News &: Updates

Rebuild of Evangelion 1.0 out on DVD early.

Posted: Thursday, November 12, 2009
Author: Aaron Clark

IMG_0055A 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!

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Rebuild of Evangelion 3.0 to be released Summer 2010?

Posted: Monday, September 21, 2009
Author: Aaron Clark

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?

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Evangelion Rebuild 2.0 on Mistakes of Youth Blog

Posted: Saturday, June 27, 2009
Author: Aaron Clark

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/

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Funimation Releases Dubbed Trailer

Posted: Sunday, June 14, 2009
Author: Aaron Clark

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/

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Rebuild 2.0 Trailer Leaked

Posted: Sunday, March 15, 2009
Author: Aaron Clark

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.

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

Posted: Wednesday, March 04, 2009
Author: Aaron Clark

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!

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Rebuild of Evangelion Figures, including the new character Mari.

Posted: Saturday, February 21, 2009
Author: Aaron Clark


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.

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

Posted: Friday, February 20, 2009
Author: Aaron Clark

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.

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Rebuild of Evangelion 1:0 Licensed

Posted: Thursday, January 01, 2009
Author: Aaron Clark

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.

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Rebuild of Evangelion Licensed by Funimation?

Posted: Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Author: Aaron Clark

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.

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Rebuild of Evangelion Trailer

Posted: Friday, July 13, 2007
Author: Aaron Clark

As glorious as the cheesy cellphone video was, no words can describe the sheer excitement I now have for Rebuild of Evangelion. Seeing it in motion has quelled many of my anxieties that I previously held for the films. I can only hope that the improvements in the story are as profound as the improvements in the visuals.

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Rebuild of Evangelion Doritos

Posted: Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Author: Aaron Clark

The phrase "No comment" doesn't even begin to convey how utterly beyond words I am right now. If commentary were like temperature, "No comment" would be down around zero degrees, speechless would be negative degrees, and the way I feel right now would be somewhere down around absolute zero. Just... wow. Evangelion Doritos. That's a product placement I don't think anyone was expecting.

Source: Japan Probe

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Rebuild of Evangelion: First Look

Posted: Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Author: Aaron Clark

The trailer for Rebuild of Evangelion 0:1 "You are (not) alone" was shown a few times in Japanese theaters recently, and fortunately for us gaijin, someone was good enough to do a dirty little video recording of the trailer, which subsequently found its way onto YouTube. It looks very much like a version of Eva had it been made today rather than in 1995. The characters are all there, the first three angels are all there, and the plot looks spot on the original. The only major difference I can tell is that it looks absolutely gorgeous, and there's something about LCL being black rather than orange. Lilith = Black Moon = Black LCL. Makes sense, but as has been asked in discussion, "If the LCL is black... how will the pilots see?". Time will tell, and in the meantime, we can drool, and anxiously await the september 1st release, and ravenously devour every piece of promotional material that comes our way.

Source: corintium

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Rebuild Update

Posted: Monday, April 23, 2007
Author: Aaron Clark

The following was posted on Anime News Network in February. Considering that, this isn't exactly new news. But if you haven't read it, you really ought to, it spells out Anno's desires for Rebuild of Evangelion, and seems to echo what he expressed prior to Evangelion's original airing in Japan. It seems hopeful and promising to me, and it makes me eager to see how Rebuild will fare.

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 Evangelion 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 Evangelion world has beeen constructed. For this purpose, we are not returning to our roots at GAINAX. 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 Evangelion can easily adjust to, one that can engage audiences as a movie for theatres, and one that produces a new understanding of the world.

This fall, we hope you can join us.

Creator/General Director, Anno Hideaki

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Transcript of NewType USA article

Posted: Sunday, December 17, 2006
Author: Aaron Clark

This transcript was posted in the forums over a week ago, but I've kinda... well, you know what final projects and exams can do to a person. It's not really new info, just a synopsis of what's been stated thus far, with a few good tidbits straight from Gainax. It does help to dispel some of the previous rumors and speculation, so do be sure to give it a read. And keep an eye out for more info on this series of films as it develops.

Anime's new baby

In recent years, Hideaki Anno has been focusing more on live-action than anime, so his decision to make another Eva anime surprised many. Otsuki has a theory, though.

"Twelve years is enough time for you to be able to look back on earlier works obvjectively", he explains. "Shortly before we started this project, Anno had a big Eva marathon where he watched the whole series in one go.
The first thing he said when he finished watching was, 'This show really is interesting, isn't it? I never realized how interesting it was'. That comment really shook me."

The new project was started as an affirmation of the value of Anno's past work. "He and his team have gained a lot of experience since then," Otsuki adds. "They've matured as animators and as people. I think you'll be able to see that growth in this production.

Despite all the changes in everyone's lives, having the old staff together again made for a very nostalgic mood on the production site. "Everyone was completely burned out during the second half of the original TV run and the movies, but now they're fresh and enthustiastic again. They've gotten older, but they're still full of energy. It's almost like watching kids prepare for a holiday celibration. The staff will also include a bunch of younger twenty-somethings who decided to join the anime industry after watching Eva and being inspired.

This show has been loved by a lot of people over the years." Indeed it has. The new movies also reflect the staff's feelings about the state of the anime industry. It's even suggested that this project is a rejection of current anime production philosophy.

"It's true that Eva was a huge hit," Otsuki says. "But its success spawned a great deal of confusion and misunderstanding in the in the industry, the end result being a bunch of mass-produced junk. That mindset has persisted for ten years, but now we're in a position to prove it wrong. We're determined to close the door on the post-Eva era for good.

Not your daddy's Eva

When the shocking news first broke, it sent anime fans around the world into a frenzy: Neon Genesis Evangelion, widely regarded as one of the best anime series ever made, was being adapted into four brand-new films! Who would've ever thought we'd see another Evangelion?

In the dozen or so years since its debut, the series spawned numerous video games and even saw a "renewal" reissue with touched-up art and new voiceovers, but until now there hasn't been a smallest whisper of a new series. What can we possibly expect?

"The new story takes place in the same period as the 1995 TV series, but the plot is completely different," producer Toshimichi Otsuki elaborates. "This isn't a remake or a quick fix. It's a totally new production."

Being a new production means GAINAX is taking a different approach than what SUNRISE did with the recent Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam movies, which were essentially a three-part summary of the TV series. In contrast, the new Eva movies call for massive modifications to the setting and the concepts.

"It'll be something viewers can enjoy if they've never seen the TV series," Otsuki continues. "I want everyone--from hardcore fans of the original work to people who only know it because of the licensed stuff--to look at it as a standalone film series.

The complexity has been somewhat lessened to make it more accesible to newbies, but it'll still take a bit of thought to understand." Otsuki adds that they're removing much of the deliberate obfuscation that made Eva infamous: "Filling works with difficult works and concepts in order to create confusion among viewers was a good technique 12 years ago, but not anymore, and one of our primary goals for this project is to turn everyone's expectations upside down."

The core creative team from the TV series has reunited, with original director Hideaki Anno (Gunbuster) overseeing the production. Kazuya Tsurumaki (FLCL) is taking on the mechanical design. Anno himself came up with the storyline for the first installment, while fellow GAINAX co-founder Shinji Higuchi is responsible for storyboarding. A number of new staff members will also be brought on as the production advances.

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The Details Trickle Through

Posted: Sunday, November 12, 2006
Author: Aaron Clark



I haven't been particularly interested in obsessively combing through every little detail about the new Eva movies that trickles through the internet. I would much rather wait for the big expose or the promotional trailer to hit and tell me what I can expect. However, I think that is nearly upon me. I was pointed to Ramblings of DarkMirage, to an entry posted today which summarized a few details in regard to the new Eva movies. The details which interested me were that the movies will indeed feature largely the same characters and story, and that this series of movies is essentially Anno's desire to recreate Evangelion, utilizing new technology, and doing what he could not previously do with the story. In effect, it appears we will be seeing Anno's ideal version of Evangelion, which is something I think all Evangelion fans can look forward to.

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Evangelion Shin Gekijou Ban

Posted: Friday, September 08, 2006
Author: Aaron Clark

The rumors have been flying these past few weeks, and I have to say that it is a very exciting time right now to be in my position to update and inform the Evangelion community. It is no longer rumor. Hideaki Anno, and others from Studio Gainax who were responsible for creating Evangelion in 1995 are creating new Evangelion after more than a decade. The new project is called Evangelion Shin Gekijou Ban, or "Evangelion New Theatrical Version".

This information comes from the September issue of NewType Japan, which was leaked prior to its weekend release. Fan translation has revealed that the project's general supervisor is Hideaki Anno, who you know as the original Evangelion's creator, writer, director, and more. Directing will be Kazuya Tsurumaki, who served as assitant director to Anno on the original production. Also returning are Yoshiyuki Sadamoto as character designer, and Ikuto Yamashita as mecha designer.

As for the series' content, it is somewhat vague and speculative at this point. Before, it was suggested that the first three films would be edited from the original series, and the fourth would be new. But now it has been described as not a continuation, not a remake, but a new story. One does not need to have seen Evangelion before, but there is still new substance for the old fans. It has also been stated as being free of incomprehensible dialogue and plot. It has been suggested as including new locations and characters, but we won't know just yet. When this will begin hitting theaters is somewhat unclear, as I've heard both Summer 2007 and Spring 2008 for the first part. We'll just have to wait for details to solidify in the future.

Personally, I have to say that I am excited about seeing this. My sincere hope is that this production has been born from Anno's reflections on his work over the last decade. He has had all this time to think about what an ideal re-envisionment of Evangelion would be, and now he is creating it. I have high hopes, and I believe this will be something great.

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New Evangelion Anime? (UPDATE)

Posted: Wednesday, August 09, 2006
Author: Aaron Clark

The rumour mill is starting to heat up. Apparently a few months ago, a rumor that 4 new Eva movies were being made popped up. Three were to be re-edits of the series, and the fourth was to be new animation. The other day, Hideaki Anno posted a call for animators to work on a new feature at a studio named Khara. Incidentally, that same studio was just added to the copyright for Evangelion on Gainax's official website. From this, it can be suggested that Anno is making new Evangelion anime. In similar news, NewType is making claims that a big Evangelion scoop is coming up in the September issue.

Tantalizing is it not? The possibility that Hideaki Anno might be making more Evangelion?

Read s'more if you like.

http://www.gainax.co.jp/hills/anno/jobmain.html



Neon Genesis Evangelion animated into four movies?
There will be four movies, three movies with re-edited squences from TV series as well as some new sequences, the brand new fourth one. Just like the recent MS Gundam Z movies. The source for this information was kept secret, but there was a comment about a new project during the interview with Famitsu, could that be it?

http://forums.trivialbeing.net/index.php?showtopic=4157
http://d.hatena.ne.jp/moonphase/20060616/p6



On August 1, Evangelion director Hideaki Anno's official website was updated with job listings for key animators and production staff at a studio called Khara.

Meanwhile, Gainax's Evangelion site has added Khara to its copyright line. According to ANS, the Khara.co.jp domain is registered to Ikki Todoroki, with whom Anno performed in the 2005 film Naisu no mori.

ANS incorporates these items and two "rumors" to conclude an Evangelion film (or films) may be in the works. ANN cannot confirm the Evangelion connection.

http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/article.php?id=9318



September's Newtype Japan advertises an "extra large scoop" on Evangelion in the October issue. Whether it is related to Hideaki Anno's new project is unknown. The issue streets September 10.

http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/article.php?id=9320



8-7-06 (7:04AM EDT)---- New Evangelion Anime Movie(s) Coming?
One of the biggest rumors running this summer among Japanese fans online involves Studio GAINAX, presumably under the aegis of Director Hideaki Anno, re-editing and adding new animation footage to the original 1995 26 episode Evangelion TV series (ala Gundam Zeta) and releasing them as a series of new movies to Japanese theaters. So the story goes, as many as 4 movies could be produced and the 4th one may be entirely new material or may contain an entirely new ending to the Evangelion saga. A side rumor from a few months ago indicates a staff room for Evangelion was being created or renovated at GAINAX HQ. This questionable information started circulating prior to the below mentioned GAINAX search launched, looking for production and animation staff for a forthcoming Hideaki Anno directed animated film project codenamed "Color" (Khara). Those who meet the criteria are encouraged to email to joboffer(AT)khara.co.jp or call. What can be confirmed now as fact is Evangelion and project "Color" are connected and the proof can be found on GAINAX's official EVA website. At the bottom of the page, the copyright statement has added "color" (in katakana) to the Project Eva copyright information. Other twists include the following: A whois search for the domain khara.co.jp reveals it is registered to Khara Corporation. The name Todoroki Ikki is listed as registration and tech contact. It's worth noting Anno Hideaki appeared in the movies Taste of Tea and Naisu No Mori with Todoroki Ikki. Additionally, a search on GAINAX's company overview page shows the Director's name is no longer present. This is leading many to speculate "Color / Khara" could be a spinoff studio perhaps similar to Hideo Kojima's production label "Kojima Productions" or Hayao Miyazaki's private office "Ni Bariki".

http://www.animenewsservice.com/archives/augxx.htm

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New Evangelion Anime?

Posted: Monday, August 07, 2006
Author: Aaron Clark

http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/article.php?id=9318

Tantalizing, is it not?

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Have something cool that's Evangelion related?
Email Aaron about it at theevamonkey@evamonkey.com.