Rebuild of Evangelion (ヱヴァンゲリヲン新劇場版, Evangerion Shin Gekijō-ban?, lit. "Evangelion New Theatrical Edition") is a series of four movies by the creators of Neon Genesis Evangelion, which form an alternate retelling of the original TV series. "Rebuild of Evangelion" constitutes a separate continuity from the continuity of the original TV series and associated movies, Death and Rebirth and The End of Evangelion. The first film in the series was released in Japan on September 1, 2007; the second on June 27, 2009; and the third on November 17, 2012. The fourth and final has an undecided released date.
The Rebuild movie series is intended to be more accessible and understandable to non-fans of the original series, even if new viewers have never seen the original series at all, while at the same time satisfying fans of the original series.
Production History
On February 17, 2007 series creator Hideaki Anno released an official statement in a form of a movie 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 September 1, 2007.
Many who worked on the original Evangelion production team returned to work on Rebuild. Hideaki Anno has written the script for the first movie and will be the general director and manager for the entire project. Kazuya Tsurumaki and Masayuki directed the movies while Yoshiyuki Sadamoto provides character designs and Ikuto Yamashita provides mechanical designs. Shinji Higuchi and Tomoki Kyoda provided storyboards for the first movie.
Films
There are four 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", the third is called "Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo". The last film is known as “Evangelion Final” (working title).
| Episode | 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 Theater Edition: Preface | September 1, 2007 (Japan) | ||
| 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 Theater Edition: Breaking Up | June 27, 2009 (Japan) | ||
|
Evangelion: 3.0 |
ヱヴァンゲリヲン新劇場版:Q (Evangelion Shin Gekijōban: Q) | Evangelion New Theater Edition: Quickening | November 17, 2012 (Japan) | ||
| Evangelion: Final | シン・エヴァンゲリオン劇場版: | (Shin Evangelion Gekijōban: ) | New/True Evangelion Theater Edition: | Not Fixed |
Storyline
“Rebuild of Evangelion” was originally presented as an alternate retelling of the original Neon Genesis Evangelion: the first three movies were intended to be an “alternate retelling” of the series, while the fourth and final film is promised to be an entirely new, alternate ending to the series.
Major differences include that while Kaworu Nagisa was originally introduced very late in the series in Episode 24, in Rebuild of Evangelion he was present in the first film. In addition, a new girl named Mari appears starting from the second film.
The plot of the first Rebuild film ends with “Operation Yashima”, the battle against the Angel Ramiel in Episode 06 which concluded the introductory story arc. 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 series.
See also
External links
- (Japanese) Rebuild of Evangelion website
- (Japanese) Yahoo! Japan: The statement by Hideaki Anno and the bulletin movie
- Anime News Network: Translation of Anno's statement