A Look at Evangelion
A guide to the world of Evangelion

Introduction

So you're new to Evangelion, you may have seen the series, and maybe the movies as well.  Perhaps you've only seen a little bit of it, perhaps even a trailer.   You're interested in exploring this iconic series, but you're quite confused about where to start, where to go next, or you simply want to see more.  Below is a spoiler free guide which will help you get acquainted with the world of Evangelion, from the show, to the movies, to the manga, to the video games and various other spin-offs.  Hopefully this guide will serve you well in your exploration of this fine series.

This guide is primarily aimed at the North American audience, the usefulness of this may expand to suit the needs of other English speaking areas such as The United Kingdom and Australia, as North American distributors such as ADV Films and Manga Entertainment have their hands in the distribution of Evangelion in other parts of the English speaking world.   However those fluent in English from other parts of the world may not find certain portions of this helpful, particularly those relevant to North American video release and licensing.

Neon Genesis Evangelion (TV Series)

It all starts here.  "Shin Seiki Evangelion" aka "Neon Genesis Evangelion" is an animated television series consisting of 26 episodes.  It premiered on October 4th, 1995, and ran until March 27, 1996.  It was directed by Hideaki Anno and produced by studio Gainax.

Evangelion is the story of the fourteen year old Shinji Ikari, who is summoned to Tokyo-3 by his father, the supreme commander of the special agency Nerv.  He is summoned there to pilot a giant robot known as an "Evangelion" against unknown attackers referred to simply as "Angels".

While this may seem like every other anime in which an untrained adolescent inexplicable finds themselves as the pilot for an advanced robot, it is distinctly more than that.  Evangelion is a series which weaves numerous references and influences from the mecha genre into a collage of religious symbolism, psychological drama, and emotional catharsis.  It begins light heartedly, and once the situation and characters have been thoroughly defined, the show takes an immediate reversal and tangents into an intensely personal and disturbing look into the lives of the characters, which is what the show is ultimately about.  The director's intent was to burn his thoughts and feelings into film, and he does so in a unique and powerful manner that is undeniably the reason for Evangelion's continued success and popularity.

Evangelion's most peculiar aspect remains its TV Series ending, which more or less ignores the primary conflict and plot of the series, and instead focuses entirely on the characters themselves.  The specific circumstances are ambiguous to this day, however we have been led to believe that there were issues of budget and time, as well as pressure from the network that the show be toned down, as its content had rapidly exceeded the age level of its primary demographic.  Due to these various factors, the originally intended ending was not completed, however it was later reworked into the feature film "The End of Evangelion". [ Collapse ]

Death & Rebirth (Theatrical Program)

Released on March 15, 1997.  Produced by Gainax and Production IG. Consisted of two parts and a brief intermission.

The first part, Death, is a 45 minute long recap of the first 24 episodes of the TV series, while this does include some new animation, it doesn't provide any new plot and simply serves to highlight various events and themes from the series.  There are three different versions of this program.  The first was part of the initial Death & Rebirth release. The second (referred to as "Death True") which aired January 2nd 1998 on WoWoW, Japanese satellite, had much of the footage from the New Production Cuts removed to encourage their video sales.  The third and final edit (referred to as "Death True^2") was included in The Revival of Evangelion, and various video releases of the theatrical programs.

The second part of this feature, Rebirth, can be considered a work in progress or teaser for The End of Evangelion.  It features the first half hour of The End of Evangelion.  There are some very slight differences between Rebirth and the first half hour of The End of Evangelion, with the only major difference being the ending theme to Rebirth "Tamashi No Refuran" (Refrain of the Soul).  This feature is for the most part completely unnecessary in light of being just a part of The End of Evangelion, and can be skipped entirely. [ Collapse ]

The End of Evangelion (Theatrical Program)

Dissatisfaction with the ending of the TV series after its conclusion ultimately resulted in the creation of this film.  Released on July 19, 1997, and produced by Gainax and Production IG, The End of Evangelion is a reworked version of the originally intended series ending, and is the definitive conclusion to the Evangelion series.  The events of this film take place immediately after episode 24 of the television series, and are annotated as 25' and 26', similarly to the New Production Cuts which are annotated as 21'-24'.  Argument in the fan community still rages as to whether the two endings (TV Series ending (episodes 25-26) and The End of Evangelion) are separate or simply from different perspectives, nevertheless, this film is as the title suggests, the end of Evangelion. [ Collapse ]

New Production Cuts (Video Release)

Also known as the Director's Cuts.  These four episodes (21-24) featured new, extended, and improved animation.  They were produced during the production of the theatrical programs Death & Rebirth and The End of Evangelion, and were released direct to video in Japan after the theatrical programs Death & Rebirth and The End of Evangelion had run in theaters.

Release Schedule:
Episode 21' Genesis 0:11 1998-02-04
Episode 22' Genesis 0:12 1998-07-03
Episode 23' Genesis 0:13 1998-08-12
Episode 24' Genesis 0:14 1998-09-09

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Addition Audio Drama (Audio Program)

Also known as "After the End" or "Shukyoku no Tsuzuki".

The Evangelion Audio Drama, hereafter referred to as "After the End", is one of the overlooked bits of official Evangelion goodness.  It originally appeared as track number 2 on the "Neon Genesis Evangelion: Addition" cd released December 12, 1996 by King Records.  The drama track features the entire cast of Evangelion, as well as Hideaki Anno, who also wrote and directed.

The premise of "After the End" is simple, the characters of Eva have enjoyed a much deserved rest after their series concluded, however, the business executives have signed the papers to begin a new Evangelion series.  The only problem is that the cast has no script, and the voice recording has to be done immediately to air in the evening.

"After the End" is similar in tone to the action arc (episodes 7-13) or to the alternate universe of episode 26.  It's at times quite silly, without any of the psychological drama or character conflicts of the series.  This is meant to be entirely comedic, and is rather amusing at certain points. [ Collapse ]

Neon Genesis Evangelion (Manga)

The Evangelion manga is illustrated and written by series character designer Yoshiyuki Sadamoto.  It first appeared in the Feruary 1995 issue of Shonen Ace.  Sadamoto has stated that the series will consist of twelve volumes, and is currently up to nine volumes in Japan.   America, like other areas where the comic is licensed, has caught up to the Japanese reader, with all nine volumes available locally.  New stages going towards volume ten are currently appearing in Shonen Ace.   Concerning the manga itself, it is considered a "separate but equal" iteration of Evangelion.  That being said, its story is at times quite similar to the TV series, and at times quite different.  It is more than a simple reproduction in comic form.  It stands on its own in terms of story, different enough to draw in readers eager to see more of Evangelion, but still similar enough to hold true to the themes and feel of the TV series. [ Collapse ]

Evangelion 2 (Video Game)

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Girlfriend of Steel (Video Game)

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Girlfriend of Steel 2 (Video Game)

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Girlfriend of Steel 2 (Manga)

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Began circulation in Asuka Comics November 2003. [ Collapse ]

Evangelion: Angelic Days (Manga)

"Angelic Days" is the licensed title for the Girlfriend of Steel 2 comic which was recently licensed by ADV Manga.  The comic will be serialized in the pages of NewType USA starting in the August 2005 issue.  After it concludes its run in the publication, it will be released in the usual graphic novel format, as early as late 2006. [ Collapse ]

Ayanami Rei Ikusei Keikaku (Video Game)

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Ikari Shinji Ikusei Keikaku (Video Game)

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Ikari Shinji Ikusei Keikaku (Manga)

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Revival of Evangelion (Theatrical Program)

Revival of Evangelion was a theatrical re-release of the Evangelion movies in Japan.  It was released March 7, 1998,  and was composed of Death True^2 as well as The End of Evangelion.   The only variation between this and the original theatrical releases is the first part, as Death True^2 is the third and final edit of the Death Program. [ Collapse ]

Renewal of Evangelion (Video Release)

The Renewal Project was a thorough remastering of the Evangelion series by studio Gainax.  The footage was greatly improved and much of the frame jitter which was a complaint of many fans in the past has been alleviated.   The audio has been remastered and mixed into 5.1 surround sound.  The Renewal set consists of the 26 episode series, the 4 New Production Cuts, Death True^2, and The End of Evangelion.  The content of the series is largely the same.  There are some minor differences, namely that of additional dialog, BGM changes, and some slight differences in scene editing.  It was initially released as a limited edition set in June 2003, and was later released in 11 separate DVD volumes.  The Renewal of Evangelion is Japan only. [ Collapse ]

Evangelion Perfect Collection (Video Release)

The Perfect Collection was the first DVD release of Evangelion by ADV Films.  It contained all 26 episodes of the Evangelion TV series across 8 DVDs which could be bought individually or as a complete box set. [ Collapse ]

Evangelion Platinum Edition (Video Release)

The Platinum Edition is the second DVD release of Evangelion by ADV Films.  It has been adapted from the Renewal of Evangelion.  It contains all 26 episodes of the TV Series and the 4 New Production Cuts.  It does not contain Death True^2, or The End of Evangelion, as such, it is not a direct adaptation of the Renewal of Evangelion.  Rather, it is a partial adaptation of Renewal. [ Collapse ]

Evangelion Resurrection (Video Release)

Released on January 13, 2004, Resurrection is the first of two DVD volumes released by ADV Films containing the New Production Cut episodes, otherwise known as the Director's Cuts.  This volume contains episodes 21-23 in their original and revised format.  The episodes of this release include updated subtitle translations, and a new English audio.  In addition to this, this DVD features a first look at the Live Action Evangelion Project.  In this feature, Richard Taylor and Ben Wooten talk about Evangelion and the project, while their discussion is accompanied by a look at some of the conceptual artwork produced by Wooten's design team. [ Collapse ]

Evangelion Genesis Reborn (Video Release)

Released on March 9, 2004, The second of two DVDs released by ADV Films containing the New Production Cut episodes.  Like Resurrection, this release include updated subtitle translations, and a new English audio.  This DVD also includes an advance look at the Live Action Evangelion production.  This feature showcases all of the original artwork, plus two new pieces with close up shots.

It gets a little weird with this DVD, so please bear with.

Back when ADV was originally adapting Evangelion for the North American audience, they were using the Japanese DVD release to make their masters.   However, after a time, they caught up to the Japanese DVD release, and rather than slow their production of Eva and wait for the Japanese to make their DVD releases, they decided to revert to the Japanese TV masters.  These master have very slight, nearly imperceptible differences in composition and timing, however their audio and video is noticeably inferior to the DVD masters.

For the release of the "Director's Cuts", they decided to label them as being 6 episodes and spread them over two DVDs so that you could in theory take your old volume 7 and 8 DVDs from the Perfect Collection box and put Resurrection and Genesis Reborn in their places.

DVD Contents:
24 (Original TV Master)
24 (New Production Cut)
25 (Original TV Master)
25 (DVD Master)
26 (Original TV Master)
26 (DVD Master)

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Live Action Evangelion (Theatrical Program)

Formally announced on May 19, 2003, the currently untitled Live Action Evangelion Film is slated to be a joint venture between ADV Films, Studio Gainax, and WETA Workshop.  Details are still scarce, and any and all information which has been released to the public is inconclusive of what the final result will be.   No director has been announced, a finalized script has yet to be written, no casting or filming has been made, and by all indications, the project is in pre-directorial limbo.  From all indications, it will be produced for an American audience, and may be a retelling of the first arc of the series, featuring a westernized version of the cast and locations.  If successful, it may see further installments to complete the storyline of the series. [ Collapse ]

Evangelion R (Fan Fiction)

Neon Genesis Evangelion: R is on occasion confused for a part of the Evangelion series.  It is a work of illustrated fan fiction by Maher Al-Samkari of Modus Productions.  It serves as an unofficial continuation of the TV series.  Some like it, some condemn it.  Regardless of that, its sheer scope is impressive.  It is a rather lengthy composition, featuring a branching storyline, and a horde of additional materials.   Supplemental illustrations, music, manga, animations, and radio play help push it beyond the rest of the works of fan fiction.  The chapters of Eva-R were published from 1998 until 2004. [ Collapse ]

Evangelion ReDeath (Fan Parody)

Evangelion ReDeath, by name alone, is sometimes confused as an official part of the Evangelion series.  ReDeath is a fan parody produced by Studio Sokodei, which premiered February 25th, 2000 at Fanime Con.  It is composed of footage from the Evangelion series and movies, as well as some footage from Tenchi Muyo and Pokemon.  Its story centers around Gendo Ikari attempting to use the Song "1999" by Prince to disrupt the space time continuum in order to become "The Uber Pimp".  It is perhaps single-handedly the funniest Evangelion parody to be seen thus far.  ReDeath can be seen in video rooms at various North American anime conventions.  The creators have called for a cessation of the digital distribution of the parody in preparation for distribution of the remastered version known as "Eva ReDeath Redux". [ Collapse ]