toshio Okada. I think it's time to stop making insulting remarks based on crazy assumptions. ; "Toshio Okada hasn't even met Anno for a quarter of a century, and he's never met Moyoco. And yet, there are people who misguidedly say that Mari is Moyoco and believe them. The most misguided part."; "Mari only has Tsurumaki-san's libido in her. She has glasses, is strong, and could have been in FLCL. She's also a character with the same dialogue."
  21. Hideaki Anno did comment on Moyoco in her 2002 manga Insufficient Direction: "My wife's public image is that of a strong woman, but actually she's very sensitive, fragile and weak. She constantly has to face her difficult past, and she couldn't escape the reality of having to provide for her family. It's just that she needed to don a piece of armor called "toughness" over her heart. I can sense that deep inside she battles loneliness and alienation and is barely holding her emotional balance in check."
  22. Director Anno said, "You can speculate about me as much as you want, but if you're gonna speculate about my wife, you can read as much as you want about her in her works at the upcoming Moyoko exhibition." - Evangelion 3.0+1.0 Assorted Translations#April 11 stage greeting
    This referred to Moyoco's ANNORMAL exhibition. Moyoco details her troubled family life. See [https://twitter.com/htGOIW/status/1426481976257642501?s=19 this thread. Rather than Moyoco saying Hideaki Anno, she's the one that attributes this to him.
  23. A year after, Anno emphatically denied this rumor yet again, and complained at the insistance some fans had and the harassment he was getting over it.Q: Is it true that Mari is based on your wife Anno Mayoco?
    A: Although I sometimes see articles and videos that claim the character of Mari is inspired by my wife, that’s just some people’s theory & speculation. The character profile of Mari (of Asuka and others as well) are largely created by the hands of Director Tsurumaki. [speculation about Moyoco] is different from what actually happened at the time of the production. The audience should free to interpret the characters and the story as they like. This work should also accommodate the fans as a free intellectual playground. However, I am very sad that biased speculations have caused the staff and my family to go down. Therefore, I explicitly deny this issue.
    [...]Q: What do you think of this person, who is not a staff but claims “this should be the correct interpretation”?
    A: Annoying, I think. [alt. I find him a nuisance. The [url=https://jisho.org/search/%E3%82%81%E3%81%84%E3%82%8F%E3%81%8F]wording used here[/url] is quite rude. This is likely refering to Toshio Okada]
    [...]Q: When the new movie ended, does it feel different from when the old movie ended?
    A: There is no difference. After the completion of both movies, the phenomenon of me being subjected to tremendous maliciousness has been unchanged. If any, what’s new was my family members, who are unrelated to the movie, were involved this time. - First Anniversary Khara Q&A
  24. '-Ms. Ogata, What kind of woman was Mari Illustrious?
    Ogata: I didn't know until the end...because Shinji didn't even know her name until the end.
    -It's always someone else.
    Ogata: That's right, isn't it. Maybe. She was like a friend of his father and mother, right? At the end, I thought she would come to him to pick up that position. - Ogata's Newtype interview on 3.0+1.0
  25. "It was a heavy burden for me, wondering if the fans would scold me for having such a newcomer hold hands with Shinji at the end (laughs). However, there have been many ways to portray "Eva" in the past, and if you can think of this as one of the possible endings, I'll be saved."
    " I feel that Mari just really likes people. She likes Shinji, but I think Asuka is special to Mari. Even though Asuka treats her coldly, Mari always calls her "Princess" and respects and protects her as a special person. In addition to the battles, they have together, the scene where she cuts her hair is very quiet and calm, and it has a nice sentimentality to it. I thought the contrast between the two was well-drawn. For the scene with Asuka, it was great to be able to record her voice with Yuko Miyamura. " - Maaya Sakamoto, 3.0+1.0 pamphlet interview
  26. "However, at the stage greeting this time around - when Ogata talked about one more Shinji who remains behind after having sent off everyone - the feeling "I want him to go meet the adult Asuka!" grew stronger too." I think that Shinji also almost certainly meet the adult Asuka, meet Yui, and various other people but I definitely want the fans to complete the rest of the story." - Miyamura: AnimateTimes
  27. In contrast to his comments in the 1990s regarding NGE, Anno says that, when making 3.0+1.0, he now identifies with Gendo rather than Shinji. For this reason, he felt incapable of developing Shinji's story, and asked for the input of his voice actress.
    (Ogata): So I asked, "Why did you ask me that in the first place!?" I don't know if it was instrumental at that time or what it meant, but he said, "Among the members of this meeting only Todoroki (Ikki) and you understand Shinji's feelings”. (laughs). So I had a little discussion with the staff about how Shinji would act. (Ogata):"One day, I got a call from Khara, Inc. saying, 'We'd like to discuss the scenario,' so I went there and had a meeting. Anno said, 'I want to know your opinion on how to deal with Shinji's inability to speak at the end of 3.0.' "I told him, 'I'll do whatever Anno decides,' but he said, 'Now I feel closer to Gendou than Shinji. The only people who can understand Shinji's feelings now are Ogata and [Anno's assistant] Ikki Todoroki' (laughs)." - Evangelion 3.0+1.0 Assorted Translations
  28. Earlier, in 2009, after the release of Evangelion 2.0 Anno had instead said he identified with the younger adults: "We naturally put ourselves in the shoes of the 14-year-old Shinji, who was cornered and repeatedly said, "You can't run away," but now, more than 10 years later, many fans may feel closer to Ryoji Kamochi and Misato Katsuragi, whom they admired.
    Anno said, "Now I feel more for Misato, Kaji, and Ritsuko than I do for Shinji. - Tsurumaki Interview, July 2009 AERA Magazine
  29. "Megumi Ogata also explains that for the first time, Hideaki Anno asked her which ending the actress preferred "as Shinji". Will Ms. Ogata's choice be the one that will conclude the tetralogy? Is this a false lead sown by the director? The future and posterity will tell us!" - Japan Expo 2019 - Things seen #9: Evangelion marks the 20th anniversary of Japan Expo!
  30. "Well, I first saw "EVANGELION:3.0+1.0 THRICE UPON A TIME" at the first preview. At the screening, I had a chance to talk with Kazuya Tsurumaki, and he and I were talking about whether or not it would have been better if the word "End of Story" hadn't been included (laughs). We talked about the possibility of having a different world from the current one, and that there are many more possibilities." - Ogata Newtype Interview
  31. https://youtu.be/R-crSHCR2_o
  32. http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2014-12-26/magazine-final-evangelion-film-slated-for-fall-winter-2015-with-utada-song/.82629
  33. https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2018-07-20/next-shin-evangelion-film-teaser-reveals-2020-opening-date/.134484
  34. https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/daily-briefs/2019-03-20/new-shin-evangelion-film-begins-dialogue-recording/.144766
  35. 35.0 35.1 https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2019-06-24/1st-10-minutes-of-new-shin-evangelion-film-to-screen-at-anime-expo-japan-expo/.148220
  36. https://moetron.net/post/185812942705/the-first-10-minutes-of-the-upcoming-shin
  37. https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2019-06-30/1st-10-minutes-of-new-shin-evangelion-film-screens-in-6-locations-in-japan/.148468
  38. https://twitter.com/EvaMonkey/status/1152034549833949184?s=20
  39. https://twitter.com/evangelion_co/status/1152417665979277313?s=20
  40. https://twitter.com/evangelion_co/status/1316921806540996610
  41. https://www.evangelion.co.jp/news/shineva2/
  42. Final Evangelion Film Rescheduled to March 8 After 2 COVID-19 Delays
  43. https://www.evangelion.co.jp/news/210607-2/
  44. https://www.evangelion.co.jp/news/210607-2/
  45. https://www.eva-info.jp/17846
  46. https://www.evangelion.co.jp/final.html
  47. https://www.primevideo.com/detail/Hideaki-Anno-The-Final-Challenge-of-Evangelion/0G6UX6OIICEWQ5UJ4HLEIREKLA/
  48. https://www.itmedia.co.jp/news/spv/2312/30/news054_6.html
  49. https://gkids.com/2022/06/17/gkids-acquires-north-american-rights-to-evangelion3-01-01-thrice-upon-a-time/
  50. https://twitter.com/evangelion_co/status/1614275599706787841
  51. https://twitter.com/evangelion_co/status/1614560509122211841
  52. https://wiki.evageeks.org/Evangelion_1.0_Complete_Records_Collection
  53. Maeda: The decision to make a booklet was made on the day of the stage greeting on April 11. In the waiting room, Mr. Anno (Hideaki) (general director) came up with the idea, and we decided to make it. We decided to produce the booklet. The box-office revenue is not just about the success or failure of the business, but it also affects the director's future activities, so we all wanted to make it happen. At the same time, a lot of people came to the movie theater despite the headwind of the Corona disaster. I was also very grateful for that. I wanted to make a souvenir that would make the people who supported us happy. That feeling was really strong. - Mahiro Maeda on the prequel manga
  54. Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time Reviews - Metacritic, retrieved 2021-09-08
  55. https://vgmdb.net/album/107287
  56. https://vgmdb.net/album/123532
  57. https://www.evangelion.co.jp/final_bd_dvd.html
  58. https://vgmdb.net/album/107092
  59. https://dengekionline.com/articles/33835/
  60. https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2022-02-10/jujutsu-kaisen-evangelion-3.0-1.0-anime-win-taaf-top-awards/.182450
  61. https://www.itmedia.co.jp/news/spv/2312/29/news064_2.html
  62. https://www.itmedia.co.jp/news/spv/2312/30/news054_5.html
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