Eva Monkey

Eva Monkey Turns Seven

2010-01-31T00:00:00.000-05:00

EvaMonkey.com launched seven years ago. Ahhh... it only seems like yesterday, doesn't it?

Manga no longer has movie licenses.

2009-11-19T15:09:00.000-05:00

It's been an assumption for a while, given that DVDs for Death & Rebirth and The End of Evangelion have been out of print for some time now, but it's finally official, according to Steve Sargent of Manga Entertainment on the Anime News Network podcast, Manga no longer has the licenses for the Evangelion movies. This is good news for Evangelion fans, as it means that the licenses will transfer to a new company, who will hopefully put out a superior anamorphic DVD that Manga promised back in the Summer of 2006. Who knows, maybe we'll even get a Bluray, or the real Rebirth!

Rebuild of Evangelion 1.0 out on DVD early.

2009-11-12T10:49:00.002-05:00

A couple of days, a user on our forum made an outlandish claim that he had in his possesion a legitimate store-bought version of Rebuild of Evangelion 1.0, published by Funimation. Being the skeptic I am, I laughed at him, and then proceeded to take several days to find time to go to my local urbanite deathtrap Best Buy in order to attempt to verify that Rebuild was in fact released to stores earlier than was previously advertised. The trip was fruitful, and I was able to purchase the DVD for the small sum of $24.95 and another small portion of what remains of my dignity. So despite what you've read, the domestic release of Rebuild of Evangelion 1.0 is out before its November 17th release date, and believe me, if I can find it at that particular Best Buy, which has a small, messily stocked anime section, you should be able to find it anywhere. Happy hunting!

Rebuild of Evangelion 3.0 to be released Summer 2010?

2009-09-21T08:22:00.000-05:00

According to a recent Newtype interview, as discussed on tokyo3cn, reposted to the Evangelion ML, and once more reposted here for your delight and consumption, Rebuild of Evangelion 3.0 is due out in the Summer of 2010. This is earlier than expected, as it took nearly two years between 1.0 and 2.0. Apparently, the films have been so successful that they're not limiting the budget on 3.0, and with the staff from the previous two films, they'll be adding new staff, maintaining the same level of quality, and pushing the film out much earlier than expected. The only downside is that the directors/supervisiors won't be able to do interviews/press conferences. I'd say that's a pretty fair trade, wouldn't you?

Evangelion Rebuild 2.0 on Mistakes of Youth Blog

2009-06-27T10:42:00.001-05:00

Wildarmsheero has done a series of blog entries about his outing to see 2.0. His Japanese isn't spectacular, so you won't be getting tons about the dialogue:

http://blog.mistakesofyouth.com/2009/06/27/evangelion-2-0-prelude-to-terror/
http://blog.mistakesofyouth.com/2009/06/27/evangelion-new-theatrical-version-division/
http://blog.mistakesofyouth.com/2009/06/27/evangelion-2-0-you-can-not-advance-spoilers/

Funimation Releases Dubbed Trailer

2009-06-14T10:28:00.000-05:00

Funimation has released a trailer for Rebuild of Evangelion 1.0. It has people speaking English in it. It also has stock trailer music that you'll never hear in Evangelion. If that interests you, you can find it at the following location.

http://www.funimation.com/Evangelion/

Eva's Misato Hosts Realtime News Show on PS3s in Japan

2009-05-28T08:13:00.003-05:00

This is just too weird to escape mention. On June 6th, Bandai Namco Games will be providing a program for PS3 owners in Japan that will create a live real time updated news channel, hosted by one Misato Katsuragi. Using the voice synthesis from the Cellius software, and some quantum magic, it will even talk to you in Misato's voice. You can even customize the set and her attire. How's that for a crazy promo?

Sources: ANN, Kotaku, and Mainichi.

Rebuild 2.0 Trailer Leaked

2009-03-15T11:01:00.007-05:00

Just as before, our first real look at Rebuild of Evangelion 2.0 is from a cellphone camera. This time, we don't even have sound, and I think the quality is actually less. If I could pick apart everything that happens in this movie, it would amount to a mind boggling amount of stuff. Bardiel, Zeruel, Sahaquiel, Ireul, Leliel, Matarael, Sandalphon... just how many episodes and Angels do they plan to cram into this movie? Furthermore, how long is this movie? I am pleased to see that this movie has almost entirely new animation from what I can tell. That may just be the trailer for all we know, we'll just have to wait until July 27th, when the film is released to know for sure.

Evangelion USB Memory Drives

2009-03-06T12:26:00.003-05:00

So, the entry plug one is apparently kind of big, comes in Eva 01 and Eva 00 varieties, and is only 2GB. But the Rei Ayanami drive on the other hand, is like an over sized Lego person that poops up to 4GB of data onto your computer. Isn't that brilliant? And who doesn't want their favorite anime character hanging off the side of their computer? Also comes in new school outfit version. Both based off of that Petit Eva thing.

Rebuild of Evangelion 1.0 playing at Seventh Annual National Cherry Blossom Festival Anime Marathon

2009-03-04T12:51:00.003-05:00

Seventh Annual National Cherry Blossom Festival Anime Marathon
Date(s): Mar 28, 2009 - Mar 28, 2009
Time: 11:00 AM - Marathon finishes
Location: Smithsonian Institution, Freer Gallery of Art - 1050 Independence Avenue, SW
Description: In celebration of this year’s Cherry Blossom Festival, the Freer, in conjunction with the Japan Information and Cultural Center and Otakorp, Inc., presents a day-long festival of four Japanese Anime films:

Evangelion 1.0: You Are (Not) Alone
1:30 PM
This sci-fi tale co-directed by Hideaki Anno, Masayuki and Kazuya Tsurumaki is set in a post-apocalyptic Tokyo, where the population defends itself from alien invaders with the help of human/mechanical hybrid battle robots. Its hero, Shinji, is a shy 14-year-old boy mysteriously chosen to save the planet from the aliens for good. Rated PG. (2007, 98 min., Japanese with English subtitles, video)

This won't be the first time Rebuild of Evangelion 1.0 will screened in the US, but it's the first time it will be screened in my own backyard, so I'm going to make the effort to make the trip down to DC. Who knows, maybe an Evangelion fans meetup will transpire?

More information can be found at the Cherry Blossom Festival website:
http://nationalcherryblossomfestival.org/events/eng/event_display.php3?event_id=320

See you there!

Evangelion and Penny Arcade Mashup

2009-02-28T16:15:00.006-05:00

I don't have too much to say about this piece of art by Mike "Gabe" Krahulik, in which he mashes up Penny Arcade and Evangelion. According to his post, the image is for a poster that they'll be selling exclusively at Sakura-Con in April.

His comments about the image are limited, however a quick cross-reference will show some very distinctive similarities in the robot, and especially in the suit in the upper body and collar area. It's kind of neat to see two of my long time favorites cross over, even if it's just in a single image.

References to Evangelion are not a new thing, I've posted a few others over the years, like fan art by Bruce Timm of Batman: The Animated Series, or when the characters of Chugworth Academy headed to Otakon, or references in full-fledged productions like Invader Zim or One Hour Photo with Robin Williams. There's lots of cool stuff floating around out there to find.

Evangelion iPhone and iPod Touch Applications

2009-02-25T14:06:00.007-05:00

Hey, remember when you could spend like $400 on an Evangelion ipod? Well now you can spend just $2-3 on your iPhone or iPod Touch to make it Evangelion-ish. Appliya Inc. has developed an application for the Apple iPhone and iPod to give it a clock and countdown time reminiscent of the activation timer in Evangelion. There's also a goofy picture stamp application that... puts Angels, Evas, and Rei Ayanami's hair into your pictures. And if that sounds kind of silly, that's because it is silly. If you'd like to see just how silly it is, click here to see a picture of the application in action.

Rebuild of Evangelion Figures, including the new character Mari.

2009-02-21T12:28:00.004-05:00

Dengeki PlayStation Online has posted quite a few images from AOU2009 Amusement Expo of Sega's Rebuild of Evangelion figures due out between June and September. Ordinarily, this wouldn't be especially noteworthy, but as it turns out, one of the figures on display was a design illustration of the figure for the new character Mari, who we have not gotten many good glimpses of. Check out the post on Dengeki Playstation Online for more images.

Rebuild of Evangelion 2.0: You can (not) advance Release Date

2009-02-20T10:15:00.008-05:00

It's official, we now have a release date for Rebuild of Evangelion 2.0: You can (not) advance. According to the official Evangelion website, the film will be in Japanese theaters starting June 27th, 2009. When a fansub of that will become available is anyone's guess. Keep in mind that it took a considerable amount of time for the initial fansub of Rebuild 0.1 to be made available. I wouldn't be surprised if the fansub of 2.0 doesn't come around until 1.0 is available on domestic DVD in November.

Evangelion Rebuild Tarot Cards

2009-02-11T00:00:00.007-05:00

From crab meat to windshield visors, Gainax has put Evangelion on everything you could possibly imagine. So Evangelion tarot cards are not that unusual once you stop to think about it. In fact, I recall a time on the former Eva Monkey Forums when we mused over producing an Evangelion tarot deck. Ultimately, nothing came of it, but it's interesting going back and comparing the old list to the set that Gainax produced. With the exception of Gendo as The Emperor, the lists are totally different. I know very little about Tarot, so I can't say whether Gainax put sufficient thought into which characters would best represent the meanings associated with each card.

These cards are a limited edition set of 22 cards, slated for release on March 19th for a price of 2,940 yen. The set comes with a case and guide.

The Cards:

O - The Fool - Rei I, II, and III
I - The Magician - Ritsuko Akagi
II - The High Priestess - Yui Ikari
III - The Empress - Asuka Langley Soryu
IV - The Emperor - Gendo Ikari
V - The Hierophant - Kaworu Nagisa
VI - The Lovers - Hikari Horaki and Toji Suzuhara
VII - The Chariot - Eva Unit 01 with Sniper Rifle
VIII - Strength - Lilith
IX - The Hermit - Seele
X - Wheel of fortune - Systema Sephiroticum

XI - Justice - Shinji Ikari
XII - The Hanged Man - Ryoji Kaji
XIII - Death - Kaworu/Tabris
XIV - Temperance - Maya Ibuki
XV - The Devil - Eva Unit 01
XVI - The Tower - Tokyo-3/Geofront (?)
XVII - The Star - Rei Ayanami (?)
XVIII - The Moon - Kaworu Nagisa
XIX - The Sun - Misato Katsuragi
XX - Judgement - The Magi
XXI - The World - Rei/Lilith

Icon of Coil - Love As Blood (Implant Remix)

2009-02-10T12:52:00.005-05:00

So I was minding my own business, listening to the Future Synthpop channel on Digitally Imported, an internet radio station that I've been listening to for a number of years, and this song comes on, and at some point, I hear a female voice cut in saying "We are the eighteenth angel, the other angels are just different possibilities...". With cat-like reflexes, I hit the volume key on my keyboard repeatedly to hear Allison Keith's Misato from The End of Evangelion more clearly. The song in question is Love As Blood (Implant Remix) by Icon of Coil, an EBM band from Norway. And as I said in another entry recently, it's peculiar and wonderful how Evangelion connects things together, and how you find it in the most unlikely and unexpected places. I obviously cannot put the song up in its entirety, but here's an excerpt for your edification. If you want to hear the whole thing, you'll have to buy it or steal it. Either way, I won't judge.

Evangelion on IGN's Top 100 Animated Series

2009-01-26T21:40:00.004-05:00

It's weird to think that ten years ago, I had to scavenge for Evangelion on VHS tapes in various specialty stores. Because of the difficulty, I had to eventually resort to buying damn near half the series at Otakon one year. Nowadays, Evangelion can be bought from nearly any video retailer, and even at some Wal-Marts. That degree of availability ultimately means two things. Firstly, that as a commodity, the series is profitable, and secondly, that it has earned a sizable amount of popularity.

So it comes as no surprise that it would be included in IGN's Top 100 Animated Series feature. But number 10? Out of like every animated series ever? I mean I love Eva and all, but that's pretty unusual, particularly for a list that includes only a handful of anime series.

I enjoyed flipping through the list, despite the annoyance of the feature being split up into separate pages instead of like 1-10, 11-20, 21-30, etc. Gotta love those websites that get paid for impression-based advertisement.

Anime Zone: Neon Genesis Evangelion Anime Review

2009-01-21T09:12:00.005-05:00

A while back I thought I would check out the offering of Evangelion video reviews on YouTube. At the time, the only relevant video I could find was by "Hard's Anime Reviews", an account which has since been suspended. His reviews were disappointingly barren of any pre-planning or insight; the sort of production anyone could accomplish by pointing the camera at themselves and talking for 5-10 minutes. I'll give him props for the effort, but I need something more out of a review.

I see more and more Evangelion stuff popping up on YouTube, so I thought I would try my hand at searching for Evangelion video reviews again. I found a few, most of them mediocre, but a user by the name of gigguk, aka "The Anime Zone" left me pleasantly surprised with his satirical high-energy review. It plays out like a mixture of Monty Python and The Angry Video Game Nerd.

And, as an amusing side note, I just happened across an image of my friend Jordon cosplaying as Yagami Light in his Death Note review. Weird.

Eva Monkey content from days gone by.

2009-01-19T22:59:00.003-05:00

For better or worse, I've added two links to the site navigation, one is Archive, which is an archive (imagine that) of all of the blog entries for Eva Monkey. The other is Old Content, which is an archive of much of the old content from Eva Monkey over the years. I've been going through a lot of this old content, reformatting it, optimizing it for search, rethinking how and what I want to present on this site. I no longer want to have such a huge scope the way I did in the past. But I figured, while I'm taking my sweet time going over this stuff, I thought I might as well bear the embarrassment of having it all available for prying eyes.

RSS Feed

2009-01-10T11:36:00.005-05:00

I feel kind of dumb. I've had this website forever, and the blog has had RSS for the longest time, but I've never really understood RSS or how to implement it. Turns out, it's actually pretty simple, so I've implemented the feed in the template, so you should see the feed icon in your browser, otherwise, you can click on the RSS Feed link that I included in the navigation bar. With that, you'll be able to know when I've updated the site. My plan to update on a regular weekly basis on Mondays hasn't been too successful, but I'm going to try and get back into the habit of doing that, and with RSS, some of you more adept internet users will be able to keep tabs on my updates a little better.

Evangelion Snowboard and Snowboarding Suit

2009-01-08T21:41:00.000-05:00

Tear down the slopes in style... or lack of style. It really all depends on how you look at it. Or maybe it depends on how your friends look at it. While I personally think the board is badass, I think the suit is a bit... well... scary. As in like, "hey everyone, I just spent over eight hundred bucks on something that should really only cost half that just so I can exhibit my favorite cartoon from 1995!" scary. Personally, I think 73,500 yen is a bit steep for either the board or the suit. But I am nevertheless thoroughly fascinated by the ingenuity demonstrated here. It's not everyday that you see a piece of merchandise like this. You can get a closer look at the gear at EvaStore.

Rebuild of Evangelion 1:0 Licensed

2009-01-01T17:56:00.004-05:00

It's no longer speculative, Rebuild of Evangelion 1:0 has indeed been licensed by Funimation, and now has a page on their official website. According to Funimation's website, the release date has been set for November 10th, 2009. Details about English dub casting have not yet been released, but it has been suggested to me that part of the decision behind it being licensed by Funimation is that Anno/Khara wanted a new company to handle the property and provide a fresh voice cast, which makes sense. I imaging the process of tracking down actors from upwards of twelve years back could pose a special challenge. Those familiar with the dubbing for Manga's release of the movies, as well as ADV's release of the "director's cuts" are well aware of the differences amongst the three phases of Evangelion's dubbing, so whatever the case, it should prove interesting.

Rebuild of Evangelion Licensed by Funimation?

2008-12-24T09:44:00.007-05:00

Back in late November, Funimation roused suspicions by issuing cease and desists to various fansubbers and hosts of video content from Rebuild of Evangelion. It was good indication at the time that Funimation had licensed, or was in the process of licensing Rebuild. However, it was not conclusive, as it is not uncommon for companies that are merely interested in a particular title to send cease and desists in order to protect their interests.

A month has passed, and someone ingenious has found the following images stored on Funimation's server:

http://www4.funimation.com/video/images/shows/evangelion.jpg
http://www4.funimation.com/video/images/shows/_thumbs/evangelion.jpg

I think this is fairly good indication that Rebuild has been licensed. However I'm keeping in mind that it's not official until it's official. Licenses fall through at the last minute, it's been known to happen. The question remains, when will the official word drop, and when will we get our grubby hands on a domestic copy? Considering how long it took for Manga to distribute Death and Rebirth and The End of Evangelion, and how long it took for the video versions of 21-24 to make it over, it really is anyone's guess.

Limited Edition Holiday Special

2008-12-22T00:00:00.000-05:00

The other night, my girlfriend and I hosted a German-themed Christmas party, and amongst the guests was none other than Drinian. While we dorked out a bit about Eva, I showed him some of my collection, and he asked me if I had the holiday edition of Evangelion. And I swear, I must be living under a rock these days, because in my prime of Evangelion geekery, something as peculiar as this wouldn't escape my attention. I don't know too much, just that it appears to be yet another repackaging of Evangelion, specific to this holiday season. How is it a "Holiday Special"? Well, from what I can tell, the fact that they're only selling it this holiday season. I'm not even certain if it's a repackaging of the Platinum Thinpak, or the full-sized Platinum release, or even if it has anything unique that we haven't seen yet that would interest those who already have Evangelion amongst their collection. In all likelihood, this is just a title update aimed at interesting new and holiday buyers. Even so, why do I want to buy it?

Evangelion ReDeath on YouTube

2008-12-07T00:00:00.002-05:00

Having been part of the test camp for Studio Sokodei's DVD remastering process, I was expecting to see their parodies served up as a direct download, or via bittorrent or a peer to peer method of file sharing. I was surprised to see that Andrew Hosking instead chose to serve up the parodies on YouTube. I think this comes as a pleasant surprise, considering how large the site has become, and it is nice to know that they're available, on demand, to anyone who wants to see them. So in that respect, their work is more available now than it has ever been. And that's a good thing. While I do agree with Andrew, that the best (and most preferable) way of experiencing the parodies is at a convention screening with hundreds of others, I must acknowledge that not everyone has that freedom, and it is time to open up to new viewers. This is of particular interest to Eva fans, because their (perhaps) best known work is Evangelion ReDeath.

I'm going to go out on a limb and assume that not everyone out there is familiar with Evangelion ReDeath, so let's get up to speed. Evangelion ReDeath is a fan parody, using re-edited footage and original voice work. The plot surrounds Gendo Ikari attempting to use the song 1999 by Prince to disrupt the space-time continuum in order to become... the uber pimp. Beyond that, not too much is drastically different. The characters are not too far removed from the series, and the humor isn't too heavily ingrained in Evangelion, so even casual fans can enjoy, even if they're not into Evangelion. It's a bit over a half hour, so it's not a huge time investment. Regardless of whether you've seen it or not, be sure to give Studio Sokodei a visit, and check out their other works as well.