Rebuild of Evangelion

Rebuild of Evangelion (ヱヴァンゲリヲン新劇場版, Evangerion Shin Gekijōban^?, officially Evangelion: New Theatrical Edition) is a series of four anime films by the creators of Neon Genesis Evangelion which form an alternate retelling of the original anime TV series. Rebuild of Evangelion constitutes a separate continuity from the one of the original anime TV series and its associated anime films Death and Rebirth and The End of Evangelion. The first film in the series was released in Japan on 01 September 2007; the second on 27 June 2009; the third on 17 November 2012, and the fourth and final on 08 March 2021.

Production History[]

Work on the plans of the anime film series began in late 2002.

Announcement banner on Evangelion.co.jp

On the official Evangelion website, an announcement was made on 05 October 2006, detailing the original plans, returning staff, a new studio production, tentative names of the films and their original vision to the project:

Evangelion: New Theatrical Edition Part 1 REBUILD OF EVANGELION:01 (working title) (『エヴァンゲリオン新劇場版　前編　ＲＥＢＵＩＬＤ　ＯＦ　ＥＶＡＮＧＥＬＩＯＮ：０１』（仮題）^?): Roadshow in early summer 2007 at Shibuya Tokyu and other Shochiku^WP/Tokyu affiliates nationwide

Evangelion: New Theatrical Edition Part 1 REBUILD OF EVANGELION:02 (working title) (『エヴァンゲリオン新劇場版中編ＲＥＢＵＩＬＤ　ＯＦ　ＥＶＡＮＧＥＬＩＯＮ：０２』（仮題）^?): 2008 Yoshun National Road Show

The first and second anime films use refined materials such as videos and backgrounds from the TV series, while all footage is newly shot using 3DCG and the latest digital technology. Each film will be around 90 minutes long and will be completely different from the anime TV series and previous anime films, with a completely new story and new settings and characters.

Evangelion: New Theatrical Edition Part 2 + Final Part REBUILD OF EVANGELION: 03, 04 (working title) (2 Parts) (『エヴァンゲリオン新劇場版後編+完結編ＲＥＢＵＩＬＤ　ＯＦ　ＥＶＡＮＧＥＬＩＯＮ：０３、０４』（仮題）（２部構成）^?): (2 Parts, the final part is a completely new work); Nationwide road show in early summer 2008 at Shibuya Tokyu.

The second part consists of 80% new scenes and new settings. The final film does not follow the anime TV series or episodes 25' and 26', but is a completely new story with a completely new ending. The second part and the final part are scheduled to be released as a theatrical film of around 90 minutes.^[1]

...Evangelion has been controversial for 11 years. This is the true final chapter!^[2]

“Red moon, red sea.” In 2007, Evangelion was revived.^[3]

As the production evolved, various changes occured that were different from the initial idea of the project such as, for example, the release dates.

Evangelion New Theatrical Movie Letter — Theatrical letter from *Evangelion 1.0*

On 17 February 2007 series creator Hideaki Anno released an official statement in a form of a poster that was shown in 50 cinemas in Japan, providing an explanation for his motivations in creating a new version of the franchise, and stating that the release date for the first film in Japanese theaters was 01 September 2007. The English name of the anime film series was Rebuild of Evangelion (tentative name), which would be later dropped in favor of Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone and Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance.

English translation of the poster
Many different desires are motivating us to create the new "Evangelion" film. The desire to portray my sincere feelings on film. The desire to share, with an audience, the embodiment of image, the diversity of expressions, and the detailed portrayal of emotions that animation offers. The desire to connect today's exhausted Japanese animation [industry] to the future. The desire to fight the continuing trend of stagnation in anime. The desire to support the strength of heart that exists in the world. Finally, the desire to have these wishes be realized. For these purposes, we used the best methods available to us to make another film. Many times we wondered, "It's a title that's more than 10 years old. Why now?" "Eva is too old", we felt. However, over the past 12 years, there has been no anime newer than Eva. Specifically, among the stagnant mood of the present day, it is the portrayal of will - not technology - that is most important. To support the fans that support animation, we felt that a work that would appeal to middle and high school-aged men, who quickly grow away from Anime, was necessary. When we decided that we wanted to something to support the anime [industry] of today, the determination to return to this title was strong. As the creator of this project, [I assure you that] a very new-feeling world has been constructed. For this purpose, we are not returning to our roots at. I have set up a production company and studio, and it is in this new setting that we will start again. Without looking back, without admiration for the circumstances, we aim to walk towards the future. Thankfully, we have gathered staff from the old series, new staff, and many other fantastic staff to work on this series. We realize that we are creating something that will be better than the last series. ”Eva" is a story that repeats. It is a story where the main character witnesses many horrors with his own eyes, but still tries to stand up again. It is a story of will; a story of moving forward, if only just a little. It is a story of fear, where someone who must face indefinite solitude fears reaching out to others, but still wants to try. We hope that you look forward to the 4 new retellings of this story. In closing, it is also our job to provide a service to our customers. Although it seems obvious, we aim to create a form of entertainment that anyone can look forward to; one that people who have never seen can easily adjust to, one that can engage audiences as a movie for theaters, and one that produces a new understanding of the world. This fall, we hope you can join us. Creator/General Director, Hideaki Anno

^[4]

Many who worked on the original Evangelion production team returned to work on the Rebuild of Evangelion anime film series. Hideaki Anno was the general director and manager for the entire project. Kazuya Tsurumaki, Masayuki, Mahiro Maeda and Katsuichi Nakayama worked as directors in the film series. Yoshiyuki Sadamoto, Atsushi Nishigori, Hidenori Matsubara and Moyoco Anno worked as character designers. Ikuto Yamashita and Takeshi Honda provided mechanical designs. Shinji Higuchi and Tomoki Kyoda^WP provided storyboards for the first film.

Titles[]

There are four main films in the Rebuild of Evangelion series. The first is titled Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone, the second Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance, and the third Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo. The fourth and final film is titled Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon A Time. There is also a one-shot manga prequel, EVANGELION 3.0 (-120 min.) that was later re-released in an OVA version, as well as another OVA prequel, EVANGELION: 3.0 (-46h).

Titles	Japanese title	English translations	Release date
Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone	(ヱヴァンゲリヲン新劇場版:序, Evangelion Shin Gekijōban: Jo^?)	Evangelion: New Theatrical Edition: Introduction	01 September 2007
Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance	(ヱヴァンゲリヲン新劇場版:破, Evangelion Shin Gekijōban: Ha^?)	Evangelion: New Theatrical Edition: Break	27 June 2009
Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo	(ヱヴァンゲリヲン新劇場版:Q, Evangelion Shin Gekijōban: Kyu^?)	Evangelion: New Theatrical Edition: Quickening	17 November 2012
Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon A Time	(シン・エヴァンゲリオン劇場版:\|\|, Shin Evangelion Gekijōban: \|\|^?)	Evangelion: New/True Theatrical Edition: \|\|	08 March 2021
EVANGELION: 3.0 (-120 min.)	EVANGELION 3.0 (-120 min.)	EVANGELION 3.0 (-120 min.)	08 March 2023
EVANGELION: 3.0 (-46h)	EVANGELION 3.0 (-46h)	EVANGELION 3.0 (-46h)	08 March 2023

Storyline[]

Rebuild of Evangelion was originally presented as an alternate retelling of the original anime TV series Neon Genesis Evangelion: the first three films were intended to be an “alternate retelling” of the original TV series, while the fourth and final film was promised to be an entirely new alternate ending to the original TV series.

Major differences between the original anime TV series and the anime film series include that, while Kaworu Nagisa was originally introduced very late in the original anime TV series in Episode 24, in Rebuild of Evangelion he was present from the beginning in the first film. In addition, a new female character named Mari appears beginning in the second film.

The plot of the first film ends with “Operation Yashima”, the battle against the 14th Angel Ramiel in Episode 06, which concluded the introductory story arc of the original anime TV series. The plotline of the second film ends in the battle against Zeruel in Episode 19, but the story greatly differs from that of the original anime TV series.

Trivia[]

The titles of the first three films do not use the normal spelling of Evangelion (エヴァンゲリオン, Evangerion^?) but rather use the we (ヱ^?) and wo (ヲ^?) characters in place of the e (エ^?) and o (オ^?) characters, respectively. There is no change in pronunciation, though.
The fourth and final film reverts to the original katakana spelling, but adds "Shin" (シン) to the title; as it is written in katakana and not kanji, the meaning of "shin" is ambiguous and it can be alternatively translated as either "new" (新, Shin) (as in the previous three Rebuild films), "true" (真, Shin), or even something else entirely.
The 0 in the titles of the first three films (1.0, 2.0 and 3.0) is stylized as ∅, which symbolizes the empty set in mathematics. It is also the symbol used by the ancient Romans to mark dead gladiators on mosaics.

External Links[]

References[]

↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20061005071441/http://www.evangelion.co.jp/theater.html
↑ ・・・・・１１年間物議を醸し続けたエヴァンゲリオン。これが真の完結編となる！
↑ 『赤い月、赤い海。』2007年、エヴァンゲリオン復活。
↑ https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2007-02-20/hideaki-anno-releases-statement-about-new-evangelion-movies
↑ https://www.khara.co.jp/2023/03/08/pse/

Visual Works
Neon Genesis Evangelion	01 • 02 • 03 • 04 • 05 • 06 • 07 • 08 • 09 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • 26
Evangelion: Death and Rebirth	Evangelion: Death • Evangelion: Death (true) • Evangelion: Rebirth
Revival of Evangelion	Evangelion: Death (true)² • The End of Evangelion (25' • 26')
Evangelion: New Theatrical Edition	Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone • Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance • Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo • Evangelion: 3.0 (-120 min.) (anime) • Evangelion: 3.0 (-46h) • Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon A Time
Making of	Rebuild of EVANGELION: 1.01 • Rebuild of EVANGELION: 2.02 • Rebuild of EVANGELION: 3.33 • EVANGELION: 3.333 Breakdown • Imageboards by Mahiro Maeda • Rebuild of EVANGELION: 3.0+1.11 • Rebuild of EVANGELION: 3.0 (-46h) • THE FINAL CHALLENGE OF EVANGELION • (Making of ) evangelion: Another Impact
Others	Evangelion Symphony • NEON GENESIS EVANGELION MUSIC DVD • NEON GENESIS EVANGELION MUSIC remix • Evangelion: Another Impact (Confidential) • Beautiful World • until You come to me. • One Last Kiss • Neon Genesis IMPACTS • Petit Eva: Evangelion@School • Evangelion: Hakata Angel Attack Alternative • Stage Evangelion Beyond • S.J.H.U. PROJECT Shin Universe Robo • Neon Genesis Evangelion: ANIMA (audiobook)

[1] ttps://web.archive.org/web/20061005071441/http://www.evangelion.co.jp/theater.html

[2] ・・・・・１１年間物議を醸し続けたエヴァンゲリオン。これが真の完結編となる！

[3] 『赤い月、赤い海。』2007年、エヴァンゲリオン復活。

[4] ttps://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2007-02-20/hideaki-anno-releases-statement-about-new-evangelion-movies

[5] ttps://www.khara.co.jp/2023/03/08/pse/

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